After a group of citizens expressed their interest in a multi-use path off of Highway 96, the city may be getting its approval in late 2016.
The northern side of State Route 96 W. in Franklin is heavily traveled by active locals and school children, seeing as this side of the route’s focus points are Historic Downtown Franklin and Freedom Middle School.
The path would be 10 to 12-feet wide, in order to accommodate walkers, bikers, runners and skateboarders, lining the north side of Hwy. 96 W., stretching from Freedom Middle School to 9th Avenue.
This would also connect three area neighborhoods: Clairmonte, Spencer Hall and West Field Estates; four surrounding schools: Freedom Middle School, Freedom Intermediate School, Poplar Grove School and Johnson Elementary; two churches: The Church of West Franklin and The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness; Jim Warren Park and Franklin Fire Station No. 1.
The plan is to ultimately connect with a path scheduled for construction from the Carlisle neighborhood to Freedom Middle on 96 W., and eventually to add a Mack Hatcher Extension.
“The improvement the city of Franklin makes for the residents are great,” Karen Kackett, a resident of Clairmonte said. “I think that they’re trying to just better our city and having a walking trail to make it safer is just one of those great things that they can do to provide for us.”
Dr. Kristie Jefferson, principal of Freedom Middle School gives this proposal a thumbs up. She believes the multi-use trail will help encourage the students make active choices such as skateboarding, biking and walking to and from school. Even their cross country team could make use out of the trail for training and practicing purposes.
The City of Franklin will apply for a state grant in order to help fund $1.7 million for the proposed $3.2 million project. The city would pay the remainder. But city administrator Eric Stuckey said the Tennessee Department of Transportation might give only $1 million for the grant. The city could pay up to $1.5 million for right of way construction and project oversight.
The grant documents will be submitted in early November to the state for consideration, although the state grant selection process will not be completed until early 2016.
If this grant gets approval, the city would have a three to five-year window to look over funding options for the financial piece of the project.
