NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville's Department of Transportation is using the city's busiest entertainment district as a testing ground for new traffic monitoring technology that could transform safety throughout the city.
"If it works on Lower Broadway, it is going to work everywhere else in Nashville," said Nashville City Traffic Engineer Derek Hagerty.
NDOT recently installed a system called LiDAR on Lower Broadway, partnering with Vanderbilt University researchers to redefine Nashville's traffic patterns. The technology uses light to anonymously detect and analyze the movement patterns of vehicles and pedestrians.
"When you think about how traffic signals are timed, most of them are running glorified kitchen timers. It's about time we step into the future, and we are happy to walk that path with Nashville DOT to actually move the needle on safety and efficiency," said Vanderbilt professor Dan Work.
For now, the system will focus on studying how pedestrians and vehicles interact on four blocks of Lower Broadway, especially during high-traffic events like CMA Fest.
"If we start seeing a pattern — right-turning vehicles from Third Avenue onto Broadway are just missing pedestrians on a consistent basis — that tells us we have to go in and do something at that exact location," Hagerty said.
Work, who has overseen much of the installation process in recent weeks, demonstrated how the system functions.
"You are looking at all the magic that we have been trying to go from the lab to the real world," Work said.
Eventually, LiDAR will help identify near-misses, speeding patterns, and accident-prone areas across Nashville, transforming traffic safety from reactive to proactive approaches.
The timing of the technology rollout coincides with CMA Fest, when thousands of additional visitors crowd Nashville's already busy downtown streets.
"You get all these great artists in one town at the same time with free shows. It don't get better than that," said one festival attendee.
Have you noticed the new traffic monitoring technology on Broadway? Share your thoughts about how technology might improve pedestrian safety in Nashville's busiest areas by emailing Kim.Rafferty@NewsChannel5.com.
This story was reported by Kim Rafferty and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Kim and our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Happy Birthday to the YMCA of Middle TN. They just celebrated their 150th anniversary! A lot has changed with the Y over the years. I have personally seen some of that firsthand when I was a long-time board member at the Northwest Family Y and part of their Black Achievers Program. Forrest Sanders has a look back.
- Lelan Statom
