TRANSPORTATION
County treats icy roads with brine By Sherry Mitchell Sumner County Publications
A change in the way county officials treat winter roads is expected to save taxpayers up to $35,000 a year and provide safer driving conditions for residents, officials said. Beginning in 2012, the Sumner County Highway Department began using brine, a salt and water mix, to treat winter road conditions. The mixture will go down prior to any predicted snow event, rather than applying salt after it snows. With the cost of salt increasing by 43 percent since 2005, savings to the county should be considerable, said Sumner County Superintendent of Judy Hardin. "You apply around 35 gallons of liquid brine per road mile, which takes 80 pounds of salt," Hardin said. "If you are just salting a road, the state recommends using 115 pounds of salt per mile of road.
Park & Ride For the 92X route between Gallatin/Hendersonville and Nashville, parking lots are available in Gallatin at the Walmart parking lot, Belvedere Boulevard and Nashville Pike, and in Hendersonville at the Kohl’s lot and in the Glenbrook Shopping Center. All parking is in RTAdesignated spaces at these locations. Please park carefully as not to obstruct traffic, and consider patronizing stores at these locations as an expression of thanks. Remember, these spots are designated for your convenience, and you park at your own risk. RTA routes may change every six months. For more information, call 862-8833 or visit musiccitystar.org.
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We are saving about 30 to 40 percent on our salt cost with this new system." To mix the brine, workers use road salt, water and calcium chloride. The lower the temperatures outside, the more calcium chloride will be needed in the mix. "The calcium chloride brings the effective temperature down lower so if the temperatures are below freezing, the brine will still be effective," Hardin said. "We are using the same trucks, we just had to order application tanks that fit into the bed of the trucks," Hardin said. "We've got all the trucks fitted and when it calls for snow, we'll set those back into the trucks." The new system will also benefit county employees by allowing them to be out and about before the heavy snows set in. "It is going to make the roads safer for our employees," Hardin said. "They won't be trying to maneuver these dump trucks in the snow and ice."
Roads Superintendent Judy Hardin stands in front of the county’s salt supply. FILE
Sumner mass transit plans By Dessislava Yankova Sumner County Publications
A bus or light rail transit line could connect Gallatin and Hendersonville to Nashville in 25 years. That's the vision local and regional officials have of mass transit in Middle Tennessee that they say can alleviate congestion, improve health and ultimately facilitate economic development. Officials from the Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization shared this vision with local residents during a public workshop before the unanimous adoption of the 2035 Regional Transportation Plan in 2010. Allocating nearly $6 billion in federal, state and local funds, the plan proposes various projects, including a first-ofits-kind vision for transit services across Middle Tennessee's 10 counties. The 1.7 million people now living in the region are projected to reach 2.6 million by 2035. Based on this growth pattern, congestion is inevitable without mass transit, officials said. "We need to begin looking at transportation solutions for many of our corridors across the region," said MPO director Michael Skipper. "Transportation is important to you because, on average, Americans spend 18 percent of their household income on transportation expenses."
Middle Tennesseans spend ample time driving More than 95 percent of Middle Tennesseans spent more than 20 percent of their income on transportation, while 16 percent of residents spend more than 28 percent of their earnings to get around. The cost of congestion between wasted fuel and time is projected to cost the region $10.65 billion by 2035. Middle Tennesseans also spend more time in their cars than any other residents nationwide, Skipper said. While an express coach service or a commuter rail would better serve other areas' demographic and topographic characters, the Gallatin-toNashville route, proponents say, would best accommodate a light rail and especially bus rapid transit. The proposed line would run throughout the day, with enough stops and suburban circulators to interact with surrounding communities and move large volumes of people, ultimately supporting economic development, Skipper said. A major analysis called the Northeast Corridor Study of this route has been underway for several years. For the vision to move forward, regional officials say they need to secure a dedicated revenue stream through a combination of sources in order to receive federal funds.