I agree with the Spaghetti junction changes. But not the east end bridge changes. I believe that I-265 will be well used and in Jefferson County already should be six laned.
http://www.fox41.com/story/13781973/top-leaders-want-to-cut
Do they realize how expensive it would be to add lanes to the East End Bridge at a later date? No because our sitting governor is a buffoon.
I still say there is no need to build a new downtown bridge at all; building the East End Bridge and then prohibiting through trucks inside the Watterson will help a great deal.
It sounds great to save money up front by not six laning the east end. In reality world in which we road geeks live in. It's stupid on stupid. Don't become a St. Louis I-70 fiasco Kentucky and Indiana.
This sounds like another application of what they are calling "practical design," which translated into plain English means, "underbuilding roads now to save a few dollars and thus dramatically increasing the eventual total cost when upgrades are necessary to convert the road into what it should have been built as in the first place."
Pratical design started with Pete Rahn in Missouri. I lived in Missouri and experienced it with chip seal on Interstate shoulders, pavement crumbling six months after being laid (I-29 around KCI, I-435 around KCI). He said he wanted Chevy road projects instead of Caddilacs. What Missouri got was FIAT's and now has millions spent and roads still needing help. My theory has always been do it and do it right for 30 years on new construction and 10 years on repave.
Curious, will there be any shunpiking going on in the future with traffic using I-265 around New Albany and then I-64 back to downtown to avoid the tolls, or US 31 if you know how to navagate the downtown streets back to I-65.
Downtown Louisville streets are already pretty crowded with new devlopements downtown (new areana, 4th Street live entertainment district). Shunpiking will happen but alot of time will be lost for shunpikers.
Quote from: ShawnP on January 05, 2011, 09:32:44 PM
Downtown Louisville streets are already pretty crowded with new devlopements downtown (new areana, 4th Street live entertainment district). Shunpiking will happen but alot of time will be lost for shunpikers.
I'm not crazy about downtown Louisville, as I find the interstate access to be difficult. I have to go there twice a year for conferences (Galt House, Marriott or Hyatt) and hate, hate, hate it. I wouldn't get off the interstate unless I had business there.
OTOH, if I am downtown it's easier to take the Clark Bridge (US 31) across the river and if I want to go shopping, grab a bite to eat, etc.
Try Rocky's across the river in Indiana next time. Food is good and the view great of downtown Louisiville.
Quote from: hbelkins on January 05, 2011, 10:00:48 PM
Quote from: ShawnP on January 05, 2011, 09:32:44 PM
Downtown Louisville streets are already pretty crowded with new devlopements downtown (new areana, 4th Street live entertainment district). Shunpiking will happen but alot of time will be lost for shunpikers.
I'm not crazy about downtown Louisville, as I find the interstate access to be difficult. I have to go there twice a year for conferences (Galt House, Marriott or Hyatt) and hate, hate, hate it. I wouldn't get off the interstate unless I had business there.
OTOH, if I am downtown it's easier to take the Clark Bridge (US 31) across the river and if I want to go shopping, grab a bite to eat, etc.
Clark Bridge is real nice, especially viewed from the "Falls."
Clark Bridge getting a new paint job. Started by the Yum Center working it's way across the river. Let's hope it's better than the Kennedy fiasco.
Project changes may cause delay due to new environmental study needs:
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110118/NEWS01/301190062 (http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110118/NEWS01/301190062)
Saw that today in the CJ. Did the Governors and Mayor outsmart themselves on this one?
Quote from: ShawnP on January 18, 2011, 09:04:13 PM
Saw that today in the CJ. Did the Governors and Mayor outsmart themselves on this one?
The stuff I scoop out of the cat litter box could outsmart KY's current governor.
You mean that lecturing one that loves to lecture people on how to drive and how to live.
Whatever Louisville does, they better not end up with a result that St. Louis is getting.
Right now it's pointing to a St. Louis fiasco only on a bigger scale.
What's going on in STL?
MoDOT and IDiOT building a new river bridge for I-70 - 4 lane bridge to boot (2 in each direction)
IMO, they would been better off spending that money fixing up the I-270 Chain of Rocks Bridge but IDiOT has treated their section of 270 (which they're on the hook for that bridge as well) like a p.o.s. as long as I can remember.
This might work but the Kennedy and Spaghetti Junction are in poor shape right now. The Kennedy is very rough and full of potholes.
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110828/BUSINESS/308290007/Comments-favor-one-Ohio-River-bridge-now
Can the East End bridge be built without tolls?
The article lists a majority are against tolls. How does that camp propose to pay for the bridge?
Indiana it is said has a large amount of the Toll Road money set aside for the East End Bridge. Kentucky seems to have a bit of money set aside also and is planning some Garvee bonds that could help.
Now is past time to start the East End, as the Sherman Minton has well proved. Build it as six lanes and stripe it for four, if you want, but just build the damn thing before we have to argue about needing three ferry boats or four to cross the Ohio...
Tell it to those horrific, nasty, NIMBY's called River Fields.
I seen peeps use #shermageddon and #loubridge tags in Twitter right now and they're posting those phone numbers on Twitter
I can't find these such tweets right now but River Fields have a website http://www.riverfields.org/
Getting interesting.........
http://www.wave3.com/story/16373432/developer-says-historic-property-is-costing-bridges-millions
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20111219/BUSINESS/312190070/Ohio-River-bridges-hearing-draws-sparse-crowd?odyssey=tab%7Cmostpopular%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE
get a load of today news:
http://www.wave3.com/story/16412421/ky-in#.TvzE_HPh4sc.twitter
Might be, could be..........believe when the trucks are starting to roll.
So INDOT will be responsible for financing and building over 2.5 miles of new freeway, bridge, and tunnel in Kentucky? The actual bridge itself is almost all in Kentucky, and an additional 5 miles of freeway must be built in Indiana to connect with existing SR 265. Also, KYTC will responsible for creating a new 1+ mile approach to the new bridge on I-65, but I guess I have seen a mile or so into another state - Illinois was responsible for ~1 mile of I-80/I-94 into Indiana just a few years ago.
I guess I have two questions:
- why is this project split 50-50 when the Ohio river is almost all within Kentucky?
- what has been the longest project managed and financed by one state that is outside the bounds of that state?
50/50 because Kentucky has serious cash problems IMHO. They have Garvee'd their roads budget far too much.
If they had distrubuted the project based on the actual jurisdiction of who has the Ohio River, (on a personal note I have never understood why Kentucky owns the Ohio River, who cares if Virginia did at one point, but why does one state get to be in charge of a river when it effects states on both sides, end rant,) then Kentucky would have to build the Downtown Bridge, East End Bridge, Spaghetti Junction, and the I-265 approach into Kentucky including tunnel. All of this while Indiana would be in charge only of the I-65 approaches in Jeffersonville and the East End approach up to SR 62. Reluctantly I would have to think that would be a little too unfair for Kentucky to bare such a burden for a bridge that will be used by many Hoosiers. The way they have annouced with Kentucky getting the downtown bridge and Indiana the East End, it's a little more fair. And if Kentucky gives us permission to build a bridge in their precious river then we can get closer to actually building these things. And apologies to those living in Kentucky, I'm sure most of you don't have any say in 1700s policy decisions.
Tentative financial plans chosen for Ohio River Bridges Project (http://indianaeconomicdigest.com/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=63368&SectionID=31&SubSectionID=175)
"Transportation planners with Indiana and Kentucky think they know how their respective states are going to secure funding for the Ohio River Bridges Project..."
Quote from: tdindy88 on January 01, 2012, 10:37:49 AM
(on a personal note I have never understood why Kentucky owns the Ohio River, who cares if Virginia did at one point, but why does one state get to be in charge of a river when it effects states on both sides, end rant,)
The states aren't. The US Army Corps of Engineers and other federal agencies are.