North Nashville Transit Center
Dr. Ernest Rip Patton, Jr. North Nashville Transit Center
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The Dr. Ernest Rip Patton, Jr. North Nashville Transit Center is an exciting new WeGo Public Transit development designed to enhance public transit accessibility across Nashville. This facility will play a crucial role in reducing the need to transfer at the Elizabeth Duff Transit Center at WeGo Central downtown and improving connectivity throughout the city.
Key Features
- Air-conditioned waiting room
- Restrooms
- Free Wi-Fi
- Multiple bus bays for connecting several routes across town
Purpose and Benefits
Facilitating Non-Downtown Travel:
- Current Model: WeGo’s service primarily operates on a hub-and-spoke system centered around downtown.
- Growing Need: As Nashville expands, travel between non-downtown destinations is increasing. The current network is not optimized to meet these demands.
Enhanced Connectivity:
- Crosstown Service: Transit centers like this one will support better crosstown connections, making travel outside of downtown more efficient.
- Direct Travel: The hub model allows for direct point-to-point connections, reducing overall travel time and bypassing the central hub.
Cost-Effectiveness:
- Network Growth: Transit centers help smaller markets grow by concentrating volumes and making service more cost-effective.
- Economic Impact: The $16.9 million development includes a target of 41 percent Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) participation.
Amenities
Technology and Information:
- Wi-Fi, wayfinding, maps, and real-time transit information
- Ticket vending machines for convenient ticketing
Community and Comfort:
- Public art reflecting community culture
- Benches, canopies, and bike racks for added convenience
Accessibility:
- Public restrooms and paratransit access
- Designated pick-up/drop-off areas for taxi, rideshare, Kiss-n-Ride, and paratransit
Facility Design:
- Approximately 4,000 square feet including:
- Enclosed waiting area with next bus and system information
- Customer convenience areas and office space
- Pedestrian plaza with a featured amenity space
- Two on-street boarding platforms along Clarksville Pike for frequent service
Historical Elements and Art Installations
Voices of the Past
Recognizing North Nashville’s roots in the Civil Rights Movement and the role that transit played, the spine of the site memorializes the events and figures of the Freedom Riders. The main promenade through the site will guide riders and visitors through a timeline of key stops along the famous route and honor those from the area who set out to join the Freedom Riders. An inlay depicts the bus and riders of the Nashville Student Movement that rode to Birmingham in 1961.
Voices of the Present
This transit center is one that residents of North Nashville should be proud to call their own. An interior digital display is an art installation by LeXander Bryant. This immersive video experience is a loop of videography, photography, animation, design, and interactive elements. The project documents conversations with North Nashville residents, creating a sense of connection with the community.
Voices of the Future
As an important node that brings North Nashvillians together, the transit center is a natural place for expression of ideas. Concrete retaining walls are a canvas to a mural by North Nashville artist WOKE3. The imagery of the mural depicts words of North Nashville youth speaking about their community and the world around them. They spoke of topics such as drugs and violence, homelessness, good and bad habits, keeping earth clean, media intake, travel, education and more.
The Dr. Ernest Rip Patton, Jr. North Nashville Transit Center represents a significant advancement in Nashville's public transit infrastructure. By improving non-downtown travel and providing a range of amenities, it aims to foster a more interconnected and efficient transit network.
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