Executive Insights: Transportation
As safety remains a top priority for the city, increased connectivity and decreased traffic congestion are top of mind for many travelers. Nashville Business Journal Market President and Publisher Lori Becker recently hosted a panel discussion with Robbie Hayes, Director of HNTB, and Andy Lucyshyn, Regional Transportation Leader at Gresham Smith, to learn more about the opportunities at hand to shape Nashville's transportation infrastructure for the future.
Navigating fast growth
Becker: Record growth has been the biggest story of Greater Nashville for many years. The resident population in the Nashville MSA has increased 52% in the past 20 years. Robbie, how does that much population growth challenge our region overall?
Hayes: Record growth is certainly going to be a challenge to existing infrastructure that wasn't built to accommodate it. However, that presents a great opportunity to make improvements based on that growth to help shape the future of the region. The increased population also helps support additional revenue. We have more opportunities to be strategic in our investments, whether that's using various methods of funding or delivery. That will allow us to better meet the growth issues that are happening within the city and across the region.
Becker: With that level of growth, it's put a lot of pressure and attention on the city's transportation systems in recent years. Robbie, what do you see as Nashville's most unique transportation challenge?
Hayes: Urban sprawl is one of the things that happens when a community is rapidly growing and there is not an adequate amount of housing. Our transportation needs to be multimodal to accommodate the community's requirements as development continues to increase, especially in the business and entertainment districts. Reliable connectivity across the city and the region is vital. The 'Choose how you Move' program and some of the creative programs from the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), such as their 'choice lanes' and 'P3's (Public Private Partnership)' and 'alternative delivery,' will help us course correct, possibly slow down and get us better aligned as we look at how infrastructure influences urban sprawl.
Becker: Andy, what do you see as the most pressing transportation challenge facing Nashville?
Lucyshyn: The greatest challenge is being able to accommodate the growth with a large variety of needs across Nashville. Urban sprawl is a challenge, as Robbie mentioned. Being able to provide access to all the residents amid this rapid growth is a challenge. What is different for Nashville than some of our countering cities, however, is the large mix of tourists and residents plus a large, downtown business district. We also have many corporate headquarters located in Nashville. When you intermingle all the events we have, such as large sporting events and entertainment, you have a greater challenge that is unique to this city.
There are many competing needs for transportation infrastructure, and it is a challenge to address all of those effectively, especially when you layer in the rapid growth. Having a good funding strategy is essential to making sure the communities are working together, sharing dollars whenever practical and collaborating on projects so that a single need might be met by multiple agencies rather than each of them working individually.
Nashville's new roadmap
Becker: One of the first priorities for Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell when he took office was to take a transit referendum to voters in his first year. Andy, what do you see as some of the early wins the city can deliver to demonstrate progress and build public trust in Nashville's transit transformation?
Lucyshyn: Funding is often the constraint to getting projects moving ahead. With the recent transit referendum, that has been alleviated somewhat. Early wins that show some progress can be achieved without having to do large infrastructure projects right out of the gate while those funds are accumulated. For Nashville, making transit more accessible, reliable and convenient will be the key elements to making sure people consider it as a method of transportation. We also need safe and accessible transit hubs that are dedicated spaces with good lighting to encourage ridership.
We also need to keep the community engaged. People need to know that their voices are being heard and that their input is being considered, which is something that has been done very well to this point and needs to continue moving forward. There is also a need for promoting the value of having a public transit system and expanding that awareness.
Becker: Robbie, one concern I hear often is the need for a regional approach to transit. What's an immediate idea that could significantly improve transportation throughout Nashville and the surrounding Metro area?
Hayes: We have a great opportunity to continue to build off some of the regional service that is already provided by WeGo Transit/Regional Transportation Authority of Middle Tennessee with higher frequencies, more routes and more stops. We also need to understand where the gaps are within the other transit systems across the region. We have leaders getting organized around that initiative. Having that understanding is really going to help us identify where enhancements can be made and further develop a regional, connected network. We will have a better understanding of where the gaps exist and how we can help close those gaps.
On the development side, there is a great opportunity to connect transit with development in Nashville and the region. That will allow for increased mobility opportunities that will further demonstrate the benefit of regional service, which can in turn encourage more opportunities. Working together is something Nashville does best. Developers, legislators, public agencies and businesses must continue to collaborate and have an open dialogue about infrastructure needs.
Shifting behaviors
Becker: They say, 'If you build it, they will come.' Is that true of transit? Andy, with the mayor's new plan, how can Nashville use this opportunity to influence how people get to work or attend downtown events?
Lucyshyn: It begins with a traditional, comprehensive marketing campaign. It's not necessarily the infrastructure; it is getting the information out to the public to help them understand the value and then working with stakeholders in the area. That is how you influence behavior. There are many different reasons why someone might take transit. Addressing those needs is something Nashville is going to do.
I think also working extensively with some of our large-scale events to integrate transit operations with those could be key. If event organizers could work with the transit system to help reduce the number of vehicle trips coming into downtown, that could alleviate some of the traffic congestion. Again, it comes down to communication with the end users. There are barriers to utilizing transit that could be relatively straightforward to overcome through education about things like how to pay, how often the transit stops and where and what riding on transit is like.
Becker: Robbie, it sometimes seems what people want most is for other people to use transit. What efforts, if any, can be made to reduce commuting congestion?
Hayes: Having a good, multimodal system that offers more opportunities to commute can help provide congestion relief. I don't think anyone is under the impression that all-of-the-sudden we are going to give up our cars. It's not only about shifting behaviors, but also about providing those options where people do not have to rely on one source of transportation all the time. Specifically, we need to look at how bus rapid transit is going to be able to be used. Then, we need to talk about pedestrian and bicycle travel and having safe infrastructure for those users.
There are advancements in technology that we are already seeing pay-off in a major way, not only in Nashville, but across the country as well. Intelligent transportation systems allow us to really leverage data to have informed decision making so that we can be better stewards of the dollar and smooth out some of the peak travel times as well.
Business, community involvement
Becker: Andy, large-scale transit plans often require intense coordination. How can the city effectively align with public agencies, private partners and the business community to ensure long-term success?
Lucyshyn: The good news is that long-term success is tied to continuing to do what they have been doing, which is communicating with each other and coordinating on projects. There is an interesting confluence in the way the roadway network of the ring around Nashville complicates things at times. There are major interstates there, but we also have a lot of events that are downtown and a lot of private partners. There is also still plenty of development to be done. The conversation between the transit agencies, the MPO, private developers and major event organizers needs to be ongoing.
Becker: Andy, similarly, what role does community engagement play in building a successful transit future for Nashville? How do we make sure the public doesn't feel left behind?
Lucyshyn: It's important to remember that the transit system isn't for the government or elected officials; it is intended to benefit the end users, the people who are going to utilize it. Getting their feedback is essential to understanding their needs and what is important to them. The work didn't stop once the referendum was passed. Clear communication should be a priority, and that means reaching out to the different neighborhoods and communities through town halls, workshops and informal gatherings. We can't rely on a single source to communicate with the community. It takes reaching out across multiple channels to capture a good cross-section of the city.
Beyond the roads
Becker: Robbie, so much of the transportation discussion in Nashville is focused on daily commuters and road infrastructure. What should we focus on as it relates to aviation transportation and infrastructure for Nashville?
Hayes: Aviation is such a critical component of a healthy economy including the support of tourism. We must ensure there is a welcoming, efficient and comfortable experience, which I believe our airport does a great job of. That level of experience is not only a standard, but it is now what passengers expect. Being able to continue to maintain that high customer experience is critical. For any of us who frequently use our airport, it is clearly a treasured asset in our community. They do a great job of ensuring good customer experience, even amid the development and construction they have going on.
I do think there is an opportunity to focus more on mobility to and from the airport, particularly from major hubs or other assets across the city and region. As we continue to have this tremendous growth trajectory, there is both a challenge and opportunity in getting travelers in and out of the airport in an efficient manner.
Lessons learned
Becker: Robbie, are there any recent success stories of transportation solutions that have been implemented in other cities experiencing similar issues to Nashville that we could learn from here?
Hayes: One is what we call 'choice lanes' here in Nashville that TDOT is looking to implement. They are called 'express lanes' in other geographies. We have seen the benefit of users having the option to bypass congestion. That has shown great benefit to the individuals who opt into those lanes for a fee. For those that choose not to, you also see some relief for the general-purpose lanes. Another option that we have seen success with all over the country, particularly in the Southeast and the Sun Belt where other cities are also experiencing high growth, is the implementation of dedicated bus rapid transit lanes. Traffic signal priority or other technologies allow those systems to be better optimized to navigate high traffic areas with more efficiency.
We are also seeing the return of streetcars, light rail and pedestrian bridges. There are so many cool options for success. For a transportation nerd like me, it is fun to visit other places and ride a streetcar or take a pedestrian bridge. There is more than one way to get from point A to point B. We can look at those successes as well as lessons learned as we continue to grow and embark on this major journey with a huge transportation infrastructure push.
Becker: Andy, are there lessons from other cities that Nashville could apply to proactively improve safety and reduce traffic fatalities?
Lucyshyn: Safety is the No. 1 priority for the city. City leaders have developed a 'Vision Zero' plan to strive for zero fatalities, regardless of people's specific mode of travel throughout the city.
Nashville is unique already in terms of its wide variety of uses, but it is a historic city, too. As a result, we have narrow streets and sidewalks and very limited rights-of-way that tend to limit options. When we worked on Town Branch Commons in Lexington, Kentucky, we were able to implement a full-scale, complete-streets concept. The downtown area includes dedicated bike lanes, much wider sidewalks, improved crosswalks and improved lighting. Those aspects really make a huge difference.
Relative to vehicle traffic, calming measures such as speed bumps and roundabouts can be implemented. Traffic engineers can pull different things out of the toolbox that could have a positive impact on safety.
Transit advantages
Becker: Andy, beyond just moving people, how can better transit in Nashville drive economic benefits for businesses?
Lucyshyn: What we want for Nashville is for everyone to have the opportunity to take part in the success of the city and see a benefit from economic improvement. We have workers who need to park downtown. Parking is not inexpensive, assuming you can even find it. That can be a barrier to working downtown for many people because the cost of parking would negate what they earn for the day. Transit benefits businesses not only in terms of creating more pedestrian traffic and people patronizing those businesses, but also in supporting the people who work in those businesses.
Having a more robust transportation or transit network also provides more access to better-paying jobs. For example, we have Oracle coming downtown, which presents a fantastic opportunity for people to have a pretty life-changing increase in income for themselves and their families. Typically, when you earn more, you spend more, and you pay more in taxes. This creates a nice economic cycle where everyone is participating in the benefit, but then they are also paying to support the system. It is important to not only look at how individual businesses would benefit economically, but also how individual families can see real benefits as well.
Becker: Robbie, in what ways do improved transportation options improve communities in Nashville?
Hayes: Improved transportation options allow better access and better connection both in the city and to communities across the region. In turn, that will allow greater development potential and opportunities, which will attract and retain business. We have been very fortunate to see a lot of corporate relocations and we don't want to turn our back on the great businesses we already have. Simply put, more reliable transportation will improve quality of life and that will help protect this community and what makes it such a special place to live, work and play.
The experts
Andy Lucyshun, Regional Transportati on Leader, Gresham Smith. Andy Lucyshyn has 30 years of transportation expertise in traffic operations, traffic engineering, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), and project management. As the Mid-South Regional Transportation Leader, he oversees business development, operations, and project delivery across various services, including roadway and bridge design, planning, traffic engineering, ITS, utility design, and construction inspection. He oft en serves as a senior technical advisor, project principal, or project director, working with FHWA, state DOTs, and local governments throughout the U.S.
Robbie Hayes, Director, HNTB. Robbie Hayes is a seasoned leader in Tennessee's transportation infrastructure sector, bringing 20 years of experience in planning, engineering, and strategic growth. Robbie's leadership is defined by his ability to connect vision with execution. He has guided the development of long-term strategic plans, built high-performing teams, and cultivated strong relationships with clients, elected officials, and industry partners. His efforts have helped position HNTB as a trusted advisor on some of Tennessee's most impactful transportation initiatives.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
11 hours ago
- Axios
Exclusive: CLEAR, TSA to test biometric "eGates" at major airports
CLEAR and the TSA are piloting biometric "eGates" at three major U.S. airports ahead of a nationwide rollout, the identity verification company told Axios exclusively. Why it matters: U.S. airports are bracing for record-breaking crowds in 2026 with the World Cup and America's 250th birthday. This includes millions of international visitors expected for the global sporting event, which will put historic pressure on security checkpoints. Driving the news: The pilot begins Tuesday at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL), next week at Reagan National (DCA) and the week of Aug. 31 at Seattle-Tacoma (SEA). CLEAR is funding the rollout at no cost to taxpayers, the company said. Only CLEAR+ members can use the eGates, but they can choose to opt out, the company told Axios. What they're saying: "This is frictionless travel. This is more secure," CLEAR CEO Caryn Seidman-Becker told Axios. "This is making airports great again, ahead of the World Cup." "It's fully integrated. It's one step. And the total transaction time should be between three and six seconds," Seidman-Becker said, noting it frees up CLEAR employees "to bring other services to travelers." How it works: Travelers step into an eGate that conducts real-time biometric verification, matching a traveler's face to their ID and boarding pass. TSA keeps full operational control of the eGate, from triggering gate access to vetting security, CLEAR said. Once cleared, passengers move directly to screening and bypass the TSA podium. CLEAR+ is an opt-in service that typically costs $209 a year and expedites the identity verification process at the checkpoint using biometrics. Between the lines: The rollout underscores TSA's growing comfort with biometric identity verification, once controversial but now increasingly mainstream. CLEAR says it has no access to watchlists, cannot override TSA gate decisions and does not manually open the gates. The company said it transmits only limited data like the live photo, boarding pass and the ID photo used for enrollment.
News24
a day ago
- News24
Guns-for-hire and disinformation are reshaping conflict in Africa
What war trends did you identify in your book? In Money for Mayhem, I chart the rise of mercenaries, private military companies and hackers-for-hire, alongside emerging technologies such as armed drones. Nowhere does this rise ignite more readily than in Africa. The continent is flush with abundant natural resources that offer lucrative gains, but is hobbled by weak post-coup states desperate for foreign support. The continent has also been fractured by power vacuums, creating ineffective or weak regional and continental institutions that enable militant networks. As a result, mercenaries and contractors have returned to the central stage in Africa. They were once the not-so-hidden hand in post-colonial civil wars, such as in Angola in the 1970s and Sierra Leon in the mid-1990s, where highly trained mercenaries profited from the conflict. Today, guns-for-hire wield profound geopolitical influence. What did you find out about the key players? Take Russia's Wagner Group, for instance. It continues to be active from Libya to Sudan. The group is known for deploying paramilitary forces, conducting disinformation campaigns and supporting powerful political figures from Mali to the Central African Republic. Following its leader's death in 2023, the Wagner Group shifted its operations. Rebranded as the Africa Corps, the group serves as a key instrument of Moscow's influence on the continent. Then there are Turkish private military outfits operating from Tripoli to Mogadishu. Türkiye's private military companies are fast becoming a key instrument in President Recep Erdogan's foreign policy. What sets these companies apart is their ability to pair boots on the ground with Türkiye's battle-proven armed drones. This fusion of a rentable army and an off-the-shelf air force could become a powerful export, serving Ankara's political and economic ambitions in Africa. Then there are the Chinese private security companies, protecting Chinese investments and citizens in Africa. Their rise mirrors Beijing's deepening footprint on the continent, where it is pouring billions of dollars into infrastructure and mining projects. In volatile nations such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and South Sudan, weak and unreliable local security forces have created a vacuum that's being filled by Chinese security contractors. Through the ages, the mercenary's paradox has endured: despised yet indispensable. Their business thrives on perpetual chaos. Every ceasefire threatens their livelihood. This dynamic was evident after Muammar Gaddafi's fall in 2011 in Libya. Both the Government of National Accord in Tripoli and the rival Libyan National Army in the east turned to international mercenaries such as the Wagner Group and fighters from sub-Saharan Africa. This heavy dependence on foreign fighters obstructs national reconciliation. The Wagner tale is instructive. Once a Kremlin proxy in resource-rich Africa, the group amassed power. It was dismantled when it outlived its usefulness. The dispatch of Russian generals to negotiate Wagner's fate in 2023 from Libya to Niger was a lesson in power: the puppeteer remains firmly in control. Russia's foreign and defence ministries moved swiftly to reassure Middle Eastern and African partners that operations would continue uninterrupted after the death of Wagner's leader. This signalled that unofficial Russian forces would maintain their presence on the ground. What is happening that's new? The revolution in modern warfare is evident across Africa. Mercenaries, armed drones and AI-driven disinformation campaigns are redefining conflict. Today's battlefields are evolving at such a dizzying pace that even seasoned military experts are routinely caught flatfooted. The speed of change is unprecedented. Drones, once the province of great powers, have become commonplace. Inexpensive, lethal, versatile and ever more autonomous, they patrol the skies daily, ushering in a remote-warfare era that upends ethical, strategic and tactical norms. The cost of a suicide drone, for instance, typically runs into a few thousand US dollars. A battle tank averages $3 million (about R53 million) to $4 million. Three such drones and a skilled pilot can destroy a single tank, dramatically shifting the cost-benefit equation on the modern battlefield. Africa was an early proving ground: drones shaped the Libyan civil war. Since 2019, multiple incidents of precision air strikes conducted by unknown aircraft have occurred in apparent violation of a UN arms embargo. Early this year, drones served as an off-the-shelf air force in the bombing of Port Sudan. Explosions rocked the vital humanitarian gateway in Sudan's ongoing civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Sudan's army pinned these strikes on the Rapid Support Forces, highlighting the paramilitary group's deadly embrace of drone warfare. Lacking a formal air force, drones offer the Rapid Support Forces a low-cost, high-lethality shortcut that delivers devastating blows while cloaking its operators in plausible deniability. How else is the warfare landscape changing? War is now being waged on other fronts as well. Africa's youthful population consumes information primarily via social media. This provides fertile ground for propaganda, disinformation and misinformation – amplified by AI at minimal cost. Deepfakes have burst on to the scene as a dire cybersecurity threat. AI-driven disinformation at an industrial scale is a reality, magnifying hate speech and targeting the message to intended audiences with precision and at very low cost. For example, TikTok's recommendation engine has come under fire from African human rights groups for amplifying toxic rhetoric. False narratives thrive in Africa. AI's true danger lies in its ability to turbocharge disinformation. Governments recognise that defending the homeland no longer means guarding cables and servers alone. It also means safeguarding the integrity of information itself. What needs to be done? Based on my findings, I argue that the fractures today are tomorrow's global crises. War has irrevocably changed and its next phase is upon us. Marshalling global vigilance is a categorical imperative – or the world risks ceding control over violence. Building international consensus on available enforcement mechanisms to regulate non-state armed actors is needed. There is also a need to strengthen global intelligence sharing to track the movements and influence of mercenaries across conflict zones.
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Bloomberg
Stock Movers: SHCO, DAY, Novo Nordisk
On this episode of Stock Movers: - SoHo House (SHCO) is higher on news it is going private. Soho House & Co Inc. has entered into definitive agreements pursuant to which an investor group led by MCR and its Chairman and CEO Tyler Morse will acquire the outstanding shares of Soho House not held by certain significant shareholders. - Dayforce (DAY) shares are higher on news Thoma Bravo is in talks to acquire human resources management software provider Dayforce Inc., according to people familiar with the matter. The buyout firm is planning to take the Minneapolis-based company private in a deal that could be announced as soon as the coming weeks, the people said. - Novo Nordisk (NVO) shares advanced after the drugmaker's weight-loss drug Wegovy received US approval to treat a serious form of liver disease. The US Food and Drug Administration's decision "could start to help shift the momentum for Novo following a more difficult start to the year," according to Evan David Seigerman, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets. - Tonix Pharmaceuticals (TNXP) shares surged following a trading halt ahead of an announcement that the firm received FDA approval for Tonmya to treat fibromyalgia in adults.
