Dallas Proposal to Tear Down Urban Freeways

[Subdude]

 

I-345 is a 1.4-mile-long elevated highway that's now 40 years old—which makes it an aging giant, by infrastructure standards. Indeed, according to the results of a two-year-long study on the feasibility of tearing it down, I-345 is too old, too unstable, and perched on land that's too valuable to justify rebuilding it (as the Texas DoT plans to do). A New Dallas, the campaign dedicated to promoting a plan to tear the highway down and infill the land with 186 acres of housing, parkland, and commercial buildings, is trying to curry favor with locals in order to stop the current plan to redevelop the highway.

Where will the 160,000 cars that travel I-345 every day go? Well, that's the funny thing about traffic. According to a concept called "induced demand," new streets don't actually lead to less traffic—they lead, paradoxically, to more. Studies have shown that reducing freeway real estate doesn't actually affect traffic very much. 

....

Right now, it seems unlikely that A New Dallas will succeed in changing the minds at the DoT. 

 

 

http://gizmodo.com/dallas-is-the-latest-city-to-propose-tearing-down-huge-1463627161

 

 

 

[livincinco]

They don't mention it in the article, but A New Dallas consists of "two professionals in the real estate and design industry".

[Slick Vik]

I've read quite a bit about this. The most interesting thing is the astonishing amount of projected increase to values in and around the torn down freeway. Patrick Kennedy is a very intelligent and forward thinking individual.

[JLWM8609]

I-345 doesn't need to be demolished. Its purpose is to handle traffic between I-45 and US 75 as a continuous link and it does that job well. If that 1.4 mile link is eliminated, the alternative route (I-45 to I-30 WB to I-35W NB to 366 EB to US 75) will add nearly 3 miles to the route for those traveling between I-45 to US 75. Of course, the FAQ on their site says, that the elimination of I-345 won't inconvenience anyone. When asked if "who loses" in their proposal, their response is, "Nobody really. It could make somebody’s once a year trip to Houston slightly less direct and convenient." As if people don't need to travel between Houston and Dallas multiple times per year for business.   I think this proposal will probably fail.

[MaxConcrete]

This idea has been around for a couple years and just recently received more exposure with a full page, front page op-ed in the Dallas Morning News.

 

This is a critical connector in the North Texas freeway system and its removal would have dire consequences on traffic flow..

 

As far as I know, no politician or person of any influence has endorsed this idea. Not even even anti-freeway Angela Hunt. Only crazy architects propose ideas like this.

 

I would say that it is possible there will be some person or organization with some influence who suggests trenching the freeway and putting a deck park over it just like Klyde Warren park over Woodall Rodgers Freeway. That would probably be a billion dollar project, so lack of funding will probably kill of that idea quickly, especially after the struggle to get the $100 million Klyde Warren Park built.

 

The idea of freeway removal is just plain stupid, and hopefully it will fade away quickly.

[Slick Vik]

This idea has been around for a couple years and just recently received more exposure with a full page, front page op-ed in the Dallas Morning News.

This is a critical connector in the North Texas freeway system and its removal would have dire consequences on traffic flow..

As far as I know, no politician or person of any influence has endorsed this idea. Not even even anti-freeway Angela Hunt. Only crazy architects propose ideas like this.

I would say that it is possible there will be some person or organization with some influence who suggests trenching the freeway and putting a deck park over it just like Klyde Warren park over Woodall Rodgers Freeway. That would probably be a billion dollar project, so lack of funding will probably kill of that idea quickly, especially after the struggle to get the $100 million Klyde Warren Park built.

The idea of freeway removal is just plain stupid, and hopefully it will fade away quickly.

Stop fear mongering. The benefit of what happens to the land after removal is far greater than any consequences.

[Slick Vik]

I-345 doesn't need to be demolished. Its purpose is to handle traffic between I-45 and US 75 as a continuous link and it does that job well. If that 1.4 mile link is eliminated, the alternative route (I-45 to I-30 WB to I-35W NB to 366 EB to US 75) will add nearly 3 miles to the route for those traveling between I-45 to US 75. Of course, the FAQ on their site says, that the elimination of I-345 won't inconvenience anyone. When asked if "who loses" in their proposal, their response is, "Nobody really. It could make somebody’s once a year trip to Houston slightly less direct and convenient." As if people don't need to travel between Houston and Dallas multiple times per year for business. I think this proposal will probably fail.

People that travel for business between Dallas and houston fly.

[IronTiger]

There was something a few years ago about some architect wanting to build some magnificent mixed-use place on an airport in Dallas. Needless to say, it didn't happen save for some fancy renderings...

[JLWM8609]

People that travel for business between Dallas and houston fly.

 

Really? Tell that to Woody's Smokehouse in Centerville. I guess all their income is coming from people making that stopover in Centerville on those HOU-DAL and DAL-HOU flights. That would explain the Southwest 737-300 I saw parked out back last time I went to Woody's.

Edited November 18, 2013 by JLWM8609

[ig2ba]

This is just an inexpensive way to get attention by proposing something wild but completely impractical - a "troll idea" if you will, much like someone HAIF does over and over again.

[Slick Vik]

This is just an inexpensive way to get attention by proposing something wild but completely impractical - a "troll idea" if you will, much like someone HAIF does over and over again.

 

Not really, it's been done in some cities and is being done or proposed in many others.

[ig2ba]

Not really, it's been done in some cities and is being done or proposed in many others.

 

Zero chance of this happening in Dallas. Zero.

[Slick Vik]

Zero chance of this happening in Dallas. Zero.

 

Maybe. But people still have the right to try.

[ig2ba]

Maybe. But people still have the right to try.

 

Nice strawman argument. People also have a right to troll. And others have a right to disregard their opinions.

[Slick Vik]

Nice strawman argument. People also have a right to troll. And others have a right to disregard their opinions.

 

Great job of trying to bully someone disagreeing with the status quo. Not going to work though.

[JJxvi]

Lets talk about something important, like how ridiculous it is that I-345 has its own interstate designation instead of just being designated I-45 or US-75

[Slick Vik]

Lets talk about something important, like how ridiculous it is that I-345 has its own interstate designation instead of just being designated I-45 or US-75

Good point I always wondered about that