If there’s to be over-capacity on the Sherman Minton, can we get our street grid under control before it happens (hint: pro-actively) and not after?
Tyler Allen: We’re building a billion-dollar downtown bridge, then incentivizing drivers not to use it, by Terry Boyd (Insider Louisville)
By tomorrow afternoon, it’s likely the final phases of financing the $800 million Downtown Bridge/Interstate-65 junction redesign will begin as the bi-state tolling body considers tolling recommendations.
But New Albanians should pay heed to the last paragraph.
If they proceed with all this, what’s your main concern? My main concern is, they end up with dramatic revenue shortfalls and can’t service the bonds a la KFC Yum! Center.
That is a big concern of mine. The other big concern of mine is, we will have built more than necessary and damaged this city in the process. Not only damaged it financially, but also damaged it from the development perspective.
When you toll this way…the public money from gas taxes is enough to build the East End corridor. The predictions were, you’d have 60,000 cars per day in a few years on the East End Bridge. Under this tolling regime, by 2030, you’ll only have 45,000 cars per day using the East End Bridge. The really scary part is, we’ve justified the downtown bridge … by saying the (Kennedy) bridge is over-capacity.
The minute they open these two new bridges, instantly, they’ll put the Sherman Minton bridge over capacity according to their own diversion numbers. People trying to avoid the tolls. They said we’ll go five years from now from 78,000 cars per day on the Sherman Minton … to 110,000 cars per day on the Sherman Minton. They’ll induce the situation they say they have today on the Kennedy Bridge overnight on the Sherman Minton.
Doesn’t that seem like bad policy?
