Anybody have any updated, privy info on I-20/59 reno? (Hoover: houses, neighborhoods)

[280Tony]

I'm seeing "Rethink 20/59" banners and chalk drawings on my lunch strolls, got me wondering if any of you had some privileged insight as to the latest info on the bridge reno.

"Rethink 20/59" is some local group rallying against, well, not quite sure. Their site has this video:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeoK...ature=youtu.be

I haven't watched it with sound, but I'm thinking the general idea is that they're opposed to ALDOT's current proposal because it will make 9th Ave N "unusable?" and catastrophically clog up 11th Ave N?

Also, they seem to be alleging that some conspiracy is in play, that ALDOT is on record wanting to move 20/59 from its current downtown route all together and build a new connection between Arkadelphia and Tallapoosa St., roughly, with the new section pretty much navigating dead space through the heart of residential Collegeville and Norwood. And yet they won't because of some hidden agenda or something . . . a'ight, that makes zero sense, so can we have discussions on two matters:

1. What in the world is that video about and what is ALDOT doing that is being alleged as fradulent?
2. Can anyone with real knowledge of 20/59 reno please update us on what IS to be done with the bridge?

Thanks

[Tourian]

Interesting video. Makes the argument for moving it a good bit stronger especially when you consider the projected lifespan of the new bridges. Seems they would be just kicking the can further down the road - and not much farther at that.

I did not know of that partial Finley option that would not displace anyone but delinquent property holders or unused property, and while it would serve some depressed neighborhoods, it takes away from the service provided to downtown.

He brings up some interesting points, but I don't think it is as cut and dried as he makes it seem.

[280Tony]

Got my speaks working. Ok, so there is a backpocket idea for a "Finley bypass" relocation of the interstate as it travels through downtown, but Tourian is right - they'd be taking a pretty crucial (at least in my perception, could be very wrong about this) artery out of the city center and would be sacrificing the 280 / I-20/59 connection. The latter would be devastating.

Has anyone heard of that possibility? Is there a possibility to move the downtown section 20/59 at all, or is it inevitable that it will remain in its current position, and the reno will be planned thereon? ALDOT is well inside of the eleventh hour -- they need to make a decision, like now. That bridge is going to start experiencing some pretty gnarly issues by the end of the decade.

[WJSim]

Shame they want to do this, the I 20/59 connection is not only dangerous according to the video but in my opinion very ugly. Having a boulevard in it's place would of course transform Bham.

[Tourian]

The new bridges use less pylons and modern construction and they will be higher. So they will be less ugly, let in more light, and less noisy.

Sinking it is out of the question because of the water table, the conduits that are there and the cost.

Moving it means the end of the spaghetti and an adverse affect on the RME and the connections it serves for downtown. If we already had a complete beltline, there would be less traffic and no truck traffic coming downtown through there which would make it safer.

I love the look of the rethink dream project, but it just doesn't seem possible or viable right now.

[280Tony]

So presuming they do the wider, more modern, elevated replacement bridge, will that -as the Rethink people have claimed- make 9th Ave unusable? I looked at a map and there really isn't much on 9th Ave where the ramps/road would be, so I don't know where their concerns lie with that. But I can imagine that they are onto something with protesting that the new traffic generated by the 7 proposed on/off ramps would result in daily stand still jams for people trying to get out of downtown. There are already jams, I'm talking Atlanta wait times, which will set off a chain and lock up a huge portion of downtown every afternoon. That is not cool.

[preguntas]

The last word from ALDOT was that work on I-20/59 would start by years end. (not coincidentally when I-22 interchange is complete)

The new roadway will reflect half a century of new road innovations from all over America.

Traffic issues with both the old and new I-20/59 will be greatly, and positively affected by the new CD ROADS that will be built in conjunction with this project along the sides of I-65. (part of the next big project to widen from DT to Hoover.

There were many twisted stories developed over the years concerning this project. If we want another beautiful linear park DT there are acres of land that would serve the purpose with less funding and disruptions.

[steveklein]

Originally Posted by preguntas

The last word from ALDOT was that work on I-20/59 would start by years end. (not coincidentally when I-22 interchange is complete)

The new roadway will reflect half a century of new road innovations from all over America.

Traffic issues with both the old and new I-20/59 will be greatly, and positively affected by the new CD ROADS that will be built in conjunction with this project along the sides of I-65. (part of the next big project to widen from DT to Hoover.

There were many twisted stories developed over the years concerning this project. If we want another beautiful linear park DT there are acres of land that would serve the purpose with less funding and disruptions.

While this is true, a linear park is not the only benefit. Of course the investment would be similar if not more than what is currently going on near Railroad Park. And it would do wonders for connecting the BJCC to the rest of the city center. For as close to downtown as the BJCC is, it feels almost isolated because of the interstate barrier. If that was a simple 4 or even 6 lane boulevard at grade with a median, it would make the area feel a lot more connected than it is. It would also give the neighborhoods just north of 20/59 a real boost and I think you would see home prices in Druid Hills, Norwood, and Collegeville rise as single family homes that close to the central business district and a new BJCC district would seemingly be in demand.

[preguntas]

The BJCC chose to build north of the interstate location. The road did not divide anything at the time of its planning and construction. All that lay north of the roadway was soon to be abandoned rail tracks and century old outdated and abandoned warehouses, one of which burned down before demolition.

I-20/59 has little to do with the vitality or lack thereof in the neighborhoods to the north. There are so many more issues that should be dealt with before looking outside the neighborhoods. There are far more residential areas throughout the metro area that are hemmed in and cloistered by massive freeways, and yet they are not negatively impacted by some neighborhood conspiracy theory.

We can't go back and tear down and rebuild on a whim simply because cities aren't static and continue to grow beyond the boundaries of the day.

[280Tony]

I agree with Steve insofar as accessibility to the BJCC and Uptown is concerned. And to Preguntas' point, I wonder if feasibility necessitated the BJCC at that location, interstate notwithstanding. I don't need to go into the details of how beneficial a true urbanized, green-themed boulevard through the city center would be, and IF the dome is ever built (I think it's inevitable, but I know why many of you think that's nutzoid), it is 95% certain to be immediately adjacent to the BJCC and Uptown.

Imagine the commerce that would kick up, especially along Richard Arrington and Abraham Woods Blvds. There'd be a rush to open up bars / restaurants in the vacancies along those corridors. If they would turn the existing 59/20 bridge into a linear blvd/park, then whenever a convention or game came into town, it's a 4-5 min walk from the dome to those new businesses. Alas, all wishful thinking and percolating. I gather from the comments in this thread that bridge replacement in the current location is inevitable, and we're destined for a 3x6 city block area that will soon be dominated by I-59/20 ramp traffic.

Here's a rough illustration of my thoughts, whacky and unrealistic as they may be:



Red is where the dome has pretty much always been proposed to be built. My sources indicate that they are / were considering other spots closer to the airport, but IF the thing ever materializes, this is where you'll find it. NOW, I don't know how the new replacement bridge and the seven proposed on/off ramps would affect accessibility thereto, but again, if a dome is in our future, this is its home. The yellow circle represents an area of particular interest to the downtown revitalization, dome or no dome. That's an Uptown Phase 2 is I've ever seen one. Developers should actively be preparing to purchase some of those block lots in the coming years. The blue is where I would imagine development to spur should a multi-purpose facility be built.

Take all of that and imagine an urban boulevard where the I 20/59 bridge is currently standing. That's unobstructed pedestrian pathways between multiple commercial sites. But what WILL happen? Bridge gets replaced, new ramps built, and the streets around the BJCC become giant morning and evening car lots.

Our new linear urban park, the successor to RailRoad, is the Rotary.