This entry was posted on 5/26/2007 8:01 AM and is filed under uncategorized.
Could there be a Boston-style "big dig" in Atlanta's future?
If former Georgia DOT board chairman David Doss of Rome had his way, then the answer would be "yes". In fact, he has dubbed this "The Big Idea".
According to WSB-TV's website article
"Could Tunnel Solve Atlanta's Traffic Woes?", Mr. Doss proposes that an underground toll road (north-south tunnel) be built from I-85 at the GA 400 Tollway interchange to I-285 at its interchange with I-675.
The proposed route would actually be the one orignally proposed over 40 years ago for GA 400, except most of it would be built underground. The only places along its route that it would resurface would be near the Carter Center and at I-20 to allow traffic to get to/from Downtown Atlanta.
The a West Coast "think tank" called
The Reason Foundation, with Mr. Doss as a sponsor, has put together its own recommendations of how Atlanta's traffic woes can be resolved through the private financing of road projects. The document is titled
"Reducing Congestion In Atlanta: A Bold New Approach To Increasing Mobility". Please click here for the entire document.
According to cost estimates quoted on WSB-TV last week, the cost of the north-south tunnel is estimated to be $8 billion in today's money (the Reason Foundation study estimated the cost at "$4.8 billion in 2005 dollars").
From a cost standpoint, would it be worth it to spend that cost on something that would potentially be little more than another "band-aid" for Atlanta's traffic woes? Also, what plan(s) would the state have to deal with potential catastrophic events as tunnel fires, major "pile-ups", and even potential terrorist acts? For that matter, what accountability will the private firm(s) who build, run, and maintain the tunnels have and will the desire for profit potentially compromise construction quality, especially on a project of this magnitude? (Look at the fairly recent incident with Boston's I-90 "Mass Pike" tunnel's concrete ceiling tiles falling off as an example.)
Do you think Mr. Doss's "Big Idea" is a good one for "the ATL's" traffic woes? Considering the cost alone, and with skepticism regarding potential benefit to the traveling public, I'm not so sure. Please feel free to read the "Reducing Congestion..." document and let me know what you think.
That's all for now. Thanks for visiting, reading, and may you and yours have a happy and safe Memorial Day weekend.
