News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Gainesboro officials awaiting T-DOT approval for proposed changes to traffic flow at the square downtown.
Alderwoman Nancy Pruett said with all the growth in Gainesboro, the town has seen an influx of downtown traffic especially on the weekends. She said they decided that it might facilitate traffic and parking to have the square use a one-way traffic flow.
“We discussed options of what we might be able to do and finally came up with this option where people will be able to park, not be afraid their car will get hit, backing out and not knowing which to see,” Pruett said. “It’s just a very tight fit.”
Pruett said that she spoke to business owners on the square who agree that this would be the best option as well.
Pruett said the only roads that will be affected are city roads, so no county approval is needed. She said they have to get state approval because the town’s ingress and egress road belongs to the state.
Pruett said as someone who grew up in Gainesboro, she understands that change can be challenging. She said they believe that this traffic flow change will have a positive impact on Gainesboro’s downtown and its visitors in the future.
“The side that has the Bull and Thistle and the Stolen Coin and the distillery, there is so much traffic on that side of the square that it is nearly impossible for two cars to meet,” Pruett said. “Apparently when they designed our square, it was probably when they had horse and buggy so they probably weren’t concerned about that. One side of our square works fine for traffic flow but the other does not. So we are restructuring the entire square to make it one way.”
Pruett said they do not have a set timeline of when they expect to hear back.
