Nashvillians sitting on increasingly congested roads in recent years have likely asked themselves several questions, though perhaps in more colorful language (and with accompanying gestures too): How do we fix Nashville's transit problem, how long will it take, and how much will it cost?
More than a year-and-a-half after the death of The Amp — former Mayor Karl Dean's ill-fated bus-rapid-transit proposal — Metro has some new potential answers to those questions.
After a process that lasted more than a year, officials have unveiled today a $6 billion regional transit plan that would be implemented over 25 years. You can read the entire nMotion plan here. It calls for a variety of approaches, from improving current service to implementing light rail on major corridors in Nashville — Gallatin Pike, Murfreesboro Pike (to the airport), Nolensville Pike and Charlotte Avenue — and creating dedicated BRT lanes on major highways as well as bus service on highway shoulders. It also calls for additional Music City Star service.
Here's a breakdown from the plan:
Officials say the planning process included engagement with 18,000 individuals and 9,000 responses to an online "scenario survey" where respondents expressed their reactions to three different futures for transit in the region. A month of public comment on the plan will now lead up to a final vote by the Metro Transit Authority and Regional Transit Authority next month.
