State transportation officials are pressing ahead with a roughly $130 million overhaul of the eastern end of Vietnam Veterans Parkway in Gallatin, a long-discussed fix aimed at untangling one of Sumner County's most notorious traffic choke points.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation plan would extend the parkway past its current endpoint at Long Hollow Pike, build a grade-separated interchange where the two now meet, and eliminate traffic signals that drivers say trigger daily gridlock around Belvedere Drive. Under the latest layout, access at Belvedere would be cut off and converted to a dead end, a detail that has already stirred unease among neighbors who rely on the connection.
Drivers who spoke with NewsChannel5 said backups near Belvedere Drive have only gotten worse, with one commuter telling the station, "Absolutely, yeah, it got worse... there's really backed up traffic." The station reported that the project is designed to help motorists "get through Gallatin faster" and noted the state expects construction to start in 2031. Some residents are ready to trade the chaos for shorter commutes, while others worry about losing a key connection and inviting even more development pressure.
What the design would change
The current concept calls for a split-diamond interchange where SR-386 meets SR-174/GreenLea Boulevard, along with new auxiliary lanes and a connector from the interchange toward Belvedere Drive, while closing existing at-grade access at Belvedere and several private driveways, according to TDOT. TDOT's project page lists the work in its 10-year plan, with key milestones that include a project design start in fall 2024, right-of-way appraisals and acquisitions targeted for spring 2028, and construction scheduled for spring 2031.
State officials say those changes are aimed squarely at removing the traffic signals that cause the daily backups and at improving long-term traffic operations along the corridor, even if that means some local streets get cut off from their longtime highway access.
Price, funding and why the design changed
Local reporting and a TDOT briefing put the package at about $130 million. A local news release breaks that down as roughly $112 million from the state, $8 million from the City of Gallatin and $10 million from Sumner County, according to Sumner County Source. Regional planning documents place the NET-corridor segment that includes the SR-386 and Long Hollow Pike work at about $131.52 million in 2020 dollars, per the Greater Nashville Regional Council.
According to local officials, TDOT has said rising construction costs forced the agency to trim back the original design, a change reported by NewsChannel5. That is how Gallatin ended up with an interchange that addresses major congestion points but leaves some neighbors with fewer ways in and out.
Local reaction
Gallatin Mayor Paige Brown acknowledged the trade-offs in remarks to the city council, saying, "This isn't exactly what we originally envisioned," and stressing that the priority is keeping the project moving forward. State Sen. Ferrell Haile, who attended the same presentation, told officials he would keep working to find funding that could restore a connector to Belvedere in a later phase, according to Sumner County Source.
For residents who use Belvedere Drive daily, the revised layout means new routines for school drop-offs, errands and neighborhood trips. The highway may get faster, but the short cuts many locals rely on will not survive the upgrade.
Next steps and timeline
TDOT says the project remains in engineering and environmental review, with right-of-way appraisals and acquisitions still targeted for spring 2028 and construction slated for spring 2031, barring schedule changes. The agency notes that the work is part of the Statewide Partnership Program and still needs formal environmental documentation and permits before it can be put out to bid.
The City of Gallatin lists the SR-386 extension on its engineering projects page and notes that it is partnering with TDOT and Sumner County on design and right-of-way efforts, with additional public updates expected as plans develop, per the City of Gallatin.
Over the long haul, planners say the grade-separated interchange should ease rush-hour congestion and improve merge operations along SR-386, even as neighbors and small businesses around Belvedere adjust to a permanent shift in access. Regional planning documents show that the NET-corridor portion of the project has appeared on local wish lists for years and carried a multi-million-dollar estimate in planning documents, which helps explain the tough trade-offs officials are weighing now, according to the Greater Nashville Regional Council.
