Sumner County plans to spend at least $3.5 million on a new traffic signal and turn lanes at New Shackle Island Road and Old Drakes Creek Road. The intersection, just outside Hendersonville's city limits, has been the site of 23 crashes since the start of 2025, with 16 people injured.

Tennessee Highway Patrol crash data, first reported by NewsChannel 5's Hannah McDonald, shows nearly half of those crashes caused injuries. Sumner County Road Superintendent Toby Ellis said a traffic signal and turn lanes are planned, with officials now working on property appraisals. Construction is expected to begin in summer 2027.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is reviewing the designs and coordinating with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) because federal grant money is helping fund the project, a TDOT spokesperson told NewsChannel 5. The county has not disclosed the specific grant program or the federal dollar amount involved.

The intersection sits in a jurisdictional gap that has frustrated residents for years. It falls under Sumner County's authority, but the surrounding neighborhoods are in Hendersonville.

Todd Boyte, who has lived around the corner for nearly 20 years, told NewsChannel 5 the split creates confusion over who is responsible.

"It's tremendous, but can we get a temporary red light? I mean, let's start small, let's start small with this project," Boyte said of the planned improvements.

The intersection's safety record stretches back years. A 2022 Tennessean report documented 23 crashes at the same spot over a three-year span from July 2018 through June 2021. Hendersonville officials at the time estimated the fix would cost about $2 million.

In February 2022, then-Alderman Eddie Roberson estimated that 70% to 80% of the intersection's users were Hendersonville residents from neighborhoods like Durham Farms, Drakes Point and Autumn Creek. Up to $400,000 in federal funding had been awarded through the Greater Nashville Regional Council for Sumner County road projects that included upgrades at the intersection.

The reason the estimated cost has risen from $2 million to $3.5 million has not been disclosed.

No public comment period or formal vote tied to the project has been announced. Property appraisals are still underway.