Dig Once or Cry Twice

Super Bowl LXIV attendees will only get a limited glimpse of Nashville’s new East Bank redevelopment when the event arrives in 2030. While the new enclosed Nissan Stadium will be complete, the centerpiece East Bank Boulevard project will not be finished before kickoff.

Instead, fans will be directed through South Second Street, which will be reconstructed between Shelby Avenue and Woodland Street to serve as the primary route around the stadium. Other road and pedestrian projects expected to be completed by the Super Bowl include improvements to James Robertson Parkway, Victory Avenue, and the Pedestrian Bridge Connector.

Wouldn’t It Be Nice Not to Dig Twice?

During this morning’s meeting, East Bank Authority Board members raised concerns that Nashville could miss a once-in-a-generation opportunity to install shared communications infrastructure while major road projects are already underway.

The Authority’s Director of Program Management Michelle Scopel said a feasibility study by Metro Information Technology Services found that building a city-owned shared fiber duct bank would be financially impractical. According to the report, recouping the upfront construction costs within 30 years would require charging communications providers lease rates four times higher than current market rates. Scopel also warned that providers would not be required to lease the city-owned infrastructure, which could leave Metro holding the bag.

“I mean, nobody wants to pay four times the market rate for leasing space,” said Scopel. “So that was really the financial decision…. The math didn't work. Essentially, it's a bummer, honestly, because it was a great idea.”

But Authority members aren't ready to abandon the notion.

Member and Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton questioned whether the feasibility study fully explored lower-cost alternatives and asked if the analysis considered installing conduit only along key corridors—such as East Bank Boulevard—rather than throughout the entire development.

The information wasn’t immediately on hand, but Scopel promised to speak with Metro ITS about sharing the report publicly.

Everyone agreed that they would rather coordinate with private communications companies to install conduits while construction crews already have roads and rights-of-way open to reduce the need for future excavation and disruptions.

If the communication companies don’t come on board before projects are underway, Scopel explained that later construction for communication lines could include shared trenching beneath bike lanes or sidewalks and noted that East Bank streetlight poles could support future small-cell wireless technology.

“It's cheaper to build it today than it's going to be in 10 years, so you might as well build what you need,” said Sexton. “I've always thought Nashville said that it was the ‘it’ city, and if you're going to be the ‘it’ city, would you not want to look at innovative ways to show other cities how to do huge developments instead of doing the same old, same old?”

Burying The Lines

Luckily, the Authority is not having the same problem with the Nashville Electric Service. Earlier in the meeting the board approved a district-wide memorandum of understanding with NES to streamline future underground electrical infrastructure work across the Central Waterfront area. Under the agreement, the Authority will design and install underground duct banks, while NES will handle cables, transformers, and electrical equipment to create a more reliable and resilient system.