Public and safety advocates press for 4‑lane, multimodal East Bank Boulevard; board says Metro/DOT retain final authority

Public commenters and street‑safety advocates told the East Bank Development Authority on Tuesday that the publicly proposed six‑lane East Bank Boulevard should be rethought as a smaller, multimodal street built for walking, biking and transit.

Dr. Catherine McDonald, a physician and chair of the Bicycle and Industry Advisory Commission, told the authority she wants the project team to “share their predictive crash analysis comparing the 4 lane and the 6 lane designs” and to “hold a public forum where questions can be answered. This meeting is not a substitute for direct public engagement.”

Veronica Foster of the Civic Design Center noted that a recent authority survey showed strong public opposition to a high‑capacity, six‑lane corridor and asked who has final authority over the boulevard’s design. She cited a prior statement that named an asset owner as the ultimate decision maker and said the public needs clarity about where to address concerns.

Wesley Smith of Walk Bike Nashville said the authority and consultant AECOM received more than 800 survey responses and that roughly 607 respondents — about 70 percent of those who wrote comments — raised concerns about the width and number of lanes. Izzy Witt, also with Walk Bike Nashville, cited neighborhood breakouts showing 77.5 percent of respondents opposed the River North six‑lane alternative and 79.4 percent opposed the alternative for Jefferson, Spring, Capital Crossings and Central Waterfront neighborhoods.

Peter Robinson, who chairs Metro’s Vision Zero advisory committee, urged the authority to avoid building a roadway with the features that create Nashville’s “high injury network,” saying wide, straight multilane streets produce high speeds and more severe collisions.

East Bank CEO Ben York acknowledged the volume of public comment and described the current decision process. He said the authority is gathering data with Metro, the mayor’s office, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (NDOT) and WeGo, and would provide a data‑driven recommendation to Metro. “At this time, we do not have the final say on it,” York said, adding the authority will hand a recommended, data‑driven alternative to Metro for the final decision.

The authority did not vote on a specific boulevard design. Members and staff said the project team will continue data collection and that a decision point is not expected until next year; meanwhile the authority will pass findings to Metro and DOT for their consideration.

Why this matters: East Bank Boulevard is a new street within the East Bank master plan; its cross section will shape travel patterns, safety and adjacent development. Commenters asked for a clear comparison of safety outcomes between four‑ and six‑lane designs and for expanded direct public engagement before a final design is set.

The authority said it will brief the public and the board when data collection is complete and that it will relay community input emphatically to Metro and DOT, who will make the final decision.