NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Channel 4 I-Team has uncovered a lesser-known story about an area of concrete in downtown Nashville.

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A 3-acre plot of concrete, also known as the Clement Landport, has mostly been unused for the last 10 years.

But, according to the I-Team, warnings that were ignored before construction on the landport started have surfaced, and the revelation comes as more taxpayer money has been spent on repairs.

Marcus Tunstall works near the landport. He said he has been curious about the big, empty parking structure next door.

"Every once in a while, I see a car go in and out, but I have no idea what it's used for," he said.

The landport, which is located just off Demonbreun Street, is not used for much, but it was once envisioned as a transportation hub.

Former U.S. Rep. Bob Clement earmarked federal funds to have it built. And at the groundbreaking 13 years ago, its future was bright with the hopes of passenger trains, a bus transfer station and more. At present, the landport, in which $4.5 million was invested, is padlocked.

"We think it's a great location for the future," said Metro Transit Authority representative Paul Ballard.

The MTA owns the landport, which was begun under a former CEO. Currently, MTA uses what was going to be a ticket office as office space for four workers. There is a bus stop there, but on four out of five days, no one gets on or off.

So what went wrong with the Clement Landport?

In 2004, the landport was closed because the bridge -- which is the only way in and out of the landport -- was shut down in an emergency measure because it was deteriorating.

"Of course it was out of service for a fairly long period of time while the Demonbreun Street Bridge was rebuilt," Ballard said.

But the I-Team discovered the Demonbreun Street Bridge was in poor condition years before the landport was ever built.

The anchor bolts on the 60-year-old bridge were corroding the year the landport was funded in 1991, and state inspectors found holes in the steel big enough to stick a pen through.

Despite the bridge’s condition, the I-Team reports, the landport project went ahead.

By the time construction on the landport began in 1997, the bridge was in worse condition. Rust had eaten holes in the steel support columns and light showed through some of the braces, according to a contractor’s report on the bridge.

But the city still didn't stop the landport even after the contractor complained in a report that chunks of concrete were falling on parked cars, one of which almost struck a woman.

The I-Team also found notes in dusty files showing how Metro considered replacing the bridge but didn't because "money" was a factor.

The choice rendered the landport landlocked and useless when the Tennessee Department of Transportation finally closed the bridge in 2004. It was demolished and replaced with a new bridge.

The new bridge has been finished for a year-and-a-half, so why is there still not much going on at the landport? When workers took out the old bridge, they also took out something they really needed.

"The problem that we had, our water service was hung to the bottom of the Demonbreun Street Bridge. So, when they took the bridge down, they took out our water supply," Ballard said.

MTA had to put in underground water lines, which is what the original design called for, at a cost of $200,000.

In total, taxpayers have spent $4.5 million for the landport and $200,000 for water lines. MTA plans to lease out the parking lot, but as of Monday there's not a single car parked there.

The planned passenger train is also a still just a plan, given the current economic conditions.

"So, I don't think it was a mistake. No. I think it was ahead of its time, yes. But now that we've got it, we own it, generating revenue, we'll hold onto it, and it will become more and more important as time goes by," Ballard said.

The long-range plan sent to the federal government calls for spending another $15 million to rehabilitate the landport in the year 2016. MTA officials said the document is kind of a "wish list."

But will a commuter train ever come to the landport?

"I'd say anywhere from five to 10 years," said Regional Transportation Authority Executive Director Diane Thorne.

Ballard said a commuter rail may be coming, but no one can say exactly when. It's possible that someday a train could connect the landport to the Gallatin area, but there are no concrete plans.

"Well, it's an investment for the future. Just like when we talk about the Music City Star and its ridership. I think we're building for the future," he said.

The city could sell the landport, but then it would have to give 80 percent of the money back to the federal government.

The landport will be used as a pay parking lot soon. MTA is currently negotiating a contract with Republic Parking.