Cleveland’s Highway 60 project on target for Aug. 31 finish
Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / New traffic lights and signage mark the intersection of Georgetown Road NW/Tennessee State Highway 60 at Eureka and Freewill Road on March 31, 2025. Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / New traffic lights and signage mark the intersection of Georgetown Road NW/Tennessee State Highway 60 at Eureka and Freewill Road on March 31, 2025.
Known locally as Highway 60 or Georgetown Road, the state route passing through the Georgetown community at the Bradley-Hamilton-Meigs county line to connect Cleveland to Dayton for decades was a somewhat winding, two-lane track with slim shoulders and antiquated access points to businesses, residences and connecting roads.
Project contractor, Johnson City, Tennessee-based Summers-Taylor Inc., started the work in October 2021 to widen the original two-lane road to a five-lane road, featuring two lanes in each direction with a center turn lane, paved shoulders, curb and gutter, sidewalks and street lighting. An estimated 15,000 vehicles travel the route daily.
Crews now are focused on the last items, according to Rae Anne Bradley, spokesperson for the state’s transportation agency.
“The contractor is working to grade the entrance to the Weston Hills subdivision, install a chain link fence around the two ponds within the project limits, complete concrete driveway and sidewalk connections and install new traffic signals,” Bradley said in an email. “In the coming weeks, the contractor will continue grading work at various locations throughout the project and work on the curb, sidewalk and driveways in preparation for final paving.”
Cleveland Mayor Kevin Brooks applauded the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / New sidewalks in signage are seen in the 4000 block of Georgetown Road NW/Tennessee Highway 60. The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s State Route 60 project in Bradley County is headed for an August completion date. The project widened the original two-lane road to a five-lane road that features two lanes in each direction with a center turn lane, paved shoulders, curb and gutter, sidewalks and street lighting. An estimated 15,000 vehicles travel the route daily. The design included the realignment of Highway 60 and several side roads to improve safety and sight distance, and the construction of a new bridge over Candies Creek. Intersections throughout the project have been upgraded with the installation of new traffic signals.Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / New traffic lights and signage mark the intersection of Georgetown Road NW/Tennessee State Highway 60 at Eureka and Freewill Road. The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s State Route 60 project in Bradley County is headed for an August completion date. The project widened the original two-lane road to a five-lane road that features two lanes in each direction with a center turn lane, paved shoulders, curb and gutter, sidewalks and street lighting. An estimated 15,000 vehicles travel the route daily. The design included the realignment of Highway 60 and several side roads to improve safety and sight distance, and the construction of a new bridge over Candies Creek. Intersections throughout the project have been upgraded with the installation of new traffic signals.Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / Crews install traffic lights at the intersection of Georgetown Road NW/Tennessee Highway 60 and Crown Colony NW. The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s State Route 60 project in Bradley County is headed for an August completion date. The project widened the original two-lane road to a five-lane road that features two lanes in each direction with a center turn lane, paved shoulders, curb and gutter, sidewalks and street lighting. An estimated 15,000 vehicles travel the route daily. The design included the realignment of Highway 60 and several side roads to improve safety and sight distance, and the construction of a new bridge over Candies Creek. Intersections throughout the project have been upgraded with the installation of new traffic signals.Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / New sidewalks in signage are seen in the 4000 block of Georgetown Road NW/Tennessee Highway 60. The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s State Route 60 project in Bradley County is headed for an August completion date. The project widened the original two-lane road to a five-lane road that features two lanes in each direction with a center turn lane, paved shoulders, curb and gutter, sidewalks and street lighting. An estimated 15,000 vehicles travel the route daily. The design included the realignment of Highway 60 and several side roads to improve safety and sight distance, and the construction of a new bridge over Candies Creek. Intersections throughout the project have been upgraded with the installation of new traffic signals.Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / It is still two lane traffic in the 4000 block of Georgetown Road NW/Tennessee Highway 60. The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s State Route 60 project in Bradley County is headed for an August completion date. The project widened the original two-lane road to a five-lane road that features two lanes in each direction with a center turn lane, paved shoulders, curb and gutter, sidewalks and street lighting. An estimated 15,000 vehicles travel the route daily. The design included the realignment of Highway 60 and several side roads to improve safety and sight distance, and the construction of a new bridge over Candies Creek. Intersections throughout the project have been upgraded with the installation of new traffic signals.Staff Photo by Robin Rudd / A new bridge spans Candies Creek. The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s State Route 60 project in Bradley County is headed for an August completion date. The project widened the original two-lane road to a five-lane road that features two lanes in each direction with a center turn lane, paved shoulders, curb and gutter, sidewalks and street lighting. An estimated 15,000 vehicles travel the route daily. The design included the realignment of Highway 60 and several side roads to improve safety and sight distance, and the construction of a new bridge over Candies Creek. Intersections throughout the project have been upgraded with the installation of new traffic signals.
“We’re so thankful to the state for the TDOT dollars spent in Bradley County and the improvement this is going to make to our entire region,” Brooks said by phone. “They are under budget and ahead of schedule. Miracles never cease.”
A major benefit from the project is safety improvements at schools along the route, the mayor said.
“As a grandfather, I’m very grateful the schools will be much easier to access,” Brooks said.
There have been snags, but none added to the project cost or affected the timeline, officials said.
“A utility conflict was discovered at the Weston Hills subdivision, causing a minor delay in storm drain and grading work at the location,” Bradley said. “A second utility conflict was discovered at Carnation Avenue, causing a slight delay in grading work to construct the new alignment of that side road. Both of those conflicts have been resolved and work is in progress to complete those areas of the project. The contractor is finalizing the addition of a concrete traffic splitter island at the intersection of state Route 60 and Paul Huff Parkway.”
Earlier in the project, there were delays also related to unexpected issues with utilities, but those also had no impact on the project timeline, officials said.
Utilities, installed decades ago, were cited as reasons behind the long-awaited start.
The design for the utilities had to be completed first so there would be fewer issues as the project continued, former state Transportation Commissioner Clay Bright said at the project groundbreaking in October 2021.
As work continues, drivers should remain alert for temporary lane closures and delays as work crews wrap up.
“We are approaching project completion,” Bradley said. “A couple more traffic shifts will be required to complete the final asphalt paving and pavement markings. We’ll provide more information on those as details become available.”
