Virtue Road’s $2.865 million upgrade likely to begin in Jan. 2021
A $2.865 million construction contract was unanimously approved by Farragut’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen Monday, Oct. 26, which will bring improvements to about 4,200 feet of Virtue Road.
Bell & Associations Construction Co. was the low bid among five that were received for the project, according to Town documentation.
Reconstruction will begin at the intersection of Virtue Road and Kingston Pike, then extend to about 2,300 feet south of Broadwood Drive, and include a new bridge over Little Turkey Creek and an 8-foot wide greenway along the east side of the roadway.
Town Engineer Darryl Smith noted the Town has not worked with the chosen construction company in the past, but noted in his Town report the company “is a large general contractor based in Brentwood, with a transportation division and a local presence.
“Their experience includes major roadway projects in Tennessee, including TDOT’s Smart-Fix 40 in 2008,” he added.
As far as the projected time frame, in a separate interview Smith said construction will likely not begin until January 2021.
“Bell & Associates plans to close Virtue Road from the roundabout at Brookmere Subdivision to Kingston Pike as their first phase, which includes construction of the bridge over Little Turkey Creek,” Smith said.. “Access to Brookmere Subdivision will be from the south, so there won’t be much work completed south of the roundabout at that time.
“Following completion of this phase (around Fall 2022), we’ll reopen the north side and close to the south so that the project can be completed,” he added. “All told, we’re looking at about 15 months of closure.”
With the closure, area residents will be guided to detours using Evans, Turkey Creek and McFee roads.
