NASHVILLE, TN – Mayor Freddie O’Connell and the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT) are announcing improved signal technology at a total of 36 intersections along Lebanon Pike. The Lebanon Pike Smart Signal Project aims to improve efficiency and travel time reliability along one of Nashville’s busiest roads with the use of smarter traffic signals that are programmed to select from a menu of signal timings based on traffic conditions.
The project is the first of its kind in Nashville and kicks off major investment in modernizing signal technology with a goal of giving Nashvillians a better experience whether driving or using transit.
“Smart signal technology will improve the efficiency of our travel and make our streets safer,” Mayor Freddie O’Connell said. “This is the type of improvement coming to two thirds of our intersections thanks to Choose How You Move. It wasn’t that long ago that our signals ran on copper wire and dial up. New signals that respond to changing traffic conditions will modernize the way every single Nashvillian moves around our city.”
These improvements represent the first phase of smart signal investment along Lebanon Pike. The next phase will be funded through Nashville’s dedicated transportation funding program, Choose How You Move, and involves the installation of fiber to allow the signals to become fully adaptive and communicate with new software and nearby signals.
“As we upgrade our signal technology across the city, we are able to monitor traffic conditions in real time through NDOT’s Traffic Management Center,” said NDOT Director Diana Alarcon. “Think of a signal cabinet as a brain. Smarter brains in our signal boxes will allow for better efficiency and more reliability for people traveling along the corridor.”
NDOT has installed new cabinet boxes and will now begin evaluation of traffic conditions with staff onsite making adjustments and optimizing the technology in real time over the coming months. The data collected will provide guidance on future smart and adaptive signal deployments across the city.
From the Wilson County line into downtown Nashville, 36 intersections will get new smart signals and 10 major intersections along Lebanon Pike will also feature new cabinet boxes and controllers that are able to self-diagnose problems and support 2-3 hours of battery backup in the event of a power failure. In severe weather events, maintaining connectivity at key intersections is critical for safety and traffic flow.
he 10 intersections are:
Hermitage Ave. & Korean Veterans Blvd.
Craigmeade & Briley SB
Briley Parkway North Bound
Lebanon Pike & McGavock
Lebanon Pike & Donelson Pike
Lebanon Pike & Stewarts Ferry Pike
Lebanon Pike & Central Pike
Lebanon Pike & Old Hickory Blvd
Lebanon Pike & Andrew Jackson Parkway
Lebanon Pike & Tulip Grove.
Earlier this fall, Choose How You Move announced a round of capital spending that included significant investment in smart signal technology. That round of funding will bring smart signals to 115 intersections and allow for fiber to be laid that supports integration with the city’s new Transportation Management Center, including along Lebanon Pike. A new animation from the Choose How You Move team explains more about how the investments will modernize Nashville’s signal infrastructure.
