As part of an urban renewal project in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Town Creek was placed underground through a culvert system of cement and corrugated metal pipes running from Murfree Springs by Children’s Discovery Center to Cannonsburgh Village before it empties into Lytle Creek. It was originally built to curtail flooding that took place in an area known as “the Bottoms,” located south of Murfreesboro Public Square. The aging system was failing and producing environmental hazards until the Murfreesboro City Council voted in January 2022 to daylight the area and turn it into an enhanced entrance to downtown Murfreesboro.
The process of restoring the above ground waterway and turning the land it covers into a system of green spaces, walking and biking trails, and connections to the current greenway system is expected to be completed in the fall of 2026. It began with the purchase of the land along the water system, running parallel to Broad Street, and the destruction of the buildings built over the old culvert system.
Recently, the City of Murfreesboro shared a video of the installation of the large cement spans for the bridge that will replace a section of Front Street, which was removed because it was part of the boxed culvert containing the creek. The project began with the demolition of the old culvert, the building of a bypass system for the creek, and the development of a foundation for the bridge.
According to the City’s YouTube Channel, “This project will bring Town Creek back to the surface, reconnecting it with the natural landscape from Murfree Springs Wetlands at the Discovery Center all the way to Cannonsburgh Village, where it currently re-emerges. Once completed, this revitalized stream will enhance storm water management, improve water quality, support wildlife habitat, and create a beautiful public amenity for generations to come.”
With a source that actually begins at the historic Black Fox Spring, it sinks underground, emerges in Todd Lake, and then feeds Murfree Springs. Town Creek runs under Church Street and eventually ends up at Cannonsburgh Village. It is also fed by the town’s storm water that flows from along Main Street under Murfreesboro and eventually drains into the underground system that is part of the old culvert.
Construction of the new system has required the work of both local and out-of-state companies to provide the many parts necessary to create the beautiful new park that the community will be able to use in downtown Murfreesboro. The daylighting project is just a part of the plans underway to provide downtown residents with a live, work and entertainment complex within walking distance.
The demolition and rebuilding project has exposed parts of the past, like the bed for Sevier Street that used to run through the area, and it is offering an opportunity to use some of the rocks and boulders unearthed as part of the construction of the new beach and sitting areas, according to a video by the city reviewing the development at the end of 2025. According to that video, parts of Hickerson Road will be removed, and parts of the road will become part of the bike/walk trail. While the area is currently raw earth, there is a vegetation plan including native plants and trees.
“I’m from Murfreesboro,” said senior project construction manager Jonathan Parker. “I’ve lived here my whole life, and this is something I am going to be really proud of in the end. I’ll drive down the road one day and tell my grandkids, ‘yeah, I built that.’”
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