Cumberland Avenue

Submitted by Michael Silence on Tue, 2006/02/14 - 4:55pm.

If you are interested in the future of this historical thoroughfare, especially in Fort Sanders, then go read this.



R. Neal's picture
Michael, this is very
Michael, this is very interesting. Had no idea any such project was in the works. Thanks for the post.
I didn't, either, until I
I didn't, either, until I stumbled across it yesterday. Also, it appears it is early on in the process so people have plenty of time to digest it and comment on it. Here's contact info for council members.
boundary

There has been talk about reducing Cumberland to three lanes (two travel lanes and a turn lane) over the past few years. I think it started when merchants on the strip formed a coalition and started discussing how to improve the area.

The trick the road designers are going to have to pull off is directing much of the through traffic on Cumberland to other routes, whether Neyland Drive or Western Ave or surface streets. I trust the Fort Sanders Neighborhood Association is on top of this. The possibility of Clinch or Grand being widened is lurking in the shadows. Widening Clinch would be a disaster, since it would almost certainly include numerous demolitions and further deterioration of safety and quiet along that already too busy road. With so much of the produce business having abandoned Grand, there is a lot of open space to work with in the NW corner of the Fort, with possible linkages to Ailor and Western, but the rail line and Tyson Park present formidable obstacles. I'd say Clinch Ave as we know it is at risk. 

I dunno

I think if there were a real connector route through the UT parking lots that link Neyland and Cumberland (from roughly the boathouse to the convention center), Neyland, as an alternative route, would be much more appealing.  The only bottleneck there now is the tressel which is currently one, low-clearance lane.

~m. 

I've heard just a little bit
I've heard just a little bit about this effort - just enough to know that the Cumberland Avenue Merchants Association and the Historical Fort Sanders Neighborhood Association are solidly in the loop.

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