FDOT finds $120 million: Fuller Warren to be widened

[mtraininjax]

When they rebuilt the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on the D.C. Beltway, they added a pedestrian path to the northern span (westbound inner loop).  So it is possible.

Awesome! We should do it here!!!!!

[David]

So what is this magic capacity number where all traffic will flow smoothly at all hours of the day?  6 lanes, 8 lanes, 10 lanes, 12 lanes?  Sorry, but we could add 16 lanes and they will eventually get congested.

8 lanes total. More passing options. Even with 3 lanes each way you still get stuck behind cars next to each other doing the same exact speed.

No more than 8 though. If they try to go to 10 lanes I'll stand in front of the bulldozers.

[I-10east]

I keep hearing people mention this whole "adding pedestrian sidewalks to the FWB". Is that even possible on the side of a major highway?

When they rebuilt the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on the D.C. Beltway, they added a pedestrian path to the northern span (westbound inner loop).  So it is possible.

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2009-06-07/news/36794301_1_bike-trails-national-trails-day-bike-path

So THAT'S the one bridge. 

[Lunican]

So THAT'S the one bridge. 

And Pittsburgh's Fort Duquesne Bridge (I-279) which was featured in the MJ article today...

[I-10east]

^^^The FWB Expansion Project article, gotcha.

[Tacachale]

People all over town will use the road, but the construction primarily effects the people who live near it. Of course they should have a say in the development. And it's silly to argue that people in the urban core don't use it; I use it all the time to commute to my job in the suburbs, and so do a lot of people. However, I'm skeptical that the benefits will outweigh the costs. Hopefully it would be ultimately be faster at rush hour (for a few years anyway) but we could lose RAM and the proposed dog park, we could lose a bunch of homes, business offices, and other buildings. The area will be tied up with even more construction for years. And we will all lose $120 million in tax money that could go to something else.

Not to mention the fact that perpetual construction kind of negates the idea that either Joe Fleming Island or Jane Five Points will actually have a quicker commute at any time in the near future, or for any length of time before the next expansion occurs.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

So looking at the proposed redering, where are they going to put the additional lanes?  It's really difficult to tell, but with the on/off exits on the San Marco side and the interstate already being sandwiched by Baptist / Nemours....

Are they going to make 'magic' lanes?

[fieldafm]

Appears that the lanes on the South side of the bridge will hug Baptist a little tighter.

[GoldenEst82]

The schools sucking is another issue. It's something in town schools should address if they want to stop everyone from defecting to the burbs in the name of a good public education. 

That ^happening is directly tied to our city leaders pulling their heads out their arses, and putting the tax money where their mouths are.
Why not put that FDOT money into an overland bridge from I95 to the Mathews,(ala NOLA) and upgrade that bridge?  OR if its about the 'burbs- build a new bridge between the Fuller Warren and the Buckman? Direct from 17 to Phillips/University?
I live (right now) directly next to I10, and I can see the whole interchange (and the top of the BOA building) from my front porch. I drive through it 10x a day some days. Its not worth it, not for that exact section. Especially if there's more 5 lane merging, and in the wrong actual direction in store.

[MEGATRON]

OR if its about the 'burbs- build a new bridge between the Fuller Warren and the Buckman? Direct from 17 to Phillips/University?

Let's not get silly

[icarus]

OR if its about the 'burbs- build a new bridge between the Fuller Warren and the Buckman? Direct from 17 to Phillips/University?

Let's not get silly

Its not silly ... JTB was originally proposed to go through to San Jose and then over the river to 17.  Needless to say, the community objected much the same as the Riverside community seems to be objecting to this proposal.

Realistically, I think the most you can expect in terms of DOT concessions is the possibility of a pedestrian lane.  Otherwise, this upgrade is going to happen as designed.

[CityLife]

OR if its about the 'burbs- build a new bridge between the Fuller Warren and the Buckman? Direct from 17 to Phillips/University?

Let's not get silly

That should have been done years and years ago, but now the costs would be astronomical, land acquisition would be a disaster, and it would tear apart more communities than this project.

[thelakelander]

So looking at the proposed redering, where are they going to put the additional lanes?  It's really difficult to tell, but with the on/off exits on the San Marco side and the interstate already being sandwiched by Baptist / Nemours....

Are they going to make 'magic' lanes?

The widening appears to be taking place on the southside of the bridge. You can see shift to the south where the Park Street ramp goes through that 6-story building instead of just north of it. New infrastructure appears to be highlighted in purple (elevated structure) and blue (ramps).

[thelakelander]

I keep hearing people mention this whole "adding pedestrian sidewalks to the FWB". Is that even possible on the side of a major highway?

When they rebuilt the Woodrow Wilson Bridge on the D.C. Beltway, they added a pedestrian path to the northern span (westbound inner loop).  So it is possible.

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2009-06-07/news/36794301_1_bike-trails-national-trails-day-bike-path

So THAT'S the one bridge. 

I thought you'd never ask!


Crossing the Potomac River on I-395 in Washington, DC

In a quest to expose this sorry excuse residents have encountered from our industry professionals over the years, here's a comprehensive, yet partial, list of Interstate freeway bridges in the United States with bicycle/pedestrian crossings:

1. Scudder Falls bridge on I-95 between Pennsylvania and New Jersey

2. I-80 Carquinez Bridge linking Vallejo and Crockett CA - separated bicycle/pedestrian path.

3. Interstate 90 floating bridges across Lake Washington, Seattle - motor traffic lanes plus bike/ped lane immediately adjacent, separated by a cement barrier.

4. I-494 over the Mississippi River near Minneapolis, Minnesota - path is immediately adjacent to the freeway, separated by a stone barrier.

5. Squaw Peak Freeway in Phoenix AZ

6. Appalachian Trail at I-80 Delaware Water Gap NJ-PA

7. Wonders Way on the Ravenel Bridge Charleston S.C.

8. I-84 Newburgh Beacon Bridge over the Hudson River, NY

9. I-84 Bulkley Bridge over the Connecticut River, Hartford, CT - sidewalk on south side of bridge for bicycle/pedestrian use, separated by concrete barrier

10. I-278 Triboro Bridge, New York City

11. I-295, Tukeys Bridge, Portland, Maine - separated from the freeway by a jersey barrier; no known incidents

12. I-279 over the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh--12 ft ada compliant ped/bike lane cantilevered off the superstructure

13. I-95 Gold Star Memorial Bridge over the Thames River, New London, CT

14. George Washington Bridge I-95 NY-NJ includes a sidewalk accessible to pedestrians on the south side and a path accessible to bicyclists and pedestrians on the north side

15. Ben Franklin Bridge I-76 PA-NJI-494 bridge over the Mississippi River near Minneapolis, Minnesota

16. I-494 bridge over the Mississippi River near Minneapolis, Minnesota

17. I-95/I-495 (Woodrow Wilson) Bridge over the Potomac on the Capital Beltway in Washington, D.C., has an adjacent shared-use path on the bridge for more than a mile

18. I-90 bridge over the Fox River in the Chicago area has a bicycle path underneath the main bridge

19. I-80 crossing the eastern reaches of San Francisco Bay has an adjacent bicycle/pedestrian path

20. I-680 crossing San Francisco Bay in California will have an adjacent bicycle/pedestrian path

21. I-10 over the Colorado at Blythe, CA

22. I-80 Yolo Causeway bridge, between Sacramento and Davis, CA - approximately 3-mile section over the Yolo Bypass that includes a bike path physically separated by a barrier from the westbound traffic lanes

23. I-82 Columbia River bridge between Washington State and Umatillan, OR

24. I-5 bridge over the Columbia River at Vancouver, WA--sidewalks on both sides.
Woodrow Wilson Bridge I-95 MD-VA (proposed)

25. The Record of Decision for two planned new interstate highway bridges across the Ohio River in or near Louisville includes separated bicycle/pedestrian facilities for both bridges

26. Interstate 395 bridge across the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. (immediately adjacent sidepath separated via jersey barriers)

27. Interstate 66 bridge across the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. (immediately adjacent sidewalks on each side separated by guard rail)

28. The I-395 and I-66 bike/ped facilities have existed for more than two decades without any safety problems related to their immediate proximity to the roadway.

http://mobikefed.org/2006/05/bicycle-paths-interstate-freeway-bridges

[ProjectMaximus]

Well...I guess it is possible!

So what is this magic capacity number where all traffic will flow smoothly at all hours of the day?  6 lanes, 8 lanes, 10 lanes, 12 lanes?  Sorry, but we could add 16 lanes and they will eventually get congested.

8 lanes total. More passing options. Even with 3 lanes each way you still get stuck behind cars next to each other doing the same exact speed.

No more than 8 though. If they try to go to 10 lanes I'll stand in front of the bulldozers.

Hmm..I don't think you understand how most traffic backups occur.