The Transportation and Mass Transit Megathread

[titanhog]

[nashwatcher]

How would the tunnel work? Would they put a light rail station where the nolensville rd and murfreesboro rd light rail line converge and tunnel down 2nd Ave? Would they go all the way to the charlotte rd line? That would be pretty cool if there were stops every few blocks or so along 2nd. Seems like you could get to most places where workers/people would need to go...

 

[CenterHill]

6 minutes ago, nashwatcher said:

How would the tunnel work? Would they put a light rail station where the nolensville rd and murfreesboro rd light rail line converge and tunnel down 2nd Ave? Would they go all the way to the charlotte rd line? That would be pretty cool if there were stops every few blocks or so along 2nd. Seems like you could get to most places where workers/people would need to go...

 

I think this is all conceptual at this stage, but you've hit on something that struck me about the article.    One of the justifications cited for going below ground is to avoid the construction issues associated with building surface transit.    But with a subway, you still have pockets of major construction for each station, for ventilation, electrical, potentially rerouting utilities like water and sewer.    Just saying it's not like the project would be free of street level disruption during the build.    

 

[SoundScan]

On 3/31/2016 at 7:52 PM, SoundScan said:

There are already several miles of tunnels underneath downtown Nashville that make up part of the District Energy System. Some are trench and cover and some were built with the help of an small TBM. There is some good info about the system and its construction on the nashville.gov site:

http://www.nashville.gov/District-Energy-System/DES-Featured-Stories/DES-Tunneling-Project-Photos-from-the-1980s.aspx

 

 

A brochure that shows the system map: http://www.nashville.gov/Portals/0/SiteContent/DistrictEnergySystem/docs/DESBrochure2013.pdf

 

 

Here is a post from last year regarding tunneling in Nashville.

 

[volsfanwill]

9 hours ago, bhibbs said:

overturned trash truck at 6am on 65n near Brentwood, which three hours later and south Nashville is still feeling the effects of that one incident.

 

it messed up everything, most of my company was late.

It took me 2 hours to get from Blue Hole Road south of Bell, to work in Maryland Farms.  And I took the path of least resistance.   

On 8/28/2017 at 5:48 PM, MLBrumby said:

Underground transit for downtown? Something to ponder. From NBJ (paywall): https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2017/08/28/mayor-barrys-office-explores-underground-transit.html

Flashback to my transit map that I created and brought to a meet a couple years ago, and then WW had it used in a special edition magazine his company published.  

the only way i could figure to make all of the light rail lines we need, to actually work was for them to merge into a single downtown tunnel. going roughly from Union station to somewhere near the courthouse.  following broadway, then 4th, then James Robertson.

it would be about 1.1 miles if it then took a bridge over the river. or up to 1.4 miles if tunneling under the river. 

yes, it is incredibly expensive. but again, it was the only way i could get it to work.  

after several years of sobro development though, I would route at least one line up 4th from the south instead of merging with the others in the gulch.

Ive actually been working on an update.   I will share when I finish.

 

[grilled_cheese]

Williamson County wants absolutely nothing to do with mass transit.  You can package it in any way you like and it won't appeal to them.  Only until their commutes from Brentwood/Franklin to downtown take 1+ hour on the daily.   And even then I'm not so sure.....

[volsfanwill]

I would say brentwood wants nothing to do with transit. I have no doubt the rest of the county would at least be willing to look into it. 

[dmillsphoto]

2 hours ago, volsfanwill said:

It took me 2 hours to get from Blue Hole Road south of Bell, to work in Maryland Farms.  And I took the path of least resistance.   

 

...Do we live next to each other?

[volsfanwill]

yes, i thought we talked about that at a meet last year

[BnaBreaker]

27 minutes ago, volsfanwill said:

I would say brentwood wants nothing to do with transit. 

...for reasons of "property value" *wink wink* i'm sure...

[nashvillwill]

6 hours ago, nashwatcher said:

How would the tunnel work? Would they put a light rail station where the nolensville rd and murfreesboro rd light rail line converge and tunnel down 2nd Ave? Would they go all the way to the charlotte rd line? That would be pretty cool if there were stops every few blocks or so along 2nd. Seems like you could get to most places where workers/people would need to go...

 

^^^This idea would be great. It reminds me of the light rail in Seattle. I'm no expert on that system, but that was my experience from limited use. A short stretch in downtown Seattle was underground, the rest was street level or elevated. 

Bonus points for Seattle. That underground tunnel also accommodates their busses. 

[titanhog]

How far away is the world from having hover transport?  Even if it was similar to large helicopters, with GPS, couldn't we have dedicated routes that fly below airplanes with all trees and towers mapped out to keep from colliding.  Fast transport with little infrastructure needed (other than landing ports).  Yes...the hover vehicles would be extremely expensive...but more than typical mass transit?  Basically just large human-carrying drones with preprogrammed routes.

I realize this may not work for short distances or downtown...but would definitely be an option outside of the core and especially to the suburbs and back.

[markhollin]

Transit coalition forms to boost Mayor's funding referendum:

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2017/08/30/transit-coalition-quietly-forms-boost-mayor-barrys-funding-referendum-nashville/612727001/

[markhollin]

High-powered consultants, political operatives and public relations experts have been brought on for an eight-month campaign to convince Nashville voters to approve a tax increase for mass transit.

It's an organized push for passage of Mayor Megan Barry's proposed referendum on dedicated funding for transit, which she wants to hold May 1.

But rather than being led directly by the mayor, the campaign falls under a new political action committee called Citizens for Greater Mobility, formed on Aug. 15 by a group of Nashvillians with ties to the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, a top supporter of expanded transit options.

The PAC is positioned as the primary campaign vehicle in support of the mayor's referendum on creating new tax revenue to pay for a light rail system. Chamber leaders are raising money from the business community in support of the transit referendum, and they intend to direct contributions to the PAC.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2017/08/31/high-powered-campaign-now-underway-mayor-megan-barrys-transit-referendum/618167001/

[smeagolsfree]

They just need to get Lee Beamans blessing.

[samsonh]

2 hours ago, smeagolsfree said:

They just need to get Lee Beamans blessing.

He will soon be obsolete politically. 

[nashvillwill]

12 minutes ago, samsonh said:

He will soon be obsolete politically. 

??

[fieldmarshaldj]

1 hour ago, samsonh said:

He will soon be obsolete politically. 

That sounds like a threat. You really want to go there ?

[BnaBreaker]

17 minutes ago, fieldmarshaldj said:

That sounds like a threat. You really want to go there ?

[fieldmarshaldj]

10 minutes ago, BnaBreaker said:

Hey, man, I'm just very thankful to have someone looking out for the interests of the taxpayers against a spendthrift one-ideology Mayor and Council. Some others would rather have fiscally responsible leaders not exist at all.

[samsonh]

11 hours ago, fieldmarshaldj said:

That sounds like a threat. You really want to go there ?

Maybe obsolete is a strong word. His influence will diminish imo. but I do wish he would sell and develop all that land.

 

Also this is a strange response FM. You take these political things a bit too seriously.

Edited September 1, 2017 by samsonh

[nashvylle]

Lee Beaman in my opinion wasn't just looking out for the taxpayers when he went against The Amp, but was more looking out for his business as The Amp would be an obstacle for people going in and out of his dealership. Had The Amp been proposed for Donelson, like the light rail is currently proposed, I doubt he would have done anything. 

[fieldmarshaldj]

3 hours ago, samsonh said:

Maybe obsolete is a strong word. His influence will diminish imo. but I do wish he would sell and develop all that land.

 

Also this is a strange response FM. You take these political things a bit too seriously.

Few of us disagree about wanting him to sell the land and put something spectacular in its place, but that's up to him to decide. At least he didn't dig a gigantic hole and let it sit for a decade. As for diminishment, may those who push or champion the cause of reckless spending and taxation be the ones who finally suffer a long overdue "obsolescence."

[dmillsphoto]

[BnaBreaker]

15 hours ago, fieldmarshaldj said:

Hey, man, I'm just very thankful to have someone looking out for the interests of the taxpayers against a spendthrift one-ideology Mayor and Council. Some others would rather have fiscally responsible leaders not exist at all.

Thats fair enough... I have my doubts though that Lee Beaman has anyone's interests but his own in mind.  

In any case, lets hope he finds a nice big plot of land in Donelson he cant resist moving his business to soon.