Brooklyn's chapter of the AIA has come out with an alternative plan to replace the derelict Gowanus Expressway with a suspension bridge down 1st Avenue.
Details are sketchy so far. I've written the group to request more details. The most palatable part of the proposal, a Greenway down 3rd Avenue, would also be a key ingredient to the proposed Gowanus Expressway Tunnel.
While I think a tunnel is the best alternative, one thing is clear: the Gowanus Expressway is a hulking blight across South Brooklyn's landscape that must be erased. Removing this obsolete structure and replacing the grimy shadows with a greenway would not only spawn a renaissance of the 3rd Avenue corridor, but also yield tremendous health benefits from improved air quality.
In addition to the suspension bridge, the AIA plan includes support for the Cross Harbor Freight Tunnel, another much-needed improvement that would remove thousands of trucks from Brooklyn Streets.
AIA Proposal
Daily News Article
You'll notice that there are no closeups of the suspended highway, because it would be at least as unpleasant as the current one. True, it would be on First Avenue, which is currently industrial anyway, but who's to say that it would stay that way? The current waterfront greenway proponents now have to deal with highways like the Belt Parkway, the BQE and the FDR Drive. Also, it would continue to funnel cars and trucks into Manhattan.
ReplyDelete"That we should wish to cast him down and have no one in his place is not a thought that occurs to his mind."
Cap'n we agree that a bridge is not the best answer.
ReplyDeleteMy preference is for a tunnel.
This suspension option would not be as hideous as the current incarnation, but it is not the ideal solution either.
Whatever we do, we have to get rid of the existing monstrosity.