Halifax: Expressway To Nowhere

[ghYHZ]

In the late 1960's the Scotia Square urban renewal project was completed and with it, the Cogswell Street Interchange. About 2000 ft of 4 lane highway was constructed which was eventually to be part of a Harbourfront Expressway linking the Mackay Bridge to the south end of the city. A lot of old buildings dating back to the early 1800's and Halifax's seafaring traditions would have been demolished.......but saner heads prevailed. Those old buildings are now restaurants, pubs and shops and a boardwalk links the old piers extending from the cruise-ship terminal to the naval dockyard.

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=&ie=UTF8&ll=44.65162,-63.576121&spn=0.003053,0.010525&t=h&z=17

The interchange is going to require extensive work over the next few years and there are plans to demolish it and return all roads to at grade intersections. So gone will be the wall that effectively divides a portion of the downtown from the restored harbourfront.




I shouldn't say an Expressway to nowhere as this short section does work well feeding traffic onto Hollis Street (one-way southbound) and collecting it northbound from Lower Water Street. The majority of downtown parking garages and lots are in this area.

Here's a narrow single-lane Lower Water Street......but walk around the corner and it's four lanes.      

[ghYHZ]

2013 Up-date:

It looks like the city will now begin the planning process to determine the best approach for demolishion of the Cogswell Interchange and redevelopment of the area:

Interesting Site Here: "The Road To Nowhere"

http://www.cbc.ca/ns/features/cogswell-interchange/?section=intro

[seicer]

What an ugly freeway!

[webfil]

What an ugly freeway!

Well that made me laugh out loud. I'm interested in knowing your objective beauty criterias for a freeway.

[ghYHZ]

What an ugly freeway!

......and that was the problem. Other than the 2000 or so feet constructed through an interchange, construction was haulted and it now links to the original streets. 

[Dougtone]

Oh, why did I miss this when I was in Halifax last year?  I will say that while I don't always condone the demolition of expressways and freeways, this would be a good candidate.

In any respect, good work presenting the Maritimes as usual.

[seicer]

What an ugly freeway!

Well that made me laugh out loud. I'm interested in knowing your objective beauty criterias for a freeway.

Some:
1. Needless barriers for pedestrians and an inner-connected environment. Comparing the old street grid to what was built, a lot of connections - narrow streets, pedestrian throughfares and so forth were eliminated or greatly consolidated as to segregate the land uses into purely commercial and riverfront. It was an old and outdated manner of planning and did not take into consideration the new form-based 'zoning' codes that are now prevalent in many larger cities in Canada and in the United States.
2. It's a concrete wall. It's ugly. There really isn't a way of hiding just how barren and stark this is:

3. I'm generally opposed to freeways within dense, urban environments. But that's my take.

[webfil]

What an ugly freeway!

Well that made me laugh out loud. I'm interested in knowing your objective beauty criterias for a freeway.

Some:
1. Needless barriers for pedestrians and an inner-connected environment. Comparing the old street grid to what was built, a lot of connections - narrow streets, pedestrian throughfares and so forth were eliminated or greatly consolidated as to segregate the land uses into purely commercial and riverfront. It was an old and outdated manner of planning and did not take into consideration the new form-based 'zoning' codes that are now prevalent in many larger cities in Canada and in the United States.
2. It's a concrete wall. It's ugly. There really isn't a way of hiding just how barren and stark this is:
3. I'm generally opposed to freeways within dense, urban environments. But that's my take.

Having some interest in urban planning myself, I do agree with these considerations. In my opinion, riverfronts are made for people more than for highways.