In early 2019, TDOT began major construction on the 7.8-mile-long I-440 Reconstruction Project through the heart of Nashville. With over a year of heavy construction scheduled, engineers at TDOT, Metro Nashville, and Arcadis understood the importance of managing construction related traffic diversion to the perceived success of the project resulting in the I-440 Active Corridor Management “Lite” project. The project consisted of updated signal and time-of-day plans at 58 intersections and the installation of 21 BlueTOAD devices to track and store travel time/speed data along the nearby surface streets which then continuously fed into updating signal plans.
The project proved successful in keeping travel times consistent along the East/West corridors. The North/South corridors did see increased congestion, but at lower levels then initial projections and certainly lower than most residents feared. Figure 1 displays the average change in peak hour travel time on three main corridors from prior to construction to the two months after construction began. Thompson Lane and Wedgewood Ave both run east/west and parallel to I-440 to the south and north respectively. Nolensville Pike is a major North/South arterial running parallel to I-24 and I-65.
Figure 1 – Average Change in Travel Time (1/1/19 – 3/1/19 vs. 3/25/19-5/17/19)
Not only has the project proved successful in mitigating congestion, but it is the hope of the Metro Nashville Public Works Department that this will serve as a demonstration of the impact active transportation management can have in our community as the city looks to solve a multitude of transportation challenges.