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.

State Route 61 is also known locally as Oliver Springs Highway. The affected location is the Old Batley Road North connection at the highway, not the entire State Route 61 corridor. Drivers approaching that connection will need to use alternate routes while the bridge work continues.

County reports delay

Anderson County reported June 23 that the State Route 61 bridge project had been delayed. The county said the project’s status had led residents to contact the mayor’s office with questions about the work and its progress.

The project affects the Oliver Springs Highway corridor, linking the road closure to travel in and around Oliver Springs. Residents, school traffic, delivery vehicles and emergency responders that use the corridor may face detours and longer trips during the continuing closure.

What the closure means for drivers

The closure applies specifically to Old Batley Road North at State Route 61. Motorists should not assume that the whole highway is closed, but they should plan for the blocked connection and allow additional time for alternate travel.

The scheduled end date is Sept. 30, 2026. That is the current date for the road restriction to end, rather than a guarantee that all bridge construction will be completed by then. The project’s delay means conditions may continue to affect people who rely on the connection for local travel, deliveries or other daily trips.

Neither the transportation notice nor the county’s project update identifies every alternate route or gives a specific estimate of how much additional travel time drivers should expect. The notices also do not provide a separate revised construction-completion date beyond the scheduled closure date.

For now, drivers using Old Batley Road North near Oliver Springs Highway should plan around the closure. The next stated milestone is Sept. 30, 2026, when the restriction is scheduled to end, subject to the project’s continuing progress.