A long-discussed plan to drop James Robertson Parkway down to street level is finally moving from concept to construction. The Tennessee Department of Transportation has picked a contractor to lower an elevated stretch of the parkway along Nashville’s East Bank, a major infrastructure move that will reshape how drivers and pedestrians enter downtown and bring periodic lane closures along the way. The contract award pushes the long-planned road work into a design-build phase tied directly to the city’s broader East Bank redevelopment.
What TDOT approved
As reported by the Nashville Business Journal, TDOT has finalized a contract to lower the James Robertson Parkway approach and rebuild the corridor into downtown. The outlet notes that the project will at times restrict or fully close access to downtown along this route. The award follows months of outreach to contractors and procurement work that is tightly linked to the East Bank buildout.
What the work will change
The James Robertson stretch above the East Bank currently rides roughly 25 feet in the air. TDOT’s plans call for lowering the approach to the Victory Memorial Bridge and reconstructing the roadway so it slopes down to meet the planned East Bank Boulevard at grade. According to WSMV, the goal is to remove a physical and visual barrier that separates downtown from the riverfront and to stitch those areas back together.
Timeline and delivery method
TDOT is delivering the project using a progressive design-build model, which lets design and construction overlap instead of happening in strict sequence, and anticipates choosing the contract design-build team in April 2026. As outlined by TriStar Planroom, the state sought a team with deep experience in bridge work, roadway construction, hydraulic design, and utility relocation.
Local reporting has also highlighted a tight schedule. NewsChannel 5 reports that TDOT wants the lowering substantially finished by November 2028.
“Bringing it down to grade allows the connections and it allows the activity and it allows the potential development to thrive,” an engineer told NewsChannel 5, underscoring why officials say the short-term traffic pain is worth it. At the same time, TDOT has warned bidders that proposals should minimize traffic delays, since lowering an elevated approach will require intermittent full closures and significant utility relocation.
What drivers and neighbors should expect
Metro and state teams are already coordinating right-of-way work, detour routes, and early utility relocation as the East Bank program advances, according to the East Bank Development Authority. Local coverage has also flagged parallel bridge work on the Woodland Street Bridge as one way to help handle diverted traffic while the James Robertson Bridge is under construction. The bridge is set for maintenance this spring, which officials say will keep traffic flowing even as more drivers shift routes…