Any opinions on the I-10 being torn down?

[meemy]

Maybe I'm the only one here old enough to remember that when they first built it, within a month it started falling down.

Sub standard concrete and too many kick backs to Carlos' boys were to blame, they say.

That unintentional almost-destruction seemed to weigh heavily on the minds of many about 7-8 years later when the Louisiana (we were told to never call it the N'Awlins) Superdome finally opened; we were there for the celebrations and I clearly recollect the old guys making book on how long it would be before it fell down too.
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[imaterry78259]

Are they nuts!!! There is a lot to do in New Orleans before that should be considered.

[chalcedony]

It probably was white, power-hungry development that ramrodded the Claiborne interstate through (paid for by US taxpayers courtesy of Federal Interstate Highway Program), but removal is not likely to precipitate a revitalization of the area. Many parts of S. Claiborne through Central City, which never had an interstate go through it, are just as depressed, if not more so. My concern is that a number of the execs who live in the North Shore may be inconvenienced by the traffic build-up getting into the city w/o I-10 and will solve the problem by moving their businesses where all the money is: the North Shore. Didn't one of the oil companies (Chevron I think) already do this shortly after Katrina? Or they could simply move it to the edge of the Causeway in Metairie.

As much of a devastating impact as the interstate may have had back then, New Orleans has one of the lowest miles per capita of interstate of any city in the country. It began as a river town, but the days of relying on rivers for transport are a thing of the past (except for freight). The negative impact of I-10 removal many not be as severe as I am predicting, but I also think the positive impact would be slight, but at a huge cost for infrastructure removal, while redirecting traffic to I-610. Keep in mind that parts of Old Metairie have an interstate running through them and that neighborhood is just fine, so clearly Treme and St. Claude had other factors leading to their decline than just the interstate.

But never fear: city planners will find whatever reason possible to justify tearing I-10 down. Planners HATE cars as a general rule and will always try to accommodate trains/pedestrians/bikes over vehicles. Theoretically, a car-free city is often more vibrant and efficient if it is dense and has great transit, but in practice most cities depend on cars as a body depends on blood cells. New Orleans has a strong cluster of businesses downtown--without a rail system to replace I-10 I can only think the city would be applying a tourniquet upon a crucial limb.

[WestbankNOLA]

I agree chalcedony, however I don't think it will ever happen. I doubt that the federal government or the state would approve that.