A COOPERATIVE EFFORT

Plan Overview

In the Fall of 2007, the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) completed a study of transportation improvements called the Southeast Corridor High Performance Transit Alternatives Study. The purpose was to study potential transit systems that could be built in the corridor between Nashville and Murfreesboro.

The MPO is a multi-county agency responsible for transportation planning in Davidson, Rutherford, Sumner, Williamson, and Wilson counties. The MPO has adopted plans for a high performance transit system to operate in the five corridors radiating outward from downtown Nashville. The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), the agency charged with construction and operation of this system, began service of the East Corridor between Nashville and Lebanon, in the Fall of 2006. The other four corridors will connect Nashville with the cities of Murfreesboro, Gallatin, Kingston Springs, and Franklin.

The focus of this study is the Southeast Corridor that connects Nashville to Murfreesboro. The region generally follows the Murfreesboro Road and Interstate 24 (I-24) corridor. The study's purpose is to examine the high performance transit alternatives best suited for this corridor. A "no-build" alternative that includes only transportation projects already planned and funded, and an alternative comprised of lower-cost transportation improvements, were also considered. The MPO and its consultant team evaluated transportation options, possible routes or alignments, and station locations, as well as costs, funding, ridership, economic development, land use, engineering feasibility, and environmental concerns.