November 8, 2020
By: Dwayne Page
Motorists traveling McMinnville Highway (Highway 56) south in DeKalb County will have to take things a little slower.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation has reduced the speed limit from 55 to 45 miles per hour from the Smithville City Limits to the Warren County line where road construction is in progress. Posted 45 mile per hour signs are along the route.
Meanwhile in its weekly report, TDOT has announced that the contractor, Jones Brothers Contractors, LLC, will continue installing concrete box culverts and drainage structures. Grade work, bridge work, paving operations, and utility work on the new roadway alignment are ongoing with no change in traffic patterns. Traffic is still using the existing SR-56. Motorists are advised to use caution and watch for construction equipment adjacent to roadway. Flaggers may be present to move equipment across roadway, unload equipment, or complete utility work. The contractor is working at the intersection of Williams Road and the new alignment. Traffic will be shifted onto a diversion to allow the contractor to construct the new alignment. Motorists should use caution in this area and watch for flaggers and construction equipment.
The estimated completion date for the Highway 56 improvement project is May 31, 2022.