Dawn

Thanks! I'm sure all the folks "fighting the good fight" appreciate your good wishes. From all that I have heard, I believe that folks know that "development will come someday" but I think the larger question is in what form that development should take. Personally, I believe Nashville truely has an opportunity to "step up" to being a 21st century thinking place by taking more time to study what some have called "New Ruralism". After attending the Visioning Sessions sponsored by Metro Planning, listening to some very creative ideas voiced by local residents and reading the conclusions presented in their Draft Concept Plan so far their ideas seem to fit much more into this school of thought. Don't misunderstand, as someone with a background in engineering, I do like tall shiney buildings and lots of concrete in an appropriate setting. Heck, it's even more fun to breathe new life into a blighted area but that is just not the case here. I also understand the importance of preserving those things that can't be built of concrete and steel and can never be replaced .

No, I think the concerns lie more in the idea that at least 40 homes (according to neighborhood association via councilman & developer) will be lost and that a stable (over 50 years) middle class neighborhood will suddenly be divided in half by an unnecessary additional interstate spur and bridge mentioned in the proposed plan when there are other viable bridge and interstate access locations...some already in existence. Did I mention that the bridge will have to be "in the sky" above neighbors heads (as well as in their backyards - not a mile or two away) because it must be tall enough to span the Cumberland River...a major outlet for commercial barge traffic? If you notice from some of the goggle pictures, the part of the bend most frequently mentioned is actually one of the bend's most narrow points - good for the developer but bad for everyone else. Barges already have a hard time navigating the turn. I believe there are also severe environmental impact concerns for this pristine natural wildlife habitat and wetland which serves as home for whooping cranes, bald eagles and other equally important wildlife. Even more concerns are being raised about the Native American burial grounds, civil war and slave graves in the area. For the residents of Bell's Bend, Scottsboro, Charlotte Park and Beacon Square, "almost no clue" just isn't good enough to surrender their quality of life and wealth of irreplaceable natural resources when there are other viable alternatives.

If that is the case, then my question is why don't we finish what we have already started and just revive the pipedream that became Metro Center? It is closer to the city center than Scottsboro/Bell's Bend and has ample room for expansion. It's infrastructure is already in place and no bridges or additional interstate ramps would have to be built. Think of how much money we've just saved the taxpayers! With the savings, we could revitalize a few other projects that sounded good at the time like Bellview or repair some of the city's aging infrastructure without having to issue another bond.

Unfortunately what is shown in the slideshow is just an artist's rendering..i.e. art. It is definately not fact. Tony's "Bridge of Affluence" if constructed as shown will divide two well established (over 40 years), strong, stable neighborhoods. The abundance of trees shown in the rendition is actually nothing more than a small slue (unless some houses currently occupied will be lost to plant the trees). In truth, the route as discussed in conjunction with the May Town project will actually send upwards of 50,000 or more commuters back and forth across it daily - directly through the backyards of those living in the Beacon Square and Charlotte Park neighborhoods. Noise pollution and carbon emmissions are but a few of the ecological concerns. Qualitiy of life for those who suddenly find themselves living under the bridge is another. If roads are "re-worked", it will mean that hard working families will lose their exisiting homes because there isn't room to do it another way. Remember, part of a developer's job is to make his proposition look as appealing as possible, whether in fact it is or not. There are other options available as possible sites for this bridge, including one that would not even require the addition of another interstate exit or invasion of existing residential neighborhoods. Some bridge tolls are just too high and I believe that the current bridge proposal is one of them.