Casey Jones Lane construction set to begin in August

JACKSON, Tenn. — Drivers might soon find it a little easier to leave the Casey Jones Village and head toward Interstate 40.

The roadway project that was originally proposed more than two years ago is set to begin construction in just months.

“You’ve got to go and make a U-turn and get around and make circles, and it’s just not the safest, best interchange,” Nichole Lawrence, spokesperson for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, said about the current roadway conditions.

Lawrence said the project is high on TDOT’s priority list.

“Safety is TDOT’s number one priority, so anytime we have a project that improves the safety of our motorists, it’s always number one in our books,” she said.

The project will allow left turns leaving Casey Jones Lane and eliminate the current U-turn for returning I-40 traffic.

But safer interchanges is just one change the project will bring.

Old Country Store manager Brooks Shaw says his restaurant is just one of many buildings in the area being renovated.

“Everything is going to look new,” Shaw said. “It’s going to be very well maintained, and just the flow of traffic is going to be huge for us.”

Shaw said the project will benefit more than just people living in the Hub City.

“We welcome a lot of different visitors from a lot of different places, and all those changes will make it easier for them to come and visit us,” he said.

Shaw said almost half of his customers come from out of town, and he hopes the project will bring in even more business.

TDOT said there is no set date for when the project will be finished, but it hopes to have it done within the next two years.