I agree with the views expressed by Mr. Underwood RE the saving of the bridge as a historical asset to the community. I have traveled extensively in my life, & find that I am drawn to the unique aspects of communities over anything else that I might have seen advertised. Although I've seen & crossed this bridge all my life & become quite accustomed to it, there are now generations who find it "awesome" when they first see it. Visitors to my home invariably comment on the bridge, which in itself says something about its uniqueness in a world where "I've seen it all" seems to be a common attitude. I have paid fees, usually quite nominal, to see many unique areas of this world, & can't remember ever resenting a cent of it. I think there is a way to incorporate a "fee/donation" idea into an attraction known as "The Dandridge Truss Bridge {& Park???}" which would generate monies for its upkeep & preservation. The attraction of the new marina along with visionary, careful & tasteful planning could generate a substantial amount of monies for this community. It is a very wise move to ask for citizen input now, & to create a feeling of inclusion among citizens all around the area. For people to care about, give of their time/money to, or act on in any personal way, they must think it of valid importance & feel a part of it. In the case of the bridge, there are many avenues we can pursue in an effort to make this project pertinent to individual citizens. Herein lies the motivation to finding the solution[s]. I, personally, have two primary interest motivations: One, Hwy. S 92 is the route I take to/from my home almost daily to downtown Dandridge & exit #417 of I-40. It is the most often traveled route for my work/shopping/travel. Second, being a person who believes that our history helps us understand the present as well as prepares us for a better future, I have a reverence for anything that promotes this philosophy. I absolutely love the restoration of our downtown, & always bring guests to enjoy the shops & homes there. There are other things on my list of motivations, but I suspect the two I've mentioned are common to many citizens, & would be as good a place to begin as any as we think of ways to get folks involved. Sincerely, Judith L. DuVall |
Comments Received by Letter or E-Mail |
The Pointe Marina Development will soon become the star attraction to entice interstate travelers to Dandridge. Visitors will travel along State Route 92 across the truss bridge spanning the French Broad River (Douglas Lake) to their destination. The Dr. James D. Hoskins/H.B. Jarnagin Bridge was erected by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TV A) in the 1940s as part of the Douglas Lake Project. It is recommended as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places by the Tennessee State Historic Preservation Office and acknowledged by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (mOT) as a historic structure. It is the logo for the Town of Dandridge. It has been the subject of many photographs and memories of residents and visitors for many years, a site to remember at dawn and a moving experience at sunset. All over the country cities are capitalizing on resources unique to them, and are turning to riverfront development as a strategy for economic growth. Dandridge has a Historic District which is on the National Register of Historic Places. It also has a truss bridge, which is a unique structure that stands out, that is historic and beautiful. The Bridge stands as a visible milestone of the growth of Jefferson County and as an architectural landmark that rehabilitated, repainted and landscaped could become a type of linear park that would connect Dandridge with The Pointe Marina Development. It could also become an attraction for people to enjoy the panoramic view of Douglas Lake and the Smokey Mountains, and a source of revenue by utilizing it for festivals, specials events and fundraisers. The Town of Dandridge is wrestling with the question of whether to allow the Tennessee Department of Transportation (mOT) to demolish the bridge upon completion of a new bridge, or become the qualified recipient that would accept responsibility for the bridge and modify the bridge as a pedestrian/bicycle crossing that would connect the Historic District/downtown to the Marina development. Before the fate of the bridge is decided, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and the Bridge Committee should conduct a survey of the community's position. The opinion of architects, engineers, historians, other knowledgeable people and the community are desirable before making an evaluation and anyone having a comment or a position should contact the Board of Mayor and Alderman or the Bridge Committee. A group of concerned private citizens has created the website www.dandridgebridge.com as an open forum to discuss the bridge issue and possible alternatives for preserving the Hoskins/Jarnagin Bridge. I respectfully ask the residents of Jefferson County and others interested in this cause to voice their comments/opinions by email at dandridgebridge@hotmail.com or by writing the Board of Mayor and Aldermen at Town of Dandridge, P.O. Box 249, Dandridge, Tennessee 37725. Anthony M. Underwood Dandridge, TN |
I think a new bridge would improve the economy as much as keeping the water level elevated would. People are going to other lakes because of these two handicaps. I would hate to see this bridge torn down but we do need a bridge. It is scary to meet another vehicle when pulling a boat across the bridge. We should think of the future because of our children. I feel that improvements in these two things will insure our children of a better future. Where to put a new bridge, I will leave that area to someone else. Thank You, Mary & Billy Ramey Dandridge, TN |
Comment Received Via E-Mail February 6, 2004 |
Comment Received by Letter and Published in the Standard Banner February 5, 2004 |
Comment Received Via E-Mail February 6, 2004 |
Comments Received Via E-mails on February 17, 2004 I believe that the TDOT offer to replace the existing bridge with a safer new bridge at no cost to the town of Dandridge should be immediately accepted. In my opinion the existing bridge is unsafe and not as aesthetically appealing as the proposed new bridge. I would not support the town spending money to keep the existing bridge for no useful purpose. (the new bridge includes a pedestrian walkway) Joe Brang Dandridge, TN I would sincerely hope that the city of Dandridge would not allow the historic Hoskins/Jarnagin Bridge to be demolished. I travel across the bridge almost everyday and I always look forward to going across and enjoying it's beauty. It would be a nightmare to replace such a scenic and historical landmark with a sterile bridge similar to the bridge by Swan's Marina. Therefore, I hope that we can save the bridge as a walk & bikeway. I would like more information, if any, on the bypass and what type of bridge could/would be built next to the existing bridge. PS (I have more ideas on saving the bridge, but not the time at the moment to write them down.) Sincerely, Bert & Sheryl Ballowe Comments Received Via E-Mail February 19, 2004 SAVE BRIDGE FOR WALKWAY / BIKEWAY SINCE THE BRIDGE IS SO IMPORTANT TO ALL PARTIES CONCERNED. BUILDING A NEW BRIDGE / SAFE BRIDGE WOULD BE FINANCIALLY BETTER THAN PLANNING A BY-PASS. WE ALL KNOW SAFETY IS OUR FIRST CONCERN. HISTORY IS IMPORTANT AND MANY STATES EMBRASS THAT. FLORIDA IS LIVING PROOF OF SAVING AND CHERISHING HISTORY. FOLKS DOWN THERE FISH OFF OLD BRIDGES AND DOCKS WHILE PROGRESS IS MADE WITH NEW ROADS AND BRIDGES (o: HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY SINCERELY, MARY & DONNIE Demolish the bridge or save it? It really doesn't matter as long as we get a new bridge. If the people that wanted to save the bridge had to cross it in an 18 wheeler, rock truck, school bus, or any other large vehicle several times a day they would want a new bridge also. There has been a lot of mirror swapping on this bridge for to many years. It is time for a change. There are school buses carrying your children that meet people from out of town pulling boats and the fishermen panic when they meet the large vehicles and their boat trailers hit the edge of the bridge and bounce back out in front of the buses, causing the buses to hit the curb of the bridge. These buses carry around 50 to 60 students on them 175 days out of the year and 20 days of summer school. It would be a very sad day in Jefferson County for one of these buses to go over that bridge just because someone wants to preserve history. Not to mention the new marina will also be adding a lot more traffic to this bridge. Please, move forward, not backward. Thank you for considering my opinion. Sincerely, a concerned citizen, parent, and bus driver, Donna Sue Smith Comments Received Via E-Mail February 20, 2004 I was born an raised in Dandridge. I cannot picture my home town without that beautiful bridge spanning the river. I feel the best bet and probably the most inexpensive choice in this matter is to save the bridge and use it for a walkway or a bikeway and build a new bridge with a low profile next to it. The new bridge cannot be moved too far away as this would greatly increase the cost of new construction and land acquisition. James D. Wilder Dandridge, Tn Save bridge as walkway and build bypass. Bill Brabson Strawberry Plains, Tn. |
Letter Dated February 24, 2004 The Honorable David Jones, Mayor Chairman of the Bridge Committee Town of Dandridge P.O. Box 249 Dandridge, TN 37725 Dear Mayor Jones: As you are aware, there is a great deal of discussion and debate going on over the fate of the historic Highway 92 Bridge. That bridge has been an integral part of the Dandridge landscape since the construction of Douglas Lake, and serves as both a symbol of the town and an important addition to the town's historic district. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has presented us with several alternatives that merit both study and discussion. All of those alternatives, with the exception of the "no build" option, involve either building a new bridge in the place of or adjacent to the old or building a new bridge as part of a bypass. I believe that compelling arguments can be constructed in favor of either placing the new bridge next to the old one or construction of a bypass. Construction of the new bridge next to the existing one will continue to bring people downtown, and may have long term positive effects on the emerging downtown commercial district. At the same time, we face at least two years of disruption to the downtown commercial district during construction of the new bridge, and placement of the new bridge next to the old will do nothing to address the severe traffic issues that exist within the town at present. Further, placement of the new bridge next to the existing bridge will not allow us to address the increasing traffic needs that Dandridge will face over the coming decade as the area south of the river is developed. Construction of a bypass may have deleterious effects on the emerging downtown commercial district by routing traffic around the town. At the same time, construction of a bypass might present an opportunity for merchants in the historic district to further develop the district so it can become a destination for tourists and local shoppers in its own right. Construction of a bypass would certainly allow us to address the difficult traffic issues that will only grow worse through time as long as the primary traffic flow follows its current path. The fate of the existing bridge is the other primary issue that must be resolved between the town and TDOT. It is clear that Dandridge cannot assume the full financial burden for the future maintenance of the bridge, even if it is kept as a pedestrian bridge. At the same time, I do feel that it would be possible to raise the money needed to keep the historic bridge if the town is willing to allow that to happen. The demolition cost that has been estimated for the bridge is $500,000, and that money can be transferred to a maintenance fund in lieu of bridge demolition. I have seen a number of figures for the cost of cyclical repairs and repainting of the bridge, but to this point I am not confident that we have accurate enough cost figures to determine if the bridge can stay or if it must go. I believe that the Town of Dandridge should invest at least enough money to have an engineering firm determine what it would cost to maintain the bridge for pedestrian use on an ongoing basis, so that we can determine if it will be possible to raise the needed money from private sources. The benefits to the town from keeping the existing bridge as a linear park are clear. All we have to do is look at the example of the Walnut Street Bridge in Chattanooga to see what can be done with the Highway 92 Bridge. It is my opinion that the bridge could be the keystone for a trail/path system around Dandridge and Douglas Lake that would be an important amenity for the town that would link the emerging commercial district and the new marina. It is my understanding that there is federal money available for developing hiking trails and bike paths, and we certainly need to study that option to see if such a system can work here. I feel that you took an important first step in dealing with the bridge issue when you established the French Broad River Bridge Committee to collect information so that you and the Alderman Board could make a well informed decision on the bridge replacement and the fate of the existing bridge. That committee has been working very hard to insure that the collected information is accurate. I hope that whatever decisions are made that they are made based on the best information available and with a full understanding of the historical and potential economic value of the existing bridge to the town. Thank you, Patrick H. Garrow Dandridge, TN |
