If the convention center was a colossal and contentious public project, wait until you see Mayor Karl Dean's next undertaking: a multi-year, multibillion-dollar effort to renovate Middle Tennessee's mass transportation system.Maybe you have multi-years. Do you have multi-billions of dollars?
The payback to residents of the greater Nashville area, Dean says, will be a mass transit system to rival that of Denver, Charlotte and Austin.
Is it gonna make a profit?
When I think mass transit, I think Austin ...
In recent weeks, Dean has regularly pointed to Denver as an example for how to overhaul regional transportation. In 2004, the Mile High City created a sales-tax-funded light rail system at a cost of $6.5 billion. That's a number 11 times bigger than the Music City Center's $585 million price tag. "The money is scary," Dean said. "But when you think of the region -- and the Denver project is a big region like Middle Tennessee -- as connecting Gallatin, Hendersonville, Clarksville, Murfreesboro, Franklin, Wilson County ... it's going to be an extremely expensive thing and it's going to take years to accomplish."
Dean cautioned against delaying a massive transportation overhaul any longer. "I think transportation is so important, long-term, for the quality of life and economic viability of this region, that we have to do it," Dean said.
"As long as we're rollin' in money we should spend it!"
Improving mass transit in the Nashville area has been a topic of conversation for many years, but there is evidence that the issue is moving past idle chatter. Last year Dean formed the regional mayors' caucus, which has met three times and will be meeting regularly on the issue of exploring a growing menu of mass transportation options. Following the lead of Denver, Dean also formed the Transit Alliance, which is a collection of business interests throughout the region that are supportive of the issue.
Where's the money come from, bub?