I was in Philadelphia this weekend. It's a great city whose downtown is booming. And I got to ride transit there for the first time in my various visits. The picture above is one of the rail corridors approaching 30th St. Station, the station used by Amtrak. Because there's a rail yard next to the station, this is a pretty wide example, but it shows that it isn't just interstate highways that create barriers between neighborhoods in cities. Major rail corridors do the same thing. People might argue that there's a difference in that many … [Read more...]
Why Are US Rail Transit Construction Costs So High?
It's no secret to readers here that US rail transit construction costs are far out of line vs. other countries. David Schleicher, a law professor at Yale, recently co-authored an article examining some potential reasons why. I crossed paths with David last week and recorded this short podcast with him delving into the matter. If the audio embed doesn't display for you, click over to listen on Soundcloud. … [Read more...]
In Case You’ve Forgotten How Much Damage Freeway Construction Did to Our Cities
Curt Ailes recently pointed me at this post from Historic Indianapolis showing the before, during, and after of freeway construction in the southeast quadrant of Indianapolis. The pictures say it all: Before: During: Today: You may also want to check out my post on the even worse damage done in Cincinnati. … [Read more...]
David Gunn on Amtrak’s $151bn NEC Plan and How He Rebuilt the Harrisburg Line by Stephen Smith
[ If you didn't read Stephen Smith's two great recent pieces on why US transit costs are so high over at Bloomberg, you should check them out now. See: US Taxpayers Are Gouged on Transit Costs and Labor Rules Snarl US Commuter Trains. He also writes over at Forbes and the great blog Market Urbanism, which takes a free market view of boosting cities. He followed up on these pieces with this one talking about Amtrak. I hope you enjoy - Aaron. ] First order of business: I wrote two articles for Bloomberg View (the opinion counterpart to … [Read more...]
Replay: The Importance of Aesthetics in Transportation Facility Design
As I sat down to write a review of INDOT's nice 46th St. bridge replacement project in Indianapolis, it occurred to me that a sort of prologue was in order. I often talk about the importance of aesthetics and design identity in roadway design, but have to date not justified why that is something we should care about. I argue that there are national and regional trends that lead to this, especially in a Midwestern city. These cluster in three groups: Trends in international economics and culture Transformation of the public square in … [Read more...]
Detroit: Do the Collapse
I enjoy swapping "war stories" about work as much as the next guy. I've heard a lot, but some of the most incredulous came from a college buddy who used to work for General Motors. He was a manager level employee in field operations, but was often called in to work auto shows and the like. What was his job at the auto show you might ask? Well, at one Chicago Auto Show, his first responsibility was to make sure the hotel room for the executive was prepped correctly. This exec had very specific detailed requirements as to the brands of soft … [Read more...]
Review: 46th St. Bridge Replacement
Before reading this post, you might want to do your homework by reading my previous posts on the importance of aesthetic design in transportation facilities. You can also review my preview of the I-465 west leg widening, both the good and the bad. And lastly you might want to see what I had to say about the I-465 northwest "fast track" project. This project is a pretty simple one. It involved the complete replacement of the west 46th St. bridge over I-465. This was the first piece of real work to be completed as part of INDOT's Accelerate … [Read more...]
Project Review: I-465 Northwest Fast Track
INDOT recently completed work on its I-465 Northwest Fast Track project. I presume that the "fast track" phrase refers to the time from concept to ground breaking, not the actual construction time, since it took three years to rebuild just two miles of road, including 18 months each for the interchanges, hardly a rapid schedule. But beyond the construction duration, there isn't a lot to complain about on this project. Overall it is a solid success in every way, including capacity, pedestrian/bicycle accommodation, and aesthetically. In fact, … [Read more...]