Jan 16, 2025 - Transit

Nashville leaders celebrate federal funds for road safety projects

Nate Rau

Illustration of Nashville City Hall with lines radiating from it. — Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios

Metro leaders joined a top official from the U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday to celebrate two federal grants to make transportation safer on Nashville's busiest roads.

Why it matters: Creating safer roads and curbing pedestrian deaths has been a top priority for Nashville for several years, and leaders say the city is at a tipping point.

Mayor Freddie O'Connell said the recently approved $3.1 billion transportation plan could open the door to more federal funding that went untapped before.

Zoom in: A $1.9 million federal grant to WeGo will be used to improve safety on Murfreesboro Pike, the city's bus route.

A $10 million grant to the Nashville Department of Transportation will install new technology on Nolensville Pike.
The lidar technology is a remote movement-censor that city officials have used to study dangerous intersections and make safety improvements. A similar approach has already produced results on Clarksville Pike, city officials say.

What they're saying: "Instead of waiting for a crash to happen now, you can be proactive and prevent crashes before they occur using this data-driven approach," U.S. Department of Transportation deputy assistant secretary for research and technology Robert Hampshire said during an event at the new Clarksville Pike transit hub.

Hampshire called O'Connell "a beacon for the nation" for his "vision around transportation and infrastructure."

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Nashville leaders celebrate federal funds for road safety projects

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