A Grand Boulevard for Columbia: Assembly Street Improvements

[Ellen]

Have any of you seen the photos of Assembly when the State Farmers Market was housed there? Back in the 30s and 40s. Pretty amazing.

My Dad remembers buying fruit there when he was a USC student.

I'd hazard a guess that legacy could be part of the reason it grew up as the back side of Main, as Krazeeboi noted.

[Captain Worley]

Sure have seen them. There was a gas main explosion in the late 40s, IIRC, that killed 4 people at the old farmer's market on Assembly.

There also used to be a bridge over the RR tracks on Assembly at Whaley. Funny that now they're talking of undercutting the tracks and putting them on a bridge over Assembly.

Funny you mention that because I was just thinking about that yesterday afternoon as I sat at a light on Assembly.

[TheCarolinaKing]

Wow...i throw my hands up ...and they got my favorite ...Tulips! I think this would be well received in Columbia, I only wonder if such flowers could survive the crazy Columbia Heat! I know I feel like I'm about ot wither up when I exit a building. Would flowers have much of a chance at surviving?

[waccamatt]

Wow...i throw my hands up ...and they got my favorite ...Tulips! I think this would be well received in Columbia, I only wonder if such flowers could survive the crazy Columbia Heat! I know I feel like I'm about ot wither up when I exit a building. Would flowers have much of a chance at surviving?

There are flowers in the median further north on Assembly and on some other streets like Bull. I'm not sure if tulips, in particular, would do well, but I do love them and they do grow in Columbia. I think their season is in early spring, however.

[krazeeboi]

Yeah, you'd have to adjust for what flowers would grow best here. But tulips are certainly beautiful and add their own unique floral touch to any setting.

[Chtimi]

Why not roses ? In Villeneuve-d'Ascq (Lille's suburb) where I lived, there are ornamental shrubs and roses all along the roads. They are often planted between the road and the sidewalk. They impede to park anywhere, they are better than stakes or those so-called decorative balls, yawn.

[Spartan]

You have to plant what will grow. Columbia is not the ideal climate for roses. I'd rather see some of our state flower around more often...

[krazeeboi]

I'm not sure if we discussed it in this thread, but it just hit me: why not use the center lanes for streetcars???

[Captain Worley]

It'd be cool, but the infrastructure costs would be very high and ridership would be fairly low. Look what happened with the 'trolleys,' and they were way more flexible than a permanent rail line.

[TheCarolinaKing]

Then we might have to deal with the problem that Houston deals with, cars and pedestrians getting hit my the trolly/train.

[krazeeboi]

It'd be cool, but the infrastructure costs would be very high and ridership would be fairly low. Look what happened with the 'trolleys,' and they were way more flexible than a permanent rail line.

I'm not exactly sure why the trolleys failed. But Columbia could look at similar cities that have established successful streetcar networks with success, like Little Rock. For one thing, a city shouldn't expect tourists to sustain them, but rather residents.

What's going on in Houston? I don't hear other cities with streetcars dealing with this problem, like Little Rock, San Francisco, New Orleans, etc.

[CarolinaSouth]

I was shocked to see a trolley near Columbia Place the last time i was in town. Have they started to use those trolleys instead of buses around town now?

And as far as the Grand Boulevard for Columbia stands....I like a lot of the ideas, but the only one i'm against is the narrowing of Assembly. The Columbia area is expected to have over a million people in the area within the next decade. Traffic in the downtown area will increase and Assembly will have an increase in traffic flow. It can get backed up from time to time on that street already. Although there's an emphasis of moving people back into the downtown area, assemble shouldn't be a street that caters to the pedestrian traffic. In fact I like the fact that it's wide, maybe that will encourage people to use the trolley's, pedicab's and other parking garages more often.

[digital_sandlapper]

I was shocked to see a trolley near Columbia Place the last time i was in town. Have they started to use those trolleys instead of buses around town now?

And as far as the Grand Boulevard for Columbia stands....I like a lot of the ideas, but the only one i'm against is the narrowing of Assembly. The Columbia area is expected to have over a million people in the area within the next decade. Traffic in the downtown area will increase and Assembly will have an increase in traffic flow. It can get backed up from time to time on that street already. Although there's an emphasis of moving people back into the downtown area, assemble shouldn't be a street that caters to the pedestrian traffic. In fact I like the fact that it's wide, maybe that will encourage people to use the trolley's, pedicab's and other parking garages more often.

Welcome to UP, CarolinaSouth! We look forward to hearing more from you.

Regarding your opposition to narrowing Assembly Street: the options we presented did not have a net loss of traffic lanes. The center parking is what would be eliminated, in favor of a wide landscaped center median (which could narrow at intersections to allow for a left turn lane). Most of the street already has a narrow landscaped strip in the center, and so this is just building on that.

[krazeeboi]

Also, being that the lanes on Assembly are very generous, narrowing them wouldn't reduce capacity (although I wouldn't mind eliminating one both southbound and northbound). Assemby is downtown's major thoroughfare and absolutely should be more pedestrian-friendly than it currently is.

[digital_sandlapper]

Also, being that the lanes on Assembly are very generous, narrowing them wouldn't reduce capacity (although I wouldn't mind eliminating one both southbound and northbound). Assemby is downtown's major thoroughfare and absolutely should be more pedestrian-friendly than it currently is.

Krazee, that's right. You and I are in total agreement on this one. We should come up with some sketches and pay a little visit to the Mayor!

[krazeeboi]

I'm no artist, but I could try.

What do you think about the streetcar idea, DS? On the one hand, I'd love to see the planted medians that exist further up Assembly extended southward, but not thinking about some type of rail transit in the future with a route along Assembly would be shortsighted, I think.

[TheSuperPope]

^^ monorail over the planted medians

I can dream for it at least

[Scoopbth]

Assembly most definitely needs to be more pedestrian friendly

[krazeeboi]

^Bingo! That's why Assembly is now such a psychological barrier. Overhaul Assembly, and you'd have a seamless transition from the CBD to the Vista.

[digital_sandlapper]

Assembly most definitely needs to be more pedestrian friendly

[digital_sandlapper]

I'm no artist, but I could try.

What do you think about the streetcar idea, DS? On the one hand, I'd love to see the planted medians that exist further up Assembly extended southward, but not thinking about some type of rail transit in the future with a route along Assembly would be shortsighted, I think.

Although I think streetcars would be wonderful along many of Columbia's streets (and our other city's as well), I am not optimistic that they'll ever come back into use. Our state does not have a good tradition of mass transit as you are well aware. In fact, it is embarassing how deep our love affair with the car is in this state.

If some miracle happened, and we actually got progressive about this idea, I don't know if putting them in the middle in the medians a la New Orleans is a good idea. In NOLA, the medians along St. Charles and Canal are VERY wide, and the traffic lanes and sidewalks on either side are too. However, in San Francisco (SF), they are just another lane that cars can share. (Not talking about the cable cars--that's another good system, though--but SF's electric streetcars from all over the world.) In other words, the tracks are not raised rails, but grooves in the pavement that are pretty much seamless. The streetcars stop at red lights like cars, etc. The power is from overhead electric wires, of course, which would not be a nice addition, but necessary.

An alternative that might work here is the cable car like the other ones in SF. That would be totally underground, and useful for hills like our city has (though not nearly as steep as SF!) It would require a turntable at either end, and a big cable powerhouse to be built, but, hey, that could be fun!

[johnpro318]

sounds like GREAT idea!

[mr. chips]

Whatever happened to the plan from a few years ago to beautify Assembly Street? I thought that the Feds were going to put money into this. Has anyone heard anything further about it? Assembly St. is such an important entry street into Columbia - I think it would make a huge difference to the city if it were more beautiful.

[krazeeboi]

Overhauling Assembly Street would literally change the face of downtown Columbia. CorgiMatt mentioned that there are plans in the Innovista masterplan to improve Assembly.

[mr. chips]

That would be great. Since the University is expanding across Assembly in a big way (Koger Center, School of Music, Colonial Center, School of Public Health, Innovista all across the street from the main campus) there are more and more people crossing this big street. I have noticed an increase in traffic accidents there - including a well-known music professor who was hit by a car when he was crossing the street.

Here is a "creative solution" that could be interesting. If you notice, the part of Assembly street in front of the Koger Center is the top of a hill. If the road could be lowered here, and the block between College and Green St. made into a pedestrian bridge, this would connect the two parts of the campus, allow for foot traffic across (much like the pedestrian bridge over Pickens street, except wider) - and it could be made into a wonderful green area with some kind of monumental sculpture as a centerpiece that would be seen far down Assembly street. I am thinking of what Chicago did with Millennium Park built over the railyards and turned into a fabulous park with incredible outdoor sculptures.