State Route 149 / State Route 13
Montgomery CountyOverview
The proposed improvements for State Route 149 and State Route 13 are part of a larger effort to provide a circumferential bypass around Clarksville in Montgomery County by way of State Route 374. This portion of that effort covers approximately three miles and includes widening SR 149, from River Road to SR 13, and widening SR 13, from just south of SR 149 to Zinc Plant Road.
Purpose and Need
The purpose of the project is to provide a multi-lane facility as part of the planned SR 374 bypass around the City of Clarksville. The new facility will provide an improved and more efficient transportation corridor between the areas to the south and the areas to the west of the city. The proposed project is designed to improve safety, capacity, and mobility for existing and future traffic.
Design
The existing roadway of SR 149 is two lanes. The existing roadway of SR 13 is primarily three lanes, with one lane in each direction and a center turn lane, with the exception of the bridge over the Cumberland River and the two-lane section between Hawkins Road and Zinc Plant Road.
The proposed design would widen each existing roadway to a five-lane facility, including two 12-foot travel lanes in each direction, a 12-foot dedicated center turn lane, 10-foot paved shoulders, curb and gutter, and five-foot sidewalks on each side. A new bridge over the Cumberland River will be constructed in phases to replace the old McClure Bridge.
Due to the nature of the terrain, contract crews will use drilled shafts (instead of pile driven shafts) to construct the foundation of the new bridge along SR 13 over the Cumberland River. Below is a video explaining this innovative and specialized process.
On December 10, 2020, TDOT contract crews demolished a portion of the old McClure Bridge over the Cumberland River using nearly 100 pounds of explosives. Buoys, cranes, and divers were used to cleanup debris from the river after the blast.