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Discussion: Access/Service Roads


kayman

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I've traveled all over this state and have noticed that we are the only metropolitan area that does seem to have them along our major throughfares. If our local area governments had any real foresight, we would have had them lining U.S. 280 from Red Mountain Expressway to the Coosa River. We also could have had them lining I-65 there are parts especially in Shelby County where they would have been a better alternative than the current Alabaster Parkway that was recently completed.

Let's talk about this.

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I've traveled all over this state and have noticed that we are the only metropolitan area that does seem to have them along our major throughfares. If our local area governments had any real foresight, we would have had them lining U.S. 280 from Red Mountain Expressway to the Coosa River. We also could have had them lining I-65 there are parts especially in Shelby County where they would have been a better alternative than the current Alabaster Parkway that was recently completed.

Let's talk about this.

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I've traveled all over this state and have noticed that we are the only metropolitan area that does seem to have them along our major throughfares. If our local area governments had any real foresight, we would have had them lining U.S. 280 from Red Mountain Expressway to the Coosa River. We also could have had them lining I-65 there are parts especially in Shelby County where they would have been a better alternative than the current Alabaster Parkway that was recently completed.

Let's talk about this.

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Geography, maybe?

Regional mass transit is what Birmingham needs, but done in a way to connect suburbia together...not as a way to get the poor out to Shelby County.

People here look to MARTA and say "no way"!!! A thoughtful alternative to minority transportation needs would sell this idea in Birmingham. Sad but true.

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Geography, maybe?

Regional mass transit is what Birmingham needs, but done in a way to connect suburbia together...not as a way to get the poor out to Shelby County.

People here look to MARTA and say "no way"!!! A thoughtful alternative to minority transportation needs would sell this idea in Birmingham. Sad but true.

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I completely disagree with the notion that access roads paralleling I-65 or 280 would have been a good solution. I have traveled Memorial Parkway enough to know it is confusing and quite difficult to navigate. Not to mention... unattractive, 6 lanes with 1 or two lanes darting to and fro. What a mess.

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I completely disagree with the notion that access roads paralleling I-65 or 280 would have been a good solution. I have traveled Memorial Parkway enough to know it is confusing and quite difficult to navigate. Not to mention... unattractive, 6 lanes with 1 or two lanes darting to and fro. What a mess.
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I completely disagree with the notion that access roads paralleling I-65 or 280 would have been a good solution. I have traveled Memorial Parkway enough to know it is confusing and quite difficult to navigate. Not to mention... unattractive, 6 lanes with 1 or two lanes darting to and fro. What a mess.
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Travel around on the interstates of Atlanta a bunch of times, then, you can tell me that you'd rather not drive on the access roads. They are soooo much easier to deal with. Say you turn onto the road leading to the highway two roads too late: Memorial Parkway, there's going to be another access ramp, so, you don't have to worry unless you goofed up too close to 565. With ATL, you have to drive around a maze of street, with buildings that block the view of the interstate to find another onramp. Even if you do find this onramp, there's no gaurantee (sp?) that you'll be able to merge over quick enough to get where you're going.
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As Alabadrock said, you should go to spend sometime in a city larger than here without access/service roads like Atlanta, and you'll understand. Cities like Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, New Orleans, and all the Texas major metros have greatly benefited form this setup.

Please don't make assumptions.

I lived several years in Atlanta and am too familiar with the access road paralleling I-85... I have been stuck in traffic many days on that very road.

I-65 would travel much more smoothly if Aldot would widen it to six lanes through Shelby County. This not unreasonable. Simple really. 65 north is six lanes through Blount County, Blount County?

280 - allow it to be the monstrosity it is. I understand the concerns of Mtn Brook and Homewood and believe limited access interchanges would be the correct solution through the portion west of 459. However, from The Summit to Double Oak Mtn needs an elevated roadway to hussle the traffic "over" the overly developed congested 280 corridor. It would be alot like GA 400 (not elevated) or the elevated road out of Tampa. Make it a toll.

Development in Shelby is not going to stop.

There is no room for access roads along the shoulder. I would much rather have the overhead traffic and not simply make more lanes. Even if you call them access roads.

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As Alabadrock said, you should go to spend sometime in a city larger than here without access/service roads like Atlanta, and you'll understand. Cities like Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, New Orleans, and all the Texas major metros have greatly benefited form this setup.

Please don't make assumptions.

I lived several years in Atlanta and am too familiar with the access road paralleling I-85... I have been stuck in traffic many days on that very road.

I-65 would travel much more smoothly if Aldot would widen it to six lanes through Shelby County. This not unreasonable. Simple really. 65 north is six lanes through Blount County, Blount County?

280 - allow it to be the monstrosity it is. I understand the concerns of Mtn Brook and Homewood and believe limited access interchanges would be the correct solution through the portion west of 459. However, from The Summit to Double Oak Mtn needs an elevated roadway to hussle the traffic "over" the overly developed congested 280 corridor. It would be alot like GA 400 (not elevated) or the elevated road out of Tampa. Make it a toll.

Development in Shelby is not going to stop.

There is no room for access roads along the shoulder. I would much rather have the overhead traffic and not simply make more lanes. Even if you call them access roads.

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As Alabadrock said, you should go to spend sometime in a city larger than here without access/service roads like Atlanta, and you'll understand. Cities like Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, New Orleans, and all the Texas major metros have greatly benefited form this setup.

Please don't make assumptions.

I lived several years in Atlanta and am too familiar with the access road paralleling I-85... I have been stuck in traffic many days on that very road.

I-65 would travel much more smoothly if Aldot would widen it to six lanes through Shelby County. This not unreasonable. Simple really. 65 north is six lanes through Blount County, Blount County?

280 - allow it to be the monstrosity it is. I understand the concerns of Mtn Brook and Homewood and believe limited access interchanges would be the correct solution through the portion west of 459. However, from The Summit to Double Oak Mtn needs an elevated roadway to hussle the traffic "over" the overly developed congested 280 corridor. It would be alot like GA 400 (not elevated) or the elevated road out of Tampa. Make it a toll.

Development in Shelby is not going to stop.

There is no room for access roads along the shoulder. I would much rather have the overhead traffic and not simply make more lanes. Even if you call them access roads.

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OR! The state could sponsor a multi facited mass transit system for the metro area. Then we wouldn't have to have any kind of this conversation! Hahaha hahaha haha haha ha ha.............ha....

It'll never happen...........

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I completely disagree with the notion that access roads paralleling I-65 or 280 would have been a good solution. I have traveled Memorial Parkway enough to know it is confusing and quite difficult to navigate. Not to mention... unattractive, 6 lanes with 1 or two lanes darting to and fro. What a mess.
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you're not alone on this. what a terrible land-use statement. basically a commitment to car culture going forward.

memorial parkway is very efficient. and i don't want it in my city. what a gash in the middle of huntsville - all for cars.

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Well, I think the reason that 85 is so "stuck" there is because Atlanta is so freaking huge. Not because of the setup of the access roads. I've never had trouble in Huntsville. Even during rush hour, I have no problem merging into the lanes to I-565 West, and don't encounter ANY problems until I'm about 3 miles east of the bridges into downtown.

There are projects in Alabama that have been more troublesome than this would be, and ALDOT has accomplished them. I know it sounds weird to me too, but, it's true.

By the way, if you want 280 to be like GA 400, you might wanna go get your head checked. I wince whenever I think of driving on that road.

Yes, GA 400 is a nightmare. Could you imagine the horror if all that traffic was trying to crawl up Roswell Road. Georgia was progressive enough to build the highway 20-30 years ago. That is what has helped keep their metro growing at an astonishing pace.

You seem to be such an advocate for Memorial Parkway... perhaps you can find some data on traffic volume for comparisons sake. I would tend to believe it does not have the volume of 280. Just a guess there.

Thanks for the medical advice.

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Uh, maybe you need to read a little into the how many lanes this elevated structure that is suppose to be built along U.S. 280. The elevated tollway in Tampa was more a hassle to build than anything else. You might want to read up into the how Figg screwed up when building it and how some of it pilings sunk into the ground during construction. I would rather have another hole in my head than take Figg and her lot serious.

By the time the thing is open it is going to overcapacity within 5 years of its completion. U.S. 280 is an example of poor planning at it best, and adding an elevated aspect regardless of it where it is built along the congested stretch of this road would be just another "temporary" solution. The road needs to be limited in access not left to continue spiral farther out of control.

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Yes, GA 400 is a nightmare. Could you imagine the horror if all that traffic was trying to crawl up Roswell Road. Georgia was progressive enough to build the highway 20-30 years ago. That is what has helped keep their metro growing at an astonishing pace.

You seem to be such an advocate for Memorial Parkway... perhaps you can find some data on traffic volume for comparisons sake. I would tend to believe it does not have the volume of 280. Just a guess there.

Thanks for the medical advice.

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Well, I think the reason that 85 is so "stuck" there is because Atlanta is so freaking huge. Not because of the setup of the access roads. I've never had trouble in Huntsville. Even during rush hour, I have no problem merging into the lanes to I-565 West, and don't encounter ANY problems until I'm about 3 miles east of the bridges into downtown.

There are projects in Alabama that have been more troublesome than this would be, and ALDOT has accomplished them. I know it sounds weird to me too, but, it's true.

By the way, if you want 280 to be like GA 400, you might wanna go get your head checked. I wince whenever I think of driving on that road.

Yes, GA 400 is a nightmare. Could you imagine the horror if all that traffic was trying to crawl up Roswell Road. Georgia was progressive enough to build the highway 20-30 years ago. That is what has helped keep their metro growing at an astonishing pace.

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More like sprawling at an astronishing rate. I will give the GDOT credit for upgrading GA 400 to a limited access roadway, but they didn't anticipate the type of traffic that road experiences daily. This along with other things are push Metro Atlanta's infastructure to the brink of a total shutdown.
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Maybe I do, I still don't believe there is enough room at ground level to accommodate limited access lanes and blahbidy access roads without reaking havoc on the existing commercial base.

Oh wait! those roads running in front of Target/Chick-fil-a and across the way in front of McDonalds/Arby's... those can be our access roads. Oh yeah, people already jump off 280 and try to beat the rest of the traffic using those, creating a bigger mess.

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There has been talk amongst a lot of businesses over the past few years that many retailers may leave the U.S. 280 corridor due to the fact that the road is so dysfunctional. One of the more substantial things I've heard is the many may decide to relocate to the Grants Mill Road corridor once it finished being widened.

I do know what "access roads" you are talking about, but too bad they are incomplete "access roads". If they both paralleled 280 all the way to 119, it might actually be a decent argument they don't. Also one of those "access roads" is actually Cahaba River Road, a road that actually does have any access points to 280 along its path other than its beginning and ending.

So like I said before I would advise you to look into the roadway system cities where the system is properly done how efficient it really is. I say this because your counter argument against access roads is very weak and basically without a base other than what you've seen on Memorial Parkway in Huntsville.

Yeah, but the northern most station is actually in Sandy Springs not in Roswell, so that means the MARTA rail doesn't cross the Chattahoochee. That is also not taking in consideration that most of the traffic on GA 400 is going towards North Fulton, Forsyth, Dawson counties, so at that point MARTA is irrelevent because it doesn't cover those areas. Also might I add that 400 becomes a 4-lane road just north of the North Pointe Mall. The road is just as inadequate, but its situation is slighty different than U.S. 280 due it not having traffic signals at every major intersection.

Also might I add, Hallman02 would recommend you do a little research into access management of roadways. You'll find out real quick after doing the proper research access management is a part of long-term sustainable planning for any cooridor.

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