Tag: traffic

TDOT Will Halt Construction for Easter Weekend

Peter D'Abrosca
Road construction

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) will halt interstate construction beginning Thursday as travelers head to their Easter destinations. 

“TDOT crews and contractors will stop all road construction work that requires lane closures beginning Thursday, March 28, at 6:00 p.m. through Monday, April 1 at 6:00 a.m.,” a release from the department says. “This will provide maximum roadway capacity to motorists expected to travel across the state this upcoming holiday weekend.”

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State Senator John Kavanaugh to Pitch Law for Harsher Penalties on Protesters Who Block Arizona Highways

Tom Pappert

State Senator John Kavanaugh (R-Maricopa) is reportedly preparing to pitch legislation that will increase penalties for protesters who block Arizona’s highways and public thoroughfare, with the lawmaker highlighting a recent pro-Palestine protest in California that saw roads blocked for hours.

Kavanaugh said he intends to file a bill that would raise criminal penalties for those who block Arizona’s highways, he told The Arizona Daily Star, explaining his legislation will make protesters who “block a highway, bridge, or tunnel for more than 15 minutes after they’ve been told to leave” guilty of a Class 6 felony. If found guilty, those convicted face a recommended sentence of one year in a state prison.

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Georgia Department of Transportation to Halt All Lane Closure Activity for July 4 Holiday Weekend

Kaitlin Housler

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) announced Tuesday that Independence Day travelers would not be delayed by construction on Georgia roads during this year’s holiday.

GDOT announced that the department will suspend all construction-related lane closures on interstates and state routes from Friday, June 30 from 12 p.m. until 5 a.m. Wednesday, July 5.

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Study Finds Extensive Flaws in Plan to Extend Sales Tax for Expanding Light Rail in Maricopa County

Rachel Alexander

Arizona Free Enterprise Club released a new report criticizing the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) proposed plan for the Prop. 400 half-cent tax.

The Prop. 400 half-cent tax, which started in 1985 to pay for public transit and then light rail in Maricopa County, faces strong opposition every time it comes up for renewal. 

The report said the MAG’s proposal fails to consider the permanent transformation of society due to COVID-19, which significantly reduced the number of workers using public transit as people shifted to working from home and remained there.

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Vanderbilt University and Tennessee Department of Transportation Leading to Build ‘Smartest Roadway in the World’

Morgan Nicole Veysey

Vanderbilt University and the Tennessee Department of Traffic (TDOT) are beginning development of what is being called ‘the smartest roadway in the world.’ While the development only spans about six miles of Nashville’s Interstate 24, leader Dan Work of Vanderbilt University said that,

This research will help make the world’s roadways smarter and safer, with the initial research conducted right here in Tennessee. Beyond the thrill of participating in this never-before-attempted project, we are confident that this work will attract the attention of automakers and contribute to the region’s economy

This project, called the I-24 Mobility Technology Interstate Observation Network — or, I-24 MOTION — consists of 300 ultra HD cameras to anonymously capture details of drivers on the road. Part of the cameras instillation had already begun this summer, and the I-24 MOTION team hopes to have the remaining cameras installed and running by summer 2022.

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Tennessee Star/Triton Poll: What Are the Issues That Matter Most to Nashville Voters?

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traffic jam

  A new Tennessee Star/Triton poll reveals that Nashville voters have three top concerns: Traffic and road congestion, quality of schools and rising crime and violence. When asked their second-biggest concern, survey respondents had the same three issues at the top of their lists. 550 likely voters in Davidson County were asked: What do you think is the most important issue that our community needs to focus upon? 24.7% said traffic and road congestion; 22.9% said the quality of schools and 19% ranked rising crime/violence at the top of their list. Affordable housing was a top concern for 11.6%, with creating more and better jobs (7.6%), illegal immigration (6.9%), and high property/sales taxes (5.2%) rounding out the list. 3.7% were not sure or didn’t know. When asked the second-most important issue the numbers were remarkably similar. 26% said traffic and road congestion; 20% said the quality of schools and 20.2% ranked rising crime/violence as their second top concern. Affordable housing was a major secondary concern for 13.1%, with high property/sales taxes (5.8%), illegal immigration (5.6%) with creating more and better jobs (5.1%) further down the list of issues. 2.6% were not sure or didn’t know. Two other questions in the…

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Nashville’s High Traffic Neighborhoods Have Low Chance of Relief From Light Rail

Jason M. Reynolds

Dear Nashville resident: Does your neighborhood have bad traffic? If you answered yes, the city’s $9 billion light rail transit plan probably will not help you, one organization says. NoTax4Tracks says only 3 percent of Nashville’s population will be served by the proposed light rail transit plan. The group has posted a map that shows the haves and have-nots when it comes to service. The have-nots that have high traffic counts include Bordeaux, Whites Creek, W. Trinity, Haynes Area, Parkwood, Dickerson Pike, Metrocenter, Donelson, McGavock, Hermitage, Old Hickory, Mt. Juliet, Green Hills, Bellevue, Belmont, 12 South, West End, Antioch, Haywood Lane, Antioch Pike, Mt. View Road, Blue Hole Road, Cane Ridge and Priest Lake. NoTax4Tracks urges residents to share copies of the map with others. “We need everyone to see what they’d be getting and paying for if this passes May 1: Only 3% of the population will be served and families in Davidson County would have to pay $43,608 more in taxes. That is a huge amount for a light rail system that leaves out so many neighborhoods.” Better Transit For Nashville posted a top 100 list of why residents should vote against the plan on May 1. Reason…

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State Rep. Mike Sparks Commentary: In Order to Fix Nashville’s Traffic Problems, We Must First Study the Traffic Before We Raise Taxes

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traffic jam

by State Representative Mike Sparks (R-Smyrna)   ON I-24 SOMEWHERE NORTH OF SMYRNA, Tennessee — Interstate 24 from Rutherford County to Nashville, which goes through my district, might be consistently the most congested stretch of highway in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. With the exponential growth of middle Tennessee, drivers face increased traffic congestion daily. While stuck in traffic many of us who commute to Nashville are asking ourselves the same question: What else can be done to help alleviate our traffic problems? Our government and our leaders need to learn to do more with less without increasing taxes. We should continue to pursue options such as encouraging ride-sharing, alternative work schedules, and an improved BRT Bus Rapid Transit system, HOV lane enforcement as a few options to reduce traffic. At the age of 19, I was working at Whirlpool factory in LaVergne, and I would pay a coworker $5 each week to carpool. As I drive from my home district to Nashville, I have watched how bad the traffic congestion is getting. I have continuously promoted ride-sharing, which has encouraged my staff to carpool, many of whom are using the new mobile app Hytch Rewards, to…

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Nashville Would Tie For Highest Sales Tax In Nation Under Mayor Barry’s Transit Plan

Jason M. Reynolds

From apparel to zip-up kitchen bags, merchandise sold in Nashville would bear some of the highest sales tax in the nation if the backers of the city’s proposed light rail system have their way, a PAC says. NoTax4Tracks is the PAC opposing the May 1 referendum in Nashville/Davidson County on a proposed increase in sales and hotel taxes.  The organization issued a press release over the weekend criticizing Mayor Megan Barry’s plan to raise the state-city sales tax to 10.25 percent to help finance the transit plan. The PAC says 10.25 percent would give Nashville the highest sales tax in the nation. According to the Tax Foundation, two cities currently are tied for the dubious honor of highest sales tax, and both have rates of 10.25 percent: Long Beach, California, and Chicago. Nashville would tie for the top spot in the nation’s most expensive cities in which to shop. Nashville is currently tied in ninth place on the Tax Foundation’s sales tax list. The city’s sales tax would increase by 0.5 percent from 9.25 percent to 9.75 percent, NoTax4Tracks says on its website. By 2023 the tax will have increased to 10.25 percent. “Whether it’s a senior living off of…

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The Tennessee Star Hits THREE MILLION Visits Since February Launch

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Tennessee Star

The Tennessee Star announced via Twitter Saturday that its online news site has been visited a staggering THREE MILLION times since launching February 6 of this year. Today we passed THREE MILLION VISITS to the https://t.co/CucY9Mxgrh since our launch in February! Thank you, Tennessee!!!! pic.twitter.com/oh37pdsNJA — Tennessee Star (@TheTNStar) September 23, 2017 “’Refreshing’ – that’s the word we hear the most from people who meet us at events around town,” said Managing Editor Christina Botteri. “The Tennessee Star is unique in that we offer a fact-based news site with a conservative worldview. I believe that is the reason we have seen such a tremendous expansion of readership in such a relatively short period of time,” she said. The news media start-up was flooded with new and returning visitors within the first few weeks, requiring major server upgrades months ahead of schedule. After a strong first month, increasing numbers of visitors sought out The Star to stay current with the breaking developments surrounding Governor Haslam’s unpopular gas tax hike. Readership quickly climbed to over 285,000 within that 31-day period. “When we launched our original Constitution Series in April, we saw another uptick in readership with about 370,000 for the month,” Botteri recalled.…

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The Tennessee Star Celebrates Its TWO MILLIONTH Visit

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Tennessee Star

  The Tennessee Star announced via Twitter Tuesday its online news site has been visited a whopping TWO MILLION times since its launch earlier this year. Today we had our TWO MILLIONTH visit to the https://t.co/CucY9Mxgrh since our launch Feb 6. Thank you, Tennessee – you're the BEST! pic.twitter.com/XOn5IM0Aui — Tennessee Star (@TheTNStar) July 11, 2017   The Tennessee Star went live on Monday, February 6 and by the end of the month – just 22 days later – The Star was visited over 175,000 times. “Tennesseans tell us that have wanted a fact-based news site with a conservative worldview for many years. That’s what we offer, and I believe that is the reason we have seen such a steep growth curve with no end in sight,” said Managing Editor Christina Botteri. The news media upstart experienced growing pains almost immediately, requiring them to upgrade their servers months ahead of schedule. After a strong inaugural month, visitors returned regularly and in growing numbers throughout March to stay current with the breaking developments surrounding Governor Haslam’s unpopular gas tax hike. Readership soared to over 285,000 within that 31-day period. “In April, we kicked off our ‘Constitution Series,’ and saw another uptick in readership with about 370,000 for the month,” Botteri recalled. The…

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The Tennessee Star Announces Blockbuster Month with Over a Half-Million Visits

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Tennessee Star

  FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE (Wednesday, June 21) — In another stunning announcement, The Tennessee Star released updated web traffic reports in a tweet Wednesday that shows the online news, information, and opinion website surpassed 500,000 visits in the last thirty days. WOW! Thank you, Tennessee!!30days (5/20-6/20): 526,841 visits 290,288 visitorsAll time (2/06-6/20): 1,536,671 visits 712,233 visitors pic.twitter.com/HBxgV2CKnf — Tennessee Star (@TheTNStar) June 22, 2017 “In three months and two weeks we went from zero at our launch to over one million visits. Now, in just the last thirty days – a quarter of that time – we have been visited more than five hundred and twenty-five thousand times,” said managing editor Christina Botteri. “If there was a Moore’s Law for journalism and readership, we’d be doubling it right now!” Botteri said, referencing Intel founder Gordan Moore’s observation that computer processing speed doubles every 18 months. The explosion in traffic can be traced directly to The Star’s coverage of the top three areas of most concern for Middle Tennesseans, as reported in the Tennessee Star-Triton Poll released ten days ago, together with a fundamental understanding of the algorithms that drive social media traffic. “The poll results reflect what we observe personally, which is that there…

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Public Meetings On I-65 Congestion To Be Held This Month

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  Tired of getting stuck in traffic on I-65? The Tennessee Department of Transportation wants to hear about your problems. Last year, the department launched a study to determine the biggest problem areas along the I-65 corridor stretching 120 miles from Alabama to Kentucky. After collecting data and feedback, the department will develop a list of project ideas and costs to make improvements. The study is expected to be completed this summer. There are three public meetings this month at which the public can offer input: June 12, 2017 5:30-7:00 p.m. Delmas Long Community Center – Meeting Room 2 200 Memorial Drive Goodlettsville, TN  37072 June 20, 2017 5:30-7:00 p.m. Brentwood Library – Meeting Room A 8109 Concord Road Brentwood, TN  37027 June 22, 2017 5:30-7:00 p.m. Spring Hill City Hall – Courtroom 199 Town Center Pkwy. Spring Hill, TN  37174 For more information on the I-65 Multimodal Corridor Study, visit https://www.tn.gov/tdot/article/i65study.

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JUGGERNAUT: The Tennessee Star Eclipses Single-Day Traffic Record Monday with Over 50,000 Visitors

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Tennessee Star

  The Tennessee Star announced its online news site recorded over fifty thousand unique visitors in the twenty-four hour period between 12:00:00 a.m. and 11:59:59 p.m. Monday, June 5. “It was astonishing to watch,” said managing editor Christina Botteri. “Because of our rapid growth to date, we know the warning signs to look for when our servers get overheated. Early on, we thought there was a chance we were the subject of an attempted denial of service attack. But that was quickly disproven when we saw the organic – but very fast – correlating climb in our Facebook site referrals and shares.” Much of the sudden spike in traffic is thanks to a story featuring Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s vow to ignore the U.S. Constitution and uphold the Paris Climate Agreement – “even if President Trump doesn’t.” After President Trump made his now-famous ‘Pittsburgh-not-Paris’ speech Saturday, Barry, along with a cadre of Democrat mayors and governors across the country, issued statements admonishing the President’s decision. “The United States of America should be a global leader in addressing the dire impact of climate change on our civilization, and it is very disappointing that President Trump does not see that,” Mayor Barry said in…

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