VOLuntarilyConservative

Bearden's Westside Tavern is closing. To me, that is not a surprise. What was surprising was to read all of the excuses as to why they are closing. I can pick one - TDOT. Yep, that's right. When TDOT destroyed Papermill Drive and rerouted traffic in the pattern of a work by Degas, I told my wife that it would be surprising if any of the Bearden restaurants survived. I predict that Westside Tavern is just the first to fall. There are several other high-end eateries that may not survive yet another TDOT road project, which is supposed to end in December, 2006. But I thought Bredesen reformed TDOT? Oh yeah, right, that was only a campaign promise...

I worry about East and South Knoxville in the coming years. When TDOT closes I-40 for 18 months and closes James White Parkway for nearly that span, East and South Knoxville, both of which have been slowly growing, may suffer losses much worse than economically prosperous West Knoxville.