Metropolitan Nashville International Airport

The Metropolitan Nashville International Airport plays a strong role in the Middle Tennessee region's economic development.  The airport serves a diverse passenger population with major business and tourist components. CTE was retained by the Authority to investigate potential alternatives for developing improvements to the existing terminal access roadway.  Airport access had to be accommodated from five different roadways directly to parking, the terminal curbside, rental car pick-up and drop-off, and a recirculating roadway.  In addition, the proposed plan had to accommodate future plans for a consolidated rental car facility, rail/mass transit access, taxiway bridges for a new parallel runway, and phasing-out of through-traffic on the state road.

CTE responded to the challenge by identifying roadway configuration alternatives and subset alternatives for accommodating through-traffic on the state road and accommodating parking access.  In reviewing prior plans, CTE chose not to settle for just determining how existing plans could be refined and improved, but took a broader, fresh look at how the airport’s overall interests could best be served.  As a result a new solution was found that allowed the airport to maximize benefits without having to remain dependent on the state implementing a separate roadway plan.  Instead, this solution forges a partnership between the state, city and airport that implements a common plan that provides benefits to all stakeholders in less time and at less cost.