More cities are razing urban highways

[phantom power]

In New Haven, Conn., a mistake of the past – one that displaced hundreds, razed a neighborhood, and physically divided a city – is finally set to be rectified: A highway is going to be demolished.

Some people in New Haven have been waiting to see this for 40 years, ever since it became clear that a modern roadway slicing through the heart of downtown would not bring the hoped-for suburban shoppers and revitalization. That waiting list is long, it turns out, as cities across the United States look to erase some of the damage from urban highway construction of the 1950s and '60s – tearing up or replacing the roadways and attempting to restitch bulldozed neighborhoods.

"For people who live and work around , they always had huge negative side effects: They broke up the urban fabric, were noisy, and divided cities," says Ted Shelton, a professor of architecture at the University of Tennessee who has studied urban highway removal. Removing roadways presents an opportunity for wiser, gentler redevelopment that can – if all goes well – add vibrancy and livability to areas around city centers.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0302/Downtown-need-a-makeover-More-cities-are-razing-urban-highways

[damntexdem]

1. And are they going to replace the neighborhood?

[Exultant Democracy]

5. In New Haven they are building a new bio-medical complex. Great news for the cities tax base.

The neighborhoods that were in that area are now long gone. More or less there is downtown on one side of the gulf and the Yale/New Haven Hospital and med school. The bio-medical complex will have great synergy with the hospital and school.

[Recursion]

2. OTOH see Boston's Big Dig for the cautionary tale (nt)

[Sinistrous]

3. Except that the "Big Dig" actually reunited parts of Boston that

had long been separated by an above ground expressway.

It may have been a fiscal and financial fiasco, but, in terms of the urban environment, the end result was positive.

[Recursion]

4. Oh I'm not saying I would go back to the elevated Interstate

And the Greenway is nice, but the Silver Line just doesn't replace the old train. And, yeah, it basically ate up the entire state's transit budget for the foreseeable future.

[txlibdem]

8. That's what I thought - financially not good but great for the citizens

The troubles had to do with unexpected delays in construction and some pipes had to be moved. I blame the construction company more than anything.

The Big Dig will turn out to be a great addition to the city. IMO it will slough off its initial troubles and rise to become an important part of the city infrastructure. I applaud Boston.

[eppur_se_muova]

6. Great book rec -- "The Power Broker" by Robert Caro

Describes how one urban planner was responsible for furthering plans to cover the American landscape -- including thriving inner-city ethnic neighborhoods -- with huge highways, interchanges, and ramps, greatly encouraging the use of individual automobiles at the expense of mass transit. Moses worked in NY but his "disciples" used his methods in many large cities around the country. It's actually a later chapter of the book -- which discusses Moses' attitude towards cars and driving -- that is the most startling. (I could post a *big* spoiler here, but I won't. It's worth reading the book just to experience the shock of the cognitive dissonance implied.)

It won the Pulitzer in biography in 1974, as well as the Francis Parkman Prize awarded by the Society of American Historians to the book that best "exemplifies the union of the historian and the artist." On June 12, 1975, The New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects conferred a "Special Citation upon Robert Caro....for reminding us once again, that ends and means are inseparable." In 1986, it was recognized by the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and in 2001 the Modern Library selected it as one of the hundred most important books of the 20th century. In 2005, Caro was awarded the Gold Medal in Biography from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2010, President Barack Obama, after awarding Mr. Caro a National Humanities Medal, said "I think about Robert Caro and reading The Power Broker back when I was 22 years old and just being mesmerized, and I'm sure it helped to shape how I think about politics." In 2010, Mr. Caro was also inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame. David Klatell, dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, has recommended the book to new students to familiarize themselves with New York City and the techniques of investigative reporting.<2>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_Broker

[Warpy]

7. The Cross Bronx Distressway has got to go. It's one of the worst

examples of bad highway engineering and callous disregard for neighborhoods in the country. While the Central Artery was the scariest driving experience in the northern hemisphere--entrances and exits on both sides, too high a speed limit, and Boston drivers--nothing beats the Cross Bronx for sucking the life out of a whole area of a city. It wasn't even that convenient since it became overloaded within 5 years of being built.

[txlibdem]

9. New highways becoming overloaded within just a few years of completion

You nailed the biggest reason for *not* making any new highway/freeway lanes, or expanding any that exist. It just shifts traffic patterns and causes more gridlock when all is said and done.

That is why I'm a proponent of PRT (Personal Rapid Transit). www.vectusprt.com
... and for some videos of their system in action, http://www.vectusprt.com/center/videos.php

[txlibdem]

10. Other cities tearing down freeways / highways

Portland, San Francisco, New York. Soon: Seattle and Cleveland
... http://www.labusinessjournal.com/news/2010/aug/09/end-road-710/

Then there is this speculation:

"A National List of Top Teardown Prospects

The "Freeways Without Futures" list recognizes the top-ten locations in North America where the opportunity is greatest to stimulate valuable revitalization by replacing aging urban highways with boulevards and other cost-saving urban alternatives. The list was generated from an open call for nominations and prioritized based on factors including the age of the structure, redevelopment potential, potential cost savings, ability to improve both overall mobility and local access, existence of pending infrastructure decisions, and local support.

Cities around the world are replacing urban highways with surface streets, saving billions of dollars on transportation infrastructure and revitalizing adjacent land with walkable, compact development. Transportation models that support connected street grids, improved transit, and revitalized urbanism will make reducing gasoline dependency and greenhouse gas emissions that much more convenient. It pays to consider them as cities evaluate their renewal strategies — and as the U.S. evaluates its federal transportation and climate policy.

Learn more about the Highways to Boulevards Initiative from CNU and the Center for Neighborhood Technology and explore the current campaigns that residents and inspired public officials are leading in Seattle and Buffalo.

http://www.cnu.org/highways/freewayswithoutfutures

The article goes on to explain why.

• Alaskan Way Viaduct, Seattle, WA
  
• Sheridan Expressway, Bronx, NY
  
• The Skyway and Route 5, Buffalo, NY
  
• Route 34, New Haven, CT
  
• Claiborne Expressway, New Orleans, LA
  
• Interstate 81, Syracuse, NY
  
• Interstate 64, Louisville, KY
  
• Route 29, Trenton, NJ
  
• Gardiner Expressway, Toronto, ON
  
• 11th Street Bridges and the Southeast Freeway, Washington D.C.