This photo shows the view east along Manufacturers Road near the intersection with U.S. Highway 27. The state Department of Transportation is working with Chattanooga to beautify the wider U.S. 27 off ramps that will be built as part of widening the major transportation artery.
Plans call for the industrial area along Manufacturers Road to be an enticing gateway to the Moccasin Bend Archaeological District.
This map shows the area along Manufacturers Road that is targeted for improvement and beautification.Renaissance Park, the downtown waterfront, Coolidge Park and Manufacturers Road: One of these things is not like the other.
The first three boast expansive greenspaces, meandering walking paths and a plethora of vegetation, representing the pride and joy of Chattanooga’s downtown. But 0.2 miles west of North Shore’s $1 million condos, Manufacturers Road is a treeless jungle of chemical storage tanks, cracked asphalt and seemingly perpetual construction.
Pretty or not, the industries along the city’s northern waterfront keep people employed, generate revenue and they aren’t likely going anywhere soon — nor should they, according to Karen Hundt, director of the community design group with the Regional Planning Agency. But she said three projects in the mix may be strong first steps toward upgrading the largely industrial area to be more like the rest of 21st century Chattanooga.
The next planned extension of the Tennessee Riverwalk, a forthcoming Manufacturers Park and improving the roads connecting the waterfront to the Moccasin Bend National Archeological District may all work together to transform the westward stretch of Manufacturers and Hamm roads — if they get funded.
RIVERWALK