Strident opposition from the business
community and residents along a portion of a proposed light rail line to the
airport may force the Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) to switch to
an
alternative route. Both proposed options begin at the terminal of the Main
Street Trolley extension that’s now under construction at the Medical Center
on Madison Avenue. Alternative 1 follows
Madison/Cooper/Young/Airways/Plough to the airport and runs 10.4 mi. (16.7
km). Alternative 2 cuts diagonally along Pauline/Somerville/Crump/Lamar
until it reaches Airways and would be shorter at 9.3 mi. (15 km). However
the Cooper-Young Business Association is adamant against LRT and has
organized a campaign to eliminate South Cooper Street and Young Avenue from
the proposal. “We are one of the city's best-organized business
associations, and we are absolutely committed to stopping the light rail
from coming through Cooper-Young,” association president Charlie Ryan told
The Commercial Appeal. He says merchants have worked for nearly two decades
to revive the district, which is about 100 years old and had decayed during
the 1960s and 70s. Many store owners see no benefits to local businesses
from light rail and instead fear that they would be economically devastated
during construction. There would also be loss of parking, restricted turns
because LRVs would run in a protected median and possible changes in the
historic streetscape. MATA and its consultant, Parsons Brinckerhoff, appear
willing to look elsewhere for a viable route. “We're going to go back and
do a little more research on the other options,” MATA Director Of Planning
And Capital Projects Tom Fox told The Commercial Appeal. “We don't want to
ram anything down the community's throat.” The airport line would be
completed in 2008, cost about $400 million and use modern light rail
vehicles instead of the vintage streetcars employed on the existing Main
Street and Riverfront lines.
