A project that has been many years, not to mention dollars, in the making is finally nearing completion with Spring Hill’s newest I-65 interchange.
On Wednesday, the city hosted local, state and federal leaders for a ceremonial ribbon cutting for the interchange. This also ties into the adjacent mixed-use development in June Lake, another major project designed to provide housing, hotel and office space for the city’s growing population and workforce.
“The new interchange, located at Exit 55, will provide the city with a much-needed second direct access to the freeway, while also connecting to Lewisburg Pike on the east side of I-65,” according to a news release.
The interchange’s design is also somewhat rare for Tennessee, a design carefully crafted to reduce daily traffic congestion on the highways.
“The ‘Diverging Diamond’ design is the fourth such interchange in Tennessee. The design is intended to ease traffic flow to and from I-65,” the press release said.
“I am grateful for the fantastic work of our city staff and elected officials, past and present, who made this project a reality,” said Mayor Jim Hagaman. “Through their extraordinary work and with partnerships at the local, state and federal levels, we achieved a major victory for the residents of Spring Hill.”
This project has been a vision of the City of Spring Hill for over a decade and would not have become a reality without the help of many outside entities.
“Thanks to federal investments focused on safety and innovation, I am pleased to celebrate the opening of this much-needed highway interchange that will spur economic development in the region, create new opportunities for the local community and positively impact travelers across Tennessee ” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt.
“This project demonstrates the importance of federal highway funding in delivering safer, more accessible and cleaner transportation infrastructure to communities large and small across the country.”
The total cost of the project is approximately $56.8 million – costs shared by Spring Hill and the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).
Exit 55 on Interstate 65 and June Lake Boulevard will officially open to the public on Friday, May 31.
For more information, contact Spring Hill Communications Director Lucas Wright at lwright@springhilltn.org.
Jay Powell is a general reporter for The Daily Herald. Get the latest news in your inbox by subscribing to The Daily Herald newsletter at www.ColumbiaDailyHerald.com.
This article originally appeared in The Daily Herald: Long-awaited I-65 interchange opens Friday: ‘A big win for Spring Hill’
