Nashville, Tenn. (TN Tribune)-Dr. Ernest Rip Patton, Jr. North Nashville Transit Center, located at 2521 Clarksville Pike, will officially open to the public with a special ribbon cutting on Aug. 29. Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, WeGo CEO Steve Bland, Patton family members and friends, along with Metro and State lawmakers, Nashville MTA Board members as well as representatives from the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the Federal Transit Authority, WeGo and other invited guests will participate.
In addition to the ribbon cutting ceremony, guests will have an opportunity to view two public art displays created by Nashville artists. The displays reflect the history, present and future of North Nashville. Other visuals include real time schedule displays for each bus bay and QuickTicket vending machines to enhance the rider experience.
This transit center is the next step in providing Nashville residents with better bus service and more connections throughout the city. It is one of several transit centers that are in the planning stages, including Donelson and Antioch.
Patton was an early member of Nashville’s 1960s civil rights movement who participated in lunch counter sit-ins and other nonviolent protests. In 1961, he was a Freedom Rider who was arrested in Jackson, Miss., and one of 14 students expelled from Tennessee State University for participating. The school eventually granted them honorary doctoral degrees 47 years late in 2008.
Patton went on to be a truck driver and jazz musician, while also remaining a vocal advocate and educator in the civil rights movement.
Several community organizations are located near the new transit center. Representatives will be on hand to discuss how the neighborhood is better serving the residents.
