CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Clarksville Street Department held a public meeting this week to answer questions about development plans for Memorial Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway (State Highway 76 Connector).

Several renderings of the road improvements were presented Tuesday, with Street Department officials on hand to address each one. Mayor Joe Pitts was also present, along with several City Council members.

City Street Department renderings for road improvements on Memorial Drive and MLK Parkway (Contributed)
City Street Department renderings for road improvements on Memorial Drive and MLK Parkway (Contributed)
City Street Department renderings for road improvements on Memorial Drive and MLK Parkway (Contributed)
City Street Department renderings for road improvements on Memorial Drive and MLK Parkway (Contributed)
Clarksville Street Department answers questions about Memorial Drive and MLK Parkway improvements on March 14, 2023. (Jake Foster)
City Street Department renderings for road improvements on Memorial Drive and MLK Parkway (Contributed)

The project is a component of the mayor’s 2020+ Transportation Plan, which is designed to improve safety and traffic capacity on multiple roads. The proposed improvements include widening Memorial from Richview Road to MLK Parkway from a two-lane road to a three-lane road with bike lanes and sidewalks along each side.

Additional improvements to MLK will include traffic signals at the Old Farmers Road intersection and the Memorial Drive intersection. Turn lanes are also expected to improve, providing more traffic capacity.

The project is still in the planning stages, with survey and design work scheduled to begin later this spring and right-of-way acquisition following in the fall of 2023. The overall price tag of the project is estimated at $26.5 million.