Latest news with #ChooseHowYouMove
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Yahoo
WeGo is implementing system-wide changes this summer. Here's what you need to know
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — This summer, the WeGo Public Transit System will implement several system-wide service changes, which include adjusting multiple bus routes across Davidson County. According to the public transportation agency, the changes come after customer input and community feedback. The service changes were reportedly approved by the Nashville MTA Board on April 24. MARCH 2025: Mayor announces 11 transit projects across Nashville WeGo said the system changes will provide frequency improvements, Access on Demand weekend service, and additional WeGo Link zones. The increase in service is made possible because of Nashville's Choose How You Move transportation program, according to WeGo. Transportation officials said the following changes will go into effect on Sunday, July 6: Weekday midday improvements: 6 Lebanon Pike – from hourly to every 30 minutes Weekday evening improvements: 55 Murfreesboro Pike – from 20 minutes to 15 minutes 56 Gallatin Pike – from 20 minutes to 15 minutes Weekend Frequency improvements: 23 Dickerson Pike – from 25 minutes to 15 minutes (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) 50 Charlotte Pike – from 20-30 minutes to 15 minutes. (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.) 55 Murfreesboro Pike – from 20 minutes to 15 minutes (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.); from 20-30 minutes to 15 minutes (weekend evenings) 56 Gallatin Pike – from 20 minutes to 15 minutes (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.); from 20-30 minutes to 15 minutes (weekend evenings) 6 Lebanon Pike – will operate on McGavock Pike between Lebanon Pike and McGavock High School twice a day on school days. 52 Nolensville Pike – will operate on Antioch Pike between Nolensville Pike and Glencliff High School twice a day on school days WeGo Link – expand service in the Maplewood/Broadmoor area of East Nashville and the Elm Hill Pike area of Donelson Access on Demand – add service on Saturdays (4:45 a.m. to 1 a.m.) and Sundays/Holidays (4:45 a.m. to 11 p.m.) The changes will also bring adjustments to at least two routes this summer. According to WeGo, 19 Herman will move to the end of the line from Tennessee Avenue and 51st Avenue North to Charlotte Avenue and 53rd Avenue North. ⏩ In addition, Route 77 Thompson-Wedgewood will no longer pull into the East Thompson Lane Kroger grocery store parking lot, officials said. To learn more about the changes going into effect this summer, follow this link. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Business Journals
25-04-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
HNTB wins bid to manage Nashville's $6.9B transit expansion
Almost two-thirds of voters endorsed Mayor Freddie O'Connell's transit expansion referendum, which carries a $3.1 billion price tag if you could snap your fingers and create everything today. Metro now wants to hire this national company, which backed the pro-transit campaign of 2024, to serve as program manager for the years-long effort. A national company has won a bid to put Nashville's multibillion-dollar transit expansion into gear. Metro has chosen HNTB to serve as program manager for Choose How You Move, the name of Mayor Freddie O'Connell's transportation program that won approval of almost two-thirds of voters in November. The selection adds another central player to the roster of officials and contractors tasked with following through on the 15-year vision O'Connell cast in his transit plan. It would cost an estimated $3.1 billion to fully create everything today in that plan — whose price tag grows to $6.9 billion over those 15 years when accounting for operating costs, inflation and interest payments on construction bonds the city will be issuing. Davidson County's sales tax increased to 9.75% as a result of the transit referendum, establishing the city's first-ever revenue dedicated to transit. Key features of the proposal include overhauls to major corridors with bus-only lanes; almost 90 miles of new or upgraded sidewalks; creation of new crosstown routes and a dozen transit centers around the county; and adding technology at 600 intersections to synchronize signals to keep traffic moving more smoothly. HNTB beat three competitors for the Metro contract, which has an initial term of five years and can be extended another five years with Metro Council approval. HNTB has a lot of experience with infrastructure design and transportation projects. The Metro officials who evaluated the bids gave the Kansas City-based company a perfect 40-out-of-40 score in the "relevant program experience" category. The company has beefed up its Nashville office in the last couple of years and just in the Southeast has worked on transit and airport projects in Atlanta, Raleigh, Orlando and Tampa. Robbie Hayes, who's based in Nashville as HNTB's Tennessee group director, served as treasurer of Nashville Moves, an independent 501(c) nonprofit that supported the pro-transit campaign of 2024. According to state campaign finance records, HNTB donated $25,000 to the Nashville Moves Action Fund, which financed the pro-transit push. The selection of HNTB, formally announced April 21, came just a few days after O'Connell revealed who he hired on his staff to serve as chief program officer for Choose How You Move. That person is Sabrina Sussman, who's relocating from Washington, D.C., after most recently serving as a senior adviser for Pete Buttigieg during his tenure as President Joe Biden's transportation secretary. The contract award is pending a 10-day period in which protests can be filed.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
First Chief Program Officer appointed for Choose How You Move
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nashville's Choose How You Move transportation program has its first-ever Chief Program Officer. On Friday, Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell announced that Sabrina Sussman had been appointed to oversee the implementation of the program. She was featured at the mayor's media roundtable Friday, telling reporters she thought the stars aligned when it came to her appointment in Nashville. Tennessee appeals court rules in favor of Metro in transit plan lawsuit 'In this moment, Nashville's decision to fund transformative change sets an example for communities across the country,' Sussman said Friday. 'Eyes are on this team and I couldn't be more excited to be here and to lead it.' In addition to what the Nashville Mayor's Office called 'leading edge' work on transportation policy for nearly two decades, Sussman has experience working with several city governments as well as the federal government. Sussman spent two years with the U.S. Department of Transportation, serving as Chief of Staff for Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg and Senior Advisor to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. 'Sabrina has all the experience necessary to help us successfully implement one of the largest capital programs in Nashville history,' O'Connell said in a press release. 'I am excited to work with her to deliver the change Nashvillians seek.' Ashley Northington, Clay Haynes, Gary Moore, Gracie Sloan, Jennifer Carlat, Joseph Gutierrez, Rashed Fakhruddin, Walter Searcy and Zach Young were also appointed to the Choose How You Move Advisory Committee on Transportation. They will join the five members previously selected by Metro Council and Nashville's Vice Mayor Angie Henderson on the 15-member body. ⏩ 'This is an exceptional moment in Nashville's history. In an era of division, Nashvillians transcended that to overwhelmingly support a better transportation future for each of us,' Sussman said. 'I feel a tremendous amount of responsibility to help bring that future to reality, and I appreciate the chance to work with the talented local leadership team already in place.' Sussman will begin work early this summer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nashville mayor picks adviser to former U.S. transportation secretary to oversee transit plan
Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell has selected the senior adviser to former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg as his pick to oversee the $3.1 billion Choose How You Move transportation improvement program. At his weekly media roundtable on April 18, O'Connell announced that Sabrina Sussman will be the chief program officer for the transit plan approved by Nashvillians in November. Along with her role on Buttigieg's staff, Sussman was also chief of staff for Polly Trottenberg, the former deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and has worked in transportation policy for nearly two decades. Sussman was in Nashville for the announcement and also spoke at O'Connell's roundtable. She said the opportunity to enter the role comes at 'a critical time for our nation.' 'More than ever before, strong local leadership is needed to drive progress — especially in the shadow of federal inaction,' Sussman said. 'Having served at both the federal and local levels before, I have an honest accounting of the challenges ahead of us. In this moment, Nashville's decision to fund transformative change sets an example for communities across the country.' Sussman is still in the process of relocating to Nashville from Washington, D.C., and will begin her role full-time in June, O'Connell said. Until then, Kendra Abkowitz, the senior director of sustainability for the mayor's office, will serve as acting program director for Choose How You Move. Abkowitz has been informally serving in that role since the transit referendum passed last year. O'Connell also announced that he'd appointed nine members to fill out the 15-member Choose How You Move Advisory Committee on Transportation. O'Connell established that committee through an executive order in January, and it will meet regularly and work directly with Sussman. The other six seats on the committee have already been filled with five Nashville Council appointees and Vice Mayor Angie Henderson. Austin Hornbostel is the Metro reporter for The Tennessean. Have a question about local government you want an answer to? Reach him at ahornbostel@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Former Buttigieg adviser to oversee Nashville transit plan
Axios
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
O'Connell hires top aide to oversee new transportation plan
Mayor Freddie O'Connell hired former federal official Sabrina Sussman to lead the Choose How You Move transportation plan. Why it matters: Sussman will oversee the $3.1 billion project to improve bus service, modernize traffic signals, build sidewalks and make Nashville's streets safer for pedestrians. O'Connell picked Sussman following a national search for what was considered one of his most important hires. State of play: Sussman served as chief of staff to the U.S. Department of Transportation deputy secretary. She also was a senior adviser to former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. O'Connell lauded Sussman for working "on the leading edge of transportation policy for nearly two decades" and for demonstrating "talent for engaging people from all walks of life." What she's saying: In a meeting with reporters Friday, Sussman said she is excited to take the helm of a project widely supported by Nashville voters. The Choose How You Move plan, which raised the city's sales tax by half a cent, was approved by voters with 66% support. "It feels a little bit like the stars have aligned," Sussman said. "At a time when there's plenty of division, Nashvillians made one thing quite clear in November: They want and they expect more from their transportation system." Zoom out: Before introducing Sussman at his weekly media briefing, O'Connell celebrated the recent legal victory in which a state Appeals Court upheld the vast majority of the transportation plan. He downplayed the court's decision to peel off $34 million worth of planned spending on land acquisition for affordable housing and parks. Plus: O'Connell unveiled nine appointments to the advisory committee that will continually review how the transportation plan is implemented.
