Titans, City Seek $75 Million for Bridge Extension to New Stadium

The Tennessee Titans’ first win this season may come Tuesday — rather than Sunday — as the team seeks approval for a new $75 million bridge extension into the East Bank. Metro finance director Jenneen Reed joined Kellen DeCoursey, a Titans executive, to pitch the Metro Sports Authority Thursday morning on a second addition to the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge that would channel pedestrians closer to the new Nissan Stadium.

After light vetting, the sports authority unanimously supported the project, which will head to the East Bank Development Authority on Tuesday. The expected funds will come from $300 million earmarked by state lawmakers in April for East Bank infrastructure.

“The sports authority’s role will be to pay the Titans as a pass-through organization and enforce the terms of the stadium development agreement,” sports authority Chair Russ Pulley explained at Geodis Park Thursday. “It’s important to note there is no financial liability to the sports authority in this resolution.”

Today, the John Seigenthaler Bridge crosses the Cumberland River and dives sharply into South First Street. New construction plans would take the bridge an additional 700 feet above street level toward the new Nissan Stadium, where elevators and stairs would allow pedestrians to access the stadium’s plaza. 

“ This bridge reconstruction is a critical asset for the success of the stadium,” said DeCoursey, who leads new stadium construction for the Titans. “The bridge is a main route, as Jenneen said, for more than 50 percent of our fans, and this new path will continue the seamless path for our fans coming and going to the new stadium."

Separating vehicles and people is part of a bigger vision of non-car mobility through the two halves of downtown — another $25 million will fund an off-ramp connecting the bridge to Wasioto Park and the nearby greenway network that has begun to take shape along the Cumberland River. Metro’s Planning Department, which has a dedicated East Bank team, and the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure back the bridge reconstruction. Upon completion, NDOT will own and maintain the bridge. 

It's Official: Nashville Will Host Super Bowl in 2030

NFL owners approve move by unanimous 32-0 vote Tuesday at league meetings in Florida

Reed mentioned the Super Bowl just once during her initial pitch, though the project’s proposed timeline reflects pressure to finish before Nashville hosts America’s signature entertainment event in early 2030. Demo and construction would start in 2028 with a completion date in fall 2029. Reed listed "Super Bowl readiness" as a key factor behind the project, which she deems an "anchor piece of infrastructure" for the team and the district. The bridge has been renovated and repaired numerous times since opening as the Sparkman Street Bridge in 1909. It was renamed in honor of acclaimed journalist John Seigenthaler after his death in 2014.

The bridge project is the first major amendment to construction plans related to the Titans' new $2.1 billion stadium. As such, it required an official "change order" agreed to by the team and the Metro Sports Authority, which has overseen the stadium project since its inception. The body also kicked in $760 million to pay for the stadium. In the five years since then-Mayor John Cooper oriented the city toward redeveloping the East Bank, Metro coffers have also supported new utilities, a redesigned street grid and various infrastructure projects with more than $700 million in forecasted spending in last year’s Capital Improvements Budget.

In April, state lawmakers furnished the East Bank Development Authority with $300 million in surplus tax revenue accumulated in the downtown Tourism Development Zone, a mechanism designed decades ago to pay for the Music City Center. The money and authority have put state House Speaker Cameron Sexton, who sits on the EBDA, in a central decision-making role guiding the East Bank’s future. At next week’s EBDA meeting, the Titans and Metro will make a similar presentation in pursuit of a $75 million slice of that $300 million.