It's a major change to how residents may soon get around town. Nashville Mayor Megan Barry announced an extension of planned light rail service in West Nashville.
The mayor made the announcement around 3 p.m. Wednesday. The announcement was all part of the Charlotte Avenue light rail corridor, fitting into the mayor’s $5.4 billion plan for infrastructure improvements in Nashville.
Until Wednesday, light rail would have been slated to be built along the Charlotte corridor only up until Interstate 440.
That plan came under fire from some Metro Council members who said it ignored communities, like The Nations and Sylvan Park, that wouldn't be serviced by the light rail.
So on Wednesday, Mayor Barry announced a plan to extend the Charlotte light rail line by two miles to White Bridge Pike.
Barry said sales tax revenue from the Music City Center and First Tennessee Park, that previously wasn't accounted for, would help fund the expansion at more than $200 million.
“We knew at the time it really was stopping short next to one of Nashville's busiest and most congested intersections in a really important commercial and residential street,” Mayor Barry said.
Again, this announcement was all part of the $5.4 billion plan funded in part by sales tax and other tax increases that Metro voters could get a chance to vote on in May.
Transit For Nashville released the following statement after the announcement:
“Today’s announcement is further proof that the mayor is committed to a transit system that connects all the communities of Nashville to each other.
After additional resources were realized, they immediately decided to extend this light rail out to White Bridge Road and give a greater level of service to this high-need area. The extension gives the Charlotte corridor some equilibrium in comparison to the other light rail corridors.
This is also what the nMotion plan originally recommended, so we’re glad to see it happen.”
