WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — It’s been called a “death trap” and the “Autobahn.” State Route 109 is a notoriously dangerous stretch of road. After years of calling for lower speed limits on the interstate, the Tennessee Department of Transportation has made some adjustments.
Starting January 17, speed limits were reduced to 45 mph and 50 mph along State Route 109.
“Since COVID we have seen traffic fatalities increase, bad driving behaviors, we’ve seen everything from speeding to people not wearing seatbelts,” said Jay Norris, TDOT Region 3 Director.
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From October 2019 to October 2024, THP reported over 1,600 crashes on SR 109 between I-40 in Wilson County to the Sumner County line. One of the biggest concerns is speed.
In September 2024, a couple died on SR 109 after a speeding driver crashed into them head-on.
“People were using the system more as an interstate rather than a suburban type road that would connect communities,” Norris said.
For years, those living and working on State Route 109 have asked for more safety measures. Last year, the community met with state and local leaders, including TDOT about their concerns.
“We looked at speed studies and looked at crash rates,” Norris said.
The TDOT Region 3 Director said, after reviewing data, it was decided to lower the speed limit to 50 and 45 miles per hour. A map shows where those changes have been made.
“One of the things we saw out there was the speed limit would go up and down and it wasn’t consistent with the route, so we worked with the city and THP to have a consistent feel that made sense for safety and traffic operations,” Norris said.
However, he said half the battle will now be enforcing the new speed limit.
“It takes a lot of partners to make a transportation system go. The Tennessee Highway Patrol and the City of Lebanon have been involved in these decisions,” Norris said.
TDOT has replaced 25 signs along State Route 109. Norris said this change should reduce the number of severe crashes along the road.
“So, by lowering the speed limit there is less kinetic energy on the road meaning the severity of the crashes has dropped and so we partnered with THP on this and they are going to make sure that this is safe for everybody,” Norris said.
