Cookeville opens Henley Drive extension nearly two months ahead of schedule

Cookeville opened the Henley Drive Extension on June 15, nearly two months ahead of its originally scheduled completion date, giving drivers on the city’s south side a new connection between Sams Street and Bunker Hill Road.

The city marked the project’s completion with a ribbon-cutting. The new street also creates another route between South Jefferson Avenue and Bunker Hill Road, providing an additional way into and out of the area near Interstate 40.

A three-lane connection

The extension is approximately 0.13 miles long and includes three 11-foot travel lanes. The project added curb and gutter, storm-drainage infrastructure, sidewalks and street lighting along the new connection.

Water, sewer and gas utilities were also included in the work. The contract with Rogers Group totaled $533,979.

Construction began March 9, 2026. Substantial completion had originally been scheduled for Aug. 6, 2026, but the road opened on June 15, almost two months before that date.

Signal work and future widening

Cookeville installed a temporary traffic signal at the intersection of Henley Drive and South Jefferson Avenue as part of the project. The signal is intended to support traffic movements at the new connection while longer-term work is planned.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation has committed to installing a permanent mast-arm signal through a future South Jefferson Avenue widening project. That signal and widening project are future work, not completed parts of the Henley Drive opening. The city’s announcement does not give a confirmed date for either project.

The extension is intended to help ease congestion near Interstate 40 by adding another local route between South Jefferson Avenue and Bunker Hill Road. For residents and commuters, the immediate change is the availability of a new connection between Sams Street and Bunker Hill Road. The city has not released post-opening traffic measurements showing how much congestion has changed.

Contributions to the project

Property owners donated right-of-way and easements needed for the project. Rogers Group contributed easements and donated materials in addition to performing the work under the city contract.

The completed extension is now part of Cookeville’s local street network, while the temporary signal remains in place pending the future South Jefferson Avenue widening and permanent mast-arm signal.