Construction & Parking

Overview

Construction activities for Music City Center have begun!  The 16-acre site for Music City Center is bordered by Demonbreun on the north, Franklin / Shirley Street on the south, Fifth Avenue on the east, and Eighth Avenue on the west.

Work on the site will begin in phases.  The first phase of construction includes site preparation, abatement and demolition of existing structures.  The second phase will consist of excavation and utility work.

Check this web page often for the latest information on the project construction and street closures. For more frequent updates, follow us on Twitter.

Metro Water Services is currently undertaking an extensive water main replacement project downtown, which will also have impacts on downtown traffic and businesses. Visit the Metro Water Services website for more information.

A new downtown construction coordination map is available!  This map is a collaborativeeffort of many of the Metro departments, in order aid in the communication and coordination of the major construction projects so that impacts to traffic, parking, and events are minimized. Please visit the Construction Coordination website to download acopy of the map.

Project Status as of March 5, 2010

Construction & Parking

Barriers and fencing have been placed around the perimeter of the entire site to ensure public safety during construction. Abatement and demolition of existing buildings and utility relocation continues as the team prepares for excavation. 

Excavation on the Music City Center site starts the week of March 8 and will include blasting, drilling and removing approximately 360,000 tons of rock and dirt from the property.

Daily blasting and drilling (Monday through Saturday) will occur over the next 6 months as part of the excavation process. To ensure public safety, vehicular and pedestrian traffic will be stopped along the perimeter of the site approximately 5 minutes before a blast occurs. This will affect traffic near the site on Demonbreun Street and Fifth Avenue South.

In addition, pre-blast warning signals will be used to let individuals nearby know they should stay clear of the site. The warning signals will include:

• A 1-minute series of long sirens 5 minutes prior to the blast
• A series of short sirens 1 minute prior to the blast
• A prolonged siren following inspection of the blast area to indicate that all is clear

Official signs describing the warning signals will be posted around the site.  If you would like to display a flyer at your business about the blasting, please download a printable version of the flyer.

Due to this activity, all public parking facilities within the boundaries of the Music City Center site are now permanently closed.  Please visit the Downtown Partnership’s Park It! Downtown website for alternative parking options.  Park It! Downtown includes an interactive map and the most affordable options for parking downtown.

Street Closures

Intermittent Street Closures

Currently, Portions of Demonbreun Street are closed for underground utility work between Sixth and Eighth avenues. During this time, Demonbreun Street is expected to remain open to two-way traffic. However, depending on the scope of the utility relocation and the result of the exploratory work that is being conducted, all lanes on Demonbreun between Seventh and Eight Avenues may have to close for some period of time. In that case, appropriate detours will be clearly marked. Check out our Twitter page for daily updates on exact lane closures.

Street Closure Plan for the Duration of Project Construction

It’s anticipated that by the end of the week of February 15, all streets within the Music City Center site will be closed for the duration of construction.

Street closures will happen in the following order throughout the week with barriers and fencing put at each of these intersections:

• Clark Street at Eight Avenue South
• Shirley Street at Eight Avenue South
• Seventh Avenue South at Shirley Street
• Seventh Avenue South at Demonbreun
• Sixth Avenue South at Demonbreun
• Sixth Avenue South at Franklin
  

Once all of the intersections are blocked, the following streets will be closed for the duration of construction:

• Sixth Avenue South from Demonbreun to Shirley / Franklin Street
• Seventh Avenue South from Demonbreun to Shirley / Franklin Street
• Clark Place at Eighth Avenue South
• Shirley / Franklin Street: Portions will be open to local traffic only. No through traffic.
• Eastbound turning lane on Demonbreun between Fifth and Sixth avenues
  

As a result of the long-term street closures, all streets and alleys between Shirley / Franklin Street and Peabody Street will become dead end streets, accessible to local traffic only. Sixth Avenue South will become a two-way street between Shirley Shirley / Franklin Street and Peabody Street, also accessible to local traffic only.

All sidewalks on the perimeter of the site also will be closed.

The below map details the long-term street closure plan: