MTA's chief operating officer, Andy Burke, told the board the agency was moving its winter preparedness plan to a Level‑3 posture in response to a forecast of 6–10 inches of snow and up to an inch of ice beginning Friday night.
Burke said the Level‑3 response concentrates resources on the most essential corridors and frequent routes and typically removes articulated buses from service, replacing them with 40‑foot buses better suited to snowy/icy conditions. He listed corridors that would be prioritized for Saturday/Sunday 'Saturday plus' service, including West End, Hillsborough, 8th Avenue South, Bordeaux, Dickerson Pike, Charlotte, Nolensville, Murfreesboro and Gallatin and said access services would support only medical and essential trips during the event.
"We're considering this a level 3, winter preparedness need... predicting about 6 to 10 inches of snow accumulation ... with an additional estimate of up to an inch of ice," Burke said. He added that final public notifications about Saturday‑Sunday service would be released after the meeting and that updates would follow via WeGo social channels, the transit app and local media.
Burke described staff measures including pre‑season vehicle and equipment preparation, pre‑staged maintenance support vehicles and accommodations for mission‑critical employees, such as hotel rooms if necessary. The agency will monitor conditions and adjust service levels as needed.