The Root of All Traffic

TDOT has recklessly compounded construction projects on a stretch of I-40, creating a nightmare for drivers.

From Jerod Hollyfield

September means football time in Tennessee, but Nashvillians headed to the Vols’ home games learned early this season that their Knoxville jaunt can quickly turn into a bumper-to-bumper hellscape. 

From 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weeknights, drivers will encounter no less than four sprawling roadwork-based traffic snarls in the less than 75 miles it takes to get from the outskirts of Cookeville to the west Knoxville suburbs. 

For TDOT, it’s all business as usual. “TDOT coordinates construction activities to avoid excessive overlap and minimize congestion,”  Rae Anne Bradley, TDOT’s Regional Communications Officer covering the greater Chattanooga and Upper Cumberland areas, said. “While there is no fixed numerical limit on concurrent projects within a corridor, project scheduling is carefully managed to reduce cumulative impacts.”

However, the road work is so all-encompassing that over 40 percent of the Interstate between mile markers 299 and 369 is under construction nightly. The result is that a 65-minute drive has routinely taken motorists more than four hours to complete since the middle of summer. This grinding halt poses a major problem for the more than 500,000 residents in the area–many of whom frequently commute to Knoxville for work and events beyond football. 

🖋️ Edited by Megan Podsiedlik.

🚧 The NIMBYs & Tree Huggers Vs. The YIMBYs & Developers? It was the YIMBYs ("yes in my back yard") versus the NIMBYs ("not in my back yard") during yesterday’s Metro Planning Commission meeting. The stage was set as members reviewed a string of zoning bills that primarily prop up density as an affordable housing solution.

During public hearing—which the Commission permitted in a show of good faith—a number of so-called NIMBYs pointed out that the YIMBYs who support the blanket zoning proposals seem to be siding with big developers with hopes, but no guarantees, of attaining affordability. 

Wayne, a self-identified tree hugger and longtime West Meade resident, is concerned that Nashville is running the risk of becoming an urban desert. “We need to slow down and talk about a more structured method of planning rather than arbitrarily…assuming developers are going to build affordable housing,” he said.

Rachel—who resides in the Nations and feels her neighborhood was just blindsided by zoning changes attached to promises of affordability—questioned why Metro officials are hell-bent on “putting the cart before the horse.” Like many, she wants more time to review the legislation and shared that two historic homes that were providing affordable housing for four families in her neighborhood were immediately brought to market, but aren’t being replaced with anything “affordable.”

As soon as the RM was passed, those houses were sold. Thirty mature trees on the property—it’s all coming down. It’s going to be 35-foot-tall stacked flats. They're going to sell for $800,000 to $950,000 a unit.

Chris Remke, who is the president of the grassroots group called Save Our Nashville Neighborhood, joked that officials must be “smokin’ somethin’” to think that the general public understands the wonky lingo council members and other Metro experts use while explaining the new zoning changes. “You guys sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher,” he said in defense of those requesting more time from the council. 

Ultimately, the Commission recommended approval for the bill that makes it easier to upzone for two-family dwellings and the substitutes for the bills that create two new zoning districts and a new Commercial Compatibility Overlay option. They decided to defer the legislation making it easier to create a Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit Overlay District until October.

🗣️ …The Mayor Weighs In On The NIMBYs During this morning's media roundtable, Mayor O’Connell said he’s open to a long-term discussion about different approaches to zoning reform.

“You saw a meeting in the Planning Commission last night that I think highlighted some of that tension,” he said. “The Housing and Infrastructure Study is something that the Metro council requested from the Planning Department, knowing that we were going to be embarking on a multi-year conversation about housing.”

O’Connell went on to explain that his administration would like the council to pursue solutions that avoid displacement, focus on developing vacant lots, and limit characteristics like “tall and skinnies”—a nickname for a style of residential construction in Nashville where two or more narrow, multi-story houses are built side-by-side on a lot that was previously occupied by a single, smaller home.

🎤 The Charlie Kirk Effect On Tuesday, the Sumner County Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution declaring October 14 as “Charlie Kirk Day of Peaceful Discourse.” However, disagreement over whether to rename a local street after the free speech advocate has prompted a local struggle session.

County Commissioner Jeremy Mansfield learned that even a whiff of a suggestion to pay homage to Kirk stirs up controversy. During a meeting last week, Mansfield floated an idea to rename the road through Liberty Creek campus to "Charlie Kirk Way." The proposal drew backlash despite being an unofficial suggestion. In response, Liberty Creek High School Principal Dr. Phillip Holt has proposed that the Commission select an alternative road in Sumner County to name after Charlie Kirk.

DEVELOPMENT

• Charter school parent buys west side property from which it operates (Post)
• 'Nashville' TV show home listed for $24.5M (Post)

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide.

TONIGHT

🎸 Tune-Yards @ Exit/In, 8p, $34.53, Info

🎻 Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience with the Nashville Symphony @ Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7:30p, $83+, Info

🎸 Sharp Pins @ The Blue Room, 7p, $20.81, Info

🪕 The Cowpokes @ Acme Feed & Seed, 12p, Free, Info

🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info

🎸 Kelley’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info

📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.

Today's newsletter is brought to you by Davis Hunt, Megan Podsiedlik and Camelia Brennan.