For Local Use Only
If you live in the Birmingham area, there’s almost no way to avoid discussion of the proposal to build an upper deck for a portion of Highway 280. Let me count the ways I think this is a bad idea.
First, the designers have used artists’ renderings that are clearly deceptive — no shadows, lovely landscaping flourishing beneath a six-lane road, no depiction of ingress/egress, and — by far the funniest — very few cars on the road.
Second, by the time the road is completed, developers will have added more subdivisions, more shopping centers, and more cranky drivers forced to sit in stop-and-go traffic. And what about the current drivers who have to survive the construction, with its mess, tie-ups, and inevitable delays?
Third, this proposal is just one more way to avoid a real discussion of the need for reliable and convenient public transportation in and around Birmingham. Persuade enough people that the road will solve all our traffic problems, and we can go right on driving our single-passenger autos, burning gas that’s going to become more and more expensive, and ensuring that Jefferson County continues to violate the Clear Air Act for years to come.
And, finally, proponents of the plan have done a chillingly effective job of painting residents of Homewood and Mountain Brook who oppose the new construction as selfish elitists whose only concern is their property values, which in turn has led to some nasty characterizations of Shelby County residents who support the road. The greater Birmingham area is already sufficiently balkanized; we don’t need any more wedge issues.
When I lived in Houston for a couple of years in the early 1980’s, I lived fifteen miles from my office. The traffic was so bad that my morning commute was guaranteed to take at least an hour. I lived near a park-and-ride lot where I could leave my car and take a nice, clean, air-conditioned bus to work — with a company-subsidized bus pass and no need to pay exorbitant parking fees. Given that choice, there’s no way I would put myself or my car through the stress of a daily stop-and-go quagmire. Couldn’t we agree to try something like that here before we spend billions on a “garden parkway”?
If you’re interested, check out Stop Elevated Highway, where you can sign a petition opposing the project if you’re so inclined.
February 6th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
Gee, down here it’s the elitists who live in Baldwin County (over the bay) who are pushing for the big ugly new I-10 bridge to go right over the Wallace tunnel, ruining historic downtown and screwing up the port, just so their commute back home to White Folks’ Land can be a few minutes less. Because, during rush hour, there’s a bottleneck on the I-10! We certainly can’t have that. I can’t think of another American city where traffic is slow on the interstate highway during peak times, can you?
February 6th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Some of the Shelby County road supporters have been equally tacky, insisting on their right to live far away from pollution, crime, etc., while also demanding uncongested freeways so that they can zip straight to their downtown parking garages without inconvenience.
February 7th, 2007 at 7:55 am
I live in Eagle Point (last I heard, the proposed southern endpoint of the upper deck) and work at the Colonnade. The traffic is a pain at times, but I’ve seen much worse. I think the new road would be a great idea if it could be materialized in place overnight Star Trek style. However, I have a horrifying mental image of a ten-year construction project, with 280 reduced to one working lane in each direction. That would suck serious balls.
Luckily, I work 7:30 to 4:00, and traffic generally hasn’t gotten bad yet when I’m on the road. If more people would work things out with their employers to vary their work hours, that would help a great deal. Carpooling would be nice as well. But really, what the hell is Birmingham’s aversion to public transportation? Why aren’t we discussing a bus route from Eagle Point all the way up 280? It would be a hell of a lot cheaper and help cut pollution (one bus versus twenty cars). They could even run the buses off natural gas… Alagasco would probably give the city a good rate in return for advertising space.
February 7th, 2007 at 8:23 am
“I have a horrifying mental image of a ten-year construction project, with 280 reduced to one working lane in each direction.”
yeah, no kidding. how long has corridor x been under construction now? ten years? twenty?
February 7th, 2007 at 9:17 am
“But really, what the hell is Birmingham’s aversion to public transportation? Why aren’t we discussing a bus route from Eagle Point all the way up 280?”
I wish I knew. Even without a dedicated lane, a park and ride with a well-designed schedule, clean buses, and secure parking could make a real dent in the 280 traffic. An HOV lane for buses and carpoolers would be even better. Seems like we could try those things first.
February 7th, 2007 at 11:10 am
Makes me glad to live in a town with 3 redlights and one main road.