New overpass should be a landmark

The decision on the future of Highway 18 through Blytheville is not one to be taken lightly.

Not only will the eventual location of the four-lane, two-way thoroughfare forever change the way people get around in our community, but because the new alignment will include a railroad overpass, it will also forever change the way our community looks.

The Arkansas Highway Department presented two potential alignments during a public meeting last week at Blytheville Middle School. One would travel south of downtown, using portions of Sycamore and Ash streets. The other would run to the north, roughly along the present Chickasawba Street corridor.

From the point of view of this writer, the southern route — along Sycamore/Ash — is clearly a better option. The Chickasawba alignment seems pretty hare-brained. It would impact far too many homes, businesses and public services to be considered a viable option, and one almost wonders if its appearance on the maps was simply a matter of the Highway Department needing a secondary "option" to put before citizens.

The Sycamore/Ash corridor makes more sense, for the simple fact that its impact would be less severe. The only suggestion here is to move the alignment about 50 feet south, thus reducing the impact on a handful of structures — while necessitating the removal of an eyesore or two to boot.

But the alingment is not my biggest worry. The thing that has me concerned is the overpass.

There's no doubt that it's needed. It's long overdue, and the reality of the situation is that the downtown area is the most practical location.

But a railroad overpass is no insignificant structure. It will be tall, and it will be long. It will have a significant, if not dramatic, impact on the landscape of downtown Blytheville. And with all the effort that has been put into improving the appearance of downtown Blytheville — efforts that are paying off — it would be disappointing to see something come into the area that sets those efforts back.

That's why my best suggestion to the Highway Department is to take steps to make our railroad overpass a true landmark. I'm not an architect or a bridge-designer, but I do know that there are pretty bridges and there are ugly bridges. And it is my hope that when Blytheville finally gets its overpass, designers will incorporate some kind of archtectural details, color or other design elements that make our overpass stand out.

If done right, the overpass could even become a symbol for our community — something we could put on postcards or incorporate into logos. Cape Girardeau, Mo., did just this when they built their new Mississippi River bridge. Instead of building just another highway across the river, they built a landmark, something which has dramatically changed the city's skyline — for the better.

Sure, a landmark overpass might cost more money. But it's worth it. The overpass we build will be here for a long, long time. It will be seen and noticed by every person who lives in Blytheville, not to mention many of those who visit our community. The investment would easily pay dividends for generations to come.

The very personality of our community is on the line with this project. It's imperative that we get it right. With good planning, strong design and community involvement, it can happen.