Construction of the new Interstate 65 interchange at Buckner Road in Spring Hill, Tenn., has officially begun, with a goal of become fully operational by this time next year.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) awarded the design-build contract for the new interchange last year to BELL Construction in Nashville. The firm submitted a low bid of $54.3 million and is expected to complete the project by May 2023.

In addition to the junction's reconfiguration, the work will include the extension of Buckner Road from Buckner Lane to Lewisburg Pike across I-65 with a diverging diamond interchange (DDI).

The city of Spring Hill kickstarted the effort with a $25 million BUILD grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation in late 2018.

"The city of Spring Hill's diligence in securing this competitive grant put this interchange on the fast track," said TDOT Commissioner Clay Bright. "TDOT has an aggressive schedule to meet, but the design-build contracting method allows us to tap into the innovation of the private industry and deliver the project in a much shorter timeframe compared to traditional design-bid-build projects."

The area where the work will take place is in Williamson County in the southwest part of the state.

According to a press release from TDOT, the new exit will provide direct access from I-65 west to Spring Hill and is designed to alleviate traffic congestion along the city's major north-south corridors. The new interchange also is expected to generate an estimated 17,000 daily trips during its first year of operation, which is estimated to happen in April 2023.

The daily trip rate is predicted to increase to 44,000 over the next 20 years, TDOT also noted.

New Development to Be Built Near the DDI

The study and data were compiled by Nashville developer Southeast Venture, which also is overseeing the 775-acre June Lake multi-use development next to the interchange.

"In addition to much needed traffic congestion relief, the new interchange will literally pave the way for greater economic development in Spring Hill, southern Williamson County and northern Maury County," said Southeast Venture Project Manager Don Alexander in a press release. "I'm excited to watch June Lake take shape as a thriving residential and commercial district in our community."

He added that over the next 20-plus years, the June Lake development is expected to consist of more than 2,900 residential units, 3.9 million sq. ft. of Class A office space, 1.3 million sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space, and 400 hotel rooms.

The project totals approximately $2.4 billion in construction value, according to a Cumming Construction Management assessment of the top regional projects in 2020.

"We're excited to begin construction on this state-of-the-art interstate interchange, which will reduce congestion and add a much-needed exit between TN 840 and Saturn Parkway, support progress of the June Lake commercial and residential development, and increase safety for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians," explained Jeremy Mitchell, executive vice president at BELL Construction.

"BELL's transportation division has completed countless miles of interstate and secondary roadways as well as hundreds of bridges in Tennessee. Our deep experience and local roots make us particularly proud to be part of this project and help ensure that growing Middle Tennessee communities are positioned to thrive."

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