City officials discuss ways to help drivers, pedestrians

JACKSON, Tenn. — The Hub City may be getting improvements that benefit both drivers and pedestrians.

The Downtown Improvement Project Committee met Tuesday to discuss those future plans.

“We were notified about a month ago that we got approved for phase one. That goes from Highland to right at the Y turn in front of King Tire. Our phase two grant process is going to take us from that Y turn in front of King Tire to Hollywood Drive,” said Jackson Mayor Scott Conger.

Conger says they have several things planned for the project.

“That will be a road diet. Completely rebuild the streets, bike lanes, sidewalk enhancement. This is to make the street look better, make it safer, and make it easier to travel,” Conger said.

Conger says the city applied for a grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and was awarded $1.5 million for phase one in October.

They are applying for the same amount for phase two, and hope to hear if the city was selected in about a year.

He says this project will be stretched out into several years.

“Would be about a $500,000 match for the City of Jackson. So the total project for phase one and two will be about $4 million. That will be over a five to six year period of build. So we are not spending half a million dollars in one year. We are going to do it over several years,” Conger said.

Engineer Consultant Jennie Keel says the main goal is to keep the pedestrians that travel Airways Boulevard safe.

“We are going to turn it from a four lane into a two lane with a turn lane, provide a grass strip, pedestrian sidewalks, crosswalks, ADA ramps, and everything that is needed to improve the pedestrian infrastructure,” Keel said.

Keel says phase one has not been started, but hopes to start construction in the next two years.

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