TRAFFIC ALERT: Road widening closes portion of Bell St. at MT Blvd.

The Middle Tennessee Boulevard widening project is requiring the contractor to close a portion of Bell Street this week.

Bell Street on the west side of Middle Tennessee Boulevard will be closed to through traffic to Crestland Avenue until Monday, July 18. Motorists should seek alternative routes.

An interactive map on the city of Murfreesboro’s webpage showing upcoming traffic pattern changes is available here. Commuters can also follow the “MT Blvd” project on Twitter @MTBLVD or on the City of Murfreesboro Facebook page here.

The $15.7 million improvement project will upgrade the 0.8-mile section of Middle Tennessee Boulevard to a consistent four-lane divided street with a landscaped median between East Main and Greenland Drive.

The 30-month project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2018.

The enhancement will also include bike lanes, improved sidewalks and lighting, new traffic signals, decorative crosswalks and underground utilities.

A portion of Bell Street from Middle Tennessee Boulevard west to Crestland Avenue is closed this week as part of the MT Boulevard road-widening project. (MTSU photo)

TRAFFIC UPDATE: MT Boulevard to reopen to through traffic June 27

June 24, 2016

Middle Tennessee Boulevard will reopen from East Main Street to Bell Street on Monday, June 27, as scheduled.

The city of Murfreesboro closed the section to all through traffic between Monday, June 6, and Sunday, June 26, for the ongoing road-improvement project. Traffic has been detoured around the area during that time.

Lytle Street at MT Boulevard will remain closed. traffic advisory graphic

Also, beginning June 27 through Friday, July 1, Bell Street on the west side of Middle Tennessee Boulevard — the Bell Street parking lot side — will be closed as the project work continues north.

TheRaider Xpress “Green Route” will be detoured to Ewing Boulevard during this time.

All sidewalk access on the west side of the street will be closed between Bell Street and Faulkenberry Drive until further notice.

For safety, pedestrians are asked to use the sidewalk on the MTSU side of the street and cross MT Boulevard ONLY at the signalized crosswalks located at Faulkenberry and Bell.

The 30-month project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2018.

The enhancement will also include bike lanes, improved sidewalks and lighting, new traffic signals, decorative crosswalks and underground utilities.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)

TRAFFIC ALERT: Section of MT Boulevard closed to traffic through June 26

June 6, 2016

A section of Middle Tennessee Boulevard — from Bell Street to East Main Street — near the MTSU campus will be closed to all through traffic until Sunday, June 26, for the ongoing road-improvement project by the city of Murfreesboro.

During the roughly three-week closure, which began June 6, the project contractor will be installing underground utilities and a new box culvert at the Lytle Street intersection and grading the road throughout the closed section.

East Main Street and Bell Street will remain open during the closure, but those needing access to the Sam H. Ingram Building will have to use alternate routes to reach the west entrance to the property off Lytle Street.

MTSU’s Parking and Transportation Services office has provided a directional map here to assist university personnel in getting to the building. Parking Services personnel recommend that faculty and staff use the proposed route to reach the Ingram Building safely during the construction closure.

For safety reasons, the MT Boulevard construction team also is asking that pedestrians not enter the fenced construction zone when walking from the main campus to the Ingram Building. To safely avoid the construction area, pedestrians should use the sidewalk on East Main Street to cross MT Boulevard, then proceed on the accessible MT Boulevard sidewalk to the Ingram Building.

The arm gate on Old Main Circle at Cope will remain open during this construction period to allow more convenient access to the campus core. Motorists should observe the 15 mph campuswide speed limit to ensure the safety of students and staff on Old Main Circle.

You can also see the route map to the Ingram Building below:

MTSU Parking Services has provided this directional map to assist university personnel in getting to the Sam H. Ingram Building. Parking Services recommends that faculty and staff use this proposed route in order to safely access the Ingram Building during the construction closure. (Courtesy of MTSU Parking and Transportation Services)

MTSU Parking Services has provided this directional map to assist university personnel in getting to the Sam H. Ingram Building safely during the MTSU Boulevard construction closure in June. (Courtesy of MTSU Parking and Transportation Services)

Meanwhile, a city of Murfreesboro news release states that all general northbound traffic on MT Boulevard will be detoured onto East Main Street/Rutherford Boulevard and southbound traffic will be detoured onto Greenland Drive/Highland Avenue.

An interactive map on the city of Murfreesboro webpage showing the upcoming traffic pattern changes and detours is available here or at the bottom of this story. Commuters can also follow the “MT Blvd” project on Twitter @MTBLVD or on the City of Murfreesboro Facebook page here. road-closed-sign1

The enhancement will also include bike lanes, improved sidewalks and lighting, new traffic signals, decorative crosswalks and underground utilities.

Commuters and visitors to the MTSU campus are again encouraged to seek alternative campus access from Greenland Drive, Rutherford Boulevard and East Main Street and take advantage of the university’s Raider Xpress shuttle bus service and the MTSU mobile app, which is downloadable here.

A searchable campus parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.

When the MT Boulevard improvement project is completed, the following changes will affect traffic flow along the thoroughfare:

Traffic flow on Faulkinberry Drive will change to “right turn in, right turn out” onto Middle Tennessee Boulevard.
A pull-in area for buses will be added to the front of Murphy Center.
Signalized pedestrian crossings will be added at Lytle and Division streets, and crosswalks at Bell Street and Faulkinberry Drive will be upgraded.
Brick walls with signage will be erected at the corners of Greenland Drive, and another wall will be added at East Main Street, to better define the university’s boundaries.
Flagpoles will be erected at Faulkinberry Drive.

For more information on the closure or the MT Boulevard project, contact Murfreesboro city engineer Chris Griffith at cgriffith@murfreesborotn.gov or 615-801-2552 or project engineer Mike Stacey at 615-642-3134.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)

This map shows the detours recommended by the city of Murfreesboro while a portion of Middle Tennessee Boulevard is closed for construction June 6-26. (Courtesy of the City of Murfreesboro)