Most of the construction between Historic Edgefield and the Cumberland River this fall isn't adding new routes. It's there to keep the routes Edgefield already uses open while a stadium, a boulevard and a riverfront park go up around them. The bigger changes come after 2027. What reaches Woodland Street, Shelby Avenue and the foot of the pedestrian bridge between now and December is mostly maintenance, restriping and one new ramp. All three are designed to keep foot and bike traffic moving through years of heavy work next door.
Read that way, the fall schedule is easier to follow. Each project below protects or patches a crossing Edgefield already has. The projects that will actually change the walk are on a calendar that runs to 2036.
The Crossing That's Already Finished
The Woodland Street Bridge is the most direct line from Edgefield to downtown, and its repairs are done. The Nashville Department of Transportation's project covered Woodland Street from Union Street North to South 1st Street. Crews repaired the sidewalks, cleaned and repaired expansion joints, cleaned the deck drains and patched the asphalt. The city paid for it entirely from local State of Good Repair funds. Construction started January 5, 2026, with completion estimated for June 2026.
One item was still open when the project page was last updated in late June. NDOT listed the work as complete but said final paving and striping would be scheduled in the coming weeks. That striping may be finished by now. Either way, the sidewalk repairs are the part that matters on foot, and they were the first piece of the year's work to finish.
A Ramp Built So the Bridge Doesn't Have to Close
The John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge is the other way across, and the work on its east end shows the fall's real purpose most clearly. In its April 28, 2026 board materials, the East Bank Development Authority describes the Seigenthaler Bridge Connector as a link from the pedestrian bridge to Wasioto Park. The project's stated job is to maintain bike and pedestrian access during construction. Wasioto Park is the riverfront park many neighbors still call Cumberland Park. Metro's Parks Board approved the new name on December 3, 2024.
Some of the work is already on the street. NDOT's lane-closure report for the week of September 26 lists a 24/7 closure on Korean Veterans Boulevard from beneath the bridge to South 1st Street, running August 31 through November 25, 2026. The permit is for building a new pedestrian bridge ramp over Wasioto Park that will connect the East Bank Greenway to the Seigenthaler bridge. It closes a traffic lane, not the bridge walkway.
Reports on the full schedule differ, so treat the dates as approximate. Fox 17 reported in August that East Bank Development Authority CEO Ben York expected construction to start this fall and run about 14 months. York said the bridge shouldn't close, partly because the project was set up to protect event-day access to the stadium. WKRN reported on September 23 that work on the existing connector is expected to start in November and finish by the end of 2027. Officials want to keep pedestrians able to cross the river throughout, though deliveries or certain work could require temporary closures. No published detour map was available as of late September.
The bridge itself has been through bigger changes than this. It opened in 1909 as the Sparkman Street Bridge at an estimated cost of $475,000. It was later called the Shelby Street Bridge, closed to traffic in 1998, reopened as a pedestrian bridge in 2003 and was named for journalist John Seigenthaler in 2014. WKRN notes it was the first bridge in North America with concrete arched trusses.
Shelby Avenue and South 2nd, Closer to Home
The next round of work comes onto Edgefield's own streets. Phase 1 of NDOT's Korean Veterans Boulevard and Shelby Avenue Bikeway Improvements covers Shelby Avenue from South 4th Street to South 14th Street, about 1.02 miles. That stretch runs right along the neighborhood. Crews will restripe the existing bike lanes and add buffers. The project page estimates construction from September through December 2026. The contract award was still listed as to be determined, and the design was revised to fit WeGo Transit bus stop updates along the corridor. Those dates may slip.
Phase 3 of the same project carries the route across the river. It adds a buffer zone and signage to the existing Korean Veterans Boulevard bike lane between 8th Avenue South and South 1st Street. That means the bike lanes are being upgraded on both ends of the route from Shelby to downtown in the same season.
A block closer to the river, the Sports Authority is realigning South 2nd Street between Shelby Avenue and Woodland Street. The East Bank Development Authority's April materials call it a bike and pedestrian priority street, with phases 1 and 2 due for completion in Q4 2026. It connects the two main Edgefield corridors before either reaches the river, so it's one more piece that keeps the walk working while the land between South 1st and the water changes.
Where the Walk Ends Up, and When
The projects that change where the walk leads are on a much longer schedule. In order, as reported:
- February 2027. The new Nissan Stadium is expected to open. As of WSMV's August 12 update, the roof cable-net system was complete, and the 2026 Titans season is the current stadium's last.
- February 2027 to early 2028. Demolition of the old stadium. WSMV reported that the site will become a waterfront park.
- End of 2027. Target finish for the existing Seigenthaler connector work, per WKRN.
- First quarter of 2028 to fall 2029. The larger Seigenthaler extension. On September 22, the East Bank Development Authority approved up to $75 million for a span more than 700 feet long and at least 35 feet wide. It will run from near the bridge's elevator across the East Bank toward the new stadium campus and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center's planned East Bank campus. Demolition is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2028, with completion targeted for fall 2029.
- 2030 to 2036. WSMV reported that East Bank Boulevard won't begin construction until 2030 and won't be finished until 2036.
The riverfront path north of the bridge has already started. The River North greenway opened to the public in early September. Axios describes it as the first leg of a greenway plan that will connect the Oracle campus to Shelby Bottoms Park, with the full East Bank greenway reaching nearly two miles. The entrance is next to the River North Shake Shack, a short stroll from the Hoppin' River North beer bar, and the adjacent lot offers two hours of free parking. The new Wasioto Park ramp is permitted to connect the East Bank Greenway to the Seigenthaler bridge. That puts a 2026 ramp at the south end of a riverfront path whose first leg opened in 2026 too.
On event days for the rest of this final season, the stadium's September transportation guide lists the Woodland Street, Korean Veterans Boulevard and John Seigenthaler bridges as crossings, with East Nashville approaches via Woodland Street, Shelby Avenue and North 1st Street. It warns that construction may affect pedestrian routes. Free game-day bike valet is at South 1st Street near the foot of the pedestrian bridge.
The Near End of the Walk This October
Woodland Street on the Edgefield side has had its own changes this year. Party Fowl held its Five Points ribbon-cutting at 1016 Woodland St. on May 11, 2026. bartaco lists its East Nashville location two doors down at 1000 Woodland St., with the kitchen open from 11 a.m. daily. In Five Points, Margot Café & Bar had announced June 5, 2026 as its final service, after 25 years.
Coming up in the next few weeks:
- October 2, 9 and 16, 3 to 8 p.m. Friends of Shelby Park's Fridays by the River at Riverview Pavilion, with food trucks, live music, beer and yard games.
- October 2 and 3. Shelby Bottoms Nature Center hosts an Autumn Seed Hike and Afternoon Tea on Friday. Saturday brings a coffee social, a habitat workshop and a Star Party.
- October 4. Edgefield Church holds its monthly evening prayer service.
- Wednesday, October 21, 6 to 8 p.m. Historic Edgefield Neighbors' fall meeting at Honeytree Meadery on Woodland, with time to meet neighbors and presentations on neighborhood issues. The ramp, the Shelby restriping and the South 2nd Street realignment will all still be underway by then.
If you'd like to talk through how the East Bank schedule might affect a home on Woodland, Shelby or the streets between them, Gaston Group follows these timelines closely and is happy to go through what each phase means for your block.
