Freeway tear-downs: Ramping up, Sept. 26

Freeway tear-downs?: I usually don't like lists, but I do think this one from the Congress for the New Urbanism is pretty good -- it's their top 10 lists of freeways that should be torn down to make way for more people-friendly streets. No L.A. freeway made the cut, however.

The top five:

1. Seattle , WA . – The Alaskan Way Viaduct (shown above)
2. Bronx , NY – Sheridan Expressway
3. Buffalo, NY – The Skyway and Route 5
4. New Haven, CT – Route 34
5. New Orleans, LA – Claiborne Expressway

Metrolink: The Board of Directors meets today in L.A. to consider the long list of safety recommendations offered to them by the MTA Board. On the list are adding a second engineer, installing anti-collision technology and possibly installing seatbelts. My colleague Jeff Gottlieb is covering the meeting; a full online story on yesterday's MTA meeting is on The Times' California page.

State budget: MTA CEO Roger Snoble said at yesterday's MTA meeting that the state budget cut about $130 million from transportation programs around L.A. County. Only $130 million? The boys and girls in the Leg must have been off their game this year.

Blog schedule: I'm off today, back Monday. Light posting in the meantime.

--Steve Hymon

photo: Cheryl Hatch / AP

Comments

[JP]

It makes sense that the Viaduct is at the top of the list. Not only is it unsafe, but it wastes a good amount of prime waterfront real estate. The area under the viaduct is not ped friendly, and is seedy at night. This freeway is similar to the late Embarcadero freeway in SF, and should share a similar fate.