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YouTubeCity Center Mall has 3 Floors of underground parking that could be moved to accmidate a underground light rail subway simerlar to Tower City. What a lot of people dont relize is that Downtown Columbus was actauly raised after a flood in the early 1900s and that Downtown is riddled with underground tunnels. Unless somebody does a last minute repreive in the courts we will lose City Center and begin the downward spiral that has hit every other downtown in Ohio. Retail should be at the hub of any transit system to keep the trains full all day long.
Columbus Underground Messageboard » General Columbus Discussion » Transit
City Center Mall could be hub of Light Rail and Subway System
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raytylicki
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Posted 3 years ago # -
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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By retail you mean the 8 retailers that were left in city center?
And by tunnels, I am assuming you mean the ones connecting the Statehouse to the Rhoads, Riffe and Huntington? Those are the only ones I am aware of.
Given that the Town Street bridge is coming down, when the city center demo opens up Town St. again, we could always utilize Town between 3rd and High as a pedestrian/bike/transit only pavilion.
Posted 3 years ago # -
tt342998
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I also think a revamped city center space in addition to the RiverSouth developments could be served well by a light rail station. However, I think tunneling in this area would be cost prohibitive given how near the area is to the river. What about creating a transit mall a laPortland.
Posted 3 years ago # -
pez
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Columbus being 'raised' after the floods of 1898 and 1913 would refer more to the levees and railroad embankments (mostly on the west side of the river). What we would consider downtown (Broad and High) area would be mostly the same elevation now as prior to either flood, the Statehouse (1857), Southern Theatre (1896) and Wyandotte Building (1898) are all examples.
The east side of the river generally sits high enough to avoid floods, although between the railroad, steam and service tunnels, subterranean flooding would certainly be a possibility. Being home to the state penitentiary afforded Columbus a lot of free labor for the very manual digging required.Posted 3 years ago # -
lifeontwowheels
Highland West
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IIRC, most of the documents from the early 1800's during the search for a new state capital refer to the high bank across from Franklinton.
Posted 3 years ago # -
UrbanApplachian
Central Franklinton
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Although the mall structure was nothing special, I wish they would not tear it down. The walkway could have been saved also. There has to be a better reuse option than to just tear it down. I wish the city would just sit on it and invite proposals that taxpayers could vote on.
Posted 3 years ago # -
misskitty
Columbus
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That walk-way was the ugliest and most constricting thing I have ever seen. It looks a million times better on High St. without it. Sure it’s a waste to get rid of the entire mall but it’s also a big blah I really think that the future plans will bring a lot more to Downtown.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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downtown was "raised" by moving what was considered "downtown" up the hill to where it is now leaving Franklinton behind on the flood plain.
Trust me, there is no massive series of underground tunnels under the city, except for the sewers, which are pretty big in places and some "steam" and utility conduits. The unconsolidated glacial material covering area down to about 100 feet really isn't very good for a lot of tunneling.
Posted 3 years ago # -
CDS sherman
East Franklinton
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i believe there are "tunnels" under portions of high st that are now just large "rooms", when i was kid my father was buying some old house parts at a building that was located on high st between town and rich. the year was maybe 1983 or 84. in the basement they had busted through the wall located in the front of the building. it led to a large room that was underneath high st. we were told that it used to belong to a tunnel system that had been broken up and mostly abandoned over the years. also if anyone remembers in the late 80's a Mercedes benz had fallen when a portion of front st or high st had collapsed about 12 feet into the ground. if memory serves me right it was one of these abandoned unfilled sections of this "tunnel". again all of this is sorta vague but i did stand under high st when i was 5! that i do remember. my father brought it up years ago and remembered going into the long narrow space under the st.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Cookie
Flyntonville
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CDS sherman wrote >>
also if anyone remembers in the late 80's a Mercedes benz had fallen when a portion of front st or high st had collapsed about 12 feet into the ground. if memory serves me right it was one of these abandoned unfilled sections of this "tunnel".I do remember, and it was a sewer line.
Posted 3 years ago # -
CDS sherman
East Franklinton
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look at you all quick with the google and all. that would have been a hell of a ride.....
Posted 3 years ago # -
CDS sherman
East Franklinton
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well good for you..... i spent the summer of 1986 at tuttle pool.
Posted 3 years ago # -
UncommonSense
Hilliard
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Columbus is not getting a subway. What we need is support to coalesce around the most feasible plans (ie. light rail, 3-C, streetcars), so the anti-transit crowd's complaints don't sound reasonable anymore. If supporters keep flailing around, moving from one far-fetched scheme to the next, we lose any credibility. Politicians then have no cover for taking the bold leap necessary to get started. Let's focus on what's on the table and refrain from confusing the issue. There are enough good proposals out there to work toward without adding wishful thinking and whimsy. Just my $.02.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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I remember "The Sinkhole"
Yes. That was a big 100 year old sewer line that collapsed. It prompted the city to finally start reinforcing the old sewers.
Posted 3 years ago # -
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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UrbanApplachian wrote >>
I wish the city would just sit on it and invite proposals that taxpayers could vote on.You really think the majority of the voting public knows best what to do with something like this? ;)
Anyway, it sounds like a lot of different proposals were entertained, and none of them were feasible:
http://www.columbusunderground.com/guy-worley-answers-your-city-center-questions
Posted 3 years ago #
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