Tag: transit plan

Nashville Metro Council Rubber-Stamps Mayor Barry’s $9 Billion Transit Plan for Referendum

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Under a tight deadline, the Nashville Metro Council approved – by an overwhelming margin of 29-to-1 – a proposal to add Mayor Megan Barry’s ambitions $9 billion mass transit plan to the Davidson County ballot May 1 as a referendum. The sole ‘no’ vote was cast by Councilmember Angie Henderson (District 34). However, during her vote, she made clear her objection was not due to her disapproval of the Mayor’s plan, but rather she felt the mass transit proposal had issues within the details that should be addressed first: “I want to state that I do support this being on the ballot for referendum for decision by our constituents. But I think from a committee standpoint, at this juncture, related to my concerns about the plan – seeing that my vote does not necessarily keep this from advancing – I am a ‘No’ vote today. That does not mean I am a no vote end.” Watch the entire council meeting: In all, the Mayor is asking voters to raise four separate taxes – including the sales tax – to pay for the plan, made possible by the notorious gas tax hike known as the IMPROVE Act Tax Cut Act of 2017. “The…

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Metro’s Official Document Reveals That The Real Price Tag For Mayor Megan Barry’s Mass Transit Plan Is $9 Billion, Not $5.4 Billion

Laura Baigert

Nashville Mayor Megan Barry’s transit plan has been presented as having a cost of $5.4 billion during the 15 year construction plan through 2032. But that figure represents just the rail corridor improvements portion of the plan. But, in reality, he total cost is a whopping $8.95 Billion. The figures for costs and revenues were provided in greater detail within the Let’s Move Nashville Metro’s Transportation Solution Transit Improvement Program document dated December 13, 2017. In addition to the $5.4 Billion for the rail corridor improvements, which quickly increased from the original $5.1 Billion to address an extension to the Charlotte Avenue route, is $1.146 Billion for Bus System Enhancements, $1.185 for Interest, Principal and Financing Costs, $934 Million for Operation and Maintenance and $211 Million for Reserves for a grand total of $8.951 Billion. The corresponding $8.951 Billion in revenues are said to come from Local Option Surcharges of $3.387 Billion, Financing of $3.022 Billion, Federal Capital Improvement Program Grants of $1.434 Billion, TIFIA (Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act) of $500 Million, Contributions from BNA Airport, the Convention Center and Investment Income of $262 Million, Federal Formula and Capital Replacement Grants of $153 Million and Farebox Recovery, otherwise…

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Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Sets Sights on Massive Transit Plan Approval for 2018

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On the heels of a big win with the award to Nashville of the new Major League Soccer franchise, plus several court rulings in her favor to build a stadium on the Fairgrounds to house the professional soccer players, Megan Barry has made her number one priority in 2018 to gain approval to build out her 20th century transit plan for Nashville urbanites. “You know, looking forward, it is all about getting people to be excited about transit and then willing to pay for it,” she told WKRN Wednesday, adding: By 2040, we are on track to have another million people here, so our traffic is probably as good as it is gonna get today. It is just gonna get worse tomorrow and the next day and the next day, and this plan addresses that. The plan – unveiled October 16 – is dubbed “Let’s Move Nashville.” It touted an introductory price tag of $5.4 billion, and was almost immediately revised to $5.6 billion a month later.  The ambitious transit overhaul has had a less-than-warm reception by community groups and professional analysts alike. As The Tennessee Star reported shortly after its introduction, Manhattan Institute scholar Aaron Renn excoriated the proposal as “making no sense.” Renn, who specializes in…

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RTA CEO: ‘Daily Recurring Congested’ Areas To Get Much Worse in Metro Nashville, One Million People And $8 Billion Later

Laura Baigert

  GALLATIN, Tennessee – During the nMotion Plan Update meeting for Sumner County held last month, Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) and Regional Transit Authority (RTA) CEO Steve Bland spoke to a short slide presentation that included, among others, one titled “Projected Traffic Congestion.” The slide includes two maps, shown here, using red to highlight the “daily recurring congested” areas within middle Tennessee. The map on the left, portraying the current situation for daily recurring congested areas, is described as being “based on roadway volumes and travel speeds” and reflects what middle Tennesseans are painfully aware as locations for commuter traffic delays. Comparatively, the map on the right dated 2040 is captioned, “Based on the MPO’s (Metropolitan Planning Organization’s) traffic model which incorporates growth and development forecasts,” after an additional one million people are expected to migrate to the Nashville area over the next twenty-plus years. Shockingly, the projected congested areas in 2040 is after a whopping $8 billion is spent on transit and other improvements, according to Steve Bland. Indeed, the slide is subtitled, “These forecasts include all current and proposed projects in the 2040 Regional Plan.” Bland, who dubbed the information “the slide of doom,” did not elaborate on…

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Nashville Mayor Megan Barry Calls Passage of Gas Tax Hike ‘A Momentous Day in Tennessee,’ Looks Ahead to Mass Transit Plan

Wendy Wilson
Tennessee Star

  Nashville Mayor Megan Barry has been cheering Gov. Haslam’s gas tax hike for road improvements, while keeping an eye ahead toward implementing a $6 billion transit plan. Barry pushed for Gov. Haslam’s IMPROVE Act, which includes the gas tax hike, in the hours leading up to Wednesday’s action on the bill. The bill passed in both the House and Senate. After the bill passed, Barry celebrated with this tweet: Statement on passage of the IMPROVE Act to improve infrastructure & allow local option: This is a momentous day. https://t.co/mtVkjCCePm pic.twitter.com/B30v14FQCe — Megan Barry for Congress (TN-7) (@MeganCBarry) April 19, 2017 “Our most immediate need is funding,” said Barry, a Democrat, earlier this month in an interview with WSMV Channel 4. The $6 billion transit plan, known as nMotion, was adopted last year by the board of directors of the Regional Transportation Authority. The RTA is made up of Middle Tennessee mayors and Haslam appointees. Their endorsement is nonbinding but gives the plan momentum. The proposal calls for the project to be phased in over 25 years. Funding sources are still on the drawing board but would likely include tax increases. If former mayor Karl Dean’s failed 2014 Amp rapid bus…

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