The University of Windsor announced the creation of a new Cross-Border Transportation Studies Institute on Thursday. According to the press release, the new Research Chair, Dr. William Anderson, spent the past 10 years with Boston University as a part of the Department of Geography and Environment. Of particular interest to ScaleDown readers, Dr. Anderson (link to CV) was also a part of the Centre of Transportation Studies who, with third party funding, published a number of papers relating the economics of mass transit, new urbanism and the global economy and urban land use.I spent a few weeks in Boston nearly a decade ago and witnessed, first hand, the enormity of the project passionately known as The Big Dig. Much like Toronto's battle with the ill-conceived Gardiner Expressway, Boston's core was butchered by a series of raised highways built in the 1950s as a way to alleviate urban traffic congestion. Instead, thousands of residents and businesses were displaced and neighbourhoods were alienated by a swath of elevated traffic. The billion dollar plus project moved the raised highway underground, added tunnel capacity and even had (although not implemented yet) a plan for a rail route connecting two of Boston's airports.
Now that Dr. Anderson has decided to make Windsor, and the Unversity, his new home, I am sure that we can expect to some outstanding and thought-provoking research out of the new Cross-Border Transportation Studies Institute. With the Institute's mandate to focus on cross-border transit we can finally look forward to an impartial voice on the DRTP and Greenlink, as well as some real experience in dealing with a large scale community transformation through infrastructure realignment. Let's hope that Dr. Anderson can avoid the political plague that mars so many of ideas in this city and push for some real, innovative and sustainable change.
7 comments:
Josh, the Big Dig is not a project I would want any association with. Sure it was fantastic as far as improving the quality of the space that was vacated but...
From the Wiki link you provided:
The Big Dig has been the most expensive highway project in the U.S.[5] Although the project was estimated at $2.8 billion (USD) in 1985 (in 1982 dollars, $5.99b USD adjusted for inflation as of 2006),[6] over $14.6 billion ($8.08b in 1982 dollars)[6]had been spent in federal and state tax dollars as of 2006.[7] The project has incurred criminal arrests,[8][9] escalating costs, death, leaks, and charges of poor execution and use of substandard materials. The Massachusetts Attorney General is demanding contractors refund taxpayers $108 million for "shoddy work."[10]
For more insight on the "Big Dig"
http://www.icivilengineer.com/Big_Project_Watch/Big_Dig/
So, where could you find someone who has better experience and knowledge of potential mistakes on our project?
I guess having the guy around that can answer the question; What's the worst that could happen? Is definitely a point in our favour.
You can call me cynical if you want (I've been described as a skeptimist. That's a pessimistic skeptic.) but I don't think anybody (that will decide on what routes will be used) really cares about cross-border research. I am of the opinion that the Ambassador Bridge will be twinned and the Huron/Talbot corridor will become a 6 lane, controlled access highway - from the bridge to the 401. It is the cheapest and most efficient route. This city can cry and bitch all we want but ultimately the decision is out of our hands. The engine of Ontario and Canada's manufacturing sector (which shrunk by 33,000 jobs in December) is now East of Windsor. A $10 billon road will not be built with Canadian tax dollars to appease a few thousand Windsorites.
The Conservatives can ram it through because they won't lose any votes in this area and the Liberals/NDP can make a lot of noise in protest to keep them in their Windsor/Essex seats.
Anyone familiar with Boston knows first hand why approaches either in the air or below grade were taken. First and formost Boston was built from the beginning along the water's edge. Secondly it is built on top of hard bedrock which slopes right down to the ocean. The puzzle was always about preserving the historical integrity of the city without touching the surface. The old way was obviously the cheap way. The tunnel...it's massive and long. And the highway which runs through it (I-95 I believe, is hectic as it supports not only Boston traffic but all of eastern seaboard traffic). Even Logan Airport has a landing strip which ends in the ocean. They got her done ...good for them but at a cost beyond this planet and still counting. Don't forget that they literally had to build her twice because some contractor decided to use oatmeal instead of concrete. Lives were lost and the litigation from that is still ongoing.
Here in Windsor we are sitting on a flat flood plane. Not quite the same problems but the costs for tunneling still too excessive. And in the end, the impact on the environment would be no less and possibly worse than not tunneling at all. I think that Civil Tech is on the money. It's going to boil down to practicality. I'm still not convinced thats a bad thing.
James -- I agree that the BigDig is perhaps the most diabolical infrastructure project ever undertaken in North America. As far as I know, Dr. Anderson was not associated with the BigDig project, aside from teaching at a University in the city that suffered through it.
To that end, I think that Mark is right, having someone who knows what not to do is just as important as having someone who knows what to do. Aside from the infrastructure debate, Dr. Anderson is also well versed in urban renewal which, in spite of our penchant for discussing all things autocentric on this blog, is what ScaleDown is really all about.
If you want to know how auto fixated and how entitled to driving and cheap gas we think we are? Check out the sound off at the Windsor Star site. We here at SDW have a lot of work to do to enlighten our neighbours about how to improve their quality of life and spend less time worrying about their cars
This is funny. I haven't even thought about Boston and their "Big Dig" in years, and then when Josh brings it up it turns into something newsworthy for the Windsor Star. Whoda thunk you were so omni-powerful, Josh?
Boston's Big Dig faces debt woes
Michael McDonald
Saturday, January 12, 2008
The state agency overseeing Boston's Big Dig highway tunnel project said it will meet next week to discuss debt refinancing options including a plan to end an interest-rate swap with Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.
The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority's board may consider ending the $800-million swap with Lehman, Mac Daniel, a spokesman for the turnpike, said Thursday.
The agency's adviser, Public Financial Management, recommended terminating the agreement, which may result in a payment of as much as $43 million to New York-based Lehman, according to an estimate by JPMorgan Chase & Co.
The size of the payment will depend on changes in interest rates.
BUDGET DEFICIT
The turnpike faces a $30-million budget deficit and mounting criticism that it isn't spending enough on maintenance of the Big Dig, the most expensive public works project in American history at a cost of $15 billion.
The board will consider a capital budget after spending $25 million last year, about half of what turnpike staff said is needed for Big Dig maintenance.
"Now we're confronted with the reality that we don't have the funding to maintain the central artery tunnel," said Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, in an interview.
"It's not responsible to invest this kind of money and then not maintain the highway and tunnels."
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