Contrary to bridge booster claims, a by-pass will not benefit Salem's core businesses or homes!
The next Council Work Session is on tonight Monday, December 17th.
If you haven't done so, consider emailing Citycouncil@cityofsalem.net to urge Councilors to refocus efforts on better and much less costly ways to improve mobility and manage congestion. If writing a letter or email's not your style, a petition is circulating, and you can sign on here.
For more on the River Crossing / Third Bridge see a summary critique and all breakfast blog notes tagged River Crossing. The No Third Bridge advocates also have lots of useful information.
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| Most of the Pringle URA is not mixed use! |
The city’s Urban Development Department noted in its memo to the council: “The Plan accomplished its purpose of improving the area. In 1971 the assessed value was $18,977,000, and in 2012 it rose to $73,766,630, with a Real Market value of just under $108,945,000.”According to the government's Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index calculator, $18,977,000 in 1971 dollars equals $108,429,892 in 2012 dollars. If we just look at assessed value, the assessed value of the district badly underperformed inflation! (Measure 5 figures into this, of course, and a proper argument is much more complicated than this - but it is sufficient to note that the City's own figures without more of an argument don't show a success!)
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| Pringle Creek Urban Renewal Area, 1975 |
2 comments:
New bridge doesn't get me to and from Keizer Station/
I live on Kingwood NW. If you, like me, use the Rosemont interchange to get to and from downtown, pay attention: a new bridge crossing at Pine Street will make things worse for us.
An elevated ramp from that new bridge will swing along Wallace Marine Park, up and over the west ends of the Center and Marion bridges, and connect up to the Dallas Highway near Rosemont.
There will be no direct way for us to get on or off of these new bridge ramps from Rosemont. The nearest third bridge access for us will be on Glen Creek at the West Salem Courthouse. .
To make room for these ramps, the Rosemont exit will be removed, as well as the park and almost every building on the south side of Edgewater Street between Wallace and Rosemont. A replacement exit onto Edgewater will be built near Wallace Road.
So, all evening rush hour traffic to our part of town will end up travelling the full length of Edgewater. This does not seem like an improvement to me.
Thanks for the details! I have focused on the park and buildings, and not on the consequences for those who travel by car. That's good to know.
(Since this is a bike blog, I should also ask: Have you ever biked from Kingwood to downtown? What would it take in the way of road improvements or anything else for that to be a preferred way for you to get downtown?)
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