CAPITAL PROJECTS
Capital Projects are Infrastructure Investments and Improvement Projects. Capital projects are often multi-year projects, from first concept to final construction, and typically will require funding extending over multiple budget years. Funding sources may range from locally generated funding to grant funding.
Tracking Progress of Capital Projects
The City Manager verbally, and in writing, provides monthly progress reports on all capital projects during each regular monthly meeting of the Board of Commissioners. The written report is included in the Agenda Packet for each monthly meeting. The Board of Commissioners meetings are live streamed on our city website and the recorded meeting are made available within 24-hours of the meeting. Please see the button for “Agendas and Meetings” on the city’s homepage.
Projects for the Current Fiscal Year (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025)
BELLE MEADE BOULEVARD SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT (with Pedestrian Path)
Click Here for Illustration shown at right
Description: The City of Belle Meade intends to make safety improvements for vehicles and pedestrians to Belle Meade Boulevard from Harding Place to Page Road. The project would provide a 5-foot wide paved surface for pedestrians along the outer edge of the median that would be protected from the adjacent vehicle lane with a low-height (approximately 6-8 inches tall), 1-foot wide buffer (final material not yet selected). The current vehicle lanes in this segment of Belle Meade Boulevard vary from 9’ wide at the narrowest to 9.5’ or 10’ in width in portions. The project proposes to narrow all lanes to a consistent 9’ width. There are no proposed changes to the outer roadway design (i.e. no impacts to driveways or mailboxes of residents along Belle Meade Boulevard).
Proposed changes to the roadway include changing the location of striping on the existing paved surface and by taking, only as needed, from the median on either side to create the additional area needed to widen the existing paved surface and install the 1’ buffer and 5’ walking path.
Changes to existing crosswalks are anticipated but no design decisions have been made just yet; currently the City has only received working drafts/conceptual plans for how the City may consider changing the surface materials in these areas, in a way that would give a visible cue or alert drivers to slow down and anticipate pedestrians. For example, a colored, stamped asphalt in a different pattern or installation of a section of permeable pavers are under consideration to create a different look and pattern to the open breaks in the median where pedestrians will be crossing and have the potential for conflicts with vehicles making turning movements.
Cost Estimate: A preliminary estimate has been prepared for planning and budgeting purposes (prior to survey and preliminary engineering design) is approximately $3.5 – $3.8 million based upon several assumptions and without decisions yet being made on final materials and quantities needed
Sources of Funding: 100% City/local funding with General Fund reserves
Project Timeline: In earnest, since 2019, the City of Belle Meade has been engaging with the community around how to improve safety for all users of Belle Meade Boulevard, including reducing speeding and the potential for conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians. Much of the community’s vision and feedback has been documented in the Belle Meade Together Plan, which was developed over two years of study, and over 750 individual comments were received in response to a pedestrian path, in the median of Belle Meade Blvd, demonstration project that was conducted on Belle Meade Boulevard with the assistance of the Nashville’s Civic Design Center in 2022. In brief, the outcome of the demonstration project was that a pedestrian path in the median itself was not supported by the majority of the community. Although widespread support for a better, safer pedestrian path was still desired and needed by many residents.
Click to see Community Feedback Survey results (June 2022)
In March 2024, an engineering design team with KCI Engineering was engaged to produce a conceptual design with the goal of making a safer walking path in the same location where pedestrians are walking today, along the outside edge of the median, while also looking at providing traffic calming and taking a fresh look at the location and number of crosswalks along Belle Meade Boulevard. Additionally, the City’s beautification committee (the Ceres Society) was engaged to make recommendations for beautification improvements within the median from its start at Harding Place to its terminus at Page Road and the entrance of Warner Park. This work was delivered in an advertised and open public meeting held on May 7, 2024 at City Hall. During the meeting, Commissioners asked for several revisions and for one final concept incorporating all revisions to be drafted. The final concept was delivered in an advertised and open public meeting held June 10, 2024 at City Hall. With delivery of the final concept and an engineer’s opinion of probable cost for the construction, the Board of Commissioners requested the City Manager work with the engineering team to develop a new engineering services proposal that would include full design, bidding and construction services.
At the Board’s regular meeting on August 21, 2024, the Board unanimously approved an engineering proposal for services, totaling $330,470, to carry the project to the next step in its design. Consulting engineers have been contracted to perform survey and preliminary engineering work needed to better understand how electric and stormwater utility infrastructure in the median may or may not alter the proposed design and its anticipated costs and timeline for construction. Once the preliminary engineering is complete, the Board of Commissioners will receive a presentation with a revised (if needed) design and an updated preliminary cost estimate. Then, if the Board of Commissioners approve the project to continue, the engineering team will complete final design and deliver construction plans as well as assist the city during the project’s construction with project management and utility coordination services.
TYNE BLVD and LYNWOOD BLVD TRAFFIC CALMING PROJECTS
CLICK HERE for Illustration shown at right
Description: The Belle Meade Together Plan identifies areas throughout the City for improvements that make areas safer for both vehicle traffic and pedestrians. The implementation of the traffic calming improvements will be done in phases, taking into consideration the specific characteristics about each project that may affect its construction feasibility, timeline, and cost. For example, some projects may require the acquisition of additional public right-of-way that must occur prior to design and construction. Projects will be best matched to the city’s available funding in each annual budget and the first projects selected have been determined based upon actual traffic study data and because the design and construction timeline is shorter than other projects.
Both W. Tyne Blvd and Lynwood Blvd (in the 400 and 600 blocks) are recommended for installation of landscaped traffic islands in the middle of the roadway that will narrow the travel lanes which should result in slowing traffic. Additionally, these areas would be landscaped to provide a beautification benefit and be designed for a stormwater drainage benefit to accept run-off from the road surface.
This project is recommended by the Belle Meade Together Master Plan.
***THIS PAGE IS STILL UNDER DEVELOPMENT***
