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to promote civic engagement in the Philadelphia region.So what if we didn't replace the South Street Bridge?
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 at 8:45 am - by Dan Pohlig. Filed under: Transportation.
At least not with a bridge that also doubles as an entrance/exit to the Schuylkill Expressway…
Artist rendering of new South Street Bridge via Plan Philly
That’s a suggestion in this op-ed (h/t to Will Bunch) which includes the bike/ped option for the South Street bridge among many other bold but unfortunately unlikely ideas to improve the transit infrastructure in this town. The whole op-ed is a worth a read for the point it tries to make about the billions being spent to bail out AIG and what that money would mean for clean, sustainable, environmentally friendly (and, best of all, free) transit improvements.
As we ponder Armen Pandola’s South Street idea…
Instead of spending billions to redo the South Street Bridge - scrap it. Build a walking and biking bridge. I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but the Schuylkill Expressway runs a lot better without a South Street exit and entrance - they were death traps anyway.
… we can keep up with the progress of the new death traps by reading this report by Plan Philly’s Steve Ujifusa. It looks like everything is going according to schedule but we still don’t know exactly what the finished product is going to look like:
There are still a few aesthetic issues that need to be hammered out. The South Street Bridge Coalition, which spearheaded a movement to make the bridge friendlier to bikers and pedestrians, continues to press for revisions to the design of the bridge’s towers.
Finally, remember the horror that was to accompany the traffic patterns once 76 lost two of its most used ramps? Again, not so much:
The traffic issues were not as bad as we anticipated. The traffic calmed itself and found alternate means rather quickly, such as the Walnut and Chestnut Street bridges.
So says David Perri at the Streets Department. Funny thing, that process of traffic “calming” itself. Seems like if the traffic has already done that, there isn’t much of a need to put those exit ramps back in, right?
Also seems like an experiment that should be extended to everyone’s favorite waterfront blocking highway to nowhere.
April 22nd, 2009 at 3:53 pm
I live off where the South St. bridge used to be, and I’ve found, surprisingly enough, I really don’t miss it. If I’m driving, I’ve found other paths. Without the easy access to 76, I’ve discovered it’s generally faster to snake through the city to 676 than sit in traffic anyway.
If the South St. bridge is in fact built exactly as it was, with the ridiculous left-lane entrance, this city will have blown a good opportunity to cut congestion or, more importantly, take the bold first steps that can help ween us off our dependence on cars.
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:24 pm
@Mikey
Exactly! “The traffic calmed itself.” Those are the key words. When San Francisco had its earthquake they tore down the highway that had previous cut their waterfront off from the city and replaced it with a street level boulevard.
The traffic calmed itself there.
If we just shifted even a little bit of, say, highway funding away from new roads or towards transit, then the cars removed from the road would have a multiplier effect on the remaining traffic which would invariably… calm itself.
April 22nd, 2009 at 5:37 pm
That is so interesting–I had no idea that traffic improved after the bridge closed. But that makes sense after watching the E2 episode about Seoul Korea’s recent demolition of a major highway. They learned that traffic is more like a “gas” that expands and contracts rather than like flowing water, which is how traffic engineers always regarded traffic (summary and link below). I used to walk across the South St bridge every day and it was one of my favorite city things to do (an easy walk with a good view of the river). Would dedicating the bridge to pedestrians and bikes help create a useful East-West bike path?
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In 2003, the city of Seoul took a rare step “back in time,” demolishing a major downtown freeway to uncover and restore the ancient Cheonggyecheon stream that once flowed beneath it. An impressive feat of engineering, the project re-purposed more than 75 percent of the dismantled highway material for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the stream’s banks and commercial corridor. The Cheonggyecheon is now a vital part of the city’s commercial and tourism sectors, and has proven that environmental restoration can revive culture and community, as well.
http://www.pbs.org/e2/episodes/310_seoul_the_stream_of_consciousness_trailer.html