Aaron Renn is an award-winning independent urban affairs thinker and strategist based in Chicago and Indianapolis. He writes a blog titled The Urbanophile which provides insightful commentary on Midwestern Cities. We invited Renn to Louisville to take a look around and give us his thoughts on our alternative to the Ohio River Bridges Project. Read Louisville: The Case for 8664.
Add Philadelphia to the growing list of cities looking to remove an elevated interstate to reconnect the city to its natural assets. From the Philadelphia Inquirer article:
"Today, the Big Dig looks more like Boston's Big Coup.
On a bright morning in the fall, Boston dedicated a 1.5-mile linear park that is the public face of the Big Dig. A series of connected lawns and gardens, the greenway hugs the contours of downtown, skirting the historic Quincy Market and opening up spectacular views of the South Boston waterfront. Once an outback of crumbling warehouses, wharves, and parking lots, the area is morphing into a glittering arts district. The city is visibly whole again."
"Not long ago, the idea of bringing down the great barrier of I-95 seemed beyond Philadelphia's reach. But in recent months, a group of influential Philadelphians has been talking seriously about embarking on a "Philly Dig." They are emboldened not just by Boston's success, but also by President Obama's emphasis on stronger infrastructures and Mayor Nutter's interest in developing the historic waterfront."
Freeway removal continues to gain momentum around the country. Joining the growing list of planned or proposed freeway removal projects, Hartford, CT considers removing the Aetna Viaduct.
Cities are focusing on quality of life to attract people and economic prosperity. While in Louisville, the Bridges Coalition members Mayor Abramson and GLI support building a 23 lane Spaghetti Junction on our waterfront. Whatever possible gain in short-term job creation will surely be followed by long-term pain for the entire region - more traffic, more pollution and a less inviting city.
Plan our community around cars... Plan our community around people..
get more cars. get more people.
Placemaking is not difficult, it just requires a new way of thinking. PPS.org
Today Governor Beshear added tolling authority legislation to the agenda for next week's special session. If the legislation locks in the current two-bridge solution, it means that the project can't be changed in any significant way and therefore we cannot consider a better, less expensive alternative.
According to both the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and the State's recent study, the East End Bridge provides more "cross-river mobility" and better "System wide performance" than the Downtown Bridge portion of the project which costs more than twice as much. That, and according to our poll, the East Bridge is supported over the Downtown Bridge by more than 2 to 1 margin by Jefferson County residents.
But the East End Bridge has been delayed by the "weight" of the downtown portion of the project for more than a decade. Regrettably, the delays will likely continue if a tolling authority is passed and the project is locked together. For some, this has been the strategy all along. We need to prioritize the East End Bridge and move Louisville forward.
Consider the following:
The East End Bridge is supported by more than a 2 to 1 margin over a Downtown Bridge.
FrederickPolls, 500 Jefferson County Voters, January 2008
The East End Bridge will divert more than 30,000 cars per day from the Kennedy Bridge by 2025.
Ohio River Bridges Project, Environmental Impact Statement, 2003
Louisville's traffic congestion declined by 39% in 2008.
INRIX National Traffic Scorecard, January 2009
The Bridges Project will widen I-64 through Cherokee Park.
KYTC Kennedy Interchange Area Study, November 2008
The "8664" alternative provides 99% of the "system-wide performance" of the Bridges Project.
KYTC Kennedy Interchange Area Study, November 2008
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Chicago based Urban Affairs master The Urbanophile makes some compelling points about Louisville's future in Louisville: A Tale of Two Cities:
- You don't have to be a huge city to be an internationally known and respected one. So much of what Louisville does is oriented around trying to emulate larger cities, but another, and I would argue more viable strategy, is to focus on quality over quantity.
- Taking the road less traveled, so to speak, can pay long term dividends. Bucking the trends and carving out a unique path for yourself is what will really differentiate you over the long term.
- Choices matter, and this is a long term game. Having the vision to do what is right for the long term future, not just taking the easy way out for today, is what makes some cities winners and other losers. You have to be willing to place some bets. Stockholm did and it paid off.
The post was a response to a Swedish blog post comparing Stockholm's waterfront mega-interchange (view a live webcam of Slussen) to Louisville's planned expansion of Spaghetti Junction.
"The image you see here is not an exaggeration by the opposition, it is from the actual Ohio River Bridges Project website. It's really quite shocking how the project absolutely dwarfs entire city blocks of houses and businesses, and is placed directly between the city and its waterfront. If you're having any trouble imagining the size of this monster, compare it to the baseball stadium in the bottom left of the picture."
Will Louisville join Detroit as a city that lost its way? Just say NO. Let's join cities like Portland, San Francisco and Chattanooga, by embracing our waterfront and creating a more livable and sustainable city.
Based on the story's comments, most people don't think safety is the motivating factor behind the lawsuit.
The following was Mayor Abramson's response to a recent pro-8664 letter:
Dear "You",
Thank you for your correspondence on plans for building new bridges.
All three of our existing bridges would be carrying more traffic than they were designed to handle by 2030, based on a recent study. Our busiest bridge and a key link in our economic hub - the Kennedy Bridge (I-65) - would be 44 percent over capacity and the Clark Memorial Bridge would be 78 percent over capacity under the 8664 proposal, based on the study's traffic analysis.
Our letter to Secretary Prather outlined the inaccuracies in the study. For example, it assumes I-64 is widened through the Cochran Tunnel. According to the 2003 EIS, building just the East End Bridge will reduce Kennedy Bridge traffic by 30,000 vehicle/day.
These findings do not support the purpose of the Bridges Project, which is to address cross-river transportation needs in the region.
According to the EIS building only the East End Bridge will provide 10,700 more daily river-crossings than building only the Downtown Bridge.
The two new bridges and rebuild of Spaghetti Junction were approved as one project. To change course and build just the east end bridge would require additional studies that would take years to complete while our cross-river congestion and safety problems are not addressed and threaten the region's future economic prosperity.
Mayor Abramson insisted that the Downtown Bridge be part of the project. We can and should build the East End Bridge without "changing the course" of the Bridges Project.
Based on years of studies and debate including the KYTC study released last November, the evidence supports building two new bridges and rebuilding Spaghetti Junction. The entire project needs to be completed as quickly as possible so we can save on project costs and our region can realize the benefits - job growth, reduced congestion, safer roads and bridges and opportunity for more transportation options.
If we want to "save on project costs" and "realize the benefits" sooner, then we should pursue a better, faster and much cheaper alternative. 8664 is estimated to cost $2.2 Billion or roughly half the ORBP's $4.1 Billion.
Thank you again for your correspondence.
Mayor Jerry E. Abramson
Mayor Abramson continues to say that the Downtown Bridge is more important for Kentucky, but Jefferson County residents don't agree. According to a January 2008 poll of 500 Jefferson County residents, the East End Bridge is preferred over a Downtown Bridge by more than a 2 to 1 margin.
According to today's Courier-Journal article, Kentucky won't issue $232 Million in bonds -- already approved by lawmakers -- because they don't have a clear future funding source. This is not surprising, considering the majority of the project ($2.6 Billion) is a downtown bridge and 23 lane Spaghetti Junction expansion that the community doesn't support.
Curiously missing from the article, is a quote from Mayor Abramson. You may remember that in his 2007 State of the City speech, Mayor Abramson said the Ohio River Bridges Project was his #1 priority.
Here's what we had to say in the article:
"The east bridge will reduce traffic congestion, improve our regional economy and it is supported widely on both sides of the river," said Tyler Allen, 8664's co-founder. "Only after its construction has begun can we have an open discussion about transforming downtown for the better."
If you're tired of delays and want to get something done, write the C-J and contact the Mayor and tell them it's time to build the East End Bridge.
