The Magnolia Avenue streetscape project is being extended eastward by another 1,265 feet – and this time, for Phase 3, the work will be mostly federally funded.

Last evening (Jan. 26, 2021), City Council voted unanimously to authorize Mayor Indya Kincannon to enter into an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Transportation to extend the project from Bertrand Street past Cruze Street and on to Kyle Street.

The Phase 3 extension is estimated to be a $5 million investment – $4 million of that be federally funded, with the City funding the remaining $1 million.

The first two phases of the Magnolia Avenue Streetscape Project added landscaped center medians, left-turn lanes, bike lanes, wider tree-lined sidewalks, safer intersections with stamped crosswalks, safer transit connections and new bus shelters between Jessamine and Bertrand streets. The improvements – totaling $8.7 million, completely City funded – were finished in 2019.

“The City is committed to continuing the Magnolia Avenue streetscapes project eastward, eventually to Cherry Street, and this partnership with TDOT helps move us forward, starting now,” Mayor Kincannon said.

“Public investment in infrastructure makes commercial corridors safer, greener and more family-friendly. Infrastructure improvements also help leverage private reinvestment, which creates jobs, builds community wealth and adds amenities that benefit the people who work and live nearby.”

Phase 3 design work should begin by June, with right-of-way acquisition starting by fall 2022. Actual construction is expected to get underway in early 2024. As with Phases 1 and 2, there may be intermittent lane closures on four-lane Magnolia Avenue during construction, but the avenue is expected to remain open to through traffic.