Tuesday, January 5, 2010
News GDOT to discuss 'intown interstate,' other projects with residents
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 10:17 PM
Residents concerned about a proposal to build an interstate through some of intown Atlanta's most vibrant neighborhoods will get a chance tonight to hear from state transportation leaders — and Mayor Kasim Reed — about that and other projects.
At 6:30 p.m., the Piedmont Heights Civic Association will host an informal "transportation forum" at Rock Spring Presbyterian Church's Loudermilk Center with Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Vance Smith, Transportation Planning Director Todd Long and state Rep. Pat Gardner, D-Atlanta. We've heard Reed will be in attendance but haven't received confirmation from his office just yet. UPDATE: A Reed spokesman says he'll be at the pow wow.
Last summer, John Oxendine managed to piss off a large chunk of voters who most likely would never vote for the GOP gubernatorial candidate when he said he would consider pushing for a congestion-easing roadway that could serve as a "parallel downtown connector." That road could shave minutes off North Fultoners' commutes — and possibly cut through such historic intown 'hoods as Piedmont Heights, Morningside, Inman Park and East Atlanta. Inman Park residents, some of whom successfully fought a similar proposal decades ago, demanded the candidate retract his proposal. Oxendine didn't bend. Last month, GDOT announced it was examining a similar project — possibly be an underground toll road — that would connect Ga. 400 and I-675. The AJC reported that the roadway would become a surface road south of I-20, where much of the population is — surprise! — less white and wealthy.
We're currently attempting to recover from a 102 degree fever but will try to attend. If you see an ink-stained, mask-wearing reporter huddled in the corner, well, that's us. We recommend you do not approach.
Comments (9)
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How typical of Georgia! No matter how dire the state's finances, there always seems to be a few extra billion dollars or so lying around to fund every crazy boondoggle of a scheme that involves building more roads and/or widening interstates. The cycle has been in place for decades: divert a steady stream of state tax dollars to Georgia's roadbuilder moguls, and they'll funnel it right back into the re-election campaign coffers of our state's reigning dunderheads. Atlanta needs no more roads. Not over, not under, not through. We need to expand rail transit to connect more places within Atlanta, so that more of us (myself included) can leave our cars at home, thereby freeing up capacity on the interstates as well as surface streets. In city after city all around the world, the concept of a multi-modal transit system works well for its citizens. Charlotte, Denver, Houston, the state of Florida-- all are actively investing in rail transit. They get the picture, so why not Georgia?
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Well said, Skeptic. But I think I've finally figured this out. Let me explain: You see, any alternative transportation opportunities that are created in Atlanta - be it pedestrian, bicycle or mass transit - makes Atlanta a better place to live. And if Atlanta becomes a better place to live, people might want to move here. And let's face it, a good number of those people might vote Democratic. However, if they continue to simply pave over (or under, as the case may be) the entire city, this will continue to be a generally crappy place to live. Meanwhile, Republican minded folks who generally don't give a damn about cities can continue populating the 'burbs. So beyond the obvious quid pro quo with the road builders, it's also about maintaining Georgia's status as a backwards red state. They're trying to keep us barefoot and pregnant.
It didn't prevent approx 4 million people from coming here over the last 25 years and nearly a million over the last six. You see our advantage is good weather and a less screwed up place than northern alternatives.
No, but don't you see? The population in Atlanta has only recently surpassed the levels of the 60's and 70's. That growth is a result of a larger, nationwide trend towards urban repopulation; a trend in which Atlanta has lagged behind other major cities. When you say "here", you're talking about areas outside of Atlanta (Cobb, Gwinnett, etc). Those areas have indeed seen a major increase in population in the previous decades. And the population of those areas is resoundingly Republican. Which is precisely my point. Keep paving us over (and under) and the kind of people who value quality cities will continue to choose to live elsewhere. And honestly, that's a pretty smart job security plan for the politicians here.
I guess by good weather you mean how it almost never is cold in north Georgia for any length of time, other than right now. Or how we hardly ever have 500-year floods, except last September. And not many people alive can remember droughts of historic proportions, unless you lived in Georgia two years ago. But other than that, not bad. And also? Tornadoes.
Luckily, "big ticket" projects like this are considered low priority on the new STIP and probably have to be privately funded. http://www.it3.ga.gov/Pages/SB200.aspx
By the way, why can't there be a private investment to tunnel under the existing connector instead, inside the bedrock?
A few words: road congestion needs relief, meaning new roads. Double deck the connector with a toll road, it is a far better, more useful, and cheaper alternative than a 10 mile tunnel. (Hopefully new mass transit can be built also, but we need new roads)
I agree with all of the anti-expressway and pro-transit sentiment here. But, when reading things like this and the comments, I always feel compelled to say this: Don't forget about buses. You don't need a train to go carless. Not near MARTA rail? You're probably near a MARTA bus route, or another system's. I've lived in this city for 7 years, carless, and use the buses all the time. Don't stop advocating for future major investments like rail lines, but go ahead and show true support by riding what you've got - including the buses.
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