The North Brainerd Community Council, a neighborhood community council made up of 11 neighborhood presidents within the Eastdale/ North Brainerd communities, hosted a city-wide community forum at the Eastdale Youth and Family Development Center. During this forum, residents addressed a number of citywide concerns to include crime, economic development, prescription drug, tobacco, alcohol use among youth, infrastructure, jobs, need for trade schools and more.
The topic residents weighed in on the most was the Wilcox Tunnel. Since TIGER was rejected, residents want to know what is plan B. Residents suggested since the tunnel was open and maintained by the tunnel, a formal letter be drafted by NBC, and sent to the city of Chattanooga administration calling for a public meeting to hear the community's concerns and suggestions, and allowing the administration to advise the public of its plans if any for this structure.
Further, the community ask that EPA and other agencies be involved and invited to this public meeting.
Here is the letter:
City Councilman, Russell Gilbert
City Council Office
1000 Lindsay Street
Chattanooga, Tn. 37402
Dear Councilman Gilbert,
RE: Wilcox Tunnel: An Imminent Public Hazard
The Wilcox Tunnel, which was constructed in 1931, is owned and maintained by the city of Chattanooga. The tunnel is a major route of entry that connects Wilcox Boulevard with Shallowford Road to the east and with Amnicola Highway to the west. This major thoroughfare is one of the most essential and well-traveled routes in the Chattanooga, Hamilton County Region. The traffic in the tunnel flows east and west trapping dangerous toxic fumes inside the tunnel creating an environmental hazard. In addition, it has been over 10 years since we have seen an updated air quality study of the Wilcox Tunnel. During this time, we have experienced significant growth in industry in our city, along with increased vehicle traffic causing further deterioration of air quality.
In lieu of these very valid and irrefutable facts, for more than five decades, many members of the Greater Chattanooga community have looked upon the maintenance condition, and upkeep of the Wilcox Tunnel with grave concern, and for many residents it is considered an “unsafe structure”. Among these concerns are (a) Surface Transportation (b) Traffic Congestion (c) spot safety (d) poor lighting (e) Poor air quality (f) pedestrian safety. Another major source of consternation is the limited ability and access of emergency personnel to safety transverse and responds to emergency incidents because of the narrowness and condition of the tunnel.
Despite these concerns, and numerous structure and environmental studies conducted by various private, state, and federal entities, the tunnel has only received piecemeal and sporadic maintenance, and as a result, it is to be considered in our estimation, as an “Imminent hazard to public safety” and because of the of the health and safety fears expressed by community residents and citizens throughout Chattanooga-Hamilton County. It is recommended that the public use extreme caution when traveling through this corridor. In fact, many residents and citizens have openly stated that they refuse to travel through the tunnel because of health and safety concerns, especially in winter when the presence of large ice-icicle, wet and icy roads, and sheer darkness, are relevant factors that imperils the safety of drivers and travelers.
Further, it is concerning that the worries and alarms expressed by the community have need ignored for more that five decades. Many question if failures are because of the fact that a majority of the residents in close proximity of the area, or are dependent on the tunnel for daily use, are minority and poor in stature. For many residents this issue goes beyond the lack of fair and equal treatment, it is clear violation of Environmental Justice. The Environmental Protection Agency defines environmental justice as: The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and polices. EPA has this goal for all communities and persons across this nation. It will be achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from the environmental and health hazards and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environmental in which to live, learn, and work. “We are in agreement with the EPA”.
Another pressing issue is the economic consequences, or lack thereof, endured by the communities and residents surrounding the tunnel, which for decades has been allowed to deteriorate into a source of decay and disarray, and these adverse actions have caused a negative and disparate impact on these areas. Even more alarming with the clearing, construction and development of Enterprise South and the major corporations such as Volkswagen and Amazon which inhabit that area, traffic along the Wilcox to Shallowford corridor has increased exponentially. While the interstate, highway, and roads such as Bonny Oaks and Amnicola, have received a dramatic increase in funding, maintenance, and safety components such as increase lighting, more than half of the corridor featuring the tunnel area has received little to no meaningful funding. It’s totally bewildering that one of the major arteries leading into the new Enterprise Zone should be completely ignored, and these may be considered adverse acts so egregious that it would be well-founded to conduct a full and ascertain if there has been full compliance with Title V1 of the Civil Rights ACT of 1964, which protects people from discrimination based on Race, color or national origin in programs and activities that received a lack of focus and funding unlike other areas of the City and County.
Therefore be it resolved, that we, citizens of Chattanooga, Tennessee in Hamilton County, specifically the residents on the Wilcox Tunnel area and adjourning communities affected, do hereby call for the government of the City of Chattanooga, the Government of Hamilton County, Tennessee, and Federal Agencies, to conduct a Public Hearing at the earliest possible juncture in order to “record, list and document”, the “fears, misgivings, and facts”, as conveyed by the residents have declared the tunnel an imminent hazard to public safety: determine that under “Environmental Justice”. If there has been any unfair and unequal treatment, and outright neglect of this area; to review if there has been any apparent violations under Title VI of the Civil Rights ACT of 1964 as it pertains the fair and equal allocation and distribution of funding, and to property classify and categorize whether the tunnel is an official and intricate member of the Inter-Modal Surface Transportation System under Title Forty-Nine (49 U.S. C).
If you have any questions, please contact:
Robert L. Schreane, Chairman
North Brainerd Community Council