There is a proposal for Knoxville to have a Me Too (like Nashville) Pedestrian Bridge. Read about it here from Mike Blackerby with the Sentinel. My friend Lewis Cosby summed up it like this,
“It is going to cost $ 17 million dollars to build. I came up with idea to make it a toll Pedestrian Bridge. The first one in the nation. We can promote it and maybe extend it to the Sunsphere where we could charge a dollar to go to the top.
Here is the math. Charge $ 5.00 a head to walk across round trip. If everyone in the city did it just once a year, It would be paid for in just 34 years. Well not counting interest or personnel cost to sell the tickets. That can be made up by building a parking lot on the south end of the bridge and charge a flat fee of $ 20.00 for parking. Oh I forgot in 34 years the bridge has to be rebuilt at the cost of $ 50 million. Oh what the heck take the $ 17 million dollars and build a school in Carter. That is a better use of the money and bike across the the New Henley Street Bridge a few hundred feet away that has Bike and pedestrian lane built in.”
For 17 million dollars can we not just build almost 2 more elementary schools, say maybe for Adrian Burnett, Shannondale, Ballcamp or many others.
We don't need this bridge, this is a waste of money. I wonder how the Mayoral candidates and council candidates feel about this bridge idea?