Jeff Hammond, a consultant for the Nashville Department of Transportation (NDOT), presented a preliminary speed‑cushion–based traffic calming design for Plantation Drive at an online neighborhood meeting. Hammond said NDOT’s data show an 85th‑percentile speed of roughly 35 mph on the segment and an average daily traffic volume just under 2,000 vehicles, and he recommended four sets of speed cushions spaced roughly 400–600 feet apart (about 550 feet in the design) to slow speeds.

The proposal covers Plantation Drive from Jacksonian to Bonnet Spring Drive and focuses on physical engineering changes, Hammond said, noting NDOT controls public‑right‑of‑way infrastructure and that cushions offer uniform, durable treatment. He described the cushions’ typical specifications — about 3 inches tall and 6 feet wide — and said NDOT currently uses a standard cushion length of about 10.5 feet (with shorter 7‑foot and longer 14‑foot options available depending on context). Hammond also cited sample before‑and‑after data from other sites showing average speed reductions of about 9–11 mph where cushions were installed.

Hammond cautioned that cushions are not appropriate everywhere: NDOT avoids placing cushions on steep grades (a practical threshold is about 5–6 percent; NDOT will not place them on slopes exceeding roughly 8 percent), on very sharp curves, or where driveway frequency makes placement impractical. He described other tools NDOT may use instead — radar feedback signs, pavement markings to visually narrow roads, bulb‑outs, chicanes, pinch points and, in limited cases, traffic circles — and said radar signs can augment cushions or substitute where cushions are infeasible.

Hammond emphasized program demand and schedule constraints: NDOT receives about 700 neighborhood requests in the current backlog and implements roughly 50 projects a year, so even if Plantation Drive advances smoothly it could be eight months to a year before cushions are installed. The next steps are: collect public feedback (via email or the project page on Engage Nashville), complete field measurements and a detailed design, and then conduct a mailed/online ballot of property owners abutting the project segment.

Under NDOT’s ballot rules, NDOT will mail coded cards to property owners who abut the segment; each owner gets one ballot even if they own multiple abutting parcels. Ballots remain open for six weeks and a two‑thirds majority of ballots cast is required for the project to proceed to construction. Hammond said NDOT will post the design online before ballots are mailed and will return for an optional second neighborhood meeting if the neighborhood requests it.

Councilman Hoffman, who joined the meeting, said the neighborhood has “a lot of complaints with speeding on Plantation” and welcomed NDOT’s involvement given the street’s proximity to schools. Hammond closed by providing contact information (n.trafficcalming@nashville.gov and jeffhammond@birchtransportation.com) and pointing residents to NDOT’s traffic‑calming website (trafficcalming.nashville.gov) and the Plantation Drive project page on Engage Nashville for the recording and future updates. The meeting concluded with Hammond asking for feedback and outlining the timeline described above.