Greater Birmingham Roads and Freeways

[kayman]

I am just annoyed how Progress 280 would chose such a reckless route of finding a solution to the traffic woes such a ridiculously large structure on a roadway. We all know that US 280 simply needs upgrading to expressway or even freeway status like Memorial Parkway in Huntsville. It may take 5 to 7 years for this full conversion to occur from Red Mtn. Expressway to I-459 but it needs to be done.

[kayman]

Now, I'm not the authority on the soil composition in the Birmingham area. But, isn't Tampa's soil kinda weaker than the soil in Birmingham??

Yes. Occuring to general knowledge of soil compositions of the Florida Peninsula is that the vast majority of it is limestone with weak soil. However, that show poor judgement and lack of good job on the engineering firms part if they started construction on pilings and didn't do the proper soil testing.

[TRoberts]

Yes. Occuring to general knowledge of soil compositions of the Florida Peninsula is that the vast majority of it is limestone with weak soil. However, that show poor judgement and lack of good job on the engineering firms part if they started construction on pilings and didn't do the proper soil testing.

With everyone suggesting 280 be upgraded like Memorial Parkway in Huntsville, I have to throw in my two cents...

Memorial Parkway is an absolute nightmare when it comes to entrance and exit ramps. You could not design a poorer design requiring people to cross lanes so much in order to exit the roadway. If you can't happen to get over at just the right spot, you're stuck hoping you can get over at the next spot.

I think the elevated roadway is a great idea because it will allow people that live at the far reaches of it in Greystone, Eagle Lakes, Highland Lakes, etc. to get on at downtown and cruise all the way home unimpeded. I would imagine they would do exit and entrance ramps at major intersections such as Lakeshor Parkway, Highway 31, 459, Inverness Parkway, etc. so that traffic to ease on and off the elevated roadway. This would allow strictly local traffic to remain on the ground lanes for their local trip.

I mean, what would you prefer, the state come in and take another 50-100 feet on either side of the roadway in order to widen it to accomodate traffic? At least with the elevated bridge, you get essentially 10 lanes of traffice in the same space as where 6 lanes now exist. That's a tremendous benefit and it also keeps untold numbers of people and business' being displaced to obtain more right of way.

[HSVTiger]

With everyone suggesting 280 be upgraded like Memorial Parkway in Huntsville, I have to throw in my two cents...

Memorial Parkway is an absolute nightmare when it comes to entrance and exit ramps. You could not design a poorer design requiring people to cross lanes so much in order to exit the roadway. If you can't happen to get over at just the right spot, you're stuck hoping you can get over at the next spot.

agree with that, no road in HSV is an example of good design. The Parkway was and is a stopgap solution

to a bad problem. The best solution will be Patriot Parkway(Southern Bypass) oh we are still waiting for

that. While this elevated portion is probably the best solution, everyone posting on this thread will be dead

before if and when it is completed.It is beyond ALDOT's capability.

here is Austin TX version, works very well

[AlabamaGuy2007]

That looks very unobtrusive (sp?). It doesn't seem to take away any feeling of openness.

[3choBoomer]

That looks very unobtrusive (sp?). It doesn't seem to take away any feeling of openness.

You're being sarcastic right?

[HSVTiger]

You're being sarcastic right?

I think it shows how misleading the rendering I saw compares to a real highway.

The rendering appeared to be way out of scale and unable to carry the proper load.

Plus in the article did it say it would be planned to be widened in the future?

Birmingham and ALDOT should send people who know what they are doing to Tampa

and Austin and take a look. Didn't the Governor suggest this in the beginning?

Does ALDOT realize there are good solutions all around the country if they would look?

When you are on the top level it is wide open

[AlabamaGuy2007]

You're being sarcastic right?

Pretty much what HSVTiger said. I mean, when I first heard about all of this, it sounded like it was gonna be huge and bulky with gigantic gurders blocking any thing from view. But that one in Austin is completely different from what it sounded like. So, no I wasn't being sarcastic, it just looks much better than I had originially thought.

[convulso]

the one in san antonio looks fine, and it actually works. haven't seen the austin one before now.

the problem is not aesthetic for me (though even when it's done well i think it's hideous); it's the need to curb car access to outlying areas that need to shrink, not grow. the better the car access is to inverness (and farther out), the quicker the city of Bham withers. choke off auto access to the 'burbs, and people will start viewing the city and its closer environs as attractive places to live.

[SweetHomeColorado]

The Austin photo looks much different than the renderings that I have seen of the 280 proposal - a single column support both directions. This highway is the same as those that run through downtown New Orleans, for that matter by the BJCC downtown with a hugh swath of dead space/parking underneath.

There is now way that 280 would look like that. It looks like they want to build the support columns in the median and leave the existing lanes largely where they are.

Regardless, there are multiple bad consequences of this project.

First, how much will it cost? It has to be astronomical. It will essentially be a tax payer subsidized project to support the development of more green space in Shelby County. Isn't there enough already? Wouldn't it be much more advantageous to the city and the state to encourage development elsewhere?

[AlabamaGuy2007]

Does anyone have a website so that I can view the renderings?

[kayman]

The Austin photo looks much different than the renderings that I have seen of the 280 proposal - a single column support both directions. This highway is the same as those that run through downtown New Orleans, for that matter by the BJCC downtown with a hugh swath of dead space/parking underneath.

There is now way that 280 would look like that. It looks like they want to build the support columns in the median and leave the existing lanes largely where they are.

Regardless, there are multiple bad consequences of this project.

First, how much will it cost? It has to be astronomical. It will essentially be a tax payer subsidized project to support the development of more green space in Shelby County. Isn't there enough already? Wouldn't it be much more advantageous to the city and the state to encourage development elsewhere?

Sorry, that's Alabama culture for ya. They subsidize everything with taxpayers money in the pursuit of "economic development", i.e., Wal-Mart and dem.

[SweetHomeColorado]

Does anyone have a website so that I can view the renderings?

Here is a story with a small copy of the renderings:

http://www.wiat.com/servlet/Satellite?page...;path=!news

[AlabamaGuy2007]

Here is a story with a small copy of the renderings:

http://www.wiat.com/servlet/Satellite?page...;path=!news

Thanx very much.

[kayman]

A voice of reasoning has spoken up questioning this stupid project:

Loss of customers, safety of traffic among concerns over raised highway

Darrell Meyer of Birmingham blamed 280 traffic woes on a lack of planning and land-use controls. "The refusal to deal with those problems has created this," he said. "We keep attacking the symptoms and not the problem."

I couldn't have said that better myself. We need to invest in limiting access of the roadway and the removal of all those stupid traffic signals. The roadway needs to be made into a limited-access freeways with a HOV lane in each direction and an additional lane for either BRT or LRT. All this talk about this balking elevated roadway is just pointless.

[kayman]

Another announcement of having massive improvements of Interstate 65 from Northern Jefferson County to Calera, but there is seems to be little to not progress occuring. If you guys remember back '01 there was a very similar proposal to this recent announcement that included HOV lanes, and 1 to 2 additional lanes in each direction. However, beyond the construction of reworking and widening of the Cahaba Valley Road interchange and I-65, I haven't seen real progress involving that plan. Also the additional announcement of the major interchange with I-22 being below grade with I-65 costing up $51 million:

$51 million set for I-65 work near Corridor X

I want know what makes this proposal so different and what is holding up this improvements? And no the ALDOT is not broke because it is a know fact that a vast majority of state revenues are earmarked for them. In reality, ALDOT doesn't even need FTA funds to maintain or work on the federal highways and interstates due to them sitting on years of money in the rainy day funds.

[AlabamaGuy2007]

Another announcement of having massive improvements of Interstate 65 from Northern Jefferson County to Calera, but there is seems to be little to not progress occuring. If you guys remember back '01 there was a very similar proposal to this recent announcement that included HOV lanes, and 1 to 2 additional lanes in each direction. However, beyond the construction of reworking and widening of the Cahaba Valley Road interchange and I-65, I haven't seen real progress involving that plan. Also the additional announcement of the major interchange with I-22 being below grade with I-65 costing up $51 million:

$51 million set for I-65 work near Corridor X

I want know what makes this proposal so different and what is holding up this improvements? And no the ALDOT is not broke because it is a know fact that a vast majority of state revenues are earmarked for them. In reality, ALDOT doesn't even need FTA funds to maintain or work on the federal highways and interstates due to them sitting on years of money in the rainy day funds.

Well, in Decatur, we have a phrase for this, as in why they sit around doing nothing, we call it, "Drainage Problems." Whenever city officials why the Beltline hasn't been widened yet, or why Interstate 565 has been extended into Decatur, they say, "it's drainage problems." You know whay almost stopped our Target Shopping Center? "Drainage Problems"

[AlabamaGuy2007]

I know I don't live in Greater Birmingham, but I'm still going to express my opinion even though I have no idea how this would affect me if I lived along 280.

I think the elevated road is needed. As long as there are interchanges where they are really needed, I see no problem with having it. This might encourage sprawl, but, if the elev. portion doesn't extend into Shelby Co. then, there might not be as big of a chance to turn into a visceral mass as Atlanta has.

[kayman]

From the way most people are writing to the Birmingham News, it is a big surrounding "HELL NO" to the elevated tollway. I'm glad that some people do have some foresee that the oversize structure is a giant distraction and will drive down property values.

[aupatt10]

They should just blow up the whole 280 corridor and start over from scratch.

[kayman]

Grove developer to do road work

The developer of the new 550,000 square foot shopping center, The Grove, Apple Development expecting to receive $1.5 million per year from Jefferson County in payment on roadwork over a 6 year period. The plan is to pay for the improve the expecting access points on Highway 150 & I-459 and also Sulphur Springs Road.

[AlabamaGuy2007]

Shopping, shopping, shopping, gotta, just gotta, have more shopping. Haha

[kayman]

Shelby towns support limiting access to 280

Interesting enough, I'm glad that more Shelby County towns are pro this plan. The cities for the plan includes Chelsea, Harpersville, and Westover.

[AlabamaGuy2007]

Shelby towns support limiting access to 280

Interesting enough, I'm glad that more Shelby County towns are pro this plan. The cities for the plan includes Chelsea, Harpersville, and Westover.

It looks like some of the cities in the area ACTUALLY DO have a dictionary that includes both of the words "regional" and "cooperation" in them. SURPRISE!!

[kayman]

Oh look, it's a bird, it's a plane! Naw, it's just another truck spill.

From today's The Birmingham News:

18-wheeler overturns on I-59 near BJCC

An 18-wheeler carrying steel pipes overturned Sunday afternoon on Interstate 20/59 northbound across from the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, said Birmingham police Sgt. Raymond Cochran of the North Precinct. There were no injuries and the roadway did not appear to be damaged, he said. The time of the accident was not known, but the site was cleaned up by 4:30 p.m., Cochran said.

--Barnett Wright