DeJarnette To Be Widened in Murfreesboro, TN

Progress and extreme growth are once again impacting the lifestyle of residents in Murfreesboro. The city of Murfreesboro has voted 4 - 3 to approve the widening of DeJarnette Lane, which currently consists of two lanes. The new road will feature five lanes, sidewalks, bike lanes, and gas strips. Needless to say, this has been a very controversial decision.

The main reason for the drastic change to DeJarnette is the building of the new John Pittard Elementary School. With Oakland High School already located between DeJarnette and Pitts Lane, and the addition of the new John Pittard School, city officials felt that traffic volumne could not be handled in this area without a major expansion project. The city always took the position that they wanted to make the road wide enough to handle traffic for years to come.

Residents in the area hired Jay Jackson as their attorney to fight the major expansion.
Residents wanted to keep the expansion to a three lane road and sited the nearby Cason Lane which was widened to a three lane road and appears to handle the traffic volumne in that area adequaely. City Traffic Director Dana Richardson stated that the studies conducted projected the traffic count on DeJarnette to be much higher than Cason Lane and would make a three lane road impractical for this specific area. City Councilman Doug Young stated that the city wanted to construct a road that would last the lifetime of the school without the need for widening again in the future.

The expansion of DeJarnette Lane will be a blessing for families and individuals commutting through this heavy traffic area, especially during the periods when the schools are starting or dismissing for the day. I suppose the old saying that no one stands in the way of progress applies here once again. I can't help but emphatize with the residents in the area will be adjusting to living on a five lane road in the near future.