MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — Construction crews in Murfreesboro will soon begin unearthing some of the city’s hidden beauty as they begin work on the Town Creek daylighting project.
So far, city leaders have purchased properties along Northwest Broad Street, which have been bulldozed to make way for the project. Next, crews will work to uncover the natural stream that runs underneath the road, which is currently part of an aging culvert system that dates back to the 1950s.
City leaders knew they needed to do something with the aging infrastructure after a portion of it failed.
“It gave us an opportunity to look at the future of Town Creek, and in reviewing that future, we tossed out the idea of daylighting Town Creek and returning it to its natural condition through the Bottoms,” Sam Huddleston, assistant city manager for the City of Murfreesboro, said. “And today we’re seeing those initial discussions from 2008 actually become a project.”
In 2022, Murfreesboro City Council members voted unanimously to begin negotiating and acquiring properties downtown. This fall, the city purchased the last property needed to begin unearthing the underground waterway.
“It gives us a great opportunity to create some open space in our downtown,” Huddleston added. “It connects two gems that we think of in the downtown area: Cannonsburgh Village and the associated Lytle Creek Greenway, as well as the Children’s Discovery Center and Murfree Springs.”
Restoring the stream to its natural condition will not only mean better filtration, but it will also give a whole new look to downtown and new ways for residents to get around.
“The Town Creek project will actually create a pedestrian linkage between those, as well as a green space linkage connecting those open spaces and green spaces with Town Creek,” Huddleston said.
Construction to begin exposing the creek will take place after the first of the year, with the project’s completion expected within the next 12 to 18 months.
