West: Which path to take?
Staff By MIKE WEST The road not taken Then took the other, as just as fair And both that morning equally lay I shall be telling this with a sigh Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" brings to mind the dilemma facing Woodbury residents. Woodbury and Cannon County residents are divided over the path that the four-lane version of state Route 70S should … or shouldn't … take. Some time ago, the Cannon Courier advocated a middle path for the roadway by transforming both Main and Water Streets into two-lane, one-way streets with one going east and the other west. We even conducted a reader's poll on the issue. Our suggestion was narrowly bested by the state's plan to take the roadway south of Woodbury with an eventual connection to Interstate 24 via state Route 53. An option to take the four-lane north of Woodbury (near Stones River Hospital) placed third in the voting. The public meeting held last Thursday (Jan. 23) echoed The Courier’s earlier poll showing the virtual 50/50 division among Cannon County residents. Basically, folks are either for the road project or against it. That situation leaves Woodbury and Cannon County officials in a bind. If they endorse any plan that will probably be the death knell for their political future in this county. In our opinion, the issue is best left to the state of Tennessee Department of Transportation. Naturally, the state is trying to push the issue back on the people of Cannon County. I can’t say I really blame them. However, the ball got tossed back in Cannon County’s court last Thursday. Now, registered voters get to decide. It will be a two-part question with voters casting either a yea or nay ballot. The ones who vote yes will then get to pick between the options of north or south or in between. Confusing? Yes it is... That should make a final decision. Uh, maybe, unless the TDOT Commissioner decides what do about completing state Route 70S. That final nod could be some 10 to 15 years away.
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