Veterans Memorial Park to serve as temporary RTA stop

LA VERGNE – Regional Transportation Authority buses will temporarily use Veterans Memorial Park in La Vergne as a Park and Ride stop starting Monday.

The City of La Vergne reached a six-month agreement with the regional bus service in January to use the complex as a stop for its two Rutherford County routes after RTA's contract to stop at the Kroger on Murfreesboro Pike was not renewed after six years, according to a release from the City of La Vergne.

The park will serve as the regional bus service's only stop in La Vergne. Buses from two lines — the RTA Route 86X Smyrna/La Vergne Express and Route 96X Nashville/Murfreesboro Relax & Ride — will make a combined 25 stops at the front of the park every weekday.

"There are a lot of people in La Vergne that depend on taking buses to Nashville and Murfreesboro for work and school," said Mayor Dennis Waldron in a statement. "Because there are very few places in the city that can accommodate both the buses and parking, we felt it was important to work out a plan that would help our citizens while the RTA looks for a permanent solution."

Fifty parking spots will be allocated for bus riders at front of the park about a mile south of the bus line's original stop, said La Vergne public information officer Kathy Tyson.

The route's timetable will change by a few minutes in each direction to accommodate the new route, according to the city press release.

RTA officials plan to find a more permanent site in the coming months, according to a company release.

"We appreciate that Mayor Waldron, the Board of Aldermen, and city staff worked with us to provide a new site for riders who depend on our express bus service each and every day," RTA CEO Steve Bland said. "We thank Kroger for allowing us access for the last six years, but we are now looking forward to planning for future growth."

Contact Brian Wilson at 615-278-5165 or at bwilson@dnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @brianwilson17.