City Freeway Teardowns: More on Their Way?

[NE2]

Trucks can and will make deliveries during non-rush hours.

[Brandon]

I'm black too and I didn't just say that about those neighborhoods to start up something. I was just telling it like it is.

For the record, I-10 didn't destroy Treme. The city destroyed parts of it with the 60s urban renewal projects....in the area of Louis Armstrong Park. The neighborhood itself - bordered by St. Louis Street, North Broad, Esplinade Avenue and North Rampart Street - aren't doing badly. Heck, many whites have moved into Treme below I-10.

It's also worth mentioning that the Iberville Projects are on both sides of I-10 just off Orleans Avenue.

Plus, freeways are in other areas and obviously have not destroyed the neighborhoods.

[Brandon]

Trucks can and will make deliveries during non-rush hours.

So you like the sound of Jake brakes, heavy diesel engines, and heavy trailers at 2 am?

It's not just rush hour when they use these roads for deliveries.  Many of them do make the trip at off-peak time, but safely using freeways instead of surface roads.

[kphoger]

Trucks can and will make deliveries during non-rush hours.

I believe Branson had/has such a restriction.  I'm not exactly sure of the details, but my wife (who grew up there) has told me that trucks are supposed to make their deliveries overnight.  Thinking back, I've hardly ever seen an 18-wheeler during the day anywhere in Branson.

[Stephane Dumas]

I dust-off the subject by mentionning then I spotted that article
http://americancity.org/daily/entry/urban-freeways-ready-to-go via the Skyscraperpage forum
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/forumdisplay.php?f=25

One blogger wondered if some freeway removals could be the answer to Detroit's problems? http://beyondtheculdesac.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/is-freeway-demolition-the-answer-to-detroits-problems/

[vdeane]

Why would removing a freeway be a solution if the freeway didn't cause the problem in the first place?  Detroit's problem isn't freeways... it's that the American auto industry is dead.

[cpzilliacus]

Why would removing a freeway be a solution if the freeway didn't cause the problem in the first place?  Detroit's problem isn't freeways... it's that the American auto industry is dead.

It's not dead (there's clearly plenty of demand).  But to a large extent, the legacy auto manufacturers have lost the ability to build something that North American drivers want to purchase.

[Zmapper]

Why would removing a freeway be a solution if the freeway didn't cause the problem in the first place?  Detroit's problem isn't freeways... it's that the American unionized auto industry is dead.

Fixed it for ya.

The American auto industry is still thriving, but in other states.

[Brandon]

Why would removing a freeway be a solution if the freeway didn't cause the problem in the first place?  Detroit's problem isn't freeways... it's that the American unionized auto industry is dead.

Fixed it for ya.

The American auto industry is still thriving, but in other states.

Actually, it is still thriving in Detroit.  It's been more and more automated, requiring fewer workers.  The problems in Detroit transcend the auto industry, and are a part of the local and regional governments.

[ARMOURERERIC]

Why would removing a freeway be a solution if the freeway didn't cause the problem in the first place?  Detroit's problem isn't freeways... it's that the American auto industry is dead.

It's not dead (there's clearly plenty of demand).  But to a large extent, the legacy auto manufacturers have lost the ability to build something that North American drivers want to purchase.

The American Auto industry is largely prohibited from building cars Americans want to buy.

Everytime I go into any dealership and ask for a rear wheel drive V-8, it just goes quickly downhill from there.

[mgk920]

I agree that the problems facing Detroit (City of) are mainly created by governments at all levels, especially the sheer incompetence of both the city and state governments.  As for the 'legacy' auto industry, a lot of federal government meddling has royally screwed it up (especially 'CAFE' rules), in addition to incompetent management from a few decades ago.

Anyways, I don't see a need nor purpose to removing any freeways from Detroit - IMHO, they might even do well in filling in a couple of the remaining gaps in their network.

Mike

[NE2]

Any city with less than half the land area covered by freeways is doing something wrong.

[Brandon]

Why would removing a freeway be a solution if the freeway didn't cause the problem in the first place?  Detroit's problem isn't freeways... it's that the American auto industry is dead.

It's not dead (there's clearly plenty of demand).  But to a large extent, the legacy auto manufacturers have lost the ability to build something that North American drivers want to purchase.

The American Auto industry is largely prohibited from building cars Americans want to buy.

Everytime I go into any dealership and ask for a rear wheel drive V-8, it just goes quickly downhill from there.

Ever been to a Chrysler (300) or Dodge (Charger, Challenger) dealer?  They are RWD and V-8.

[cpzilliacus]

Why would removing a freeway be a solution if the freeway didn't cause the problem in the first place?  Detroit's problem isn't freeways... it's that the American unionized auto industry is dead.

Fixed it for ya.

The American auto industry is still thriving, but in other states.

The transportation industry that is dead is the unionized urban mass transit industry, in spite of billions upon billions upon billions of dollars of capital and operating subsidies - and most of those dollars are diverted from highway users (in the form of motor fuel tax revenues and tolls).

[Roadsguy]

Though things like the old 480 expressway were good, reasonable candidates for removal, ripping out huge through-routes like I-95 in Philly is just plain stupid!

[vdeane]

Why would removing a freeway be a solution if the freeway didn't cause the problem in the first place?  Detroit's problem isn't freeways... it's that the American unionized auto industry is dead.

Fixed it for ya.

The American auto industry is still thriving, but in other states.

And those plants in other state that you're talking about are for Japanese companies like Honda.  Ford/GM/Chrysler have some brand problems relating to the fact that they don't produce cars that Americans actually want like Honda/Toyota/etc. do.

[flowmotion]

Any city with less than half the land area covered by freeways is doing something wrong.

I was promised buildings on top of freeways, and freeways on top of buildings.

[Perfxion]

I-95 does have a building on top of it in NYC. Does that count?

As for the greater topic at hand, hard to come up with any logical spots where removing a freeway will help with anything except aftermarket/shop sales of t-stats, radiators, and batteries from cars overheating from being in stand-still gridlock traffic.

[cpzilliacus]

Reviving this old thread instead of starting a new one to share this.

Highways destroyed Black neighborhoods like mine. Can we undo the damage now? Tremé was a place of massive oaks, thriving shops and joyous community. The Claiborne Expressway erased all that.

A favorite errand of mine when I was a child was to go to Joe Dave's meat market. Joe Dave had one hand full of fingers. The other was full of nubs. He'd lost his fingers to either a cleaver or a bone saw, I've forgotten which one. I just remember thinking that whatever he did must have hurt. I would sit at his long butcher-block counter and watch intently as he steadied the meat with his nubby hand and sliced very carefully with the other. The only thing I didn't like about Joe Dave's was the stench of raw meat. I can still smell that smell every time I think of his market. It was a small price to pay to watch a master at work, warmed by the sunlight pouring through his North Claiborne Avenue storefront.

There were many masters on North Claiborne, and Black New Orleanians were the beneficiaries of their talents. There were doctors, lawyers, retailers, insurance agents, teachers, musicians, restaurateurs and other small-business owners. The avenue stretched across the Tremé and 7th Ward neighborhoods, and in the Jim Crow era, it served as the social and financial center of the Black community.