A new I-65 interchange exit will be constructed at what will be the extension of Buckner Road to connect the new interchange to north Spring Hill. This project was greatly advanced forward in December 2018, when the City of Spring Hill received a $25 million federal grant to kickstart the project. The current timeline estimates the project will get under construction in 2023. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation grant was a significant development for Spring Hill, which currently has only one I-65 interchange to access the city. This project will create much needed interstate access on the north end of town, which will greatly help to relieve U.S. 31 traffic and do a great deal to address part of our growing city’s transportation issues. At a City level, this has been ranked one of our most important projects, and this federal grant will cover a majority of the total estimated $48 million interchange project cost, which includes the related roadway extensions. 

This federal grant came about through a tremendous amount of work at many levels from City staff, private sector consultants, elected officials, federal officials and citizens. The funds will make it possible to start much sooner than originally anticipated to construct a new interchange off Interstate 65 at the intersection of Buckner Road, which will be extended to the interstate. The first steps are completing an environmental study, and then the design of the project. The BOMA on Feb. 4, 2019, approved a contract to begin the NEPA environmental study, which is expected to take just under a year to complete. Lewisburg Pike also will be extended to connect to the interstate. As a separate but related project, Buckner Road and Buckner Lane will be widened by the City to accommodate the additional traffic, and key intersections will be signalized. 

The federal grant is part of the U.S.DOT’s Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program, which awards competitive grants to communities in Tennessee and across the country to fund significant transportation projects, including highways and bridges, public transportation systems, passenger and freight railroads and port infrastructure. In Fiscal Year 2018, the BUILD grant was federally funded at $1.5 billion.