Murfreesboro, TN - Murfreesboro’s Medical Center Parkway is about to get a major upgrade. The Thursday (8/21/2025) night meeting of the Murfreesboro City Council approved Phase II of the road’s widening project, aiming to ease traffic congestion and support the area’s booming commercial growth. The same construction team behind Phase I—Rollins Excavating, Hawkins Asphalt, S&W Contracting, and Pope Striping—will return to tackle the next stretch.

City officials are sticking with the annual contracts that proved successful in Phase I, which shaved nearly 27% off the original $8.5 million estimate. Public Infrastructure Executive Director Chris Griffith praised the approach, saying it gave staff more control over the pace and minimized traffic headaches.

Phase II will expand the parkway to six lanes between Thompson Lane and the Fountains at Gateway, with added turn lanes and updated traffic signals. The $6.4 million cost will be covered by the city’s FY21 and FY22 capital improvement budgets. Construction is set to begin in September and wrap up by early 2027.

This multi-phase project spans 3.41 miles and is being carefully staged to keep traffic flowing. Phase I already connected the I-24 interchange to Thompson Lane, and Phase III will eventually extend the improvements to NW Broad Street. For drivers and businesses alike, smoother commutes may finally be on the horizon.

TRAFFIC COUNT: In 2021, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) reported an average daily traffic count of 31,448 vehicles near the section of Medical Center Parkway closest to Interstate 24. Since then, traffic has continued to climb, with the current daily count now estimated at 38,093 vehicles in the same area. Further along the roadway, near the intersection of Medical Center Parkway and Thompson Lane, TDOT reports an average of 26,573 vehicles per day.

MORE: Want to learn more about traffic counts on area roadways? TDOT tracks more locations than you might expect. Check the numbers near your home or business HERE.