Nolensville Pike All-Access Corridor Enters Project Development

The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County's Choose How You Move program, in partnership with WeGo Public Transit, has selected HDR to lead planning and project development for the Nolensville Pike All-Access Corridor. This will advance one of the city's first major corridor investments under the voter approved Choose How You Move program.

The Nolensville Pike All-Access Corridor spans approximately 9 miles from Downtown to South Nashville and is a centerpiece of Choose How You Move, Nashville's voter-approved transportation program. Passed by 66% of voters in November 2024, the program is modernizing the city's transportation system and giving people safer, more reliable ways to get around. The corridor will deliver high-frequency bus service improvements, including transit-only lanes where feasible, modernized signals, and transit signal priority. Planned improvements also include new and upgraded sidewalks, safer pedestrian crossings, bikeway connections, smart signal upgrades, and corridor-wide safety enhancements, all tailored through engineering analysis and community input.

"As Nashville grows, we have a responsibility to make our roads safer and our city more connected," said Mayor Freddie O'Connell. "For the first time this century, we're bringing significant improvements to Nolensville Road. Advancing the Choose How You Move Nolensville Pike All Access Corridor into project development is a major step toward delivering the safer streets, better sidewalks, and more reliable transit options our community deserves. These investments reflect years of community visioning and will help people get to jobs, schools, and everyday destinations more safely and more easily. Our choice as a city to invest in transportation and infrastructure together continues to mean real progress toward a more accessible, affordable, and livable Nashville."

"Nolensville Pike is already one of our busiest transit corridors, and this project is about building on that demand to deliver faster, safer, and more reliable service," said Steve Bland, CEO of WeGo Public Transit. "We're focused on improving travel times, reducing delays, and creating a better overall experience for transit users. Bringing a consultant on board for the Nolensville Pike All-Access Corridor allows us to move into the next phase of planning and design with a clear focus on performance and results."

Selected through a competitive, qualifications-based procurement process, HDR will lead a comprehensive planning effort that includes:

• Alternatives analysis to identify the most effective corridor improvements
• Preliminary engineering and 30% concept design alongside robust community engagement
• Environmental review and federal approvals under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
• Coordination to position the project for federal funding through the Federal Transit Administration's Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program

"Choose How You Move is about making Nashville's streets safer and more accessible for everyone, whether you're walking, rolling, taking transit, or driving," said Choose How You Move Chief Program Officer, Sabrina Sussman. "Nolensville Pike has some of the most pressing safety needs in our corridor network, and that urgency is exactly why we're moving here first. All-Access Corridors are designed to cut congestion and improve reliability, but above all, to protect the people using these streets every day. Advancing vendor selection on Nolensville Pike moves us from program vision to real, on-the-ground delivery where it's needed most."

"HDR is excited to partner with WeGo, NDOT, and Choose How You Move to advance the Nolensville Pike All-Access Corridor, said HDR's Nashville Program Lead and Project Manager, Brian Reynolds. "This vibrant corridor reflects the heart of Nashville's diversity, and we're excited to work in partnership with residents, businesses, and community groups to help deliver a safer, more accessible, and better-connected Nolensville Pike."

The project will be delivered through a multi-agency partnership led by the Choose How You Move Program Office, with coordination across WeGo Public Transit, the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure (NDOT), Metro Planning, and state and federal partners. Design of the Nolensville Pike corridor, also known as State Route 11 / US 31A, will require close alignment and partnership with the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

This initial scope funds 2 to 3 years of project development before moving to engineering and construction. This phase will also include extensive opportunities for public and stakeholder engagement to help shape the street design. Community input will build on the clear vision laid out in previous plans to refine project priorities, ensuring that improvements reflect the needs of the residents, businesses, and cultural communities that make Nolensville Pike a vital part of Nashville's identity.

While project development progresses, Nashvillians will see continual improvements on Nolensville Pike funded by Choose How You Move. WeGo Public Transit has already upgraded bus frequencies during peak commute times and expanded service to Glencliff High School on school days. Metro's Information Technology Services department recently extended fiber through the area to prepare upgrades to signals. This will increase efficiency and connect buses and traffic into NDOT's Traffic Management Center over the next two years.

About Choose How You Move

Choose How You Move is Nashville's voter-approved transportation improvement program, supported by 66% of voters in 2024 and funded by a dedicated half-cent sales surcharge. As the largest capital program in Nashville's history, the $3.1 billion initiative delivers critical upgrades across all of Davidson County: smart signals at nearly 600 intersections, 54 miles of high-capacity transit with 24/7/365 service, 86 miles of new sidewalks, and safety improvements across 78 miles of the Vision Zero High-Injury Network. Whether you walk, roll, ride, bike, or drive, Choose How You Move is building Nashville that's safer and easier to get around.

About WeGo Public Transit

The Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority (Nashville MTA) and the Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee (RTA) are the operating bodies of WeGo Public Transit, which provides 27 local bus routes, nine regional bus routes, and one train serving Davidson and Wilson Counties. For more information, visit WeGoTransit.com and follow WeGo at @WeGoTransit on Instagram, Facebook, and X.

About HDR

HDR is a 100% employee-owned professional services firm. Founded over a century ago to bring electricity to a changing world, we are now a global company specializing in architecture, engineering, environmental and construction services. Our success in built and natural environments continues as we collaborate to solve our clients' and communities' most complex challenges.