MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- State Senator Bill Ketron is sponsoring legislation that would ask the State of Tennessee to explore the idea of building a commuter monorail between Rutherford and Davidson counties.
The Murfreesboro Republican says he and thousands of other mid-state residents drive the I-24 corridor between Murfreesboro and Nashville every day and rush hour traffic is getting unmanageable. He says a growing Rutherford County population means it’s only going to get worse.
“We’re at 290,000 population currently. It’s estimated that in the next eleven years, by 2025, we’re supposed to be at 600,000 population. That’s what started me thinking about where’s that traffic going to go.”
Ketron says a monorail built in the I-24 median would likely cost a billion dollars or more, but he believes federal grants would cover most of the cost.
“I’m thinking 90 percent would be federal dollars infused into that and then you get the State of Tennessee to put its credit behind a bond offering and you go and take out a bond over 30 years and let the people’s fares end up paying for the other 10 percent.”
Ketron’s measure in the State Senate would direct the Tennessee Department of Transportation to study the feasibility of building the monorail.