New roadways take $$$$$$$ (Atlanta, Macon, Rome: live, centers, bus)

[Saintmarks]

The newsiest thing to me is the tunnel to connect 400 and 675. Can't believe that is seriously being considered. While they are down there digging, could they put in HRT?

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

The newsiest thing to me is the tunnel to connect 400 and 675. Can't believe that is seriously being considered. While they are down there digging, could they put in HRT?

I guess that before the building outrage over the tunnel proposal goes any farther, it should be pointed out that the linked to Atlanta Journal-Constitution article that talks about the East Atlanta tunnel proposal is from Thursday, December 10, 2009.

Toll tunnel under east Atlanta a top DOT proposal

Ariel Hart - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Updated 7:04 p.m Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009 Metro Atlanta / State news

In the nearly 8 years since this article was published, GDOT (the Georgia Department of Transportation) seemed to have backed away from the highly controversial Intown East Atlanta tunnel proposal for obvious and various reasons.

[NC2ATL60]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

I guess that before the building outrage over the tunnel proposal goes any farther, it should be pointed out that the linked to Atlanta Journal-Constitution article that talks about the East Atlanta tunnel proposal is from Thursday, December 10, 2009.



In the nearly 8 years since this article was published, GDOT (the Georgia Department of Transportation) seemed to have backed away from the highly controversial Intown East Atlanta tunnel proposal for obvious and various reasons.

And with the way East Atlanta has gentrified in those past 8 years and continues to gentrify, this project would never get off the ground or underground lol.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

I guess that before the building outrage over the tunnel proposal goes any farther, it should be pointed out that the linked to Atlanta Journal-Constitution article that talks about the East Atlanta tunnel proposal is from Thursday, December 10, 2009.



In the nearly 8 years since this article was published, GDOT (the Georgia Department of Transportation) seemed to have backed away from the highly controversial Intown East Atlanta tunnel proposal for obvious and various reasons.

Thanks for the clarification. Logging on at work and have to kind of sneak to do something non work related so didn't notice that important date.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by NC2ATL60

And with the way East Atlanta has gentrified in those past 8 years and continues to gentrify, this project would never get off the ground or underground lol.

This.

And also a gubernatorial candidate who was an early frontrunner in the 2010 Georgia governor's race, former Georgia state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine, foolishly attempted to run his entire gubernatorial campaign on the issue of running a multibillion-dollar tunnel under Intown East Atlanta and ended in disaster when he did not even make the runoff of the GOP primary.

Oxendine attempted to make running a tunnel under Intown East Atlanta as an act of spite against Intown/ITP urban Atlanta residents for the pleasure of OTP suburban, exurban metro Atlantans and rural Georgians a campaign platform wedge issue and it backfired badly.

Many decidedly conservative OTP outer-suburban, exurban and rural voters may not necessarily have much love politically, socially or culturally for their more progressive ITP urban counterparts.

But even with as much political, social and cultural dislike as those deeply conservative OTP voters may have for their more progressive ITP and Intown counterparts, those conservative OTP voters probably still don't want to spend $4 billion or more of extremely limited state transportation funds on one single massively expensive tunneling project just to spite them for pleasure.

That's especially in a state where many voters seem really not to like high-profile large-scale road construction projects that they perceive to be unnecessary.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

Thanks for the clarification. Logging on at work and have to kind of sneak to do something non work related so didn't notice that important date.

That's okay. I just thought that I would point that out before everyone started to get themselves worked up into a lather over something that I don't think has even been a serious proposal in about 7-8 years.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

I personally think Atlanta doesnt give a rat about roads or rails.. GADOT budget is really too low to heavily address either concern.

Atlanta does give a crap, it's residents approved a sales tax increase to fund transit expansion by 70%.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by jsvh

"...The project will improve 4.3 miles of I-285 from west of Roswell Road to east of Ashford Dunwoody Road and 6.2 miles along SR 400 from the Glenridge Connector to Spalding Drive."
"The estimated total project cost is $800 million..."
I 285 SR 400 Improvements

"...What is the cost of the Northwest Corridor Express Lanes Project? The total project cost estimate is $834 million..."
http://www.dot.ga.gov/DriveSmart/GEL.../FAQs/FAQs.pdf


"...A controversial concept to link Ga. 400 to I-675 by digging under east Atlanta has for a couple of years found its way onto some policymakers’ wish lists. But this month it found itself someplace better: Among the state Department of Transportation’s top toll projects pitched to private investors and road-building companies..."
"...The tunnel's estimated cost is $3.7 billion..."
Toll tunnel under east Atlanta a top DOT proposal

In addition to the various construction costs associated with roads for cars, they are incredibly costly in opportunity. They are the worst possible use of their space for moving large-numbers of people, with mixed-traffic buses being the second worst.

They do not generate enough usage fees to pay for themselves, nor do they generate enough property tax revenue to pay for themselves.

They actively reduce economic activity, decrease safety, hurt public health, and are incredibly damaging to the over all environment.


That's not to say that they shouldn't ever be built at all, just that we are doing incredibly stupid things by hyper-prioritizing them over other modes of transportation.

[architect77]

Originally Posted by fourthwarden

In addition to the various construction costs associated with roads for cars, they are incredibly costly in opportunity. They are the worst possible use of their space for moving large-numbers of people, with mixed-traffic buses being the second worst.

They do not generate enough usage fees to pay for themselves, nor do they generate enough property tax revenue to pay for themselves.

They actively reduce economic activity, decrease safety, hurt public health, and are incredibly damaging to the over all environment.


That's not to say that they shouldn't ever be built at all, just that we are doing incredibly stupid things by hyper-prioritizing them over other modes of transportation.

I'll continue to say that a new western bypass for I-75 should be built to remove all Florida-Midwest traffic from mixing with our local traffic.

It can be done for cheap through rural wilderness and would take 40,000 cars and trucks off our roads every day.

Anything other road improvement projects sorta paralleling our existing freeway routes is money better spent than the hideous planned elevated, concrete viaducts along I-285 and other interstates.

The only positive about our freeways is that they impress and intimidate non-residents & are world-renowned as some of the widest.

I can tell you than for most of the US outside of really walkable cities, having the money to add 1-2 lanes to the interstates is an almost universally-shared dream come true.

So to them, Atlanta's highways appear as the holy grail as if money were no object.

They don't realize that back where they live there are multiple, smaller alternate routes that serve them better than what we have.

[whodean]

Technology is going to fix this.

Automated cars, which "link up" on expressways will be here within 10-15 years in a "platoon" system.

The convenience and comfort of a car with the efficiency of mass transit. Best of both worlds.