NDOT presents Commerce Street redesign options; commissioners press for robust protection

Anna Dearman, walking and biking manager at the Nashville Department of Transportation, presented planning materials and cost estimates for Commerce Street between Tenth Avenue and Second Avenue. Dearman described the segment as an eight‑block stretch, currently a demonstration facility, and said staff are testing alternatives including protected bike lanes on both sides, parking‑protected lanes that use parked vehicles as a buffer, raised sidewalk‑level bikeways, and concrete curb protection.

Dearman reviewed cost‑order‑of‑magnitude estimates: flexible delineator protected lanes (modular, lower cost), plastic delineators and modular concrete curb options, and higher‑cost cast‑in‑place concrete curb sections. She referenced Twelfth Avenue work as a comparator and said estimates for some concrete curb options can approach multi‑million dollars per mile (Twelfth Ave example cited roughly $7.1M for 1.6 miles, leading to an approximate $5M/mile figure for some curb‑protected designs); Dearman also noted stormwater treatments and coordination with Metro Water can drive costs on downtown corridors.

Commissioners flagged the Renaissance hotel valet operations as a design constraint on one block and pressed for strong physical protection rather than temporary delineators. Dearman said Commerce Street upgrades are planned to tie into Connect Downtown phase 1 (expected 2026‑27) and that staff will circulate revised plans; she encouraged the commission to provide written feedback or a memo on preferred configurations.

Next steps: NDOT to share revised plans and cost breakdowns, and the commission said it would prepare to weigh in on protection level and sequencing.