MURFREESBORO, Tenn — Murfreesboro City Manager Darren Gore and the City Council will gather, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, at 10 a.m. for an official ribbon-cutting ceremony and opening of the Beasie Road/River Rock Blvd. Extension connecting the two roadways with a new Connector Bridge over the West Fork of Stones River. The new connector will be dedicated as Tommy Bragg Drive after the former mayor who served the City three terms from 2002 to 2014.

The project built a connector road of approximately 0.30 miles from the north end of Beasie Road extending west over to River Rock Blvd. The extension incorporates a three-lane bridge over the West Fork of the Stones River including curb and gutter, sidewalk on one side and multi-use path on the other.

Who: City Manager Darren Gore, Former Mayor Tommy Bragg, Murfreesboro City Council, and City staff

What: Gather to officially open the bridge connector and dedicate the naming of Tommy Bragg Drive  

When: 10 a.m. Oct. 22, 2024

Where: Intersection of new Tommy Bragg Drive and Beasie Road

In January 2023, City Council approved the construction contract for the Beasie Rd./River Rock Blvd. Connector project as outlined in the 2040 Major Transportation Plan. The City contracted Bell and Associates, LLC to construct the $8.65 million connector bridge project with funding in the FY18, FY19 and FY21 CIP Budgets. Volkert provided engineering and design services and Energy Land & Infrastructure, LLC performed construction administration services for the project.

BENEFITS: The new bridge connects local residents in the River Rock Blvd. and Cason Lane area to destinations on Warrior Drive and Beasie Road with access to SR 99 and the I-24 interchange. This connector allows motorists to avoid the busy Cason Lane and Old Fort Parkway intersection. A future crossing of I-24 will provide local residents access to downtown by avoiding interchanges and congestion at Old Fort Parkway and New Salem Highway (SR 99), estimated at 10,000 trips per day. In addition to the traffic improvements, the bridge provides access to the Stones River Greenway for pedestrians and cyclists using the sidewalk and multi-use path.

Serving as mayor for 3 terms, Tommy Bragg was very influential within the City. During his time in office, the City began to experience a time of unparalleled growth in which Mayor Bragg helped spearhead the development of The Gateway and Medical Center Parkway. Development was not the only thing Bragg would be known for. Throughout his career as mayor, he stressed parks, transportation, and education, as well as the pay gap between men and women and strived to improve the disparity. For his leadership, the American Association of University Women presented Bragg with the inaugural Tempest Award for helping further progress equality for women during his service as mayor.