Murfreesboro plans traffic light in fast-growing Blackman community west of Interstate 24
Murfreesboro officials expect to build a traffic signal for fast-growing westside at Blackman Road and Manson Pike/Burnt Knob Road.
"A lot of development has happened in the area," said Chris Griffith, a civil engineer who serves as the executive director of public infrastructure for the Murfreesboro government.
The Murfreesboro City Council recently responded to Griffith's recommendation to award a $413,500 professional services contract with Kimley Horn Inc. to design needed improvements to the intersection that currently has a four-way stop in what is also known as the historic Blackman community. Once the design work is done, the road construction project will take about two years to complete, Griffith said.
Murfreesboro officials are monitoring the westside's fast growth of housing and schools west of Interstate 24, Griffith told the council. This includes the Shelton Square subdivision with plans for 771 homes once completed off Blackman Road.
The intersection is near the Interstate 840 interchange at the five-lane Veterans Parkway with development that includes the Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Westlawn neighborhood hospital. The Blackman Road and Burnt Road southwest corner also has Middle Tennessee Electric land available for corporate office development.
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Traffic light planned at historic Blackman crossroads
The intersection that will gain a traffic signal is a short drive from where Rutherford County is building Poplar Hill Elementary scheduled to open by August 2025 on Baker Road near Blackman Road. The future $59.9 million campus is on property that used to be part of the John L. Batey historic family farm that dates back to 1807.
The Rutherford County Board of Education also has plans to build a yet-funded $71 million middle school by August 2026 that will be on the former Batey farmland and adjacent to Poplar Hill Elementary. The board purchased 61.4 acres and Batey's former now torn-down home for $5.2 million.
The road improvement plans for the board's construction contract includes left and right turn lanes at two entrances on Baker Road and one entrance on Blackman Road, said Greg Brooks, the Rutherford County Highway superintendent.
The intersection is also a short drive from where crews are building Rutherford Collegiate Prep, a public charter school expected to open by this August next to adjacent Blackman United Methodist Church. Charter schools operate with tax dollars and are independent of the elected school board and administration..
The Blackman Road intersection at Manson Pike, which used to be known as Wilkinson Pike, is the historic crossroads of the Blackman community that dates back to the Blackman brothers arriving in 1808 to farm land grants their father earned for military service from the nation during the Revolutionary War. The crossroads area included a blacksmith shop, the former Blackman store and a scale house to weigh agricultural products, said Batey, a direct descendent of one of the Blackman brothers.
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Future traffic signal near planned Blackman Park
The traffic signal project could cost in the $6 million to $7 million range, Griffith said. The traffic signal part will be in the $200,000 to $300,000 range, and the rest will involve right of way purchases and road improvements that would include added lanes stretching 500 feet each way, he said.
Long-term, the city expects to widen Manson Pike and portions of Blackman and Burnt Knob roads to five lanes, Griffith confirmed.
The city also has long-term plans to extend Blackman Road to a proposed I-24 interchange northeast of the nearby Poplar Hill Elementary.
Another long-term plan involves extending the five-lane Veterans Parkway from Burnt Knob Road to Baker Road by the westside of Batey's remaining 347-acre historic farm.
Blackman Road intersection with Manson Pike/Burnt Knob Road is also a short drive from where the city plans to build Blackman Park with a playground, walking trails and picnic pavilions off Veterans Parkway.
Existing westside recreation at this time that includes two pickleball courts, a basketball court, a playground and picnic pavilion is provided by the Blackman Community Club on Manson Pike.
The city's future park property also has land saved for a future Murfreesboro elementary school.
'People expected a park': Commercial rezoning of former Blackman Park land still resonates
Reach reporter Scott Broden with news tips or questions by emailing him at sbroden@dnj.com. To support his work with The Daily News Journal, sign up for a digital subscription.
Traffic signal project facts
Location: Blackman Road intersection with Manson Pike/Burnt Knob Road
Murfreesboro City Council design contractor for project: Kimley Horn Inc.
Amount for design contract: $413,500
Estimated costs for project once design work completed: $6 million to $7 million
How long will road construction project take after design work is completed: about 2 years
Sources: Mike Browning, the Murfreesboro city spokesman; and Chris Griffith, executive director of public infrastructure for the local government
This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: Murfreesboro plans traffic light at Blackman Rd/Manson Pk west of I-24
