Introduction
Nashville, like many other cities, is experiencing rapid growth and must address increasing demands on current transportation resources. As a result, it is important for Nashville to use its existing traffic networks in the most efficient and effective manner. East Nashville’s intersection of Ellington Parkway, I-24, Main St, Spring St, and Dickerson Pike, nicknamed “Spaghetti Junction”, consumes over 85 acres of space with interchanges and unusable land. This is nearly equivalent to Atlanta’s Tom Moreland Interchange or L.A.’s Pregerson Interchange, the massive stack interchanges that connect multiple interstates and carry hundreds of thousands of vehicles daily.
Our goal was to redesign this area to meet current and future traffic demand while repurposing the space to better serve the surrounding community. Working closely with the Nashville Civic Design Center (NCDC), Barge Design Solutions, and the Greater Nashville Regional Council (GNRC), we analyzed traffic and planning data. We used this analysis to inform conceptual designs of Spaghetti Junction and to forecast new uses of the space. The results are intended for use in evaluating future projects and for gaining support for the redevelopment of Spaghetti Junction.
Special thanks to:
Our mentors at NCDC, Barge, and GNRC
Vanderbilt Civil Engineering Department
Dr. Lori Troxel
Below are links to a video about our project and our final report:
Site Navigation
Introduction
Significance
Design Goals
Preliminary Research
Design Results & Recommendations
Further Research