Nice scoop, Randy.

Frank Cagle opposes JWP extension.

Thank you Mayor Burchett! You make good, reasonable arguments. Absolutely use those funds on other, more important projects.

This could be a unique opportunity for TDOT to develop (with community participation) a really innovative and transformative 21st century project that would combine public transportation, existing road and intersection improvement, sidewalks for pedestrians and new bike lanes - all while protecting the fragile ecology of South Knoxville and enhancing the quality of life for its inhabitants.

I dont know if it's too far gone as a hospital, but if not, $100 million could go a long way to turning the old site into a top notch VA hospital. The local VA outfits seem small, with some offering only outpatient care.

With this site's proximity to UT, it's feasible it could become learning center focused on prosthesis and post traumatic issues for the entire region. Other parts could be used for family housing for veterans requiring an extended stay.

This would benefit UT Medical School, the VA, repurpose a blight for the City and would likely be more politically popular than an unneeded, economically harmful road. Another benefit would the economic benefit families would bring, both to the overall city and Chapman corridor.

It's a lot like pedestrian infrastructure around Westtown Mall. Non motorized infrastructure exists, but it's not maintained very well. The times I've driven the bridge, what would be the bike lane was so full of crap, a difficult ride would be downright dangerous.

The climb on the bridge from north to south requires some sort of acknowledgement from people in charge of maintenance that it is indeed somewhat of a challenge, and that that challenge is supported by the local community. There are multiple ways of achieving that goal, and I believe that the various groups pining for primary usage, should be involved in the design of the non-motorized passage on the bridge. But challenge or not, the South Knoxville (JWP) Bridge is the connector between the greenway system on either side of the river. It's what we have and it's what we've got to work with.

What is frustrating about issues such as this is that we have done so much as a community, and put so much together. Yet, we miss such basic needs as sending a street sweeper over the bridge on a schedule that would make walking and biking over the bridge a realistic option. That is what it takes to make these projects go.

From my house behind Westtown mall, I now have realistic access to Knoxville from Cedar Bluff to Ijams and beyond, yet we're not (or at least weren't) managing our infrastructure to encourage non-motorized transportation. Granted, getting past the Henley Street project has been problematic, but still, the South Knoxville Bridge needs to be kept in passable condition for pedestrian traffic. By having and maintaining adequate facilities at Ned McWhertor Park and making sure there is access to restrooms and water at the south side of the bridge, we can easily and cheaply both acknowledge and address the challenges of the bridge. It is by no means an insurmountable obstacle, and yet, it is still somewhat of an accomplishment. It will be how we choose to view and market it.

The infrastructure in place south of the river lends itself to the South Knoxville Urban Wilderness/Waterfront plan. I would like to see some plans for parking and shuttle systems, as well as pedestrian and bicycle access to greenways, from the roadways that are currently in place.

Finally, we should dedicate ourselves to linking all areas of our county to downtown via greenway. As basic as this goal sounds, and as much infrastructure that exists, there still isn't a cohesive plan. This is a five year goal that has been achievable for the last twenty years. Someone needs to step up and make it happen, captain.

The current terminus of JWP at Moody would make an outstanding location for the new jail/intake facility the Sheriff has been talking about, as well as other emergency services and dispatch. It offers rapid access to and from most parts of the county, yet the structure itself could incorporate the existing overpass and embankments for significant security and fortification.

Construction there would likely be cheaper because the ground has already been graded, and a project like that could conceivably qualify for federal brownfield or redevelopment grants.

Makes more sense than putting the jail out Washington Pike in the middle of a residential area where there is no public transportation and the only access is two-lane Washington Pike. Maloneyville Road makes no sense, costs the city and the county a fortune in gas, not to mention the traffic nightmare, but they did it anyway. At some point, the fact that the jail is miles away from the courts, in a relatively inaccessible location and without any transportation infrastructure, has to be addressed and corrected.

I don't necessarily agree that JWP/Moody is a good place to locate it - just that it makes more sense than Maloneyville. I think the interstate accessibility and the more central location makes JWP/Moody a possible candidate, but I don't know whether there is public transit there or even if there is suitable land or buildings available.

Not that logic necessarily figures in all that much in the location decision, if it comes to that. The location decision could likely end up being more political than logical.

If the Safety Center function gets funded, and I hope it does, it needs to be in a central location with public transportation options. But hopefully not the 4th & Gill/Central corridor either, because the neighborhoods there already bear the burden of too many social services and the like in a smallish area.

It would be nice if there was a really good public process around this, and a well-developed plan that would truly help solve problems instead of possibly creating more.

With Sea Ray folding up the tent, it would seem to me that Pickel Island makes sense as a jail site.

I really don't have a dog in the hunt though, beyond the fact that I'm going to live here the rest of my life.

Bizgrrl, The Gay Street Bridge is probably the best connection from downtown, but it is not readily accessible from the Neyland Greenway, whereas the South Knoxville Bridge is via the James White Greenway.

To agree with Fischbobber, the south end of the Gay Street Bridge would not be a problem for an experienced commuter who takes control of traffic lanes, but for recreational cyclists who bike the pedestrian walk turning traffic can be a hazard.

Fischbobber, I've been told on good authority that there is a problem connecting the greenways via the South Knoxville Bridge. Let me hazard the guess that being a limited access highway, bicycles are not permitted on the bridge, at least not officially. I've used it and will continue to use it until I have to pay a ticket. One day, perhaps, they will hang a pedestrian/bike lane on the side of the bridge as they have done on the Buck Karns Bridge.

When complete, the greenway along Suttree Landing, I expect, will eliminate cycling through the intersection of Sevier Ave and Inland Home.

I'll bet Rogero and Burchette working together could get it done in short order.

There would still be a need for rest rooms and water fountains at both ends of the bridge though.

Rachel, Thanks for the update regarding the South Knoxville Bridge. I flipped my greenway map and discovered a future connection across the bridge is included in the First Creek Greenway Plan.

As far as getting it striped, I suspect Victor Ashe would suggest contacting Sen. Duncan and Rep. Armstrong.

Exactly what are we talking about here? The first references were to a new intake center, and the more recent ones to the proposed "safety center."

Those are not the same things.

"Any of the three routes run within 50 feet of the amphitheater," she [Janice Tocher, president of the South Woodlawn Neighborhood Association] said.

This is a proposed amphitheater at South-Doyle Middle School. Guess this means the proposed routes run pretty close to the school. Also, this means the proposed routes run through another high density residential section of South Knoxville.

State officials counted 62-65 homes and two to five businesses displaced by the various extension options. Construction and rights of way would consume 123 acres of South Knoxville forest and 58-66 acres of developed property.

Each route would impact from 10-13 streams, cross seven to nine streams, touch one or two caves, and contact six to nine sinkholes, according to TDOT studies.

How many homes will it affect but not displace?