As part of America’s major interstate highway system, I-35 has left an indelible impact on the city of Waco, prompting dramatic shifts in Waco’s economy, neighborhoods, and aesthetic landscape.
— Waco History (@WacoHistory) April 11, 2023
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I-35 has left an indelible impact on the city of Waco, prompting dramatic shifts
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Last: 1 yr ago by Redbrickbear
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The U.S. really messed up the Interstate system by running them through cities and turning them into local surface streets.
France does it really well - the highways run a few km outside of towns, and to go to a town one exits and drives a few km into town. There is no reason Waco should have 20 exits on an "interstate" highway. There should be one north of town and one south of town, and the actual highway should run about five miles east of downtown.
France does it really well - the highways run a few km outside of towns, and to go to a town one exits and drives a few km into town. There is no reason Waco should have 20 exits on an "interstate" highway. There should be one north of town and one south of town, and the actual highway should run about five miles east of downtown.
It is a well-known story that I-35 was to cut through a different section of Waco, but Judge Abner McCall, President of Baylor, insisted that the hwy be routed adjacent to the Baylor campus. It was thought that this would add access to and exposure for the school.
Kinda ironic that during the Sloan administration, efforts were made to create a green space between Baylor and the interstate - thinking it would be yet another factor to help improve the university's rankings (even though the more highly-ranked UT's campus was in a similar situation with the same interstate.)
Kinda ironic that during the Sloan administration, efforts were made to create a green space between Baylor and the interstate - thinking it would be yet another factor to help improve the university's rankings (even though the more highly-ranked UT's campus was in a similar situation with the same interstate.)
Had it been built that way (as a traffic engineer's wet dream), Waco would have been a ghost town by the 1970's. Who's going to get off to patronize a business that you have to drive 3 or 4 miles over surface streets to get to? Ask Salado what the closure of exits for a couple of years did to businesses (employers) in that town. The only places that would have benefited from such a circumstance would have been the larger "nodal" towns like Dallas and Austin from lessened congestion on the route between them. Everyone between the larger cities would have suffered.Quote:
There should be one north of town and one south of town, and the actual highway should run about five miles east of downtown.
I understand the notion (mostly a European thing) that there should be a difference between streets and roads. Streets are where you live and roads are to go between places where people live. This works well (I guess) in Europe where high density housing is the standard even in the middle of nowhere. I've never understood this. I prefer the North American decentralized model.
Those who would embrace the European model likely approve of the 15 minute city. The idea that I can get in my car, and in an afternoon's time be 600 hundred miles (not 965 f'ing KM) away from where I belong drives central planners crazy. Just like the idea I might want to cut 5 minutes off my trip from north to south Waco by conveniently jumping on the interstate.
Freeways built with tax dollars through towns need to serve the local taxpayers as well as those just passing through.
Good post. Thanks.CorsicanaBear said:Had it been built that way (as a traffic engineer's wet dream), Waco would have been a ghost town by the 1970's. Who's going to get off to patronize a business that you have to drive 3 or 4 miles over surface streets to get to? Ask Salado what the closure of exits for a couple of years did to businesses (employers) in that town. The only places that would have benefited from such a circumstance would have been the larger "nodal" towns like Dallas and Austin from lessened congestion on the route between them. Everyone between the larger cities would have suffered.Quote:
There should be one north of town and one south of town, and the actual highway should run about five miles east of downtown.
I understand the notion (mostly a European thing) that there should be a difference between streets and roads. Streets are where you live and roads are to go between places where people live. This works well (I guess) in Europe where high density housing is the standard even in the middle of nowhere. I've never understood this. I prefer the North American decentralized model.
Those who would embrace the European model likely approve of the 15 minute city. The idea that I can get in my car, and in an afternoon's time be 600 hundred miles (not 965 f'ing KM) away from where I belong drives central planners crazy. Just like the idea I might want to cut 5 minutes off my trip from north to south Waco by conveniently jumping on the interstate.
Freeways built with tax dollars through towns need to serve the local taxpayers as well as those just passing through.
Cute but incorrect.CorsicanaBear said:Had it been built that way (as a traffic engineer's wet dream), Waco would have been a ghost town by the 1970's. Who's going to get off to patronize a business that you have to drive 3 or 4 miles over surface streets to get to? Ask Salado what the closure of exits for a couple of years did to businesses (employers) in that town. The only places that would have benefited from such a circumstance would have been the larger "nodal" towns like Dallas and Austin from lessened congestion on the route between them. Everyone between the larger cities would have suffered.Quote:
There should be one north of town and one south of town, and the actual highway should run about five miles east of downtown.
I understand the notion (mostly a European thing) that there should be a difference between streets and roads. Streets are where you live and roads are to go between places where people live. This works well (I guess) in Europe where high density housing is the standard even in the middle of nowhere. I've never understood this. I prefer the North American decentralized model.
Those who would embrace the European model likely approve of the 15 minute city. The idea that I can get in my car, and in an afternoon's time be 600 hundred miles (not 965 f'ing KM) away from where I belong drives central planners crazy. Just like the idea I might want to cut 5 minutes off my trip from north to south Waco by conveniently jumping on the interstate.
Freeways built with tax dollars through towns need to serve the local taxpayers as well as those just passing through.
In what respect?Quote:
Cute but incorrect.
Illigitimus non carborundum
All taxpayers pay for airports even those that don't fly. This is not complicated.CorsicanaBear said:In what respect?Quote:
Cute but incorrect.
I'm incapable of (sustained) flight.Harrison Bergeron said:All taxpayers pay for airports even those that don't fly. This is not complicated.CorsicanaBear said:In what respect?Quote:
Cute but incorrect.
They may not, but they could. Airports bring business to town to keep you employed. If you can't get on the freeway to drive across town or if the freeway is 5 miles outside of town and brings no business then taxpayers get no value out of it.Quote:
All taxpayers pay for airports even those that don't fly. This is not complicated.
Airports and freeways are not comparable.
Besides, I think airports should be paid for by flyers not non flyers, kind of like toll roads.
Illigitimus non carborundum
CorsicanaBear said:Had it been built that way (as a traffic engineer's wet dream), Waco would have been a ghost town by the 1970's. Who's going to get off to patronize a business that you have to drive 3 or 4 miles over surface streets to get to? Ask Salado what the closure of exits for a couple of years did to businesses (employers) in that town. The only places that would have benefited from such a circumstance would have been the larger "nodal" towns like Dallas and Austin from lessened congestion on the route between them. Everyone between the larger cities would have suffered.Quote:
There should be one north of town and one south of town, and the actual highway should run about five miles east of downtown.
I understand the notion (mostly a European thing) that there should be a difference between streets and roads. Streets are where you live and roads are to go between places where people live. This works well (I guess) in Europe where high density housing is the standard even in the middle of nowhere. I've never understood this. I prefer the North American decentralized model.
Those who would embrace the European model likely approve of the 15 minute city. The idea that I can get in my car, and in an afternoon's time be 600 hundred miles (not 965 f'ing KM) away from where I belong drives central planners crazy. Just like the idea I might want to cut 5 minutes off my trip from north to south Waco by conveniently jumping on the interstate.
Freeways built with tax dollars through towns need to serve the local taxpayers as well as those just passing through.
You and Harrison make good points.
Highways going around cities make them more beautiful (see France, Italy, Spain)
But yea it's probably not good for economic reasons…and a death sentence for your town to do if all the other towns are gonna take the highway right through the middle.
This might sound crazy - it is not crazy.
— ib (@Indian_Bronson) July 20, 2023
Lee Kuan Yew talks at great length throughout his memoirs on building Singapore about trees specifically, trees *as such*, being harbingers and indicators and inspirers of great things: https://t.co/hhgMmvhDsv pic.twitter.com/LujkWaE50Q
Lancaster, CA transformed its downtown in just 8 months by redesigning it's main street from a mini-highway to a tree-lined boulevard.
— Coby (@Cobylefko) July 20, 2023
For the cost of just $11.5M, the project has generated $273M in economic output since 2010, creating 800 jobs, and nearly doubling tax revenue! pic.twitter.com/kS3E4dpjGq