Length 124.4 km | Constructed 12 August 2016 | |
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Existed: August 12, 2016 – present Counties Dickson County, Tennessee | ||
Interstate 840 (I-840), formerly State Route 840 (SR 840), also designated as Tennessee National Guard Parkway, is a loop interstate highway around Nashville, Tennessee, built by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). First proposed by former Governor Lamar Alexander as part of a system of Bicentennial Parkways, construction began in 1991 and was completed in 2012. The freeway is 77.28 miles (124.37 km) long, and it serves the cities of Lebanon, Murfreesboro, Franklin, and Dickson.
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Map of I-840, Tennessee, USA
In 2015, approval was given by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to redesignate SR 840 as Interstate 840 (I-840) as part of its integration into the Interstate Highway System. On August 12, 2016, TDOT announced that it would begin re-signing the route on August 14 and that work would be complete later in the year.
History
The SR 840 project was initiated in 1986 with the passage of the Better Roads Program in the Tennessee legislature. While initially referred to as Interstate 840 (I-840) in the state plan, the highway was constructed entirely with state transportation funds and is officially referred to as a state route. The first contract for construction was signed in 1991, and work progressed in stages. The section of road between I-40 at Lebanon and I-24 near Murfreesboro was completed in November 1996, between I-24 and I-65 near Franklin in October 2001, and between I-40 near Dickson and SR 100 in December 2002. Due to high costs and environmental concerns, the proposed northern half of SR 840 was indefinitely placed on hold in 2003. As work moved into Williamson County, residents filed complaints and eventually lawsuits in an effort to have TDOT address both environmental and aesthetic issues, considerably slowing work in that county. The full southern route of SR 840 was opened on November 2, 2012. The project took 26 years to complete at a cost of $753.4 million.
Northern loop
Plans to construct a northern loop of I-840 north of Nashville and past Dickson, Clarksville, Springfield, and Gallatin were abandoned since the Tennessee General Assembly ordered TDOT to discontinue further studies and planning of that highway because of state budget problems. An entire circular loop would possibly be about 178 miles (286.5 km) long. Other important objections against additional extensions of the I-840 highway include the hilly nature of the terrain north of Nashville (the Highland Rim), which would require huge and costly amounts of excavation, soil relocation, and bridge construction. In October 2003, TDOT placed the northern loop plan on indefinite hold, citing a lack of documented transportation needs and lack of participation from local politicians.
Redesignation
In 2015, TDOT submitted a request to AASHTO to redesignate SR 840 as I-840. Though the application had an error that required TDOT to refile it, AASHTO conditionally approved it and submitted it to the FHWA for their approval. FHWA approved the change on July 22, 2015, and AASHTO finalized their approval on September 25, 2015. TDOT announced that it would start replacing the signs to change over the designation the week of August 14, 2016, and that the project would be completed by the end of the year at a cost of $230,000.