Entries Tagged as 'Memphis'
6 February 2008 · Comments Off
About four and a half years ago, Memphis was knocked off the grid for a few days in the wake of Hurricane Elvis, and barely anyone in the mainstream media noticed.
However, having a tornado cause polling places to close early—that merits rapid media attention.
Authorities confirmed a tornado touchdown near Arlington, said Jeremy Heidt, spokesman for the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
The Hickory Ridge Mall sustained “severe damage,” including a collapsed roof and walls, according to Staples, who said firefighters were still evacuating the building as of 6:40 p.m.
Added MFD division chief Daryl Payton: “We had to evacuate a large number of civilians, but fortunately there were some injuries but no medical transports. It was just a major time trying to evacuate people because people were afraid to leave the building.”
Thankfully, I haven’t seen wingnuts speculating on the Clinton campaign conjuring the tornadic weather to drive down Obama’s expected stronger support in the inner city portions of Memphis.
Tags:
Media · Weather · Hurricane Elvis · Memphis · Super Tuesday · Tennessee
21 November 2007 · Comments Off
It’s been talked about for years, both among some Memphians, and among roadgeeks. However, it looks like the idea of a third bridge across the Mississippi River at Memphis might be getting additional attention, judging by this article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette:
Increased traffic counts over the two Mississippi River bridges in West Memphis and the resulting longer delays for motorists traversing the two spans have local officials studying the possibility of constructing a third interstate bridge.[...]
But it may be the first time that the necessary parties are all on the same page, said Eddie Brawley, director of the West Memphis Planning Organization. [...]
Tentative plans call for installing a bridge at the southern edge of West Memphis, through the city’s industrial park and the river port. The bridge would cross the Mississippi River there and reconnect with Interstate 55 south of President’s Island near downtown Memphis.
Another idea is to build a bridge just north of Marion. The bridge would merge with the northern loop of Interstate 40 in northwest Memphis.
Considering traffic flow in the region, the location of the Ports of Memphis and West Memphis and the assorted truck depots, I’d think the West Memphis - President’s Island alignment. After all, it’s closer to where much of the long-haul trucking in the area is destined for, and it probably provides the greatest relief from the bottleneck on the east end of the I-55 bridge—the cloverleaf interchange connecting I-55 through southwestern Memphis with the bridge itself.
Tags:
Bridges · Travel / Transportation · Arkansas · Memphis · Tennessee
