It is coming and it is coming soon. I see it every day and although I have known about it for years, lately it has been on the mind when I get behind the wheel of a car. We talk about rush hour and we laugh about Nashville’s and how bad it is and we remind ourselves of that great Jimmy Buffett line, ‘If we weren’t all crazy, we would go insane.’ Yes, the jokes are numerous and I am behind most of them. ‘Nashville traffic is so bad that if you want to get somewhere Friday afternoon, you need to leave by Tuesday.’ And on and on and on.
What is coming next is not a laughing matter. It is happening faster than anyone can imagine. Without a transit plan in place, and don’t start with me on these proposed ‘toll roads,’ because that won’t ever see the day of light, Nashville’s traffic problem will be it’s downfall. Mark my word. I drive it every single day from points coming into and out of the city and it gets worse every single day. Every. Single. Day.
Why in the world would someone move here and want to deal with this? Okay, if you get an amazing opportunity with a new job, I understand it, but to just up and move here? It is nowhere close to getting better and with no plan in place, it will be a decade, at least, to see any sort of let up. Also, those amazing job opportunities are few and far so who knows.
Nashville saw unprecedented growth for about ten to twelve years, maybe more. It was a sight to see but with nothing in the plans to improve traffic and congestion, we all knew what was going to happen. Now, people I know are moving to Chattanooga and not dealing with the traffic. That city two hours to the southeast of us will start to see their city get more and more people from Nashville because no one wants to do deal with the traffic.
Again, no plan in place, and people as of now still moving here, will get us to a point where ones thinking about moving here will be saying oh no, while those that are here who have a chance to leave, will. I am not saying this will happen overnight but imagine our city in five years. Wait, three years. Construction is still going on, businesses are still moving here and yes, Nashville is still a booming city but the infrastructure can’t hold it.
Have you been downtown lately to walk around? You think the sidewalks can handle all of that? The city wasn’t built for this and there is no solution. Every inch down there is almost occupied and there is no end in sight for that.
I talked to a transportation expert not too long ago about Nashville’s traffic. He said adding another lane of traffic would do no good. Zero. It would back up in no time at all. He talked about what the city might be able to do and add a bus lane, or a certain speed lane, or something and he got so deep into it that my eyes crossed. Basically, he said Nashville has a massive problem that needs to be dealt with now.
What is a solution? This shouldn’t bother me as much as it does but again, I see the traffic and it is getting worse and now the secondary roads in Nashville are a cluster. Lebanon, Nolensville, Charlotte, Murfreesboro and on and on are just as bad as the interstates.
I know a lot of cities are dealing with growth but we don’t live in other cities. We live in Nashville and buckle up my friends, and get ready for the question—-How far is Chattanooga from here?
