Mayor O’Connell ready to implement new transit plan

Adoption of this measure passed by Executive Order BL2024-427, enables the Metropolitan Government to complete the entire priority sidewalk network combined with annual capital investment, provide significantly expanded 24-hour public transportation service 365 days a year including frequent service on major routes, add more transit centers in neighbourhood, improve safety for all road users and upgrade and modernize almost two-thirds of the city’s signalized intersections. The capital cost of this program is estimated to have a current cost of $3,096,000,000. Once construction is complete, the estimated value of recurring annual operation and maintenance costs is approximately $111,000,000. The Metropolitan Transit Authority (WeGo), the Nashville Department of Transportation and Multimodal Infrastructure, the Metro Planning Department and the Mayor’s Office, in collaboration with other Metro departments, will undertake the implementation of the program. This program will be funded by federal grants, revenue from transportation system rates, debt and a 0.5% sales tax surcharge. The tax surcharge ends when all debt issued for the transit improvement program is paid and the City Council decides by resolution that the revenue from the tax surcharge is no longer necessary for the operation of the program.