NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Metro leaders voted to approve Mayor Freddie O'Connell's transportation plan Tuesday night, sending the issue to the ballot for Nashville voters to decide in November. All that needs to happen for the plan to be on the ballot now is an approval by the election commission.
The transportation plan would create 86 miles of new or improved sidewalks, to create a 50% increase in what the mayor's office calls "walkable neighborhoods."
We spoke with someone who uses the bus often, hear what he has to say in the player above.
It would also add bus rapid transit routes on certain roads, more transit centers and nearly 600 timed or modernized traffic lights.
But it wouldn't come without a cost: construction costs for the Mayor's proposal would run about $3 billion, but with financing, operations and other costs, an audit says it would need closer to $7 billion in tax revenue over a decade and a half.
To pay for the plan, O'Connell is proposing a sales tax increase that amounts to 25 cents for every 50 dollars spent.
A plan to deal with more people moving here every day, which voters will now give the ultimate decision on.
What is Choose How You Move?
Mayor Freddie O'Connell unveiled a transportation improvement program for Nashville in April called Choose How You Move: An All-Access Pass to Sidewalks, Signals, Service, and Safety. If it's approved, it would be a dedicated funding source for transportation and mobility projects.
This means extra sidewalks, more bus routes, a 24/7 bus service, improved safety and more.
Details, details...
The categories of change are sidewalks, signals, and safety. So, what are the numbers?
86 miles of sidewalks, 600 upgraded traffic signals, 54 miles of high-capacity All-Access Corridors, 12 new transit centers, 285 bus stop enhancements, and 17 new Park & Ride facilities.
Also within the budget are 26 acres of land with new transit centers for future housing or parks, an expansion of WeGo Link countywide to connect rural areas of Davidson County from their bus stops to their home, more safety systems, and real-time customer information for WeGo Access.
Sounds nice, but how would we pay for it?
In November, the transit plan will be on the ballot for you — Nashville voters — to approve.
Mayor O'Connell says a bump in sales tax would pay for the improvemens, meaning 25 cents extra for every $50 spent. That adds up to about $70 a year.
If it's approved, collections could begin on February 1, 2025. It would end when all outstanding debt has been repaid.
Still confused? Let's break it down even more.
Of the categories, each has a plan for how to improve, if approved. Here's what will be worked on specifically if the November plan passes.
SIDEWALKS
WalknBike Nashville, a nonprofit working to make Nashville full of safe sidewalks, bikeways, and transit routes, has a sidewalk plan that will be prioritized as part of the upgraded transit plan. You can learn more about their plan on their website.
Aside from this, the goal is to connect Nashville's busiest neighborhoods to major routes with sidewalks so that it is safer and easier for people to walk along the areas that encounter the highest amounts of traffic.
Some areas also have abrupt stops to their sidewalks which the plan hopes to fix.
SIGNALS
Major routes will get smart signals, meaning they will watch traffic, learn its flow, and adapt based on demand. This ties into Nashville Transportation Department's management center, where traffic demand is montiroed and raffic lights are adjusted to help traffic flow better for everyone, according to the Choose How You Move site.
SERVICE
For routes with heavy traffic, everything will be installed. There will be more available buses, more sidewalks, better signals and safer conditions.
The plan also calls for lanes specifically made for transit so stops are more accessible and faster.
These goals for service are straight from the website:
- 2x more frequent service and expanded transit hours of operations
- 1.7x more crosstown and connector routes
- 1.6x more local transit service overall and 4 new Express Routes
- 285 bus stop enhancements
- 12 new Transit Centers and 17 new Park & Ride facilities with room for future connections from surrounding counties
SAFETY
With safer streets, Choose How You Move hopes to decrease deaths and injuries along roadways. For example: 39 miles of Complete Strees projects with sidewalks, bikeways, and enhanced crossings are in the details. The goal is to allow space for bikers, bus riders, walkers and cars, so anyone is safe on the road.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
