Design Center unveils ground bridge study

There are many local experts in the city area and fans who often argue that the biggest drawback of Nashville's inability to maximize its most effective form and function is not limited to the city's lack of mass public transportation.

Equally worrisome is the fact that downtown and downtown Nashville are separated by an interstate connection that limits connectivity and, potentially, fill development.

So imagine the middle section of Interstate 40/65 with a stop between, say, 12th Avenue in the south and Church Street in the north, which makes the highway a tunnel. In the process, about 14 acres would be available for green spaces, public art and even buildings.

The concept is called land bridge and is gaining ground in several cities in the US. UU., With the Nashville Civic Design Center taking note.

For example, in Dallas, a public-private partnership led to the development of the five-acre Klyde Warren Park sitting on a six-lane highway. The $ 110 million project yielded the equivalent of approximately three square blocks of land that has a playground, a show pavilion and a restaurant.

Similarly, in 2004, Columbus, Ohio, saw the creation of a land bridge with commercial buildings, considered the first of its kind in the country. The Union Station boundary offers 25,000 square feet of commercial buildings looming over Interstate 640. The project, which was priced at $ 7.8 million, was partially funded by a real estate company that owned apartments located just north of the site. in the bustling city of Columbus. Short northern district.

To that end, the NCDC recruited some engineering students from Vanderbilt University to design a conceptual plan and a feasibility study for Nashville. In addition to the aforementioned Dallas bridge, students studied similar projects in Atlanta, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to get ideas. Working with NCDC and other entities, the students published their report on Tuesday.

The report, titled "Capping the Interstate: Feasibility Study Spring 2019," notes the following:

"This study did not identify fatal failures that should avoid further consideration of the project [a] chap. The length of the section is consistent with comparable projects, there are no major conflicts of public services, and there are no cultural or historical sites that conflict with the proposed park. The most important concern is the topography of the site; Elevation profiles are not very conducive in some areas, and existing bridges provide a free space below modern standards. "

If Metro and the state attempt to carry out a project of this type within the geographical parameters studied, the report states that the distance from the viaduct of 12th Avenue to the Church Street viaduct would be approximately 3,500 feet. Likewise, the land bridge would extend about 250 feet wide.

Four water networks and two sewer lines would be a challenge for the project. There would be no conflict with the underground electrical transmission cables, but three distribution cables cross the potentially clogged landmass and would require a reconfiguration. There is no natural gas pipeline that is affected.

It is not surprising that the study identifies Broadway / West End Avenue as an immediate need for high capacity transit.

In addition, the report describes bicycle and pedestrian networks, while providing a summary of the car accidents associated with the five-year overpasses.

Using data from projects in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Dallas, the study estimates a construction cost of around $ 234 million (if realized today).

"The Civic Design Center is thrilled that the concept of limiting interstate highways, to create more space in the park and reconnect [the downtown and the city center], has been able to move forward through this Collaboration with Vanderbilt engineering students over the past year, "the CEO sent an email to the Post. "His work has been impressive, NCDC will continue the work towards the realization of this incredible idea."

The study follows a similar effort by NCDC in 2013, when students at the University of Tennessee evaluated the span from Church Street in the north to Demonbreun Street in the south. (Read more about his vision here.)

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