Huntsville updates

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by Huntsvillenative

If Huntsville's downtown is ever gonna grow and gain respect it will come once the height restrictions are finally once and for all lifted. I trust Mayor Battle will get it done. I do agree with the 4-6 story height limit on the edge of the residential areas but the downtown district west of Lincoln St should not have any height restrictions. It's not in a residential area. IMO, I think the area from Monroe St down to Clinton would be the ideal location for a high rise or signature tower as it wouldn't be anywhere near a residential zone as seen in the pic I made below.

Yeah that area is a total wasteland albeit a few historic buildings, church etc.
I would create a downtown research park/greenway to Big Spring for that area using money from the stimulus package that the President is pushing. I would also extend this area north to Pratt and try to link it to Cummings Research Park with light rail since the depot and bus transfer station would now be included. It would but a nice front on downtown since it would face I-565.

[Huntsville_secede]

Gov. Bob Riley announces $24 million for I-565 interchange, Old Madison Pike widening in Madison and Huntsville
Posted by Wendy Reeves February 06, 2009 10:54 AM
Categories: Madison, Traffic
StaffGov. Bob Riley announced major road projects in Madison and Huntsville at a news conference today.
MADISON, AL. - Gov. Bob Riley announced more than $24 million in state funding for an interchange at Interstate 565 and County Line Road and for improvements to Old Madison Pike between Huntsville and Madison during a news conference this morning.

Riley, speaking at Madison City Hall, announced $18.1 million in state money for the I-565 interchange and $6.1 million for widening Old Madison Pike.

"To west Huntsville, Madison and Limestone County these are huge projects and needs in our community," said Madison Mayor Paul Finley.

The County Line Road interchange will help support the proposed 5 million square-foot WaterStone mixed-use project by Wann Springs Development. The project is planned for 450 acres just off County Line Road near Madison Boulevard and I-565. A mixed-use district allows retail, office space and residential in one project.

The widening of Old Madison Pike from Slaughter Road to Indian Creek will affect more than 15,000 motorists - mostly Madison residents - who travel the road daily to work in Cummings Research Park.

The road is two lanes from Slaughter Road to just across the Indian Creek bridge where it widens to four lanes.

Finley, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Madison County Commission Chairman Mike Gillespie are among the local leaders attending the announcement.

[stewdog1]

Originally Posted by Huntsville_secede

Gov. Bob Riley announces $24 million for I-565 interchange, Old Madison Pike widening in Madison and Huntsville
Posted by Wendy Reeves February 06, 2009 10:54 AM
Categories: Madison, Traffic
StaffGov. Bob Riley announced major road projects in Madison and Huntsville at a news conference today.
MADISON, AL. - Gov. Bob Riley announced more than $24 million in state funding for an interchange at Interstate 565 and County Line Road and for improvements to Old Madison Pike between Huntsville and Madison during a news conference this morning.

Riley, speaking at Madison City Hall, announced $18.1 million in state money for the I-565 interchange and $6.1 million for widening Old Madison Pike.

"To west Huntsville, Madison and Limestone County these are huge projects and needs in our community," said Madison Mayor Paul Finley.

The County Line Road interchange will help support the proposed 5 million square-foot WaterStone mixed-use project by Wann Springs Development. The project is planned for 450 acres just off County Line Road near Madison Boulevard and I-565. A mixed-use district allows retail, office space and residential in one project.

The widening of Old Madison Pike from Slaughter Road to Indian Creek will affect more than 15,000 motorists - mostly Madison residents - who travel the road daily to work in Cummings Research Park.

The road is two lanes from Slaughter Road to just across the Indian Creek bridge where it widens to four lanes.

Finley, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Madison County Commission Chairman Mike Gillespie are among the local leaders attending the announcement.

This huge and much needed. I wonder when construction will start?

Relieves traffic and accidents on Wal-traina, and in turn will probably raise property values for those living along County Line Rd.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by Huntsville_secede

Gov. Bob Riley announces $24 million for I-565 interchange, Old Madison Pike widening in Madison and Huntsville
Posted by Wendy Reeves February 06, 2009 10:54 AM
Categories: Madison, Traffic
StaffGov. Bob Riley announced major road projects in Madison and Huntsville at a news conference today.
MADISON, AL. - Gov. Bob Riley announced more than $24 million in state funding for an interchange at Interstate 565 and County Line Road and for improvements to Old Madison Pike between Huntsville and Madison during a news conference this morning.

Riley, speaking at Madison City Hall, announced $18.1 million in state money for the I-565 interchange and $6.1 million for widening Old Madison Pike.

"To west Huntsville, Madison and Limestone County these are huge projects and needs in our community," said Madison Mayor Paul Finley.

The County Line Road interchange will help support the proposed 5 million square-foot WaterStone mixed-use project by Wann Springs Development. The project is planned for 450 acres just off County Line Road near Madison Boulevard and I-565. A mixed-use district allows retail, office space and residential in one project.

The widening of Old Madison Pike from Slaughter Road to Indian Creek will affect more than 15,000 motorists - mostly Madison residents - who travel the road daily to work in Cummings Research Park.

The road is two lanes from Slaughter Road to just across the Indian Creek bridge where it widens to four lanes.

Finley, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Madison County Commission Chairman Mike Gillespie are among the local leaders attending the announcement.

OK..this sounds great but until dirt is moving it's just talk just like all the other 50 promises made by ALDOT and previous Governors. That Old Madison Pike project has been talked about for at least 10 maybe 15 years.
Supposedy the design work is done on the I-565 interchange so it's probably ready to go. This announcement just made the project move from the bottom of the stack to near the top of ALDOTS fantasy pile.
In any case I have faith in Governor Riley to make it happen sooner than never. You wonder now what projects will be delegated to the bottom of the pile (Parkway overpasses). If the infrastructure stimulus bill gets passed I would think there will be a lot of other highway announcements around the state. Plenty of work to do not enough money.

[neilson]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

OK..this sounds great but until dirt is moving it's just talk just like all the other 50 promises made by ALDOT and previous Governors. That Old Madison Pike project has been talked about for at least 10 maybe 15 years.
Supposedy the design work is done on the I-565 interchange so it's probably ready to go. This announcement just made the project move from the bottom of the stack to near the top of ALDOTS fantasy pile.
In any case I have faith in Governor Riley to make it happen sooner than never. You wonder now what projects will be delegated to the bottom of the pile (Parkway overpasses). If the infrastructure stimulus bill gets passed I would think there will be a lot of other highway announcements around the state. Plenty of work to do not enough money.

Montgomery decided to make the Outer Loop a toll road.

I sincerely hope that Patriot Parkway/Southern Bypass is the same way, with tolls going to a Federal Contractor in charge of building and maintaining the road and to DoD and/or NASA.

[-=skywalker=-]

Originally Posted by neilson

Montgomery decided to make the Outer Loop a toll road.

I sincerely hope that Patriot Parkway/Southern Bypass is the same way, with tolls going to a Federal Contractor in charge of building and maintaining the road and to DoD and/or NASA.

I just think it's ridiculous that much need upgrades to the infrastructure will have to be toll roads. I mean, we're talking about Alabama here, not California or New York. I see a toll road as a waste of money in this part of the country, especially considering the average person around here outside of working in Research Park doesn't make that much money. I know I won't be using a toll road nor do I support one. I find legalized gambling and a lottery as a better way to generate revnue for public works projects, it has worked wonders in TN and could do the same here if managed properly.

[neilson]

Originally Posted by -=skywalker=-

I just think it's ridiculous that much need upgrades to the infrastructure will have to be toll roads. I mean, we're talking about Alabama here, not California or New York. I see a toll road as a waste of money in this part of the country, especially considering the average person around here outside of working in Research Park doesn't make that much money. I know I won't be using a toll road nor do I support one. I find legalized gambling and a lottery as a better way to generate revnue for public works projects, it has worked wonders in TN and could do the same here if managed properly.

Tim James has proven that you can make toll roads viable in Alabama, and Tim's gonna run for governor(again) in 2010.

In addition to the Montgomery Outer Loop, there's also the very real proposal to create a toll road that will parallel Highway 231 from Montgomery to Dothan and ultimately to Panama City. Economic development will surely follow(like Country Crossings, the new Casino/Resort just south of Dothan: http://www.countrycrossingalabama.com/)

[NitekKetin]

A little off-topic, but that 'Country Crossings' development looks like a hot architectural mess.

Yes, let's build a limited access highway to that dreck. Ugh.

[-=skywalker=-]

Originally Posted by neilson

Tim James has proven that you can make toll roads viable in Alabama, and Tim's gonna run for governor(again) in 2010.

You missed my point, why should much needed infrastructure upgrades be toll roads?! Look elsewhere in the country or even in this region. Nashville or Atlanta have multiple bypasses, not the first one is a toll road. Why should Huntsville's first and only bypass be a toll road?! I'm not against toll roads completely if other options for a commute are present, but Huntsville has little to no options for commuting through or around town.

Another thing is, maybe people in your's or Tim's small world will pay for a toll road, but the majority of people in Alabama I'm sure would not. It's not in the culture, especially when you get into the rural areas of Alabama where the average people earn very little.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Nashville and Atlanta have obscene amounts of money to spend... Mostly because those cities have massive amounts of people in their city.

[HSVTiger]

Huntsville International Airport started the year with a decline in passenger traffic. However, January and February are typically the slowest months for the airport.
The number of passengers passing through the airport last month was 81,174, down from 95,136, or 14.7 percent, compared to January 2008.
More than 1.25 million passengers flew into and out of Huntsville International last year, contributing to a 1.2 percent increase over 2007.

The stalled economy is dragging everybody down
Source Huntsville Airport

[HSVTiger]

Westwind expands at Huntsville International Airport

they do work on military helicopters




And a separate project under construction at the airport
Graham & Company recently began Phase II of its Airport Distribution Center in the Jetplex Industrial Park, a 4,000-acre park owned by the Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority. Phase II will encompass a 208,031-square-foot warehouse facility that mirrors the first building, which was completed in July 2007. That building is currently leased to Navistar Diesel of Alabama, which uses the facility to store parts for the company’s two engine plants located in the Jetplex.

HSV Airport photos

and across the from this
Triad Properties has completed construction of a 102,100-square-foot speculative building – the second phase of its Jetplex Tradeport facilities.

[-=skywalker=-]

Originally Posted by Alabadrock

Nashville and Atlanta have obscene amounts of money to spend... Mostly because those cities have massive amounts of people in their city.

Those cities also have money because both states have lotteries to help pay for public works. Like I said in my first post on the subject, I think a correctly managed lottery would be a far better solution than toll roads. Alabama losses millions of dollars a year to the surrounding states with lotteries and legalized gambling.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Haha, I don't recall arguing against that.

[David1502]

Originally Posted by -=skywalker=-

You missed my point, why should much needed infrastructure upgrades be toll roads?! Look elsewhere in the country or even in this region. Nashville or Atlanta have multiple bypasses, not the first one is a toll road. Why should Huntsville's first and only bypass be a toll road?! I'm not against toll roads completely if other options for a commute are present, but Huntsville has little to no options for commuting through or around town.

Another thing is, maybe people in your's or Tim's small world will pay for a toll road, but the majority of people in Alabama I'm sure would not. It's not in the culture, especially when you get into the rural areas of Alabama where the average people earn very little.

I respectfully disagree with you that "not the first one is a toll road." Have you ever driven in Atlanta on the section of Georgia 400 from I-285 to Lenox Rd. (Buckhead) where a $0.50 toll is charged and it has far greater traffic than GA DOT's original predictions in the 1990's. Because it is a state highway, a toll was the only way it could be financed. I also believe that more Alabamians than you might think will pay for a toll road instead of having to traverse the alternative unsafe two lane roads. Imagine if the proposed "Memphis-Huntsville-Atlanta" Highway were a toll road, there would be many choosing it rather than taking AL 40 over Sand Mountain and AL 117 over Lookout Mountain...
It will be faster to build a toll road than to wait 100 years for that Highway to be funded by AL DOT. Look at all of the road projects in this area which are on a permanent hold waiting for funds to become available.

[David1502]

Originally Posted by -=skywalker=-

Those cities also have money because both states have lotteries to help pay for public works. Like I said in my first post on the subject, I think a correctly managed lottery would be a far better solution than toll roads. Alabama losses millions of dollars a year to the surrounding states with lotteries and legalized gambling.

I hate to disagree again, but the GA Lottery is used exclusively for College Tuition and Pre-K education. In fact because the student population is growing faster than growth in Lottery funds, there is a push to open a Casino in Downtown Atlanta, (run through the charter given by the state to have the lottery), to make up for the shortfall in funds for tuition.
So getting back to the original question, part of the reason that Atlanta and Nashville have more interstates is that they were constructed for the most part 40 to 50 years ago with federal funds as part of the Eisenhower Interstate Act when road construction costs (and right of way) were just a small fraction of what they are now. Later in the 1970's and 80's the freeways were widened. However, if you haven't been to Atlanta recently, there is no new construction going on. In fact, the "Outer Perimeter" which would run about 25 miles north of I-285 has been shelved. The Huntsville are has the misfortune that it was not large enough in the 1950's to have an interstate built through it - If they knew then the growth the area would experience, I-65 would follow the route of the Parkway.

[-=skywalker=-]

Dude, I really could care less if you agree or disagree with me. Just stating my opinion, that I think a lottery and legalized gambling should be the first option to raise funding for these much needed projects instead of toll roads.

Of which, I don't see people that live in places like Sand Mountain barely getting by on minimum wage and living in a run down mobile home or driving a junky car paying to drive on a toll road. Fact is, when you get outside of the major urban areas in this state, those are the kind of people you have.

[Rail Claimore]

A toll road will work depending on simple economics. Can revenue recovered from tolls pay for the road to be initially built and maintained? A typical urban 6-lane (total) tollway can get away with charging 10 cents per vehicle mile traveled if at least 130,000 vehicles per day use it. There are many rural stretches of interstate that average less than 50,000 vehicles per day. Granted, construction costs in rural areas are cheaper, but that's the kind of math you are looking at when a toll road is being considered.

[OCA REP]

Originally Posted by -=skywalker=-

Dude, I really could care less if you agree or disagree with me. Just stating my opinion, that I think a lottery and legalized gambling should be the first option to raise funding for these much needed projects instead of toll roads.

I think most in this state would agree that education should/would be the first priority in the unlikely event there was ever a lottery or fully legalized gambling here... not a new freeway!

Originally Posted by -=skywalker=-

Of which, I don't see people that live in places like Sand Mountain barely getting by on minimum wage and living in a run down mobile home or driving a junky car paying to drive on a toll road.

Those types would not be your targeted audience for any new toll road development...

[neilson]

Originally Posted by -=skywalker=-

Dude, I really could care less if you agree or disagree with me. Just stating my opinion, that I think a lottery and legalized gambling should be the first option to raise funding for these much needed projects instead of toll roads.

Of which, I don't see people that live in places like Sand Mountain barely getting by on minimum wage and living in a run down mobile home or driving a junky car paying to drive on a toll road. Fact is, when you get outside of the major urban areas in this state, those are the kind of people you have.

I'm gonna completely prove your theory wrong. They have a toll road that has existed in West Virginia for the past 40 years.

Let me say that again. There is a toll road in WEST VIRGINIA, the posterboy for all things Applachia poverty, and the toll road has existed for the past 40 years.

If a toll road can survive and thrive there, then it can work anywhere. Look at Kentucky and their Parkways(some of which may ultimately end up becoming re-tolled) and Oklahoma.

Toll roads will work in Alabama.