Nashville voters back transportation funding plan

Nashville voters approved Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s $3.1 billion transportation funding plan. O’Connell and the pro-transportation campaign declared victory shortly after early voting returns came in. With voters’ approval, O’Connell will notch a victory that has eluded previous mayors for the past two decades. Why it matters:& Nashville was one of just four of the nation’s 50 largest cities without a dedicated funding source for mass transit. O’Connell’s plan will increase bus service, fund new transit hubs, add sidewalks and modernize the city’s traffic signals. By the numbers:& The sales tax in Davidson County will increase by half-a-cent to 9.75% to pay for the plan, which will cost $111 million annually to operate. Combining construction costs, interest and inflation, the plan will cost $6.9 billion in its first 15 years. O’Connell’s administration estimated the tax increase will cost the average Nashville household $80 per year. What he’s saying:& O’Connell said his plan would improve residents’ ability to move around the city whether they take a bus or not. The city published maps showing the sidewalks, traffic signals, bus service and safety improvements planned for each Metro Council district. Flashback:& Nashville voters overwhelmingly rejected a larger transit funding proposal in 2018. That...