NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Friday marked a step forward with Nashville’s “Choose How You Move” transit plan.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell announced eleven transit projects across the city in the first phase of the multi-million-dollar initiative. The projects are aimed at creating better, safer transportation across the city through initiatives like sidewalk, traffic signal and bus service improvements.
According to a press release from Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connel’s office, the first eleven programs are:
- Low-income Fare Subsidy Program – will increase the number of individuals qualifying for free or reduced fares on WeGo Public Transit. Program planning and design to begin later this spring with implementation in the fall.
- WeGo Service Expansion – helps fund improvements announced in February as part of WeGo summer service changes, making routes more frequent and accessible. Funds purchase of 12 new buses to support increased service levels.
- Murfreesboro Pike Queue Jump – adds a business access transit lane in the outbound direction between Shumate and Edge O Lake with a queue jump signal at Edge O Lake, saving 2-4 minutes of travel time by allowing buses to bypass 1,400 feet of queued traffic, producing 10,000 hours of time savings for riders.
- West End Curbside Bus Lane Pilot – improves travel time for buses between 25th and 31st Avenue, one of the densest corridors in the city.
- Fiber Installation – initiates planning to support systemwide fiber installations, which are a critical technology component for signal upgrades and transportation system technologies.
- Signal Upgrades – initiates planning to support upgrading 592 traffic signals to smart signals.
- South Broadway Transit Center – initiates planning for a new transit center south of Broadway in downtown Nashville, enabling decentralization of the transit network to allow for more convenient crosstown routes.
- Street improvement projects – funds planning and design to inform construction of 39 miles of street infrastructure projects across the county.
- WeGo Public Transit Security upgrades – as announced on March 1, increases the number of contracted hours with WeGo’s security firm and allows for appointment of first Transit Liaison within Metro Nashville Police Department.
- New bus operations and maintenance facility – initiates planning for a new, expanded operations and maintenance facility to accommodate service expansion. Capacity is exceeded at existing facilities at Myatt and Nestor.
- Main Street/Gallatin Pk. All-Access Corridor Phase 1 – design of Gallatin Pike All-Access Corridor from Interstate Drive to Eastland Avenue. Future Corridor to includes new median, median and curbside bus lanes, queue jumps at select intersections, new sidewalks, crosswalks and bike facilities.
The projects will be paid for with a half-cent sales tax increase that started earlier this year. City officials estimated the increased sales tax would generate $59 million by the end of June.
“What we designed into the transit improvement program from day one is we wanted to actually see WeGo’s share of the operating subsidy provided through the general fund go down over time,” O’Connell said. “So we’re expecting to see — that will probably phase in, so we’re putting downward pressure on our actual operating budget.”
News 2 talked to some Nashville residents about the low-income fair subsidy program, who had mixed opinions on how effective the changes could be.
“The bus is big here for a lot of people,” said Marlon Brown, who often rides the bus to commute. “It helps us out — it helps that ones that are really struggling with rides.”
Stacy Ricketts told News 2 she likes the idea of a more affordable bus service, but felt like it was a distraction from other policy issues in the city.
“I personally feel like it’s just a big distraction from what’s really going on in our government right now,” Ricketts said.
