Talking Traffic

Cross posted from The Evil Eyebrow, this is an Atlanta-centric posting.

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The City of Sandy Springs, Georgia, has proposed a pedestrian bridge across the Chattahoochee River between Morgan Falls Park (Sandy Springs) and National Park Service land adjacent to Hyde Farm Cobb County). There is a public information meeting on June 17, 2009 from 7-9 PM at the North Fulton Government Service Center, 7741 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs, GA 30350. If you can’t make it to the meeting, you may comment at their online survey.

Why should you support this bridge? Because you want to walk or bike across the river without being hit by a car.

View Larger Map

If you are not familiar with the geography and road network of East Cobb and North Fulton Counties, then you might not be aware that it is difficult to move from northwest to southeast due to the Chattahoochee River. The Chattahoochee is the primary land feature in this area, forcing roads to conform to its meanderings. Between where US 41 crosses “the Chatt” near Cumberland Mall (just south of I-75) and where SR 140/Holcomb Bridge Road crosses at the Gwinnett County border, there are only three pedestrian- and bicycle- accessible crossings. This is a distance of 19 miles along the river. That’s an average of 3.8 miles between crossings and that’s along the river. It’s much farther by road.

To make matters worse, all of the crossings mentioned (including the ones at the ends) are pedestrian unfriendly, designed as arterial roads to maximize the amount of vehicular traffic that may flow across the river. I can state with personal experience that of the five crossings, I would hesitate to use two of them (Johnson Ferry and US 41), and downright refuse to use another two (Roswell Road and Holcomb Bridge Road).

The Morgan Falls Bridge would address these concerns by building a ped/bike bridge which is accessible through low-volume streets on both sides of the river. It would … (dammit, I’ve falling into passive engineer talk! I hate the way I’ve been trained to write like this) … This bridge will make it easier to bike and walk across the river between the parks. From my personal perspective, it will make it easier to travel between Cobb County and Atlanta by bicycle. My route of choice to cross the river on bike is Johnson Ferry Road. Johnson Ferry is unfortunately steep on both sides of the river. It is fun going down, but very much un-fun going up. The Morgan Falls bridge would have less terrain for me to enjoy and that’s fine. If I need to train on hills I’ll go to the mountains.

The Map above shows the location of Morgan Falls park, which is one end of the bridge or you can use this link to get the Google Earth KMZ file that I hacked together.

Comment online or show up at the public information meeting! There is a vocal minority (primarily Cobb County citizens) who oppose this bridge and from professional experience I can tell you that the squeaky wheel indeed gets greased. All too often, the people who show up and/or comment on transportation projects are those opposed, rather than those for. Help make this project an exception and support the growth of Atlanta Metro’s pedestrian and bicycle accessibility.

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Here is a quote from the public affairs officer:

Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) is working with The Sandy Springs Conservancy, City of Sandy Springs and Cobb County on preliminary plans to construct a bridge below Morgan Falls Dam. The bridge would be for pedestrian and possibly bicycle use only. It would be constructed as a free span bridge over the Chattahoochee River and would connect visitors to the Sandy Springs’ riverside parks at Morgan Falls with National Park Service land in Cobb County below Hyde Farm. Funding for the bridge has not yet been obtained, but the planning and public review process began in March 2009. In addition to the bridge, the plan will evaluate possible trail connections to Hyde Farm and the Johnson Ferry North unit of CRNRA

Link to the Sandy Springs Conservancy
Directions to the North Fulton Government Service Center
Google Earth link to the project location
Chattahoochee River facts

A set of business owners on Kauai island in Hawaii have put together their own transportation stimulus and fixed a bridge that needed fixing:

So Slack, other business owners and residents made the decision not to sit on their hands and wait for state money that many expected would never come. Instead, they pulled together machinery and manpower and hit the ground running March 23. Video Watch the volunteers repairing the road.

And after only eight days, all of the repairs were done, Pleas said.

I’m fascinated by this. Not because I don’t think this kind of thing can happen, but because I’m well familiar with the bureaucracy that could have made it not happen.

Today is the one year anniversary of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minnesota. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out the wikipedia article. Most of the relevant info is there.

The Interstate bridge collapsed during evening rush hour on August 1, 2007. Thirteen people died and approximately 100 were injured. The reason for the catastrophic failure of the bridge has not been determined precisely, but early findings by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) pointed at an original design flaw in the Gusset Plates (details here).

This tragedy has underscored a problem that the U.S. is facing: aging infrastructure requires maintenance or replacement. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Infrastructure Report Card, the price of maintaining and upgrading the United States public infrastructure (roads, bridges, airports, utlilities, harbors, buildings and everything else) at an adequate level is approximately $1.7 trillion over five years (that’s $340 billion annually). Without a continued investment you run into issues such as degrading roadways, leaking sewage systems, inadequate water supplies, congested airports, etc. It is a fact that this nation continues to grow and the infrastructure representing its nerves and veins must grow with it. Look at Singapore and Manila. Those two cities are so overwhelmed by traffic congestion (to take only one example from transportation) that almost all deliveries from the ports occur at night; the trucks simply cannot move during the day. I’d hate to see that happen to Baltimore, or Savannah, or Long Beach.

$340 billion is a very big number, but let’s remember that Congress fell all over itself to send $200 million to Minnesota to replace the I-35W bridge. If they can snap-count a number that big, I think it’s reasonable to find some additional funding on an annual basis to assist the states in replacing and maintaining the existing infrastructure. 27% of the nation’s bridges are currently rated as strucutrally deficient as of 2005 (which does not mean in imminent danger of collapse, so don’t worry too much) which is an improvement from several years previously, but is too high. Unfortunately, the only way to improve that number is through funding because bridges need constant maintenance and eventual replacement to keep up with the growing traffic demand.

Do I have a proposed solution? I do not. I am not a finance geek or a politician. I, along with many others in my field, see a looming problem which if unaddressed will only lead to bigger problems in the future.

So, remember the I-35W collapse. While it apparently wasn’t directly caused by insufficient funding for maintenance, it is a bellwhether for problems to come.

Too Much Congestion? Eliminate Half the Vehicles!: An odd/even system of vehicle restriction is being looked at as an option to reduce the congestion of Bangalore.

Mine’s Better!: I think my diagram of a Gusset plate is better. But at least this news story from Kansas has one, which is better than most.

Google Transit: Google’s latest foray is a trip planner that utilizes public transit. Currently it has limited coverage, but I’m sure it will go up.

I-35 Gusset Plate Failures may not be alone: The I-35 Bridge in Minneapolis failed because its Gusset plates were too thin. This may be a more pervasive problem than was first realized.

Tolls are the Way of the Future?The NY Times discusses tolling as a method of transportation funding.

Trans Texas Corridor Public Meetings: If you’re familiar with Texas’ proposed new system of highway/transit/rail/utility corridors, you’ll be happy to know that Public Meetings for the first section are under way. The Trans Texas Corridor is a system of highways separate from the existing Interstate Highway system, intended to move things at high speed from one point to another. They will not go through cities, like the Interstate system does.

I-35 Bridge Collapse Interim Finding: The NTSB has issued a statement about the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis. Apparently, the Gusset plates were undersized, which may have contributed to the collapse.

From the Press Release:

“Although the Board’s investigation is still on-going and no determination of probable cause has been reached, interim findings in the investigation have revealed a safety issue that warrants attention,” said NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker. “During the wreckage recovery, investigators discovered that gusset plates at eight different joint locations in the main center span were fractured. The Board, with assistance from the FHWA, conducted a thorough review of the design of the bridge, with an emphasis on the design of the gusset plates. This review discovered that the original design process of the I-35W bridge led to a serious error in sizing some of the gusset plates in the main truss.”

It’s my understanding that some of the Gusset plates on the I-35 bridge were found to be half as thick as they should have been. In this type of bridge, these are critical structural members. Here is a quick diagram of a Gusset plate:

Interstate 35 Bridge as Compared to State Budget: The Governor of Minnesota has released his recommendations for transportation funding for the next year. It looks like he’s asking for $2.1 billion in assorted funding. The new I-35 bridge has a budget allocation of $250 million, 100% of which is Federal Funding, not impacting the state budget. Nice bridge.

Traffic Congestion in India: American drivers are exceptionally tame and law-abiding compared to some of our brethren in other countries.

Transportation Alternatives Advocate for New York Non-Automobiles: Do you live or work in NYC? Do you walk or bike? Then read the Transportation Alternatives website.

Texas Transportation Institute Urban Mobility Report: The TTI Urban Mobility report for this year is out, dealing with 2005 data. Congestion is up; that’s no surprise. Time spent in traffic climbed to 4.2 billion hours in 2005, up from 4.0 billion. The full report can be found at the TTI website.

Green Vehicles in Frankfurt: I’m continually amused by the transition of the adjective “green” from “this thing is colored green” to “I’m a super-duper world-saving environmental process/vehicle/practice/industry”. Inhabit reports on green vehicles at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

I-35 Bridge Rebuilding Contract Awarded: Minnesota has awarded a contract to Flatiron Constructors Inc. to rebuild the collapsed I-35E bridge. The Price? $233.8 Million. A bargain.

Bicycle vs. Automobile: News about the ongoing conflict between bicycles and larger motorized vehicles, out of San Diego.

Increase Safety be Reducing Comfort: A German town has followed the lead of several Netherlands projects by removing traffic signals and stop signs and other positive control devices. The theory is that with less direction, drivers/pedestrians/cyclists will be forced to pay more attention and act accordingly.

Teen Driving in Kansas: Kansas is pursuing more restrictive teen-driving regulations in order to gradually ease teens into the driving milieu. Statistics show that teen drivers are more likely to get into collisions not because of drinking or cellphone use, but because of inexperience.

Transporting Chickens: Don’t drive with chickens in your trunk (or cocaine in your cigarettes).

I-35 Bridge Wagons are Circling: There is blood in the water, and the scent of lawsuits in the air. Not to put to fine a point on it, but this is exactly what this case does not need. As I discussed in Episode 2, there are lessons to be learned from this tragedy, but no one will learn anything if all the time is spent trying to sue someone with deep pockets.

Internal Documents from MnDOT About I 35W Bridge Maintenance: The Star Tribune of Minneapolis/St. Paul is digging into the recent history of bridge maintenance activities and decisions.

China Trying Dictatorial Traffic Congestion Solutions: Want to cut traffic congestion?  Just ban 50% of the vehicles from the road.  It certainly cuts down on the need for driver incentives.  As it turns out, it might not make much difference.

Kerfuffle on the Zakim Bridge in Boston: Some of the plates that attach the cables on this cable-stayed bridge are a bit warped, raising questions about safety.

Urban Transportation Report Card: Streetsblog discusses the urban transportation report card, a listing of the carbon-friendliness of some American cities.

Topics: I-35W bridge collapse; bridge sufficiency rating; ethics and legality of being a professional engineer. 

Talking Traffic Episode 002 - Bridge Sufficiency Rating and Ethical Obligations

Good day, and thanks for listening to Talking Traffic, the podcast about explaining the basics of transportation issues. I’m Bill Ruhsam and I host this podcast and its sister website, talkingtraffic.org. Today is August 20, 2007 and this is episode 2, the Bridge Sufficiency Diaries. Continue Reading »

• Five Cities awarded Close to $900M: Five american cities have been awarded funds as a part of the US federal government’s Urban Partnership Program.  New York, Minneapolis, Seattle, San Francisco, and Miami have been awarded varying amounts of funds.
• Minneapolis is Respecting the Disaster Site: The site of the I-35W bridge collapse is being restricted from view as much as possible, in respect for the dead.
• Traffic Light of Death!: Any blog entry that pops into my feedreader with this title gets a look-see. The topic may not be wholly fascinating, but the prose that accompanies it definitely is.
• US DOT Not Committed to Bicycles: Malcomxpark reports that Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters does not feel that bicycles are transportation.  He links to another blog with transcripts of interviews with secretary Peters.  You won’t find me being the administration’s defender all that frequently, however Mary Peters seems to be a levelheaded middle-of-the-road Transportation Secretary.  The policies being criticized are rampant throughout the country, not only with this administration.  Americans love their cars and trucks and have not been culturally raised to respect the bicycle.  This attitude is reflected at every level of the transportation infrastructure process, from policy to planning to construction, including funding, which is the linchpin that everything turns on.  To have a bicycle-friendly nation, we need to work with everyone, not just rail at the administration.
• German Prognostication: German Autobahn traffic experts want to predict traffic jams a day in advance.  Sounds cool, I hope they manage it.