Old Topic. Do you think I40 should have gone through midtown? (Memphis: homes, neighborhoods)

[ComputerMan]

Looking back around 40 years later, do you think the decision to not bring I-40 through midtown was a good one? Or do you think midtown would have benefited from the economic boost a major interstate would have brought to it? Do you think it would have been nice to be able to jump on from midtown instead of having to go around? Do you think they should have at least been allowed to tunnel under Overton Park?

[Pearlbob]

I live in midtown and appreciate an interstate NOT being in my backyard. It would have ruined the area. Midtown is full of old historic districts and having an interstate cut through neighborhoods and go over/under homes would have been a poor decision for the city. Midtown is one of the few places in town that people truly love their neighborhood and are proud to live there. Building that interstate and bringing in all the traffic and businesses that would come with it would have probably created yet another flight to the suburbs and ruined the area.

My 2 cents

[strumpeace]

Stopping that highway is a great example of what ordinary citizens can do.

For those of you who dig reading Supreme Court decisions, Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe, 401 U.S. 402, is the landmark Supreme Court decision that effectively killed the interstate idea.

[JoeCartpath]

It's a shame that a lot of people were displaced and a lot of wonderful old homes bulldozed before the project was stopped. At least the Galloway mansion was saved.

[strumpeace]

That project sealed the fate of the already-struggling Binghamton neighborhood.

[JoeCartpath]

An actual tunnel under the park wasn't really an option - the proposal was for a cut-and-cover tunnel. In other words, they would have ripped a huge gash into the park from east to west, destroying everything in it's path. They would have dug a massive ditch in which to put the road, and placed sort of a roof over it with grass, etc. I'm sure much more damage would have been done to the surrounding areas of the park during construction than the proponents suggested.

Then there was the issue of the creek that runs through the park from north to south. A cut and cover tunnel (or any tunnel, for that matter) would dissect that creek - requiring it's flow to be pumped up and over the roadway. I can't imagine the mess that would have caused during a power outage or pump failure. Exhaust fans would have also been required.

[bjh]

Once destroyed, history is gone forever. Thank God it got stopped!

[strumpeace]

Now the zoo wants to take out a 300-year old forest.

[Pearlbob]

I don't understand the tizzy about the zoo and the forest. It's not like they are tearing down trees to put up a Starbucks. They are tearing them down to build another "nature" type setting. I think making it into part of the zoo will make 100x better use of the area. In this particular instance, I think tearing down that section of Overton park make much more sense; they are replacing the trees with something else that is outdoorsy, cultural, and educational.

[strumpeace]

'Outdoorsy' exhibits are no substitute for a forest planted by nature hundreds of years ago. The old forest is the last remnant of what once covered most of Memphis and West Tennessee.

I just can't for the life of me imagine killing something that's 300 years old, healthy, and viable just to make room for a zoo exhibit. There's something terribly ironic about it.