The Connect Downtown project team, a partnership between the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT), WeGo Public Transit, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and the Nashville Downtown Partnership, today released draft recommendations for public review and comment. The planning effort is now entering its last round of public review before finalizing recommendations for potential adoption and implementation. The recommendations include five “Big Moves” that seek to make multimodal travel easier and safer in Downtown Nashville.
“I look forward to the work that will come thanks to the Connect Downtown action plan,” said Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell. “With proper coordination, we can chip away at our traffic congestion, improve safety for riders and pedestrians and give dignity to Nashvillians regardless of how they like to move around the city. Put together, these projects will make travel more reliable, faster and safer for everyone.”
Connect Downtown is a 10-year action plan with projects and programs to be delivered in three phases. Draft study recommendations focus on five high-level “big moves” and include near-term quick wins as well as longer-term projects to improve mobility in the downtown core.
The five “big moves” include:
- Manage Congestion: Upgrade signals, convert select streets to one-way or two-way travel, improve traffic operations, and better manage special events to keep people moving and improve system resiliency
- Improve Safety: Advance Vision Zero projects and programs to make Downtown’s streets safer for people, especially the most vulnerable travelers
- Move More People: Prioritize buses on key corridors and increase the amount of service to provide faster and more reliable trips throughout the entire regional transit network
- Create Complete Networks: Develop safe, separated, and connected walking, biking, rolling, and scooting facilities for people to get into, around, and through Downtown
- Maximize the Curb: Flex the uses of the curb throughout the day for deliveries, service vehicles, and passenger pick-up and drop-off to support local businesses, venues, and residents
“This is another good example of partnering at the state and local levels to address transportation infrastructure needs in one of our more congested areas,” said Deputy Governor/TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley. “Safely and efficiently managing the throughput of our system requires a multimodal, multifaceted approach. Collaborations such as this will move us in the right direction as more people come to Nashville to live, work, and play.”
“These draft recommendations signal a shift in how we approach multimodal transportation planning in our downtown core,” said NDOT Director Diana Alarcon. “Prioritizing safety and efficiency will allow everyone to get to and through the city’s urban core with more ease and will enable our businesses and institutions to thrive in Downtown Nashville.”
“WeGo is committed to connecting our city efficiently as we continue to grow in population and ridership,” said WeGo CEO Steve Bland. “The Connect Downtown Plan will help to advance reliability and efficiency by offering transit priority corridors, dedicated transit lanes and multiple hubs.”
“The preliminary recommendations reflect the input of downtown residents, workers, business and property owners, and Davidson County residents who regularly travel into and through downtown,” said Nashville Downtown Partnership President and CEO Tom Turner. “This draft and the proposed multi-year action plan present significant opportunities to benefit all Nashvillians.”
The public will be able to review the draft recommendations by visiting the project website or attending an open house tomorrow or Wednesday.
Open house information:
- Tuesday, November 14 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Downtown Presbyterian Church, 154 Rep. John Lewis Way N, Nashville, TN 37219
- Wednesday, November 15 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Nashville Farmer’s Market, 900 Rosa L Parks Blvd, Nashville, TN 37208
Residents who are unable to attend one of these meetings can provide input and comments via a brief survey linked to the Connect Downtown project website.
Review the initial “State of Downtown Mobility” report.
To report a non-emergency issue affecting a Metro Nashville street, visit hub.nashville.gov.
Connect Downtown has been a two-year collaboration between the Nashville Department of Transportation & Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT), WeGo Public Transit, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), and the Nashville Downtown Partnership. The project team has developed an ambitious yet realistic plan to fund and implement projects and programs that serve the growing mobility needs of downtown, the city, and the region. More than 5,500 public comments and survey responses have been recorded since the project kick-off.