Lower Broadway - Nashville, TN
Pedestrian Improvements

Client: Metro Nashville Public Works Department

According to the Convention and Visitors Bureau data in 2018, the city of Nashville had 15.6 Million visitors.  Lower Broadway, fondly named the “Honkey Tonk Highway” with its iconic bars and music venues, is one of the most recognizable and visited locations in the United States.  On average, this area sees over 16,000 pedestrians per day. At peak times, the pedestrians far outnumber the vehicles with potentially as many as 1,500 pedestrians per hour walking the sidewalks and spilling into the street. In 2015, the Metro Public Works Department (MPW) created a pilot project to determine what impact an expanded pedestrian zone would have on traffic.  This expanded zone was accomplished by installing metal crowd control barriers reducing Broadway from a six-lane road to four-lanes, allowing pedestrians double the space throughout the entertainment corridor. MPW, in coordination with TDOT, deemed this study a success and decided to move forward with permanent improvements.  

Collier Engineering was contracted to provide design plans and construction oversight for the project. Plans included hardscape design, drainage system improvements, and a pedestrian protection system.  Through research, Collier identified a removable bollard system that has a K4 rating per ASTM F 2656, which means one bollard will stop a 15,000 lb. truck traveling 30mph. However, installing the bollards created a new challenge, the shallow location of existing utilities created conflicts with the standard bollard footings. Collier worked with the manufacturer to come up with a custom shallow mounting system that would allow them to be installed without any utility relocation while maintaining the flexibility of a removable bollard system. Collier worked with the manufacturer to design a continuous steel footer system that each bollard was bolted to, essentially tying all the bollards together.  Each bollard has a stainless-steel shroud that can be replaced if damaged to keep the bollard system looking new for years to come.

Collier also served as the CEI contractor for this installation.  Our onsite inspector had to work through many issues during installation, regarding keeping the bollard consistently spaced to meet the ASTM rating, while not impacting any of the existing utilities and in coordination with drainage system improvements.  Collier was able to complete this construction within a short time frame to ensure no interruption for the pre-planned events in downtown Nashville