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Cumberland County Road Projects: Funding, Construction and What Comes Next

TRACKER RECORD

What changed, and when

Source dates and completed source checks are shown separately.

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These are dated project notices. They do not establish today’s road closures or an exact completion date. Original project sections retain their own reporting dates; use TDOT SmartWay for current travel conditions.

Development history

Most recent source date first.

  1. Notice published

    TDOT reports Crab Orchard bridge repairs have begun

    TDOT's October 16 bulletin said Main Street bridge repairs below I-40 had started and anticipated nighttime I-40 restrictions from October 18. It did not give the actual start day. This is a dated work report; check current TDOT information before travel.

    TDOT October 15–21, 2026 activity reportSource checked

  2. Notice published

    Historical source record

    October bulletin documents US 127 and Obed River work

    Historical reference: the October 16 bulletin described grading and paving north of I-40, a traffic shift near Lowe Road, and the SR 24 bridge closure with its posted detour. These dated conditions are not a live traffic feed or a confirmed completion schedule.

    TDOT October 15–21, 2026 activity reportSource checked

  3. Notice published

    Historical source record

    Crab Orchard bridge repairs scheduled in October notice

    Historical reference: TDOT's October 8 bulletin scheduled repairs below I-40 over Main Street for October 12 and anticipated a lane restriction with a temporary signal. A scheduled start does not prove the actual start day.

    TDOT October 8–14, 2026 activity reportSource checked

Original research: October 1, 2026; selected sources reviewed October 30, 2026. This is a project-status tracker, not a live traffic service.

This is a project-status tracker, not a live traffic service.

Source review — October 30, 2026

TDOT's October 29 report for October 29–November 4, 2026 adds these dated updates:

This bulletin updates activity, not the older contract amounts, completion targets or final acceptance. The October 1 research baseline and its source dates remain below; only the identified stage updates have been rechecked. For immediate travel conditions use TDOT SmartWay, since a weekly report can change.

What major road projects are underway or planned in Cumberland County, Tennessee?

Major projects include US 127 widening north of Crossville, replacement of the US 70N bridge over the Obed River, I-40 bridge work and resurfacing, and the planned Northwest Connector Phase 2. Their stages differ: US 127 from I-40 to Potato Farm Road remains under construction; the next stretch, Potato Farm Road to Lowe Road, has a construction award and October 29 sign-installation activity; and TDOT has announced the Lowe Road–Little Road segment complete while still listing traffic controls. The Northwest Connector has a $21 million grant but still has preconstruction work ahead. US 127 overview · August contract awards · TDOT completion announcement · City engineering record

This page tracks 10 distinct projects, including one recently completed corridor segment. The two middle US 127 planning segments share one construction contract and are counted once. Separate I-40 and US 70N traffic notices for the same bridge contract are also counted once.

Original research notes — October 1, 2026

These notes preserve what the records established on October 1. The October 30 review above supersedes the unresolved Crab Orchard start forecast and adds middle-segment activity.

Master project-status table

Dollar figures below have different meanings. A grant, an awarded bid and a current contract amount are not interchangeable. “Current contract” means the amount shown in the cited dated TDOT progress estimate, not a final audited cost. Amounts and original targets were checked October 1, 2026. The Potato Farm–Lowe, Lowe–Little and Crab Orchard stage cells include the October 29 bulletin reviewed October 30; other cost and completion records were not newly audited.

ProjectRoute / limitsTypeVerified stageCost / contract figureLatest milestoneExpected next step
US 127: I-40–Potato FarmSR 28, LM 17.8–22.7Widening, bridges and pavingConstruction underway$65,533,461.15 current contractOctober activity report; August pay periodCompletion target November 6, 2026; verify acceptance S02 · S03
US 127: Potato Farm–LoweSR 28, LM 22.68–29.18; includes Hollow LaneWidening, drainage and bridgesSigns being installed; clearing/grading planned$69,978,616.17 awarded bidOctober 29 activity report S21; August award retainedVerify earthwork and contract updates; bid deadline October 31, 2030 S05 · S06
US 127: Lowe–LittleSR 28, across Cumberland–Fentress lineWidening and Clear Creek bridgeAgency-announced complete; traffic controls remain listed$78,478,913.55 current contract in August estimateSeptember announcement; October 29 traffic update S21Locate formal acceptance and final amount S04 · S07
Northwest Connector Phase 2Northside Drive, US 70N–US 127NNew connectorDesign / preconstruction; grant awarded$21 million SPP grant; final cost undeterminedCity engineering file dated August 28Plans, environmental and utility coordination; conditional fall 2027 bidding assumption S09
Obed River bridgeUS 70N / SR 24, LM 15.37, CrossvilleBridge replacementConstruction underway$5,454,834.94 current contractJuly pay period and October activity reportContract target December 20, 2026 S10 · S02
I-40 bridges over US 70NWestern county edge; I-40 work zone MM 304.4–306.6Bridge widening / repair and pavingConstruction underway$16,243,467.04 current contractAugust pay period; median work reportedContract target December 20, 2027 S11 · S02
I-40 near Plateau RoadMM 306.2–311Major resurfacingConstruction underway$3,946,690.07 Rogers bidOctober activity reportOriginal bid deadline October 31, 2026; check later contract record S12 · S02
Main Street, CrossvilleUS 127 / SR 28, Miller Avenue–near Elmore Road2.35-mile resurfacingFinal construction activities reported$1,900,000 Rogers bidOctober activity reportConfirm revised schedule and completion S12 · S02
I-40 over Main Street, Crab OrchardMM 328.2–328.4 activity areaBridge repairsBridge repairs started per TDOT$598,394.70 awarded bidOctober 29 activity report S21; earlier forecasts retained belowVerify completion; original bid deadline October 31, 2026 S13 · S15
Westel Road / I-40 interchangeSR 299, near Pig Path Road–I-40Road and interchange improvementsPreconstruction proposal / county coordinationFinal scope-matched cost not establishedAugust county proposal and mayor’s explanationVerify executed agreement, design/ROW milestones and letting S16 · S17

Source labels in the table refer to the official links at the end of this page. The individual sections explain schedule and funding limitations.

US 127 / SR 28: three different project stages

I-40 to Potato Farm Road: construction continues

TDOT’s October activity report lists grading and paving under Jones Bros. Contractors, contract CNV009. Its August 2026 progress estimate records work beginning April 7, 2021, and a November 6, 2026 completion target. That precise contract target is more useful than the corridor overview’s broader fall 2026 estimate, but neither is a guarantee that the project will be accepted that day. Activity · Progress estimate, page 1

The original contract amount was $62,976,602.67; the same estimate lists $65,533,461.15 as the current amount. Those are construction-contract figures. They do not establish the full cost of property, design or every utility agreement. The estimate is marked unapproved, and its dollar-based completion percentage is not a measurement of how much roadway is physically finished. Progress estimate

What comes next: a dated completion or acceptance record. Until then, retain construction status and keep temporary travel restrictions in the dated traffic box below.

Potato Farm Road to Lowe Road: one award covers two planning segments

This is the most consequential change from the corridor overview. The overview still describes the Potato Farm–Hollow Lane and Hollow Lane–Lowe Road pieces as being in right-of-way acquisition. TDOT’s newer award record identifies one contract, CN262058, for both pieces: grading, drainage, concrete bridges and paving from LM 22.68 to LM 29.18. Charles Blalock & Sons received the award at $69,978,616.17. Overview · Award

The bid schedule gives a 6.359-mile contract length and a completion deadline of October 31, 2030. The October 1 review did not establish a start. TDOT's October 29 bulletin now lists construction-sign installation and planned clearing/grading. It does not establish earthwork across the entire middle stretch or replace the bid deadline. Activity update Bid schedule

Older planning figures must remain separate. The May 2025 ten-year plan listed estimated costs of $60.8 million and $49.8 million for the two planning segments. Those figures are not two additional contracts to add to the combined award. The draft FY2026–2029 STIP also separates construction programming from total project estimates. Its draft status does not establish a new federal authorization. Ten-year plan · Draft STIP

There is also a scope discrepancy worth preserving: the corridor overview describes a two-lane “Super Two” approach, while the draft STIP’s Hollow–Lowe entry describes four lanes. This tracker does not promise a final lane count for the awarded package without resolving that difference against the construction plans.

What comes next: verify earthwork, the controlling construction cross-sections and subsequent contract updates. The 2030 date is the bid-schedule deadline, not an opening announcement.

Lowe Road to Little Road: completion announced, financial closeout not established

TDOT has announced completion of this cross-county segment and its Clear Creek bridge. That agency statement supersedes the undated overview’s construction label. It does not mean every remaining part of US 127 between I-40 and Little Road is complete. TDOT announcement

Contract CNV300 began work February 21, 2022. Its August estimate lists an original contract of $85,391,056.98, a current contract of $78,478,913.55, and an August 31, 2026 target. The estimate’s substantial-completion and acceptance fields are blank. A lower current amount is not evidence of final savings until the final scope and accounting are reconciled. Progress estimate

What comes next: obtain formal acceptance and the final contract amount. This row remains visible as a recent completion so readers can distinguish it from the neighboring projects.

Northwest Connector Phase 2: what the $21 million grant covers—and what remains open

Phase 2 is the proposed Northside Drive connection between US 70 North and US 127 North. Crossville’s engineering record reports a $21 million Statewide Partnership Program grant. It assigns TDOT coordination of environmental reevaluation, permits, utilities, plan review and bid preparation, with Gresham Smith responsible for design services. City file 26-0356

The city would cover costs exceeding the grant, and the final amount depends on construction bids. The record’s fall 2027 bidding reference is conditional. Its related cash-flow assumptions are not a contractor start order. The public file reviewed does not establish an executed construction contract or completed council action on every requested agreement.

The documented position is therefore design/preconstruction with a grant award. Next evidence should include executed agreements, updated plans and environmental/utility milestones, followed by an actual letting notice. Do not call the entire project fully funded at a final fixed price. City file

US 70N bridge over the Obed River: an active replacement with a long closure

This is SR 24 at LM 15.37, not a different Obed River bridge on US 70 / SR 1. TDOT’s November 2025 notice forecast a November 19 closure and December 2026 completion. It identified the detour via SR 462 / Northside Drive and SR 1 / Sparta Highway and committed to maintaining access to Obed River Park. Closure announcement

The later CNZ206 progress record identifies Mid-State Construction Company, work beginning October 30, 2025, and a December 20, 2026 contract target. The original amount was $5,442,181.06; the July-period estimate lists $5,454,834.94. October’s activity report continues to list the closure. Progress estimate · Activity

What comes next: a newer progress estimate and an official reopening/completion notice. The closure’s extent is not the bridge’s physical length, and the forecast date alone does not authorize calling the bridge open.

I-40 and Main Street: separate contracts, separate clocks

Western I-40 bridges over US 70N

CNZ290 combines bridge widening/repair with grading, drainage and paving. Rogers Group’s August estimate lists a $16,243,467.04 current contract, up from $15,995,774.10, with work beginning January 20, 2026 and a December 20, 2027 target. The I-40 and SR 24 activity entries describe the same contract, so their costs must not be added together. Contract record

The activity area reaches toward the Putnam County boundary. The cost above is the entire identified contract, not an allocation calculated for particular motorists, road sections or jurisdictions.

I-40 resurfacing near Plateau Road

Contract CNZ327 covers 4.8 miles, from near the parking-area exit to east of the Plateau Road interchange. Rogers Group’s bid was $3,946,690.07, with an original October 31, 2026 deadline. October’s activity notice supports construction status; it does not establish a revised final contract amount or acceptance. Bid schedule · Activity

Crossville Main Street resurfacing

Contract CNZ291 covers 2.35 miles of US 127 / SR 28, from near Miller Avenue to near US 70N / SR 24. Rogers Group bid $1.9 million. The original bid deadline was July 31, 2026, but the October report still lists final activities. This establishes work being reported after the original deadline; it does not establish the reason or terms of a formal extension. A revised deadline was not located. Bid schedule · Activity

Crab Orchard: I-40 bridges over Main Street

The award record identifies CN262041, Capital City Construction Services, and a $598,394.70 bid for repairs over the abandoned Southern Railway and Main Street. The bid deadline was October 31, 2026. October’s activity report uses a shortened contract identifier and forecasts work starting October 5, superseding the September 8 forecast in the September report. At the October 1 cutoff neither a revised completion deadline nor an actual start was established. The October 29 bulletin now says bridge repairs have started; it does not provide a revised completion date. Activity update Award · Bid schedule · September · October

Westel Road and the I-40 interchange: preconstruction evidence

The county mayor’s August 17 account identifies a TDOT proposal under resolution 08-2026-1 and describes improvements from near Pig Path Road to I-40: widening, turning movements, drainage, sidewalks and interchange/bridge work. It also states that closing Pig Path Road is not part of the proposal. County agenda · Mayor’s explanation

These records support tracking a public transportation project. They do not establish a construction award or start date. The mayor’s page contains an “approved/failed” drafting inconsistency in its vote sentence; this tracker does not use that sentence as certified minutes. Executed agreements, adopted minutes and a scope-matched current budget remain the next records to verify.

Archived traffic notice: October 1–7, 2026

That reporting window has ended. The October 1 TDOT bulletin is retained as a historical source for the project baseline. Its lane restrictions, detours and anticipated start dates do not establish current travel conditions or prove that work began as forecast.

For current travel information, check TDOT SmartWay or call 511. New dated developments are listed in the tracker history; this archived notice has no current closure alert.

How to read stages and costs

Planning and design describe preparation. Right-of-way concerns property acquisition. Environmental review and utility relocation are separate activities and can overlap other stages. A funding award establishes the identified funding, not that every required dollar or approval exists. A letting is the bidding event; an award selects the contractor. Construction status requires dated evidence of actual work. Substantial completion and final acceptance require their own records.

“Not established from records reviewed” means evidence is missing, not that a project is canceled. An old date passing does not by itself prove cancellation, breach or a formal schedule extension.

We distinguish estimates, programmed funds, grants, awarded bids, current contract amounts and final costs. We do not total this table into a countywide spending figure: it mixes cost classes, dates and cross-county scopes. Federal project identifiers show a federal-program connection but do not establish the final federal/state/local split.

Next milestones to watch

MilestoneDate or window supportedWhat would confirm it
Crab Orchard bridge-work startOctober 5, 2026 historical forecast; started per October 29 reportCompletion / acceptance evidence S21
I-40 resurfacing and Crab Orchard original contract deadlinesOctober 31, 2026Completion record or revised contract deadline
I-40–Potato Farm completion targetNovember 6, 2026Completion / acceptance record
Obed bridge completion targetDecember 20, 2026Reopening and contract completion record
Western I-40 bridge contract targetDecember 20, 2027Later progress record
Northwest Connector biddingConditional fall 2027 assumptionActual letting notice
Potato Farm–Lowe bid deadlineOctober 31, 2030Subsequent contract updates; verify earthwork after October 29 sign installation

We match records by route, endpoints and contract number. A newer award or completion record can supersede an older overview. News coverage helps locate records and understand chronology, but current stages above rely on agency records or a clearly identified official’s account. Some documents are undated or update in place; source dates and verification dates are kept separately.

The tracker is selective, covering consequential construction and preconstruction projects. It is not a complete inventory of county maintenance. The county highway department maintains road-list and service information. Being on that road list does not establish a funded improvement project.

Change log — October 30, 2026: Added the October 29–November 4 TDOT bulletin; updated activity stages while retaining original bids, estimates, target dates and historical forecasts.

Change log — October 1, 2026: Initial research edition. Separated three US 127 construction packages; reconciled the middle-segment award and northern completion announcement; distinguished original bid dates from later activity; added connector and Westel preconstruction limitations.

Corrections: Please identify the project, disputed statement and supporting official record through WorthFighting.org’s established contact channel. Substantive corrections should record the old claim, corrected claim, evidence and correction date. A new target date should preserve the previous date in the history.

For related decisions, visit the Cumberland County hub, development-projects tracker, building-permit guide and Crossville water-decisions tracker. Broader coverage is available in Tennessee local resources and the Tennessee state page.

Official records