CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – There will be complete closures of Wilma Rudolph Boulevard near Exit 4 on Sunday morning as crews use a drone to study the highway in response to several fatal wrecks.
From 7-7:45 a.m., or until complete, on Sunday, Aug. 7, the Clarksville Police traffic unit, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and the Clarksville Street Department will intermittently close the entire highway between Holiday Drive and Morris Road for brief periods, according to police spokesman Scott Beaubien.
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The drone will capture an overhead digital scan for forensic purposes. No traffic will be allowed to enter or exit the parking lots of businesses on either side of the highway until the scans are finished, Beaubien said.
“The Clarksville Police Department apologies in advance for any inconvenience that this may cause. These scans/photographs are necessary for ongoing crash and traffic investigations. Additionally, these scans will assist in determining ways to mitigate contributing factors and reduce the likelihood of serious injury or fatal crashes in the future,” he said.
There are several hotels and restaurants on both sides of Wilma Rudolph Boulevard in that area. Several pedestrians have been hit over the years trying to cross, including a 16-year-old boy from Missouri who was killed when he was hit by a car on July 6.
A few weeks earlier, on June 16, a Clarksville man was killed when his car was struck in front of Applebee’s by a driver who police said was speeding.
There have been other fatal wrecks in the area in recent years, Beaubien told Clarksville Now.
He provided this list of serious wrecks over last two years near this section of Wilma Rudolph Boulevard that included a CPD Fatal Accident Crash Team response:
2022
- July 6: Wilma at Holiday, pedestrian fatality.
- June 16: Wilma at Fairview Lane, vehicle fatality.
- Feb. 6: Kennedy at Westfield Court, pedestrian fatality.
2021
- April 15: Wilma at Dunbar Cave Road, (MC) fatality.
- May 16: Wilma at Fairview, pedestrian serious injury.
- July 25: Wilma at Morris, pedestrian serious injury.
- Sept. 10: Wilma at Athletic Avenue, vehicle fatality.
- Dec. 15: Wilma at Logan’s Roadhouse, pedestrian serious injury.
“This time frame was selected to minimize the inconvenience to the business owners as well as the public at large,” he said. “Motorists can expect brief delays in both northbound and southbound traffic but will have alternate routes available and officers will be present to direct traffic.”