Mayor Reed: "time has come" for $12.8 million pedestrian bridge over Northside Drive (SLIDESHOW) (costs, moving)

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by magnetar

Thanks to Central Atlanta Progress for delivering the new downtown plan with a nice illustration of exactly what many of us are suggesting. Planted buffers separating sidewalks from traffic, wide medians that provide a pedestrian refuge at crosswalks, and a better allocation of lanes that would result in traffic interacting with pedestrians more safely. Combine this with crosswalk improvements on Northside and this bridge is 100% obsolete.

Rather see 2-lane each direction general lanes, median or turn lane, and dedicated bus lanes. Add street trees to the sidewalk.

[cqholt]

I do have to say though, with the planter strips and medians, I could see that making people drive even faster.

Transportation planning research has shown your opinion is false. Adding tall objects and makes the street visibly narrower. Just like how a street with structures lining the sidewalk makes it feel narrower than a suburban arterial road with open ROW along the shoulders.

[tikigod311]

Originally Posted by magnetar

I was going to respond to the comment above mine pointing out that the presence of North Ave. doesn't change the fact that Ponce still carries more cars than North. But I realized there's no point in responding to a person who makes the stupid and lazy suggestion that it's only homeless people that'd like to walk from anywhere in the westside into downtown.

Yeah, lazy. Except I drive that road every day and that's the only people that are crossing AWAY from the intersections, which is what would justify a HAWK signal. Also there are not any residences or connections to neighborhoods that would warrant people crossing b/t intersections on the entirety of Northside from Marietta to 17th St.

So yeah, HAWK signals would primarily, if not exclusively, be used by the homeless that reside along this stretch of Northside. People walking from west of Northside to Midtown and vice versa would only cross at existing intersections as there aren't any other connections. HAWK signals wouldn't change this nor are they necessary.

How the hell can you say the presence of North Ave doesn't make a difference? That makes no logical sense. Two sets of roads, both with parallel alternates. One has a high capacity alternate, the other's alternate is a two lane street mired in constant congestion. If North Ave was comparable to Howell Mill, Ponce would be in a WORLD of hurt/congestion. There is no reasonable alternate for Northside, so it would definitely not be the same scenario Ponce has experienced.

[chiatldal]

Originally Posted by magnetar

Thanks to Central Atlanta Progress for delivering the new downtown plan with a nice illustration of exactly what many of us are suggesting. Planted buffers separating sidewalks from traffic, wide medians that provide a pedestrian refuge at crosswalks, and a better allocation of lanes that would result in traffic interacting with pedestrians more safely. Combine this with crosswalk improvements on Northside and this bridge is 100% obsolete.

That might cost more than building a basic bridge, You complaining about a price a bridge but okay reconstructions of the whole area which would coast more. Not to mention it would dispute traffic in a wider area and longer time during construction. And still not as safe building a bridge.

[chiatldal]

Originally Posted by arjay57

The Falcons play 10 home games a year, and large numbers of fans only need to cross the street before and after the game.

Even if you completely shut down Northside Drive in the stadium area for 5 hours on those 10 Sunday afternoons, that's less that 1/2 of one percent of the time.

Seems like this is a problem we could easily manage with proper staging areas, good street level crosswalks, and smart crowd control and traffic management.

Your forgetting stuff, your acting like after NFL season the stadium will be vacant

From March to OCT Atlanta united also play there. This would mean for at least 10 out of 12 months the stadium will be used for pro sports.

The stadium can be used for events, collage sports, and concerts all through the year.

And shunt down the street repeatedly will pose anther problem, There trying to keep the street functional and increase pedestrian friendliness at the same time.

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After a game you have traffic at it's worst and and crowds of pedestrians who need to safely cross the street. not one but two issues.

The pedestrians need to safely cross but also traffic needs to smoothly disperse. At the same grade pedestrians slow traffic at it worst time, and cars pose a threat to those crossing. You would kill two birds with one stone if you simply build a bridge so they both can be un interrupted.

A lot of yall suggestion would cost way more, jsvh suggesting a higher grade for traffic as if building a bridge to hold traffic, ramps so cars can enter and razing property to build those ramps, wouldn't cost way more money, The other suggestion is basically rebuild the whole streets cape would also cost more. And all that just to oppose a pedestrian bridge.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

How the hell can you say the presence of North Ave doesn't make a difference? That makes no logical sense. Two sets of roads, both with parallel alternates. One has a high capacity alternate, the other's alternate is a two lane street mired in constant congestion. If North Ave was comparable to Howell Mill, Ponce would be in a WORLD of hurt/congestion. There is no reasonable alternate for Northside, so it would definitely not be the same scenario Ponce has experienced.

I see North Ave. and Ponce almost as companion streets. At their furthest, they are less than 1000' apart, and for the most part, less than 500' apart. And both are minimum 4 lanes with turn lane, with North being 6 lanes over some distance (unless it's been changed recently).

The closest Northside has to a companion road is Joseph E. Lowery, a three-lane, no-center-lane, narrow road with traffic lights every few hundred feet and quite a bit of pedestrian activity. It's a minor arterial at best. It's at best half a mile, and mostly 3/4 of a mile away. Marietta Street might be able to carry some of the traffic, but it heads in a different direction, straight into Downtown.

If I need to further than PCM, I will take Freedom Parkway every time.

[cqholt]

And both are minimum 4 lanes with turn lane, with North being 6 lanes over some distance (unless it's been changed recently).

Yes, North Ave is now 4-lane with center turn lane.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Yes, North Ave is now 4-lane with center turn lane.

Good. It should be.

[samiwas1]

Something just came to mind. The total cost to rebuild the I-85 bridge, which was ten lanes of interstate bridge for several hundred feet, running on a 24/7 emergency building schedule for nearly two months, including demolition, was $16.6 million. This pedestrian bridge is supposed to cost 50% more than that? Come on...what's going on here?

[Thulsa]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

Something just came to mind. The total cost to rebuild the I-85 bridge, which was ten lanes of interstate bridge for several hundred feet, running on a 24/7 emergency building schedule for nearly two months, including demolition, was $16.6 million. This pedestrian bridge is supposed to cost 50% more than that? Come on...what's going on here?

Because it happened too quickly for local politicians to get involved.