Huntsville updates

[chris21718]

I tend to use the term "Snellvillization" to refer to a 4-lane highway filling up with red lights. US 78 through Snellville, GA is a famous example, and now US 72 from Huntsville through Madison is getting that way. The solution is "put up another red light at another intersection" which makes the problem worse instead of better. Widening US 72 to 6 lanes from Huntsville to Athens will not solve the traffic light problem. More traffic lights will continue to be put up as years go by. Look at University Drive from US 231 westward to the mall. More lights were added after the 6-laning was done, the the same would happen through Madison and toward Athens.

As for the massively different grades of US 72, I notice that Alabama often leaves the existing 2 lane road intact and builds the 2 new lanes on one side. The new lanes will have gentler hills than the old lanes, making the median slope from one to the other to make up for the difference. I notice this on parts of the stretch from Athens to Florence and on the stretch between Scottsboro and Stevenson (which was 2-lane when I first drove it).

[HSVTiger]

An alternate 431/231 (North Parkway) that parallels the existing highway from
Bob Wade and future interchange should be in the planning stage but isn't.
It would bypass the similar mess that is growing in the Meridianville/Hazel Green area and continue to the state line. As it is now one wreck on this Federal highway basically stops all north /south traffic. A new highway now to
interstate standards could still pass through uncluttered farmland with several interchanges probably built cheaper than trying to widen the driveway/traffic
light riddled goat path that exists now.

[ThatGuy]

Maybe traffic can be reduced on 72 by building up the alternate roads through the area. For example, four lane Capshaw, Jeff, Mt. Zion, and Blake Bottom.

It would also help if new subdivisions were required to connect to neighboring subdivisions. That was all the traffic from a subdivision doesn't have to spill out onto the same clogged two lane road. You can pretty much drive from south huntsville to north huntsville without using any of the main roads.

[Rail Claimore]

Originally Posted by ThatGuy

It would also help if new subdivisions were required to connect to neighboring subdivisions. That was all the traffic from a subdivision doesn't have to spill out onto the same clogged two lane road. You can pretty much drive from south huntsville to north huntsville without using any of the main roads.

And that's one of the big reasons that traffic in Huntsville is no where near as bad as Madison, especially during peak hours. And the few roads that are jammed are being done so by commuters heading out of the big bad city into their random sidewalk-less cul-de-sacs surrounded by cotton fields and two-lane county roads in places like Harvest, Toney, and New Market.

[Colin Giersberg]

Admittedly, additional 4-lanes would alleviate the congestion temporarily. Capshaw Rd. is a unique situation where one end forms a T-intersection with another (Mooresville Rd.), and that would cause some problems in itself. The Capshaw Subdivision is in the way, and there is a new subdivision with houses being built just west of there on US. 72.
Capshaw Rd. would be a good alternative, but so would Huntsville / Brownsferry Rd. or Nick Davis Rd. to be 4-laned. The problem is the same in all cases. They all dead end into a T-intersection with numerous houses nearby and / or in the way of any roadway extension. Somewhere, the state will just have to bite the bullet, buy out a bunch of home owners, and get a new highway built. Meanwhile, we wait, and wait,and wait.........

Regards, Colin

[jmanhsv]

Anyone ever thought about increased transit along 72? It might not "solve" the problem, but it would at least give people an alternative. I think a high-frequency bus route (BRT?) between Madison and Downtown, with park-and-rides and transfers to buses to Research Park/Arsenal, would help. Plus it would be much cheaper than trying to widen 72, and less extreme than placing a moratorium on development along the highway. But then again, that won't happen in a state whose DOT maintains that there is "no place" for transit. Sad.

I do like the idea of regulating the number of driveways that enter the road, though that might be too little, too late.

[ThatGuy]

I don't think most of the traffic on 72 is just "passing though." I think most of it is people trying to get home or to shopping. Unfortunately they just don't have many viable alternate routes to 72.

if Eastview was 4 lane from Research Park to Wall Triana, it would certainly help 72 out.

[codyg1985]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

An alternate 431/231 (North Parkway) that parallels the existing highway from
Bob Wade and future interchange should be in the planning stage but isn't.
It would bypass the similar mess that is growing in the Meridianville/Hazel Green area and continue to the state line. As it is now one wreck on this Federal highway basically stops all north /south traffic. A new highway now to
interstate standards could still pass through uncluttered farmland with several interchanges probably built cheaper than trying to widen the driveway/traffic
light riddled goat path that exists now.

Ah, but no one plans ahead far enough to consider that, not until all the land is taken up by subdivisions....

That would be a nice, proactive way of dealing with that part of the county. Good luck getting TDOT to do something similar on their end towards Fayetteville, though. Same thing should be done for the Memphis-Huntsville-Atlanta highway between the Eastern Bypass and Grant.

Originally Posted by Colin Giersberg

Admittedly, additional 4-lanes would alleviate the congestion temporarily. Capshaw Rd. is a unique situation where one end forms a T-intersection with another (Mooresville Rd.), and that would cause some problems in itself. The Capshaw Subdivision is in the way, and there is a new subdivision with houses being built just west of there on US. 72.
Capshaw Rd. would be a good alternative, but so would Huntsville / Brownsferry Rd. or Nick Davis Rd. to be 4-laned. The problem is the same in all cases. They all dead end into a T-intersection with numerous houses nearby and / or in the way of any roadway extension. Somewhere, the state will just have to bite the bullet, buy out a bunch of home owners, and get a new highway built. Meanwhile, we wait, and wait,and wait.........

Regards, Colin

One advantage that Huntsville-Browns Ferry Road has is that it is getting an interchange at I-65. That also means that it needs to be widened now before traffic increases occur after completion of the interchange with I-65. It should be widened and built as a semi-limited access facility to Madison where it can either go northeast to US 72 or southeast to I-565. Either way it would be difficult for the road to be effective unless it had an adequate connection to one of those highways. West of I-65, the facility would curve northwest to terminate at US 72 west of Athens.

A road north of US 72 would probably be better suited to be widened to a semi-limited access road because it would have a more direct route to Research Park Blvd (or Martin Luther King Jr Blvd if far enough north).

[HSVTiger]

Things take awhile to happen but this is promising

The Army, the City of Huntsville and a private developer are inches from a long-awaited deal regarding the future of valuable property at the Gate 9 entrance to Redstone Arsenal.

The deal would put a 450-acre business park with 4 million square feet of office space on leased government land near the arsenal gate on Research Park Boulevard/I-565 interchange .
The developer, Jim Wilson & Associates in Montgomery, likewise has to look out for its interests.

"The project is going to be a huge benefactor for Redstone, Huntsville and Madison County," said Will Wilson, president of the development company. Wilson & Associates was awarded the contract from the Army when the project was first discussed more than three years ago.

Tentative plans by Wilson include developing two hotels with 350 rooms total, restaurants, stores and offices to be used by defense contractors that would move in to support new Army jobs.

"This has been in a holding pattern for a long time, but it is moving forward now," Battle said.

"There might not be a building out there for three more years. If this comes together, it could be 15 years before it's finished."
http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/local.ssf?/base/news/1241946950323870.xml&coll=1

[Jacknah]

How redneck .."a big-city club." !! LOL!

This clubs sounds like it's going to be BORING. Who ever heard of a "high-energy dance club" where you have to wear a collared shirt? You mean I can't wear my $175 Dolce & Gabbana tee shirt?

I don't live in Huntsville anymore, but in Miami, but I check sites like this to see what is going on for when I come back to visit. Huntsville is sooo backwards. Woo-hoo a "big-city club" is coming to Huntsville! LOL! Yeah right! Not if you have people of that mentality developing it.

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

from the HSV Times
http://www.al.com/entertainment/huntsvil...ntertainment/1240505998151460.xml&coll=1

"We're getting ready to bring a big-city club to Huntsville," says Randy Helton, co-founder of Club Rush with businessman Mickey Summerford. "It's something that people have been asking for."

The new concept will be two floors of entertainment on North Side Square. The first level will be a high-energy dance club, and upstairs will have what the owners call a "more laid-back atmosphere."

Club Rush will enforce a dress code that is still being developed but probably will include collared shirts, no tennis shoes and no baggy clothes. The nightspot likely will have a cover charge.

Helton brings his experience from managing other area dance clubs, such as Axis, Club 721 and The Horse.

"We're going to bring a different atmosphere that will appeal to all ages," he says. "Young professionals is our target market."

Summerford says the club has 5,000 square feet on each level.

The building was once home to a Montgomery Ward department store and later housed Wilson Furniture. It was remodeled as a restaurant in 1994 in an attempt to return it to the 1920s grandeur with an open first floor and mezzanine. As Richard's on the Square, it operated for two years, followed by another upscale eatery named Vici Cafe.

Entrepreneurs from the San Francisco area transformed it into the Jazz Factory in 1997, but owners Steve Wang and Gevara Teebi decided late last year to move back to the West Coast. The main floor is getting a complete overhaul for Club Rush. The VIP rooms will be available for parties and company functions.

"Downstairs is going to be like a modern, upscale dance club," Summerford says. "Upstairs will be live music or a deejay, probably appealing to a little bit more mature crowd."

[HSVTiger]

Boeing increases it's presence in the Rocket City

Boeing is moving its Missile Defense Systems division headquarters to Huntsville from Arlington, Va., and may have from 40-to-50 positions transferred by the end of the year.

"Our primary customer, the Missile Defense Agency, is moving more and more of its operations to Huntsville," said Dr. Greg Hyslop, who in March was named vice president and general manager of the MDS division.

He pointed out that Boeing works with many other important customers here, including NASA, the Army Space and Missile Defense Command and the Army Materiel Command, which is also moving here from Virginia into a new headquarters on Redstone Arsenal.
The company already has more than 3,200 employees in Alabama. Most work in Huntsville on a variety of programs.

[RuFresnel]

Anyone know what is being built next to the old Rockabilly's on Pratt, across the street from Garden Cove? A for lease sign that has been on the vacant lot now says that it has been leased.

[TimCity2000]

good news about boeing... although i guess i already assumed their missile defense division was based in huntsville. oops.

[HSVTiger]

Light rail idea presented..

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/local.ssf?/base/news/1242638136201720.xml&coll=1

Doug Gooch says he always gets the same reaction when he talks about plans for a light train running from Bridge Street and Cummings Research Park onto Redstone Arsenal: "It makes too much sense, it'll never happen."

Gooch is an experienced developer, not only a dreamer. He thinks the time is right for a light rail line to deal with the rapid, BRAC-related growth at the arsenal and in Huntsville, and serve as a catalyst for developing a true communitywide public transportation system over a couple of decades.

He is president and CEO of River Country Development, and has gathered a team of light-rail allies, including regional engineering, real estate, construction and financial services companies, and local architect and planner John Goodrum.

Their initial vision is for a park-and-ride facility on the west side of Huntsville near Huntsville International Airport and Madison, connected by rail to a two-story station at Bridge Street Town Centre, where there is already a federally funded multimodal transportation hub.

From there, some people could take "loop" buses to jobs in Cummings Research Park, Gooch said. Others would go to the second-story platform at the Bridge Street station and clear a checkpoint for a secure train elevated across Interstate 565 to a station or stations across the arsenal, which could also be served by a bus system.

[codyg1985]

^ The light rail idea is a great one, and the people behind this idea seem ambitious. Most of the funding would have to come from either city of federal levels since I don't see ALDOT having any sort of participation with this idea.

I would assume if light-rail was built it would follow the existing Norfolk Southern railroad tracks between the airport and Bridge Street, where it would branch off to each location from there. Nice thing about light rail is that it can be built in the middle of existing roadways if necessary, so if ROW acquisition is an issue it could be built down Madison Blvd or Old Madison Pike.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

It would be great for the entire state if this went through. It would go a long way towards showing that light rail CAN work in Alabama. We really need systems like this in the state.

Just imagine commuter rail between places like Huntsville and Decatur, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Mobile and Daphne, Montgomery and Prattville. I gotta stop before I faint...

[OCA REP]

Originally Posted by Alabadrock

I gotta stop before I faint...

That just totally cracked me up!

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Haha, that was my intent.

[HSVTiger]

Downtown condo/retail project presented. This would be in the old Councill Court area which because of it's location across from Huntsville Hospital has a lot of foot traffic and an ideal location for something like this project.

4-story project for Councill site pitched to board

With drawings of a bustling plaza across from Huntsville Hospital, T1 Development Group on Monday pitched a four-story project called Resonant Pointe. The first floor would include restaurants and retail; the second floor would hold offices; and the top two floors would be filled with small, affordable condos.


HSV Times

[| BRAVO |]

Here Alabadrock - Have a gander at this... it's written from a Bham perspective but it applies to the whole state. Try not to wet yourself.

Monday, May 18, 2009, 5:24pm CDT | Modified: Tuesday, May 19, 2009,

Alabama Legislature approves statewide transit commission
Birmingham Business Journal - by Aneesa McMillan Staff


The Alabama Legislature passed a resolution Monday that will create a statewide transit commission, which will serve to generate state-dedicated funding and study transit from both an urban and rural prospective for the entire state.

“The commission would look at how we build a system that would connect county lines, “ said Chris Lewis, chairman of the Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority. “We also wanted to look at what would be the economic impact on the counties and how we would fund the system so that we can all benefit.”

The commission will consist of members from the Alabama House and Senate, along with several other appointees, he said.

“The commission will also address what the transportation needs are across the state and marry those needs,” Lewis said. “It will also allow us to look at a funding solution that is not just driven by Birmingham.”

The commission was a result of state leaders being encouraged to find a way to address the needs of transit through the state legislature, he said.

“From our experiences, we have seen that things have the best chance to be passed when they have gone through a commission,” Lewis said.

Cathy Crenshaw, president of Sloss Real Estate and BJCTA stakeholder committee member, added that the commission creates an opportunity to prevent falling behind on the transit front with regard to stimulus funding.

“Historically, in Alabama about 85 percent of funding goes to roads and bridges and only 15 percent goes to transportation but with the stimulus, it’s about 60 for roads and 40 for transportation,” Crenshaw said. “We have to have a way to capture those funds that are coming.”

Pascal Caputo of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce added that the commission will get more people involved in the transit conversation.

“It’s hard to get the local match for federal funds, so state funding will get more people to the table,” Caputo said.

The resolution comes on the heels of the establishment of the Alabama Transit Association, which was also formed to shore up funding for transit-related issues in Alabama. Before its formation, Alabama was one of only four states without an association. Unlike the commission, the association is comprised of the 10 transit authorities around the state.