Mt. Juliet pushes forward with major road projects to keep with growth MOUNT JULIET, Tenn. (WZTV) — Mt. Juliet continues to grow rapidly, but with that growth comes a problem many drivers know all too well: traffic. City leaders say they understand the frustration and are now pushing forward with several major transportation projects aimed at improving traffic flow and preparing for the city’s future growth. Mayor James Maness says one of the biggest projects in the works is a brand-new Interstate 40 interchange at Central Pike — a project that’s been discussed for decades. “That interchange has been discussed and part of planning since 1998,” Maness said. “It’s really beyond time, a generation beyond when it should have gone to construction.” The city recently secured a $24.6 million Federal Highway Administration grant to help move the interchange project forward. According to Maness, that funding comes with a construction deadline that could actually speed up the timeline. “The grant itself has a construction requirement that we go to construction by 2029 or we lose $24.6 million,” Maness said. “So it’s turning out to be a real good situation for us in those terms, that we can get that construction date moved up.” Along with the new interchange, several other road improvement projects are either underway or in development across Mt. Juliet. Those projects include widening Central Pike, South Mt. Juliet Road, Lebanon Dirt Road, Golden Bear Gateway, and East Division Street. Maness says once improvements to South Mt. Juliet Road are completed, the roadway will become multi-lane from the north end of the city to the south end. “We’ve got a number of projects,” Maness said. “Those are just the bigger ones that we’re working on. There’s tons of smaller ones for us — traffic lights, coordination, turn lanes here