Log in Subscribe

Finally! A light at Highway 82

By DAVID MELSON - dmelson@t-g.com
Posted 6/7/22

A traffic signal should be in place at the busy U.S. 231 North-State Highway 82-Eady Road intersection by this time next summer, officials say.

The intersection has been arguably the most …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Finally! A light at Highway 82

Posted
A traffic signal should be in place at the busy U.S. 231 North-State Highway 82-Eady Road intersection by this time next summer, officials say.
The intersection has been arguably the most dangerous in Bedford County for years. Several fatalities have occurred and crashes are frequent.
Tennessee Department of Transportation has approved a signal. Studies are underway and a signal is expected to be in place by spring or summer 2023, Bedford County Highway Superintendent Mark Clanton said.
“It’s a go,” Clanton said Monday. “I requested this from TDOT a year ago. It is 100 percent a TDOT project,” Clanton said, explaining no county funds will be involved.
Clanton said the exact time when the lights will be in place hasn’t been determined. “Timing is where we don’t know much.”
A turn lane will be added on Highway 82, Clanton said.
Corridor studies are underway along U.S. 231, which has seen a large increase in traffic as the area has grown in the past few years.
In addition to population growth, events at Uncle Nearest Distillery have brought more traffic to the area near the intersection. Vanderbilt Bedford Hospital and Shelbyville Municipal Airport draw many visitors.
Upcoming industrial development and the new Tennessee College of Applied Technology and Middle Tennessee State University aviation department campuses near the U.S. 231-Frank Martin Road intersection are expected to increase traffic further.
The Tennessee Downs auto facilities proposed for the Eady Road side of the intersection are likely to bring even more vehicles into the area.
And events in Bell Buckle often leave traffic backed up for a mile or more on the Highway 82 side.