Archive: Category : Bad Idea

  1. The Ohio River Bridges Project April 10th

    by:Drew

    Louisville, KY wants to be known for more than horse racing, tobacco, and baseball bats. A low-cost of living along with “big city” amenities has long attracted new residents, but like many cities of its size, Louisville is now marketing itself to the lucrative, yet elusive, creative class. A previously dormant downtown has surged back to life, partly from civic efforts, but more significantly by citizens eager to restore Louisville’s unique character and identity. However, on the banks of the Ohio River, a debate is swirling over a major plan to overhaul the interstate system in the city; a plan that may undermine downtown’s recent revitalization.

    The Big Small City or the Small Big City
    In 2003, Louisville and Jefferson County merged, boosting the population to nearly a million people. Overnight, Louisville became the self-proclaimed 16th largest city in the nation (more realistic numbers drop the rank to 26 - but definitely the largest 26th largest city in the USA). In contrast to Louisville’s formative years when the majority of people lived downtown, today’s population has dispersed into suburbia - thinning the population density and knighting the car as the primary means of transportation.

    All though the majority of Louisville’s citizens live miles from the city’s center, Downtown remains the hub of business and commerce. By New York, Atlanta, or Chicago standards, the daily commute from Louisville’s suburbs is painless. The crux of the problem, the cause of headaches for drivers and jobs for helicopter traffic reporters, is the flow of traffic between Downtown Louisville and Southern Indiana.

    The Current Plan
    On the banks of the Ohio, the aptly named Spaghetti Junction (hint: there was no Mayor Spaghetti) serves as the converging and redirection point of three major interstates: I-65, I-64, and I-71. Commuters to and from Southern Indiana have two options of bypassing the junction, I-64 from the west, or a street-level bridge parallel to the Kennedy bridge (which carries I-65). Backups, delays, and accidents are the norm every weekday during rush hour.

    The Ohio River Bridges Project is a solution thirty years in the making to alleviate this congestion. As its website states: “The Ohio River Bridges Project addresses the long-term cross-river transportation needs in the Louisville-Southern Indiana region.” The four billion dollar plan calls for two new bridges - one downtown and one in Louisville’s east end - and a significant expansion of Spaghetti Junction. Construction is slated to begin in 2008 and completion is expected by 2020. The current solution has been researched, studied, discussed, and planned at length by very smart and capable people. However, the fault in the foundation of this plan surrounds one generally accepted premise - in 2020, not only will the car remain the primary means of transportation, there will be more of them.

    Currently, Louisville area gas prices are hovering around $2.75 a gallon, and the rates are sure to raise steadily as the busy summer season approaches. With the limited global supply of oil situated in a politically volatile region and the growing concerns over the negative impact of the automobile on the climate - a long-term solution based on an increase in the use of cars for transportation is short-sighted. Research on alternative fuels is gaining momentum, but the immediate cost of filling up a car - with no relief in sight - has compelled Louisvillians to find new ways to move about the city. However, in a city spread thin by suburban flight with a modest public transportation system, simply buying a bike is an unrealistic solution.

    Downtown’s Rebirth
    Apart from the bustle of the workday, suburban sprawl left downtown Louisville gutted and quiet. While not completely abandoned, the amount of viable entertainment options and events in the center of the city dwindled - especially when compared to cities like Chicago and New York. Recently, a growing distaste with massive exurbian complexes, the expense of commuting, and a desire to be nearer the heart of the city, has spurred a spirited rebirth of Louisville’s Downtown. Residents, investors, developers, and restaurateurs, among others, are re-investing in the buildings and streets unique to Louisville - both an act of dissent to the sameness of suburbia and of financial necessity.

    In the past decade, the following developments and movements have began to reclaim and celebrate Louisville’s origins:

    Proposed Museum Plaza BuildingMuseum Plaza

    • Waterfront Park - an ambitious park system, redeveloping miles of Louisville’s waterfront
    • Fourth Street Live - a new entertainment district in the heart of downtown
    • East Market Street - a burgeoning art district with new galleries, cafes, and residences popping up monthly
    • Museum Plaza - A proposed 62-story multi-use skyscraper, scheduled for completion in 2010. Designed by architect Joshua Prince-Ramus (who gave an excellent overview of the project at the annual TED conference in 2006), the project adds upscale lofts, a contemporary art museum, a hotel, and Class-A office space to Louisville’s downtown economy.
    • Louisville Waterfront Arena - a major sports arena scheduled for completion in 2010.
    • The Iron Quarter - a newly unveiled plan to redevelop the area around the arena site.
    • 21c Museum Hotel - A luxurious 91-room hotel and contemporary art museum developed by Steve Wilson and Laura Lee Brown (who also are behind the Museum Plaza project).

    A 30 Year-Old Solution to a 30 Year-Old Problem
    The creativity and ambitiousness of these developments stands in stark contrast to the cumbersome plan proposed by the Ohio River Bridges Project. The expansion of the Spaghetti Junction will create a ceiling of concrete, spanning 100 feet over the Great Lawn at Waterfront park, as well as cover 90% of the Louisville Extreme Park. To the east, lane and ramp expansions along I-64 will impact the history-rich neighborhoods of Butchertown and Phoenix Hill. I-64 downtown will continue to butt up against the Muhammad Ali Center and the proposed Museum Plaza, as well as separate Louisville from the waterfront. More lanes, more bridges, and more cars will bring more traffic and pollution to downtown.

    Surely, the mayors and officials on both sides of the river approached this problem with good intentions for Louisville’s future - they certainly mean well. However, being submerged in projects of this magnitude - the meetings, budgets, and planning - can blind and distort the perception of what’s best for a dynamic and changing city. Unfortunately, the easiest conceptual solution - throw “more” at a problem - was implemented. More roads, more cement, more bridges, which will result in more cars, more pollution, more sprawl, and more complicated and expensive execution.

    A Reasonable Alternative
    Thankfully, a local non-profit organization, 8664, offers a “less-is-more” solution and has become the nexus of opposition to the Ohio River Bridges Project. Founded by Tyler Allen, the group proposes re-aligning I-64 through southern Indiana to the proposed East End bridge, removing I-64 from the waterfront, and simplifying Spaghetti Junction. To date, 8664’s alternative plan has been dismissed by government officials, citing the plan as implausible, despite any findings or studies to support the claim.

    8664 based their plans on similar and successful reconstruction efforts from cities like San Francisco and Portland, findings from the Brookings Institute (a think-tank), and a general understanding of Louisville and its history. Their resulting proposal is admirable in its reason and sophistication, considering the organization began as a self-funded grassroots effort. Most importantly, this plan, coupled with a significant mass transit system, addresses the original goals of the Ohio River Bridges Project, without assuming predominately vehicular traffic. For such a massive project, costing billions of dollars, with over a decade of planned construction, and resulting in a major shift in the dynamics of downtown Louisville - the local government’s refusal to give weight and research time to 8664’s plan threatens to undermine the public trust and stunt downtown Louisville’s rebirth.

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