Officials from Nashville, Tenn.'s public transit service, WeGo, along with lawmakers and invited guests broke ground on the Dr. Ernest Rip Patton Jr. North Nashville Transit Center Nov. 11, marking the start of construction for the system's latest neighborhood transit center.
The project is part of an overall effort to increase access to public transit across Nashville while reducing the necessity of transferring downtown at the WeGo Central station.
It will include a waiting room, restrooms, Wi-Fi and multiple bus bays to connect several routes across the city. In addition, it will have real-time bus arrival information, QuickTicket vending machines, bicycle storage, scooter corrals and pick up/drop off locations for Lyft, Uber, taxis and other rideshare operators.
"This transit center is just the latest step in a long-term plan to better connect Nashville neighborhoods through public transit," WeGo CEO Steve Bland said at the groundbreaking. "It's an improvement in our service and in the customer experience. We plan to add more transit centers and increased connections across the city."
The Tennessee Tribune in Nashville reported that the Patton transit facility represents a total investment of $17 million and is in alignment with nMotion, the Middle Tennessee Region's adopted 25-year integrated and multimodal transportation strategy. The station will be one of the first of several centers for Nashville as noted in both the nMotion and the Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority Plans (MTA) plans.
Funding partners for the new transit center project include Metro Nashville, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), part of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT).
"A reliable, fast and affordable transit network is essential to creating a Nashville that works for everyone," said Mayor John Cooper. "This new transit center in north Nashville will better connect neighborhoods that have been under-resourced for decades and will significantly reduce commute times for residents. For many Nashvillians that will mean shaving 20 to 30 minutes in one direction. For a city on the move like Nashville, this is a huge step in the right direction toward a more efficient and reliable transit system."
Once completed, the transit center will improve access to job opportunities, workforce skills training for residents and provide better access to healthcare and other needed services, creating a level of equity through transit offerings, the Tribune noted.
Patton Transit Center to Open in 2024
Work on the transit center began several years ago with a community advisory board and several planning meetings.
The Metro Nashville City Council voted to name the center for Civil Rights activist Dr. Ernest Rip Patton Jr. Members of the Patton family were on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony.
Additionally, the new center will feature space for art and historical displays, the Tribune noted. The community is helping in the curation effort, led by the Don Hardin Group. It is designed to be a place to share the past, present and future of north Nashville, and the lives of the people who have made a difference in the community.
The target date for the project's completion is set for the spring of 2024.
Nashville MTA Board Chair Gail Carr-Williams said, "Public transit provides access for many aspects of our lives; it safely gets us to work, entertainment, family gatherings, and, of course, healthcare appointments. The Dr. Ernest Rip Patton Jr. North Nashville Transit Center will serve not only as a transit hub but also a thriving community hub for Nashville residents for many years to come."
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