NASHVILLE, TN: Natchez Trace Parkway officials announce that the exit ramp from the Parkway to TN 100 East will be closed and traffic will be rerouted to McCrory Lane. Safety concerns have arisen due to motorists exiting via this ramp directly onto TN 100 East and then making unsafe left turns to access businesses.
The Federal Highway Administration conducted a safety study and consulted with Tennessee Department of Transportation and National Park Service officials. It was determined that the closure of this ramp would alleviate the safety issue with motorists exiting the Parkway and attempting to cross two lanes of traffic to access these businesses. All eastbound traffic will now be required to exit the Parkway via the bridge and access ramp to McCrory Lane, travel south to the signal light, and turn left onto TN 100 East. Access to local businesses will be from TN 100.
"We have been concerned about safety in this area and know of a few near miss situations when accidents were narrowly avoided," stated Superintendent Mary Risser. "We anticipated that this change in traffic patterns should alleviate those problems. We have placed a message board, a series of traffic cones, and split rail fence to notify visitors of the new route until a more permanent change in the roadway can be made."
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
