NASHVILLE, TN — Mayor Freddie O’Connell is releasing updated concept maps giving Nashvillians a new look at how dedicated transportation funding could transform the way people move around the city. The maps build from concepts released at the Technical Advisory Committee meeting on March 6 which show the potential impact of investment in several key areas of focus as the mayor continues to gather input from the public, Metro Council, and advisory committees for a transportation plan.
The maps include details on how the city could improve:
• Bus Rapid Transit on the busiest roads
• Frequent Service Network
• Sidewalks
• Smart traffic signals
• Expanded local public transit service
• New and express transit routes
“Our team presented to the committee a series of concept maps that show the extent of progress we hope to make around several priorities: sidewalks, expanded bus service, smart traffic signals, and investment in modern infrastructure that makes our city safer no matter how you choose to move around,” said Mayor Freddie O’Connell. “We’re continuing to engage with the public, Metro Council members, and the two committees as well as engaging with the 70 transportation plans that Metro has done over the past decade that elicited more than 66,000 pieces of feedback from Nashvillians.”
Choose How You Move – An All-Access Pass to Sidewalks, Signals, Service, and Safety focuses on four core areas where Nashville’s transportation system needs modernizing.
Sidewalks. The draft concept maps show how dedicated funding for transportation could facilitate the construction of up to an additional 86 miles of sidewalk around Nashville. The concept map shows how the sidewalk construction could connect some of Nashville’s busiest neighborhoods to major corridors, allowing residents to choose how they move around the city without facing high traffic areas with no means to traverse them on foot or bike.
In 2023, Nashville funded and constructed 6.55 miles of sidewalk.
Signals. The signals impact map shows a scenario where the city could improve approximately 600 traffic signals, especially ones along major corridors to the county line. Using technology to identify traffic flow patterns and coordinate signals based on demand would allow Nashville drivers and transit riders to move through intersections more seamlessly, especially when no one else is coming. A traffic management center, under development by NDOT and scheduled to launch this fall, will monitor changing traffic conditions and optimize signals.
Service. The concept maps show 38 miles of bus rapid transit (BRT) lanes shaped by public input and technical feedback that would allow Nashvillians to traverse some of the busiest corridors faster and more reliably. The BRT routes are currently proposed on Dickerson Road, Gallatin Road, Murfreesboro Road, and Nolensville Road.
BRT borrows some of the features of light rail but has the added flexibility of running on streets without needing a dedicated, fixed guideway. The bus-based public transportation system is designed to have much more capacity, reliability, and accessibility than a conventional bus system. The Federal Transit Administration defines BRT as a rapid mode of transportation that offers the quality of rail transit with the flexibility of buses. Nashville does not currently have BRT, unlike many similarly sized cities.
The maps also chronicle additions to enhancing frequent service, express service to downtown, crosstown and connector routes, as well as new local routes or route extensions.
These service changes target areas of the city where ridership is likely to increase and where new routes will make public transportation more accessible. These expansions aim to give residents options that allow them to lower their transportation costs if they choose, no matter where they live. It also includes equity considerations such as reduced fares for people who earn a lower income, as well as additional land at transit centers and park and rides for future community use.
Lisa Sherman Luna, the Executive Director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, is a member of the Community Advisory Committee which is assembled to articulate the needs of Nashvillians in every corner of the city.
“Whether Black, white, or brown, we all deserve the freedom to get to where we need to go, from commuting to work to heading to the store to visiting loved ones. That’s why it’s critical our next transit proposal be shaped by the diverse voices that make our city such an incredible place to call home,” Luna said. “Immigrants are more likely to rely on public transportation than their US-born neighbors, and our communities are ready to help cast a new vision for a fully funded, accessible, and reliable transit system that works for all. We look forward to working with the mayor’s office to design and deliver public transportation improvements that give all Nashvillians across race, place, and income the freedom to move, save money, and live a good life.”
Safety. Each element of the plan brings Nashville closer to a city where residents are safe regardless of how they choose to move around. Bus Rapid Transit and investment in priority corridors builds out infrastructure that improves street crossings, modernizes traffic flow, connects sidewalks to transit stops, adds safety monitors to transit vehicles, and opens other lanes of travel for personal vehicles.
Nashville is pushing toward the goals of Vision Zero – zero fatalities or serious injuries on our roadways. Data shows that more complete street elements such as sidewalks, lighting, and enhanced crossings make Nashville a safer and more connected city.
Mayor O’Connell expanded Metro’s Green and Complete Streets policyamong his first executive orders in January (Jan. 19). The updated Green and Complete Streets policy guides the development of a safe, connected, and equitable transportation network that promotes greater mobility for people of all ages and abilities. This includes integrating and prioritizing multimodal street improvements such as high-capacity transit corridors, connected and accessible networks of sidewalks/walking/biking paths, safe and convenient street crossings, and comfortable and inviting streetscapes.
On March 20th, Mayor O’Connell will hold a meeting of Community Advisory Committee. A joint meeting of the two committees will be forthcoming. The plan continues to build upon more than a decade of transportation planning which elicited more than 66,000 pieces of feedback from Nashvillians.
A Community Engagement Plan is being developed with guidance from the Community Advisory Committee to be presented on March 20. Informational sessions on Choose How You Move are being scheduled across Davidson County this spring.
