Huntsville/Madison Development News (Birmingham, Mobile: retiree, directions, reduce)

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by jero23

Uh, the embolden is NOT the case. Birmingham has a need for more transportation infrastructure. Malfunction Junction in Birmingham has traffic counts (which are as of 2018 somewhere around 300K vehicles daily) which is nearly twice that of the next closest heavily used interchange in Alabama. Most of these improvements are either triggered by the World Games or the anticipated boost in population growth there because of it. Montgomery area roadways don't have a need hardly anything other than maintenance...

Do you have a link for those numbers? I have the traffic count ALDOT website, and the highest traffic count I've seen is in the 140K range in that area.

Are you doubling those numbers for 140K in each direction? Admittedly, the website has so many traffic count locations that they are literally on top of each other around that interchange, but I can never expand enough to find anything even approaching the count you mentioned.

Population growth because of the World Games? Wouldn't any gain there be just temporary?

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by jero23

Cooper is from Huntsville, but he doesn't care obviously. Cooper has been punishing the Birmingham MPO since the EIS lawsuit filed by the City of Birmingham and its citizens for essentially bypassing the public input process for the I-59/20 rebuilt in 2015. The Birmingham MPO has been cash poor since then and barely had the funds until the recent gas tax passage to do any real project in its Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). In other words, Cooper doesn't care about anything except Montgomery and it shows it in how ALDOT has operated since 2010. If anything you guys might want to be vying for a change in guard there in Montgomery with a new governor (that's not likely GOP) because that's the only way things are going to change for Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley when it comes to transportation funding.

Well, according to this, Cooper isn't really "from" Huntsville. He lived here a while, at Adtran and later Avocent, but before that, guess where ... Birmingham! I don't really think you can say he's from Huntsville. https://governor.alabama.gov/cabinet...ransportation/

He also has bachelor's and master's in accounting, and is head of the state Transportation Department. I suppose he picked up some engineering expertise on the side somewhere ....

[mcalumni01]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

Do you have a link for those numbers? I have the traffic count ALDOT website, and the highest traffic count I've seen is in the 140K range in that area.

Are you doubling those numbers for 140K in each direction? Admittedly, the website has so many traffic count locations that they are literally on top of each other around that interchange, but I can never expand enough to find anything even approaching the count you mentioned.

https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2...-rainfall.html

Bhamwiki....

The junction opened to traffic in 1970. In 1990, plans were made to completely overhaul the interchange due to increasing traffic demands. As part of this reconstruction multiple lanes would be added in addition to completely overhauling the interchange itself. Today, over 160,000 vehicles pass through the junction daily which is nearly twice the amount it was originally designed to carry. Estimated to increase to 225K by 2035.

An interesting feature of the interchange is that the northbound and southbound lanes of I-65 reverse sides for approximately 1/4-mile, with the southbound lanes passing over the northbound ones at the north and south sides of the interchange.

The junction's tight turns and short merging distances do not meet current interstate standards. Additional lanes through the interchange were added in 2003 to alleviate some congestion, with future plans calling for its complete reconstruction. Continued work on the planned Northern Beltline should also alleviate some through traffic on the junction.

[jero23]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

Do you have a link for those numbers? I have the traffic count ALDOT website, and the highest traffic count I've seen is in the 140K range in that area.

Are you doubling those numbers for 140K in each direction? Admittedly, the website has so many traffic count locations that they are literally on top of each other around that interchange, but I can never expand enough to find anything even approaching the count you mentioned.

Population growth because of the World Games? Wouldn't any gain there be just temporary?

The numbers are from the total count from all directions. That's how to confirm what is going on in an intersection. Population growth is going to be permanent not temporary. The stimulus growth would be initiated by the event but economic development following the event itself along with the other economic development strategies as of late.

[jero23]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

Well, according to this, Cooper isn't really "from" Huntsville. He lived here a while, at Adtran and later Avocent, but before that, guess where ... Birmingham! I don't really think you can say he's from Huntsville. https://governor.alabama.gov/cabinet...ransportation/

He also has bachelor's and master's in accounting, and is head of the state Transportation Department. I suppose he picked up some engineering expertise on the side somewhere ....

He tells people all the time he is from Huntsville. I've already covered several times the portion of Cooper not being qualified to the ALDOT director. However if you want a qualified and competent ALDOT director then get a qualified person as governor...

[AU HSV]

Yulista new building planned at Redstone Gateway along with three other research facilities

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by jero23

He tells people all the time he is from Huntsville. I've already covered several times the portion of Cooper not being qualified to the ALDOT director. However if you want a qualified and competent ALDOT director then get a qualified person as governor...

Yes, this is actually the first time I've googled his name. I assumed he was a Huntsville native too (or at least been here quite a while) until I found his bio. I've got to agree with your assessment of our governor. I'd call her Aunt Bea but that name's already taken by our previous mayor.

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by jero23

The numbers are from the total count from all directions. That's how to confirm what is going on in an intersection. Population growth is going to be permanent not temporary. The stimulus growth would be initiated by the event but economic development following the event itself along with the other economic development strategies as of late.

OK, if it's from all directions, then by the same token you can say the Parkway and I-565 is well in excess of 200,000 daily (>130,000 on the Parkway, and 90,000 on 565 at the closest traffic counter and those numbers are from 2016 or 2017). I don't know the last time you've been here, if ever, but come about 4 p.m. and try to exit 565 eastbound to the Parkway southbound. I'll bet it takes longer than getting through "Malfunction Junction" at any hour, assuming no accidents. Not only that, you have entitled idiots who don't want to take their place in line, so will go past everybody in the right hand lane and try to squeeze in, meaning they're stopping in a drive lane of 65 mph traffic. It's a small interchange with quite high traffic volumes.

[bmrisko]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

OK, if it's from all directions, then by the same token you can say the Parkway and I-565 is well in excess of 200,000 daily (>130,000 on the Parkway, and 90,000 on 565 at the closest traffic counter and those numbers are from 2016 or 2017). I don't know the last time you've been here, if ever, but come about 4 p.m. and try to exit 565 eastbound to the Parkway southbound. I'll bet it takes longer than getting through "Malfunction Junction" at any hour, assuming no accidents. Not only that, you have entitled idiots who don't want to take their place in line, so will go past everybody in the right hand lane and try to squeeze in, meaning they're stopping in a drive lane of 65 mph traffic. It's a small interchange with quite high traffic volumes.

I'm not over that way very often, but when I am I try to avoid that intersection at all costs and either take Governor's, Bob Wallace, Drake or Airport from 565 back to the Parkway, depending on how I'm feeling. It may not be any faster, but it preserves my sanity.

[dijkstra]

Originally Posted by AU HSV

Have no real issues with the Birmingham projects as they are were needed badly.
The issue is neglecting Huntsville and north Alabama for decades and
Now we should be grateful for any dollars thrown this way.
The cities restore our roads program was brilliant but allot saved 50 percent of the costs to spend elsewhere
While our projects are all bandaids and not optimum designs or solutions.

I guess I should clarify my comments about all the money they are spending on malfunction junction in Birmingham. I don't really have an issue with the fact that they are trying to improve it and spending the money because it is a real bottleneck. I go through there from time to time going to the beach. The problem I do have with it though is it is a poor design and they are constantly messing around with it. They are making the situation worse because they never stop working on that mess and there are always lane closures, lane shifts and barrels everywhere along with reduced speeds. Instead of wasting time and money constantly adding to a lane or making an exit lane longer and all the other "bandaids" they should redesign that mess, move some exits and entrances away from each other, take the sharp bends out of the ramps, do it right one time and be done with it. With the money they have spent in the past 30 years they could have already done it the right for half the money and they wouldn't constantly be adding to the problem with construction and lane closures.