Senator Alexander's floor remarks on March 29th gave me hope he too would not favor a Sports Complex being built on Hwy 411 S.

Full remarks (link...)

I also wish to make it clear to my colleagues this is not a new subject for me. In the 1980s, when I was Governor of Tennessee, the legislature and I—and the legislature was Democratic at the time—made 10,000 of our state roads scenic highways. We put little mockingbirds up, and we said no new billboards and no new junkyards. Tennessee is a beautiful state, and we wanted people to enjoy it as they drove across the country. The only regret I have is we didn't think of cell towers being invented. We all use them, for our cell phones and our Blackberries. In Tennessee, they seem to be having a contest to see who can invent the biggest and the ugliest cell tower and stick it in the most scenic place. But we created those scenic highways in a bipartisan way.

Um, pardon me Senator but we have a problem. You called all these roads scenic highways. That, they are not. Please understand sir, there is quite a bit of confusion in the state regarding which is which.

Parkways do not have all the same protections that Scenic Highways do.

Tennessee has miles and miles of Scenic Parkways. We know them because they have a little mockingbird stuck above the route number and on the TDOT maps they get a line of little dots beside them.

These scenic parkways get plenty of support from such groups as scenictennessee.org and Tennessee's department of Tourist Development state.tn.us/tourdev/ Of course they do because they sell a product- Tennessee.

From (link...)

Parkway Route A. Located in eastern Tennessee, this 96-mile drive follows US 321 from the intersection with I-40 near Lenoir City to the junction with I-40 south of Newport.
Parkway Route A-1. This 26-mile scenic drive is in eastern Tennessee and follows US 129 and TN 168 between Marysville and Knoxville.

Parkway Route A-2. This parkway is 13 miles long and follows US 441 and TN 66. The byway begins at the junction with I-40 near Kodak and heads south to the junction with US 321 near Pigeon Forge.

TCA 54-17-201 has the full list of State Scenic Parkways.

54-17-201 Short title. Tennessee Parkway System

What Tennessee has very few of are State Declared Scenic Highways. These are the roads the state legislature has taken the steps to protect from McWallyWorld theme parks and those dastardly windmills. My concern right now is about 411 and 321 in Blount County.

54-17-114. Designated scenic highways — Designated urban roads not to be impaired. —

(2) Class II — Rural Roads.

(I) All of U.S. Highway 411 in Blount County and that portion of U.S. Highway 411 in Sevier County from the Blount County boundary to the intersection of such highway with the Chapman Highway (U.S. Highway 441);

(N) That portion of U.S. Highway 321 from the intersection of U.S. Highway 321 with Interstate 40 in Loudon County through Blount and Sevier counties to the intersection of U.S. Highway 321 with Interstate 40 in Cocke County, but excluding those portions of U.S. Highway 321 which are within the boundaries, as of January 1, 1982, of incorporated municipalities

I am just wondering Senator how you would feel about 90 foot tall light poles dotting the view from 411? I do know your full floor remarks were to address billboards so I would also like to ask if a scoreboard with advertising would be permitted along a state scenic highway or should I just go back to praying for a hurricane in Tennessee?