NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville commuters frustrated by dangerous and chaotic conditions on the city’s downtown interstate loop now have a chance to weigh in on potential solutions. The Tennessee Department of Transportation is conducting an early planning study and asking the public for feedback on what improvements should be made.
Middle Tennessee continues to see rapid growth, putting more pressure on the interstate system that connects neighborhoods, jobs and freight traffic across the region.
Chris Ashton, who moved to Nashville in 2011, said the roads have become increasingly dangerous.
“It’s an extraordinary danger,” Ashton said.
“The road system in Nashville feels more like Mad Max than a highway. Lots of insane drivers. People are very stressed. They’re trying to get somewhere fast. Safety takes a back seat to speed,” Ashton said.
For longtime Nashvillians, the frustration is familiar. Erskine Lytle, who was born and raised in Nashville, said the inner loop has long been a challenge.
“But driving here, getting into some of the merging and exiting, it can be a challenge to say the least,” Lytle said.
TDOT’s Planning and Environmental Linkages, or PEL, study covers about 32 miles of Interstates 24, 40, 65 and 440 surrounding downtown Nashville. The study is designed to identify transportation problems, gather community input and explore possible solutions before projects move into design and environmental review phases.
Researchers have already gathered data on congestion, peak travel times, crash hotspots and bottlenecks. Now, the agency is turning to the public for feedback on safety, mobility and neighborhood impacts.
Middle Tennessee Regional Communications Officer Erin Zeigler said the study takes a broad, corridor-wide look at what could be improved.
“This study takes a very broad, corridor-wide approach to look at what improvements could be made to the downtown inner loop,” Zeigler said.
TDOT held a public meeting Monday night — the first of several planned conversations focused on improving state roads. Another public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday evening at Trevecca Nazarene University.
Zeigler said public input is a key part of the process.
“So this gives us a time where we can hear from the public on what they’re experiencing on roadways and what they might like to see for our community,” Zeigler said.
But any major changes are still a long way off. Zeigler said the study is just the first step in a lengthy process that will help guide future environmental reviews and design plans.
“We still have to go through the proper channels to make a project actually go to the point where shovels are in the ground,” Zeigler said.
For commuters like Ashton, the goal is straightforward.
“It would be nice to get around the city a little better,” Ashton said.
Drivers who cannot attend a public meeting can submit feedback through an online survey on TDOT’s website through Aug. 11. TDOT has also posted maps, study documents and other project resources online as part of the public input process.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Patsy.Montesinos@NewsChannel5.com
Tenn. seniors make a splash on a giant slip-and-slide
A slip-and-slide for seniors?! Who knew it could stir laughter and tears. Photojournalist Angie Dones captures a story filled with so much joy and one that will tug at your heartstrings.
– Carrie Sharp
