GERMANTOWN, Tenn. — Phase one of Germantown's project to widen lanes on South Germantown Road, Wolf River Boulevard and West Brierbrook Road starts Wednesday, August 30 and will last about nine to ten months and for four phases.
“There’s hardly a day that goes by that I’m not on Germantown Parkway,” Germantown resident Norman Dixon said.
This is all in an effort to create a steady flow of traffic when the project is completed in 2025.
“It’s already a mess how it is right now,” Dixon said. “But Wolf River, with this congestion going into Germantown Parkway, it almost seems like it’s going to be a major, major road issue.”
A rough draft from the planning process shows one to two additional lanes in black shaded areas that will be upgraded. Construction will clog traffic, but the city said they will never completely block off businesses.
“We communicate with businesses throughout the entire project,” Ethan Skaggs, Director of Engineering, said. “Access will remain to all businesses throughout the entire life of the project. There may be sometimes that if we’re rebuilding one of the entrances for a short period of time there might be a temporary closure for driveway access, but there will be a way to access every business.”
However, none of the upgrades include bike routes, something Germantown resident Cooper Jackson was hoping for.
“I feel like they should widen the bike lanes too because we have a bit of trouble with the bike lanes around here. and the sidewalks aren’t very good,” Jackson said. “Some sidewalks are just big potholes, so they’re not complete.”
The city said they know it will be a hassle as they work through the four phases of construction, but they know it’ll be worth it.
“We’re confident that the project will definitely be worth the inconvenience for many years to come, but just be thoughtful of the people that are doing the work and those that you’re travelling next to and travelling with, and just a little bit of patience,” Skaggs said.