bman
New Albany
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columbusmike
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Walker said:
ODOT Seeks Feedback on Downtown Bridge and Street Designs
By: Walker
The Ohio Department of Transportation held a public meeting on January 19th to solicit feedback on the designs for Phases 2 and 3 of of the Downtown highway split fix. While the build out of these phases was recently pushed back due to funding, the design work is still being completed, and feed back is due by Monday, February 6th. You can submit your feedback directly via mail to info@odot7071.org.
READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/odot-seeks-feedback-on-downtown-bridge-and-street-designs
Wow...the ODOT design department has really hit the crapper, hasn't it?
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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columbusmike said:
Wow...the ODOT design department has really hit the crapper, hasn't it?
I know that they originally hired MSI for some of the original planning work. Not sure if they're still working on this portion of the project or not. And if they are, I imagine they're being instructed by their client to strip it down to the basics, rather than do anything creative.
jbcmh81
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Since it's all been pushed back 15-20 years, why hold design meetings now? That seems strange to me, as 20 years from now, needs and desires will most likely be different than they are now anyway, so they'll probably see more redesign in the future. Also, if this is the best ODOT can come up with, I'd much rather just not see any of it happen. This doesn't help the city, doesn't help reconnect neighborhoods. ODOT's finances are clearly showing up in the designs, and at this point I'd rather them use the money elsewhere on replacing bridges or something. This has too much of a large impact on Downtown to see it done half-assed.
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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jbcmh81 said:
Since it's all been pushed back 15-20 years, why hold design meetings now?
I think the design portion was already paid for.
Also, if ODOT's budget situation changes between now and 2024 (new leadership, new gas tax at federal or state level, etc), then we're likely to see the construction bumped sooner.
jbcmh81
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Walker said:
I think the design portion was already paid for.Also, if ODOT's budget situation changes between now and 2024 (new leadership, new gas tax at federal or state level, etc), then we're likely to see the construction bumped sooner.
That's a big if. And that doesn't really mean that the project won't get stripped down even further with future leadership. ODOT has made it clear that it has no interest in helping cities beyond the very basic of highway needs.
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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jbcmh81 said:
ODOT has made it clear that it has no interest in helping cities beyond the very basic of highway needs.
Well, the current ODOT chief has made that clear. The last head of ODOT was very different. The next one will be different too.
I think the Split Fix project has seen administration changes at least four times since it was first started. There's really no telling what the status might be in two more years or five more years or ten more years.
columbusmike
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jbcmh81 said:
That's a big if. And that doesn't really mean that the project won't get stripped down even further with future leadership. ODOT has made it clear that it has no interest in helping cities beyond the very basic of highway needs.
ODOT has one goal...move more traffic, safely. They aren't really concerned with aesthetics, social issues, neighborhood issues, etc. I guess I can't really say I blame anyone at ODOT, I blame our silo'ed government organizations.
jbcmh81
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columbusmike said:
ODOT has one goal...move more traffic, safely. They aren't really concerned with aesthetics, social issues, neighborhood issues, etc. I guess I can't really say I blame anyone at ODOT, I blame our silo'ed government organizations.
That's the problem, though. I would think that at least part of ODOT's budget issues is because it doesn't bother to look beyond issues like how many blank lanes can fit in a downtown highway canyon. Roads don't make money, yet they push for projects like the 36/37 interchange.
CbusIslander
Cbus Islander
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Walker said:
I think the design portion was already paid for.Also, if ODOT's budget situation changes between now and 2024 (new leadership, new gas tax at federal or state level, etc), then we're likely to see the construction bumped sooner.
I think the project will be moved up in the next administration one thing Kasich has done the most is pass the costs to someone else in this case the next governor. Its one thing to cut projects in regions that are stagnate or losing population its another in growing metros. I am hoping that the next administration will see these cuts as wrong and restore order. Unfortunately we still have to wait a few more years for that to happen.
columbusmike
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CbusIslander said:
I think the project will be moved up in the next administration one thing Kasich has done the most is pass the costs to someone else in this case the next governor. Its one thing to cut projects in regions that are stagnate or losing population its another in growing metros. I am hoping that the next administration will see these cuts as wrong and restore order. Unfortunately we still have to wait a few more years for that to happen.
Honestly, I think stopping work is exactly what this state needs. The discussion on NPR's All Sides yesterday had two gentleman talking about the split project. They both identified that the $1.6 billion dollar "split fix" is basically being done for literally 20 minutes each day that the roadway becomes congested! The two on the show said they could take $.6 of that billion and put it towards other transportation methods (light rail, bike paths, busing, etc) and save the state $1 billion dollars. That sort of creative thinking is what Ohio needs.
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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columbusmike said:
They both identified that the $1.6 billion dollar "split fix" is basically being done for literally 20 minutes each day that the roadway becomes congested!
It's probably more like an hour in the morning and hour in the evening during weekday commutes when the highways exceeds capacity.
Even then, that's 10 hours per week, out of 168 hours, or roughly 6% of the time.
columbusmike
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Walker said:
It's probably more like an hour in the morning and hour in the evening during weekday commutes when the highways exceeds capacity.Even then, that's 10 hours per week, out of 168 hours, or roughly 6% of the time.
I agree, when they stated that it was 20 minutes I thought they were a little off base, nevertheless, even 2 hours during the weekdays is a pretty small amount of time when the road is deemed past it's "design capacity". Even just a small amount of that $1.6 billion could go a long way in providing some other form of transportation to reduce traffic during peak hours on the split. I liked the discussion the representative from ODOT and MORPC were having about mixed-mode transportation in Ohio.
jbcmh81
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columbusmike said:
I agree, when they stated that it was 20 minutes I thought they were a little off base, nevertheless, even 2 hours during the weekdays is a pretty small amount of time when the road is deemed past it's "design capacity". Even just a small amount of that $1.6 billion could go a long way in providing some other form of transportation to reduce traffic during peak hours on the split. I liked the discussion the representative from ODOT and MORPC were having about mixed-mode transportation in Ohio.
Jerry Wray would never allow mixed-mode transportation. At best, Ohio is going to have to wait for the next administration and hope that they're more friendly to alternatives than the current or previous administrations have been. How likely is that?
GCrites80s
5xNW
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columbusmike said:
Honestly, I think stopping work is exactly what this state needs. The discussion on NPR's All Sides yesterday had two gentleman talking about the split project. They both identified that the $1.6 billion dollar "split fix" is basically being done for literally 20 minutes each day that the roadway becomes congested! The two on the show said they could take $.6 of that billion and put it towards other transportation methods (light rail, bike paths, busing, etc) and save the state $1 billion dollars. That sort of creative thinking is what Ohio needs.
Ohio has a history of being poor at recognizing differentiations between peak and off-peak traffic needs as compared to other states.
futureman
Grandview Heights
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Bridge’s wall to link with vibrant past
By Robert Vitale
The Columbus Dispatch, Tuesday February 21, 2012 4:01 AM
In the spot where bulldozers once split a neighborhood in two, state officials hope a nod to the past will help heal some old wounds.
A new bridge over Long Street, planned as part of the $200 million reconstruction of the I-71/670 interchange, will include an 8-foot-tall, 240-foot-long tribute to the history and culture of the Near East Side.
The heart of the black community in Columbus’ segregated past, the area now designated as the King-Lincoln District was known far and wide for its theaters and nightclubs. The neighborhood also was home to churches, businesses and about 68,000 residents.
READ MORE: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/02/21/bridges-wall-to-link-with-vibrant-past.html
Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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Columbus City Officials Respond to Interstate 71 Design Concerns
By: Walker
Last month, the Ohio Department of Transportation solicited public feedback on their designs for future phases of the Interstate 70/71 “Split Fix” project in Downtown Columbus. We shared the latest renderings, made comparisons to previous renderings and asked Columbus Underground readers for their impressions of the designs. Largely, the responses where those of disappointment, citing a lack of green aesthetics to balance the cement hardscape and a lack of neighborhood connectivity on secondary streets.
As a follow up, we reached out to public officials with The City of Columbus to see how they felt about the designs, and to see if they shared any of the same sentiment as the general public.
READ MORE: http://www.columbusunderground.com/columbus-city-officials-respond-to-interstate-71-design-concerns
Mercurius
First Avenue
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Walker
The KLD / Downtown / Gay Street
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Construction photos of 670... from here: http://www.columbusunderground.com/construction-roundup-march-2012
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