NASHVILLE (AP) - The state of Tennessee will not plant trees and shrubs to hide a statue of Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan member Nathan Bedford Forrest.

The Tennessean reports (http://tnne.ws/1SxlUDh) the request to hide the statue next to Interstate 65 from passing motorists was made by Nashville's Metro Council.

Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer denied the request on Monday.

In a response to the council, Schroer wrote, "TDOT does not plant foliage on its right-of-way with the sole intention of blocking items on private property based on what might be offensive to some and not to others."

The fiberglass statue depicts Forrest on horseback, surrounded by Confederate flags. When it was erected in 1998, the state cleared vegetation to make it visible from the interstate.