ANTIOCH, Tenn. (WKRN) — A transit center is coming to Antioch, and on Tuesday, it gained traction with the support of a $5 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program.

This grant brings the funding total about to about $17.5 million so far.

The Antioch Transit Center is part of the Metro Nashville Redevelopment Plan for the former Global Mall property and it will be located on the southern end WeGo’s Route 55.

“It’s really one of our busiest and fastest growing routes,” said Eric Melcher, public information officer for WeGo. “It’s a great opportunity to be able to provide people with additional services there in Antioch.”

Melcher said the center will better connect this busy part of Antioch with the rest of the region.
When the project is complete, WeGo plans to add new local and express services.

There will be between six and eight bus bays with a climate controlled waiting area.

Melcher said they hope it will help riders conveniently transfer between routes, whether they’re hopping on another bus, or accessing their car, a ride-share, bike or walking path.

Looking big picture, Melcher said WeGo will build transit centers throughout the metro area. This comes as he said some of their routes are up 128% in ridership from pre-pandemic levels.

The $5 million check presentation is happening at the Southeast Community Center at 10 a.m. Melcher said they’re moving along quickly with this project, but there’s no clear time yet as to when the transit center will open.