An introduction to the Brainerd Road / Lee Highway Corridor Project

June 24 Open House

Route 4 (Eastgate/Hamilton Place ) will be fare-free between 3-9 PM on June 24. A shuttle from Barger Academy to the Brainerd Rec Center will be running from 4-8 PM to drop people off at the Open House.

Visit www.connectthecorridor.com to learn more!

A CARTA-Led Strategy for a Safer, More Connected Corridor

Chattanooga is growing, and that growth is putting new pressure on how people move through the city every day. Along the Brainerd Road / Lee Highway corridor, those challenges are especially visible, with safety concerns, congestion, and limited travel options affecting daily trips for residents, workers, and businesses.

CARTA is leading this project as part of a broader effort to strengthen how the entire transit network serves Chattanooga. While rapid transit along Brainerd Road is a key component, the project reflects a larger vision; one that connects corridors, improves reliability, and expands access to opportunity across the city, while also supporting new housing and job growth in the places best served by transit. Rather than focusing on transit alone, the study brings together mobility, safety, infrastructure, and community priorities to define a clear, coordinated path forward for one of Chattanooga’s most important corridors.

A Corridor Approach—Not Just a Transit Project

At the center of this effort is the introduction of premium rapid transit, designed to provide faster, more reliable, and more comfortable service along the corridor.

However, transit alone is not enough. For it to function effectively, the corridor itself must support it through safe pedestrian access, well-designed crossings, and stronger connections between neighborhoods, businesses, and destinations.

This project looks beyond individual improvements to consider how transportation, land use, safety, and infrastructure can work together to improve daily life along Brainerd Road.

Project Goals

This project is focused on practical improvements that make the corridor work better for people. We have established the following goals to guide the work ahead and measure our success in achieving the vision:

Safer Streets for Everyone

Brainerd Road must safely serve drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders alike. The project will identify targeted safety improvements, including better crossings, sidewalks, lighting, and corridor design to reduce risk and improve predictability.

More Reliable, Less Stressful Travel

Rapid transit and supporting improvements will help make trips faster and more dependable, giving people real options beyond driving and improving overall mobility along the corridor.

Improved Access to Jobs, Services, and Opportunity

A better-performing corridor connects residents more easily to employment, healthcare, education, and daily needs—supporting greater economic access and inclusion.

Lower Transportation Costs for Households

Transportation is one of the largest ongoing expenses for many families. By improving transit access and reducing reliance on multiple vehicles, the project can help lower the overall cost of living.

Support for Housing and Job Growth

Reliable transit and improved infrastructure help focus growth where it can be best supported—creating opportunities for new housing, strengthening local businesses, and reinforcing commercial activity along the corridor.

Stronger, More Connected Communities

The project is grounded in supporting the people who already live and work along the corridor—improving access, strengthening neighborhood connections, and ensuring that investments contribute to long-term community stability.

What This Project Will Do

This study is focused on defining a clear and realistic path forward for the corridor.  It is the foundation to identify and focus work in the future.  We aim to be straightforward and honest with you about what this project will and will not do. 

CARTA and its partners will:

• Establish a shared vision for the corridor, bringing together transportation, safety, land use, and community priorities to define how Brainerd Road should function over time
• Identify priority improvements for safety, access, and mobility, including targeted investments in crossings, sidewalks, transit access, and roadway design to improve day-to-day travel conditions
• Evaluate rapid transit options and supporting infrastructure needs, identifying how faster, more reliable service can be implemented alongside the corridor improvements required to support it
• Highlight opportunities for housing, job growth, and reinvestment, including aligning Plan Chattanooga policies and priorities with key station areas to help focus growth, guide land use decisions, and catalyze implementation
• Engage residents, businesses, and stakeholders, ensuring that local experience and community priorities directly inform corridor strategies and investment decisions
• Identify funding strategies and phasing approaches, coordinating local, state, and federal opportunities to move from concept to implementation in a realistic and staged way
• Develop a practical roadmap for implementation, outlining near-term actions, long-term investments, and the partnerships required to translate the vision into deliverable projects

What This Project Will Not Do

This work plays a specific role in a longer process—and it is important to be clear about its scope.

This project will not:

• Move directly into construction
  It establishes direction and priorities, but future phases will be required to design and build improvements
• Produce final engineering designs
  Detailed design will follow as separate efforts once priorities are defined
• Make regulatory or zoning changes
  The study may identify opportunities, but any changes would occur through separate public processes
• Replace community decision-making
  Public input will shape the direction; this project supports informed local decisions
• Transform the corridor all at once
  Implementation will occur in phases over time, based on funding, priorities, and partnerships
• Promise outcomes without a plan to deliver them
  The focus is on realistic, fundable, and achievable next steps

Why This Approach is Unique

Historically, corridors like Brainerd Road have been addressed primarily through roadway expansion. However, experience has shown that this approach alone does not resolve long-term challenges related to congestion, safety, or access.

This project reflects a more integrated approach, one that recognizes that:

• Safe infrastructure is essential to effective mobility
• Transit access depends on the full corridor environment
• Transportation and affordability are closely connected
• Growth should be guided intentionally, not reactively

By aligning these priorities, the corridor can deliver more lasting benefits for the community.

How to Participate

This project is being shaped through ongoing collaboration with the community, and input from residents, businesses, and corridor users will play a direct role in guiding recommendations and priorities. CARTA will provide multiple ways to participate throughout the study from early listening and visioning conversations to more focused discussions around corridor improvements and future station areas. Engagement will take place both in person and online to ensure broad and accessible participation at each stage of the project.

Community members can participate in several ways:

• Attend community workshops and events
  Join interactive sessions and public events designed to explore ideas, share feedback, and help shape the vision for the corridor
• Participate in focused station-area conversations
  Provide input on specific locations along the corridor, helping define how future station areas can best serve surrounding neighborhoods
• Explore and engage through the project website
  Stay informed with project updates, review materials, and share feedback through interactive tools available online at any time
• Take part in surveys and ongoing outreach activities
  Share perspectives on current conditions, travel needs, and priorities as part of the broader engagement process
• Connect directly with the project team
  Submit questions, comments, or ideas to ensure your perspective is part of the conversation as the project moves forward