Happy Thursday! It's a lovely day to get an "I voted" sticker.

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny, with a high of 79 and a low of 49.

Today’s newsletter is 862 words — a 3.5-minute read.

A new crosstown bus route could shave an hour off some trips through southeast Nashville, where decades of population growth are driving a wave of public investments.

Why it matters: The expansion, which was approved last week, is the first new crosstown route funded through the Choose How You Move transportation plan.

The big picture: Route 73 will serve a rapidly growing part of the city. Antioch's population nearly doubled between 2000 and 2020, climbing from roughly 51,000 to 99,000, according to Metro Planning.

• A WeGo spokesperson tells Axios the crosstown connector was designed to link southeast Nashville's residential hubs more directly with nearby retail corridors, including the Tanger Outlet Mall.
• Officials hope doing so will open up more employment and shopping opportunities for WeGo riders.

How it works: The new route will let riders travel across southeast Nashville without first heading toward downtown and doubling back.

• Today, someone traveling from Nolensville Pike at Old Hickory Boulevard to Hickory Hollow must first ride into the city to transfer to another bus route that takes them back to the southeast.
• Route 73 will cut out that back-and-forth. WeGo says it could trim the same trip from roughly 90 minutes to 30, including waiting and transfer times.

The intrigue: More direct crosstown routes like that are a significant factor in WeGo's growth. Ridership on existing crosstown and connector routes jumped 26% last fiscal year, compared with an 11% increase systemwide.

Zoom out: This is the latest in a series of Metro investments made to accommodate southeast Nashville's explosive growth.

• The city opened the new Southeast Police Precinct last November and the 10-acre Mariposa Park in July.
• Construction is underway on an expansion of Mill Ridge Park, while Mayor Freddie O'Connell has proposed additional funding for a new Antioch elementary school.

What's next: Route 73 begins service Jan. 3. Buses will run every 30 to 40 minutes.

What we're watching: WeGo says the next new crosstown route, already in the works, will likely connect to the planned Donelson Transit Center, although the exact path remains undecided.

Share this story

The ballot measure targeting racing at the Nashville fairgrounds survived a legal challenge yesterday when Chancellor Anne Martin dismissed a lawsuit filed by racetrack supporters.

Why it matters: The hotly debated issue remains on track to be decided by voters next year, although another legal challenge is likely.

Catch up quick: A group called Restore Our Fairgrounds wants to amend the Metro charter to ban auto racing on the property. The group's proposal would replace racing with affordable or workforce housing on the list of required fairgrounds programming.

• The group collected signatures from Davidson County voters in order to get their proposal on the ballot.
• The Davidson County Election Commission certified 47,679 signatures this month, clearing the requirement of 40,194.

Friction point: The opposition group Decline to Sign claims some voters who signed the petition wanted their names removed. Others said their names were on the list despite the fact that they never signed.

• Their lawsuit claims the election commission should have implemented a process to remove signatures at a voter's request.

Driving the news: Martin rejected those claims and dismissed the lawsuit.

Yes, but: Martin said in her ruling that opponents could file a different kind of legal challenge against the election commission's decision.

• Martin said that was the "appropriate avenue" for the Decline to Sign Group to pursue, meaning the legal battle is likely to proceed.

The bottom line: Unless a legal challenge reverses the election commission's decision to advance the referendum, voters will decide the fate of the fairgrounds racetrack next year.

Share this story

✈️ Alaska Airlines will offer a limited-time, nonstop to Anchorage next year. The flight also opens up a pathway to Tokyo's Narita International Airport starting in May 2027. (Nashville Business Journal, subscription)

💰 The Tennessee Department of Transportation and contractor DriveTN finalized their deal for the I-24 toll lanes project. A competing bidder is challenging the agreement in court. (WPLN)

🏈 Tennessee football legend John Henderson is considered the greatest Pearl-Cohn player of all time. But, Mike Organ reports the former NFL star almost quit the team. (Tennessean)

Tennessee voters have one more day to cast an early ballot ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm election.

Why it matters: The outcome of this election will determine the state's next governor. Voters will also decide the fate of three proposed constitutional amendments as well as selecting state and federal lawmakers.

State of play: Polls are open 8am-7pm today. Voters registered in Davidson County can cast their ballot at any of the county's 15 early voting locations.

By the numbers: So far, more than 124,000 Nashvillians have already cast their ballots.

Read more about this election

Our picks:

Nate's song of the day is "Full Spectrum Dominance" by Dummy.

Adam voted quickly at Hillwood High School during his lunch break yesterday.

This newsletter was edited by Jen Burkett.