TDOT has tapped three design-build teams to duke it out for one of Nashville’s highest-profile road jobs: extending Marine Drive under the I-24 downtown loop and rebuilding the interstate bridges that will connect the East Bank to East Nashville. The short-listed teams are being asked to wrap design, right-of-way work and construction into a single, fast-moving package, pushing a major piece of East Bank infrastructure tied to Oracle’s campus into the procurement showdown phase.
As reported by the Nashville Business Journal, TDOT announced the three finalists on Tuesday and framed the move as a key step in delivering the East Bank road and bridge program. The outlet noted the selection follows commitments that state and Metro officials made while recruiting Oracle.
TDOT Moves Project Into Design-Build Procurement
On its design-build procurement page, TDOT lists the effort as “DB2602 - Marine Drive Extension,” slotting it into the department’s projects-in-procurement lineup. According to TDOT, the design-build model is intended to speed things up by bundling design, permitting, utility relocation, and construction into a single contract.
Where Marine Drive Would Go
Right now, Marine Drive dead-ends at Cowan Street. The planned extension would punch through under a rebuilt I-24 overpass, tie into Dickerson Pike and create a direct route into East Nashville. TDOT told contractors at an information session that it expects the Marine Drive road and bridge work to be “substantially” complete by June 2029, with related efforts such as lowering James Robertson Parkway carrying their own finish-line dates. Those details came out during TDOT’s contractor meetings, according to NewsChannel 5.
Why Oracle Matters
Government leaders promised Oracle a direct link between the East Bank and East Nashville as part of the company’s economic development deal, infrastructure commitments that helped secure Oracle’s record-setting campus, the Nashville Business Journal reported. Oracle’s own renderings and plans for a pedestrian bridge and riverfront walkways have underlined the need for new streets and bridge connections to stitch the campus into the broader riverfront vision, as covered by AOL.
Traffic And Timeline Concerns
Lowering a major parkway and building new underpasses and replacement bridges will mean phased closures, utility moves, and tight coordination with the city. TDOT has told bidders to bring schedules that keep traffic headaches to a minimum. The Marine Drive extension is also listed as an active TDOT project in the East Bank program and flagged for early right-of-way and coordination work by Metro and state agencies to reduce construction impacts, according to the East Bank Quarterly Report.
The three finalists will now develop formal proposals, with TDOT set to judge them on cost, schedule, and traffic-control plans before picking a single design-builder. The department plans to post updates on selection and award timing to its procurement listings for DB2602 as the project moves forward.
