Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, WeGo Public Transit officials, lawmakers, and invited guests officially opened the Dr. Ernest Rip Patton, Jr. North Nashville Transit Center this morning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The center offers enhanced amenities for riders, including real-time bus arrival information, QuickTicket vending machines, a waiting room, restrooms, Wi-Fi, and multiple bus bays connecting several routes across town. Future features include level bus boarding platforms on Clarksville Pike and bicycle storage. This project aims to improve bus service to neighborhoods across Nashville while reducing dependency on downtown connections.
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“When we make transit more accessible, more people ride,” said Mayor O’Connell. “This new transit center will connect Nashvillians in the area to countless job opportunities, and it will provide the convenience of new crosstown routes and more frequent service. That builds on Rip Patton’s indelible legacy that is engrained in our history.”
The center represents a $17 million investment and aligns with nMotion, Middle Tennessee’s 25-year integrated and multimodal transportation strategy. Funding partners include Metro Nashville, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, and the Federal Transit Administration. Additional crosswalk and sidewalk improvements were funded through a grant from the Greater Nashville Regional Council and the Federal Highway Administration.
“Since April, there has been a 36 percent increase in ridership on the seven routes served here at the North Nashville Transit Center, and that was before the building officially opened,” said WeGo CEO Steve Bland. “This increased service and the new connections will greatly improve access to job opportunities, workforce skills training, health care, and many other services.”
The center’s naming and design reflect the history and future of North Nashville and honor individuals who made significant contributions to the community. Dr. Patton was a key figure in Nashville’s 1960s civil rights movement, participating in lunch counter sit-ins and Freedom Rides. He and other students, later awarded honorary doctorate degrees, are honored in a historical display embedded in the sidewalk.
Nashville artist Lee-Xander Bryant created a digital art display in the waiting room, documenting residents’ connections to their neighborhood. The plaza area features a mural by Nashville artist Woke 3, illustrating local youths’ perspectives on their community and the world.
“Transit centers are wonderful for the service improvements they provide for riders, but we also want to make sure each one reflects the spirit of the Nashville neighborhood it serves,” said Nashville MTA Chair Gail Carr Williams. “We started meeting with members of the North Nashville community several years ago, and they have been integral in the planning process.”
The site includes an open plaza and outdoor seating areas. Safety features include 24-hour security staffing, digital cameras, and a partnership with the Metro Nashville Police Department North Precinct.
Design and construction were led by ICF, Megen Construction, Smith Gee Studios, Vivid1 architecture, and the Don Hardin Group, supervised by WeGo project manager Kia Lewis.
For more information, visit WeGoTransit.com.
Additional images and details can be found in the Dr. Earnest Rip Patton Jr. North Nashville Transit Center Opening Photo Gallery.
Source: Read Original Release
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