By Logan Langlois
NASHVILLE, TN — Sidewalks, signals, service, and safety are the four facets of Nashville’s transportation infrastructure Mayor Freddie O’Connell has announced his office will improve under the Choose How You Move initiative. Conceptual maps related to the project show improvements will include the construction of up to 86 miles of sidewalk around Nashville, improving up to approximately 600 traffic signals, and the construction of 68 miles of bus rapid transit (BRT) lanes shaped by public input and technical feedback that would allow citizens to traverse busy corridors safely and reliably.
Mayor O’Connell said construction would take place over a period of several years, with an example being the early estimates of the construction of 86 miles of sidewalk being over 15 years. He said Nashvillians may not see all the improvements at once, but they will see incremental changes consistently over time that will improve travel.
“This will result in significant intersection improvements that will make it more visible for both pedestrians and motorists,” Mayor O’Connell said. “On most of these corridors, we should see significant lighting improvements including at transit stops.”
Mayor O’Connell said if the project were to be built today, early estimates say it would cost approximately $3 billion, and around $100 million to operate all its components. Not to mention the fact, he said, that if he had the project completed too soon, Chief Executive Officer of the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Regional Transportation Authority in Nashville Stephen Bland wouldn’t have the time to hire enough bus drivers.
Mayor O’Connell said the speed of the construction largely depends on how successful the city is in securing both city and state funding. He said the miles constructed per year can also rely on complicated considerations such as private properties, railroads, and other external factors. Mayor O’Connell said the construction of this project will be done with the primary goal of being disruptive as little as possible.
Mayor O’Connell said his office plans on mitigating disturbance to motorists by tearing up as little road as possible while keeping traffic constantly moving. He said his office has previously achieved this by constructing on existing easements that push beyond the boundaries of the roadway, allowing for the interrupting of traffic to become rarely necessary, though there may be more significant upgrades needed for corridors in rougher shape overall. Regardless, Mayor O’Connell said as the program is implemented, motorists and pedestrians alike will notice faster, safer, and easier travel.
“We’ve seen pedestrian fatalities in recent years, especially with the increase in 2022 and we’re trying to bend that curve to approach Mission Zero,” Mayor O’Connell said. “We’d love to get to zero traffic fatalities.”
Mayor O’Connell said BRTs will be established in corridors with very high ridership or areas that are significant transit trip generators. He said another factor his office is considering is serving those whose area has not seen as much investment from the city in the past, and areas that are growing especially fast. Mayor O’Connell said the roads that will be among his first proposed BRT bus system routes are Dickerson Road, Gallatin Road, Murfreesboro Road, and Nolensville Road.
He said the Murfreesboro route itself serves multiple purposes, one being finally establishing a public transit system between Nashville’s airport and downtown area, and the other being to provide public transport to the corridor with the highest rate of traffic in the system. O’Connell said citizen feedback will help shape how the additions look, and anyone looking for updates can do so at nashville.gov/transit.
Copyright TNTRIBUNE 2024. All rights reserved.
