Neighbors consider speed cushions, bulb-outs as Windgrove traffic-calming plan advances

Jeff Hammond, a consultant for the Nashville Department of Transportation (NDOT), presented a preliminary traffic-calming plan for Windgrove Street on a neighborhood call and proposed two sets of speed cushions and bulb-outs at the street's Nolensville Road intersection.

Why it matters: Windgrove has a measured 85th-percentile speed of about 35 mph and carries roughly 2,100 vehicles per day, figures NDOT uses to prioritize traffic-calming work; residents said the street's steep mid-block grade, the nearby fairgrounds redevelopment and recurring game-day crowds affect where cushions or bulb-outs should be placed.

Hammond said the preliminary sketch places one set of cushions near a newer development and a second near the bottom of the hill, and recommends bulb-outs at the skewed Windgrove'Nolensville intersection to narrow the turning throat. "We think we've got room to do that," Hammond said, noting the program avoids placing cushions on the steepest grade.

Residents raised several concerns and operational details. A longtime neighborhood resident said the intersection at Raines Avenue and Southgate is a confusing offset that becomes congested on game days and asked whether a longer-term fix (for example, a roundabout or other reconfiguration) had been considered. "We get waves of people, and they're all on that West side of Raines just going straight down," the resident said, describing parking spilling into yards and pedestrians crossing to reach sidewalks.

Council member Vogue said the fairgrounds parcel near the Nolensville intersection is for sale and that NDOT and the fairgrounds are coordinating improvements; she told the group she would share final renderings when available. "I don't think it's gonna go I don't think it's going that far," Vogue said when asked whether a sidewalk would extend all the way up the hill, indicating some details were still being finalized.

Participants and NDOT staff agreed to check how the fairgrounds'planned signalization and any driveway or site work could affect bulb-outs or cushion placement. Hammond said NDOT will refine the sketch after reviewing the fairgrounds plans and staff will decide whether another neighborhood meeting is needed or whether to move to the program's property-owner balloting step. He warned that construction scheduling puts installation well after initial engineering: NDOT estimates an 8-to-10-month construction queue after balloting, and Hammond said residents should not expect cushions installed before the next school year.

NDOT described the program's balloting rules: only property owners within the project limits receive ballots; businesses and undeveloped parcels are not eligible. Several residents noted Windgrove has a high-renter population and asked how outreach would reach tenants; NDOT said ballots are limited to property owners, but the agency will continue outreach through the project web page.

Residents also raised an operational concern about temporary removal of cushions for construction. One resident recounted a nearby installation where cushions were removed and later not reinstalled on schedule; NDOT staff said cushions sometimes are taken up by private contractors performing work and that the agency is tracking outstanding installations but currently faces a supply backlog for new cushions.

What happens next: NDOT will seek the fairgrounds'final plans, refine the Windgrove concept to avoid steep-grade placement and driveway conflicts, coordinate timing with the fairgrounds signal project, and then work with the council member to determine whether to proceed to the property-owner balloting phase. No formal votes or motions were taken at the meeting.

The neighborhood meeting recording and project map will be posted on NDOT's traffic-calming project page for further comment; Hammond provided NDOT contact information and an Engage Nashville QR link for feedback.