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XING Columbus wrote
Main St. Bridge Update
June 2, 2008 by Eric
With the recent delivery of a couple arch pieces and a second crane for the Main St. Bridge, it appears that things will start getting interesting in the next week or two.
I’m guessing that the cranes will work in concert, with one supporting the bolted on arch pieces, while the other grabs the next section. The first piece should bolt up with the concrete pedestal on the left half of the picture. Those two steel supports on the right half (one is obscured by the crane) will likely just support the arch until the tension is added.
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Fixed that for ya. ;)
I was thinking more realistically, through we can always dream! :D
Mike Thompson noted that discussion on a “local blog site” was talking about streetcar funding and the Main street bridge construction. He noted that someone mentioned (maybe in the street car thread actually) that the main street bridge construction is almost fully 1/2 the entire proposed streetcar funding and may end up servicing fewer people.
It may have been the street car thread, now that I think about it. I was just waking up when I posted the first time. Pre-coffee.
That water does look disgusting. The bridge doesn’t look so hot in this photo either. What is the finished product supposed to look like?
I wonder if Metzger put that through an HDR filter or something. The colors on the buildings look incredibly flat, almost like a drawing, and that may have made the water look a little more tawny.
they just completed the arch about 5 minutes ago.
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/07/15/bridge15.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101
From WOSU: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wosu/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1318935§ionID=1
The expensive Main Street Bridge is another one of the mayor’s pet projects just like the streetcars. Give credit where credit is due.
THANK YOU MR. MAYOR!!!!!!!!
I like it, A LOT!!!!!!
the river area is really shaping up!
Ok. You really show your ignorance on this one
please look up the history of this project and get back to us when you have the correct answer on who started this project and when.
I don’t really know either, I just love bridges!!!! I don’t care who is building it, I think it’s great!
I understand people’s gripes, and believe me I’m on the same page for most; but I actually like this bridge and the idea of it. I’m excited to see how the walking portion turns out.
exactly, it’s nice to have aesthetically pleasing architecture to look at while at work or just transversing the city. More please!!
I don’t really know either, I just love bridges!!!! I don’t care who is building it, I think it’s great!
It is indeed an attractive bridge. It’s built to last too. The materials used are fantastic. It should easily achieve its 100 year lifespan.
Anyway, some people forget that this bridge replacement is happening because the old bridge failed inspection and was shut down by ODOT, not because people just didn’t LIKE the old bridge.
I think this was Plan B…
http://flickr.com/search/?ss=2&ct=6&w=all&q=minneapolis+bridge+collapse+I-35&m=text
Now there’s an ugly bridge.
+1
Only recently have people stopped complaining about spending money on the Short North arches, but they’ve helped contribute to dozens of travel articles in national magazines and newspapers. Every photo of the Short North features the aesthetics of the arches in these stories. They may not been a traditional tourist trap, but they’ve definitely become quite a landmark for the area and helped to pull in visitors to the city.
Spending money on aesthetics is often just as important as spending money on the utility of the infrastructure.
Spending money on aesthetics is often just as important as spending money on the utility of the infrastructure.
+2
It’s funny you site the arches as an example of this. They don’t really serve any utility at all, but they sure have attracted attention!
I have always preferred structures that serve a purpose, and I was one of the ones who thought the arches were a rather dumb idea. They’ve really grown on me though, now that the lights work. I have grown to enjoy them. Somehow they really tie the area together.
Growing up in the 70s and 80s we were surrounded by the idea that buildings had to be boxy and bland, and in many cases entirely without windows. There was, I suppose, a simple elegance to these structures, but the overall effect was frankly depressing. The state office tower is a fine example. It is lovely in its way, but not something anyone wants to point to and say “that is OUR state office tower”. Purely function.
These bland buildings are everywhere there, but they were not something you payed attention to, felt any pride in, or felt any sense of community ownership. It seemed to encourage a certain kind of apathy about your surroundings that seemed to transfer to other aspects of thought.
I have come to think that people NEED beauty in their surroundings, not just enjoy it, but actually need it as a requirement to well being.
I am babbling. Sorry.
Agreed. It seems that of all the large buildings downtown, the Leveque Tower is the most beloved. It’s also the most detailed and decorated.
I don’t think I’ve ever given or been on a tour of the city where someone pointed out the state office tower. Capital Building, City Hall, Main Library…sure. Even if the building wasn’t so oppressive (I kind of like it), I probably still wouldn’t point it out.
If you want to see opressive, check out the Model Neighborhood Facility on East Broad. It has a solid brick clad box on the front, the rest of the building is a glass box. That windowless brick box is full of office cubicles. I went on a tour of that building and almost killed myself after a minute and half in that room. And some people spend their whole day in there.
There is a huge difference between the Short North arches and the Main St bridge. Without the arches, you have plenty of reasons to visit the Short North. The arches are just a nice bonus. Take away the Main St bridge and what reason would you have to be over there? None really.