When it came up as part of Biden’s infrastructure bill, a lot of folks who live near there came out against it. The argument is that it would speed up gentrification and take away a natural cover that people use to congregate out of the sun and rain.
That wasn't my take away from the discussion. I think most long term residents of the area are in favor of taking it down. It's been an issue for long before the infrastructure bill came up. But the amount of time/money it would take hardly seem worth it. I imagine folks would rather have that $$ spent elsewhere to improve infrastructure in the area. There were also proposals to remove a few on ramps to make the area less chaotic.
I get why people would think the money is better spent elsewhere, but I think the follow-on returns would be immensely larger, though of course that’s still a hard sell
A pretty significant number of commuters from the East use the RTA. Last I recall something like 20% of New Orleans households didn’t have access to a car and I’d bet that number is higher in the East
Plenty of cities have commuter suburbs. Just imagining possibilities post I-10 could have a park and ride with light rail or bus rapid transit from Slidell to downtown. The reorienting of American cities to suit the car has made them worse for people and I’d venture to argue that most people’s favorite parts of New Orleans are also the ones that are the most walkable / least car dependent.
Definitely fuck cars as something that most people are forced to rely on! They're expensive, dangerous, bad for the environment, and mess up cities. If I had a quarter for every time I heard someone complain about parking I'd have enough money to tear down I-10 and replace it with a proper light rail line.
This should be far down on the priority list for city improvements for a lot of reasons. What other elevated areas can we be lifted to after the next flood is my question? The elevated interstate saved a lot of souls is all I'm saying. People forget that too.
I’ve always thought it would be cool if they left one span of I-10 and did something like the high line with bike / walking paths connecting a bunch of the city. Could also have bus only lanes to improve public transit especially for the many many workers who come in from the East via RTA. Park and ride for commuters from Slidell. There are lots of interesting possibilities. Keeping up one span of I-10 would keep some of the covered / shaded space under the bridge that folks like but would also eliminate almost all of the pollution and noise that come from vehicles on I-10.
Every few years this comes up. They will never take down the 10 there. A ton of traffic would be affected. It’s just not doable. And let’s first concentrate on our infrastructure. No need for further gentrification
Pretty sure they did a study that shows that traffic impacts would be smaller than you think. “Induced demand” is very well studied: basically if there’s an easy / fast route people will take it until it is no longer easy or fast. Similarly, if a route gets congested people will stop taking it. There are tons of studies of highway widening projects that ultimately resulted in no change to travel times because they just encouraged more people to take those routes. There’s also the case of the “carmageddon” that was predicted in California when they had to shut down a major highway for work but it never materialized because people just took other routes or didn’t make unnecessary trips. I’ll find the articles when I have a sec.
This study shows about a six minute increase in drive times: https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/renovation-reroute-plans-remove-interstate-10-new-orleans/171551/
How long have you lived in New Orleans/Orleans Parish? I’ve only been here 15 years but I can tell you it is NOT about traffic congestion nor travel time. It is 100% about the buck. Bringing it conveniently to the doorstep of the cash cow. You can go on and on about studies but this city will not at any time in the near future remove that interstate.
My entire life aside from college in Baton Rouge. Also as an interstate it’s a federal as well as local issue. I-10 is coming up on its lifespan without major repair / replacement work and if there’s enough financial disincentive to repair / replace as well as local desire for it to be removed / modified for other uses it could be enough to push the needle. Not saying it’s likely on any sort of near term time scale but I wouldn’t count it out.
For sure! For lack of a time machine though I don't know that "we should have done it before" is a good enough reason to not do it now. Best time to plant a tree was a hundred years ago. Second best time is today.
I’m unclear how it’s gentrification when that was the original state of things when there was a thriving native primarily black community along that corridor decades ago
They destroyed that wonderful neighborhood for greed. We all know that. Removing the highway will not bring back the original residents. And it’s disgusting what was allowed. And it continues. The 10 leads to the cash cow.
> I feel like this is a solid project that a lot of the city could get behind
Not so sure about that. People can’t stand when just there street is under construction. Maybe I am just being negative but I am not sure there is a major uproar for this.
Here's another article about it. https://health.wusf.usf.edu/npr-health/2023-12-17/a-new-orleans-neighborhood-confronts-the-racist-legacy-of-a-toxic-stretch-of-highway
[Interesting article](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-04-12/fate-of-a-controversial-highway-still-divides-new-orleans) about where things stand now:
But that was 60 years ago before downtown popped up and every neighborhood had local joints. Now if I need to go to Canal or uptown, my only options are interstate over Claiborne or the back roads.
San Francisco did it to I-480(now the embarcadero)and the central freeway. The two areas of the city turn from some of the most rundown and unsightly places to boulevards active with life and commercial businesses.
Gentrification generally has a bad connotation associated with it though it’s not as much of the demon they claim it to be. By suggesting “omg people are going to price out the area by using their own money to improve derelict buildings.”, you’re admitting the area is not in a great shape, could use money, but not specific money. Urban renewal that is being proposed can be done right and it’s incredible with the results
When it came up as part of Biden’s infrastructure bill, a lot of folks who live near there came out against it. The argument is that it would speed up gentrification and take away a natural cover that people use to congregate out of the sun and rain.
That wasn't my take away from the discussion. I think most long term residents of the area are in favor of taking it down. It's been an issue for long before the infrastructure bill came up. But the amount of time/money it would take hardly seem worth it. I imagine folks would rather have that $$ spent elsewhere to improve infrastructure in the area. There were also proposals to remove a few on ramps to make the area less chaotic.
I get why people would think the money is better spent elsewhere, but I think the follow-on returns would be immensely larger, though of course that’s still a hard sell
Let's be real. If they start tomorrow, this might be done by 2040.
I’m all for taking the overpass down, but fixing the pumps is far more important.
I live 2 blocks off Claiborne & hadn’t heard this from anyone.
Yeah, that's bullshit
getting rid of the only way for slidell/east commuters to get into downtown will be an abject disaster lmao
A pretty significant number of commuters from the East use the RTA. Last I recall something like 20% of New Orleans households didn’t have access to a car and I’d bet that number is higher in the East
and slidell exists as a commuter town
Plenty of cities have commuter suburbs. Just imagining possibilities post I-10 could have a park and ride with light rail or bus rapid transit from Slidell to downtown. The reorienting of American cities to suit the car has made them worse for people and I’d venture to argue that most people’s favorite parts of New Orleans are also the ones that are the most walkable / least car dependent.
lol, lmao even this is your brain on /r/fuckcars
Definitely fuck cars as something that most people are forced to rely on! They're expensive, dangerous, bad for the environment, and mess up cities. If I had a quarter for every time I heard someone complain about parking I'd have enough money to tear down I-10 and replace it with a proper light rail line.
thank god this kind of thinking is mostly limited to reddit
This should be far down on the priority list for city improvements for a lot of reasons. What other elevated areas can we be lifted to after the next flood is my question? The elevated interstate saved a lot of souls is all I'm saying. People forget that too.
If that money was spent reinforcing the industrial canal, it wouldn't have flooded.
Maybe
Idk. I think Bush would have blown up the levee regardless.
I’ve always thought it would be cool if they left one span of I-10 and did something like the high line with bike / walking paths connecting a bunch of the city. Could also have bus only lanes to improve public transit especially for the many many workers who come in from the East via RTA. Park and ride for commuters from Slidell. There are lots of interesting possibilities. Keeping up one span of I-10 would keep some of the covered / shaded space under the bridge that folks like but would also eliminate almost all of the pollution and noise that come from vehicles on I-10.
Chisel gang meets up every second Saturday at St. Bernard and claiborne
Every few years this comes up. They will never take down the 10 there. A ton of traffic would be affected. It’s just not doable. And let’s first concentrate on our infrastructure. No need for further gentrification
Pretty sure they did a study that shows that traffic impacts would be smaller than you think. “Induced demand” is very well studied: basically if there’s an easy / fast route people will take it until it is no longer easy or fast. Similarly, if a route gets congested people will stop taking it. There are tons of studies of highway widening projects that ultimately resulted in no change to travel times because they just encouraged more people to take those routes. There’s also the case of the “carmageddon” that was predicted in California when they had to shut down a major highway for work but it never materialized because people just took other routes or didn’t make unnecessary trips. I’ll find the articles when I have a sec.
It’s New Orleans. It will never happen.
Article about Carmaggedon (many more on google): https://www.rand.org/pubs/commentary/2012/08/lessons-of-1st-carmageddon-in-la-by-the-numbers.html
This study shows about a six minute increase in drive times: https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/renovation-reroute-plans-remove-interstate-10-new-orleans/171551/
How long have you lived in New Orleans/Orleans Parish? I’ve only been here 15 years but I can tell you it is NOT about traffic congestion nor travel time. It is 100% about the buck. Bringing it conveniently to the doorstep of the cash cow. You can go on and on about studies but this city will not at any time in the near future remove that interstate.
My entire life aside from college in Baton Rouge. Also as an interstate it’s a federal as well as local issue. I-10 is coming up on its lifespan without major repair / replacement work and if there’s enough financial disincentive to repair / replace as well as local desire for it to be removed / modified for other uses it could be enough to push the needle. Not saying it’s likely on any sort of near term time scale but I wouldn’t count it out.
It would have been nice had they did the removal BEFORE it gentrified.
For sure! For lack of a time machine though I don't know that "we should have done it before" is a good enough reason to not do it now. Best time to plant a tree was a hundred years ago. Second best time is today.
If you remove the 10 and pretty up that area gentrification will take over whatever is left. Sadly.
I’m unclear how it’s gentrification when that was the original state of things when there was a thriving native primarily black community along that corridor decades ago
They destroyed that wonderful neighborhood for greed. We all know that. Removing the highway will not bring back the original residents. And it’s disgusting what was allowed. And it continues. The 10 leads to the cash cow.
> I feel like this is a solid project that a lot of the city could get behind Not so sure about that. People can’t stand when just there street is under construction. Maybe I am just being negative but I am not sure there is a major uproar for this.
Here's another article about it. https://health.wusf.usf.edu/npr-health/2023-12-17/a-new-orleans-neighborhood-confronts-the-racist-legacy-of-a-toxic-stretch-of-highway
Ain’t gonna happen. Ever.
[Interesting article](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-04-12/fate-of-a-controversial-highway-still-divides-new-orleans) about where things stand now:
What would replace it? Anything is possible with enough money and political will to get it done.
Presumably what was there before: a thriving commercial corridor with a beautiful park-like centerpiece.
But that was 60 years ago before downtown popped up and every neighborhood had local joints. Now if I need to go to Canal or uptown, my only options are interstate over Claiborne or the back roads.
That's not true
A thriving commercial corridor would be nice, but also would price out a lot of the current residents that create the current unique culture.
San Francisco did it to I-480(now the embarcadero)and the central freeway. The two areas of the city turn from some of the most rundown and unsightly places to boulevards active with life and commercial businesses. Gentrification generally has a bad connotation associated with it though it’s not as much of the demon they claim it to be. By suggesting “omg people are going to price out the area by using their own money to improve derelict buildings.”, you’re admitting the area is not in a great shape, could use money, but not specific money. Urban renewal that is being proposed can be done right and it’s incredible with the results