Regarding the pedestrian component, the new design will be much more pedestrian friendly than the current layout. If you’ve ever been on that interchange you know that it is actually a bit scary to walk across. In an ideal world we would be building 15 foot sidewalks, but we have to work with current footprint of the bridge (replacing it is about another $80M).

The interstate would still pass over or under the surface street but the intersections between the ramps and the surface street would happen at roundabouts instead of standard intersections or this DDI mess.

See: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=vail,+colorado&hl=en&ll=39.644139,-106.377879&spn=0.004759,0.009645&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.001301,79.013672&vpsrc=6&t=h&z=17 and http://maps.google.com/maps?q=vail,+colorado&hl=en&ll=39.6279,-106.420586&spn=0.00238,0.004823&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.001301,79.013672&vpsrc=6&t=h&z=18

Terrible, over sized, hostile, and unwalkable…none of those words invite any sort of relative comparison…riiiiiiiiiiiight.

Anyway, the DDI is ‘auto focused’…but it doesn’t mean it craps on the needs of pedestrians or can only be a ‘modest’ improvement. Just because they aren’t burning down the ramps to 285 and replacing the bridge with a single lane roadway surrounded by Elysian fields doesn’t mean it can’t be pedestrian friendly. Somewhere in the world, there will be busy roads…I think they can coexist with pedestrians if we try.

Wide sidewalks, clearer traffic signals, marked/upgraded/working cross walks, and new trees are all a part of the design to incorporate that corridor with the other many pedestrian improvements throughout the PCID.

As far as the loaded statement about ‘community priorities’…well, Decatur in itself doesn’t have to make many choices about intersections with interstates and that has nothing to do with community priorities. Anyway, a good example would be improvements at Scott-NDR-Medlock…I can tell you that crossing that intersection has never been a good idea. I’m still not sure how I survived the bike rides from Glennwood Estates to Medlock Park. If traffic improvements were made at that intersection, it would probably be ‘auto-focused’, but I imagine it would still result in a much more friendly ped environment.

One last note and I’ll leave with this…the AJC, as usual, missed the boat. Note this ‘small detail’ of why some Gwineetians are envisioning this a a symbol for the area.

http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2011/09/09/bridge-to-provide-new-gateway-to.html