News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Monterey seeking public input to help with its Complete Street Plan, designed to enhance transportation and safety along Commercial Avenue.
Monterey started the plan with an $86,000 grant from T-DOT. It focuses on Commercial Avenue between South Poplar Street and Crossville Street. Monterey Cultural Administrator Rafferty Cleary said the town put together a survey for the public to fill out and plans to host an open house meeting in late October.
“Now we are to a point where we are trying to get the public engaged in this process,” Cleary said. “Public involvement was a vital part of this project.”
Monterey has already started working with engineers from Nashville to put together plans. Cleary said the plan was sparked after the town received multiple complaints about commercial trucks and parking in the area.
“There was a lot of negative feedback on the amount of commercial truck traffic that comes through the Commercial Avenue area in particular coming up off of Hwy 84 out of Livingston,” Cleary said. “The speed in which those vehicles are approaching Commercial Avenue and the noise that comes from those vehicles coming up the mountain. Then we hear a lot of complaints and a lot of negative feedback on the way parking is currently set up along Commercial Avenue it is currently parallel at this moment. That makes it really dangerous as it is a narrow stretch of roadway.”
Cleary said Commercial Avenue was targeted for the plan because of the impact it has on the town.
“We pinpointed commercial avenue as the area of town where we wanted to conduct this study at,” Cleary said. “It’s because it is sort of the economic hub of the town of Monterey.”
Monterey is matching the grant by spending $8,500 for the plan. Cleary said they will hopefully have the plan ready by early 2025.
“Once we have that plan in hand the city will sit down and we will prioritize some of the recommendations and the recommended projects that come from that plan,” Cleary said. “Then we will start applying for some grants to hopefully implement some of these plans.”
Cleary said he encourages people to take the survey as the town wants to receive feedback. The survey can be found on the Town of Monterey’s Facebook page.
