Post by Soulbrotha on Jun 16, 2004 0:41:34 GMT -5
River Road extension proposed
Project would open downtown link to Portland, help businesses
By SHELDON S. SHAFER
sshafer@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
PHOTOS BY MICHAEL HAYMAN, THE C-J
Louisville Metro government is considering a plan to extend River Road, seen here at Seventh Street under Interstate 64.
This area, at Rowan and 13th streets looking east, is targeted for a $2.5 million extension of River Road from downtown Louisville.
The Ohio River might run the length of metro Louisville, but don't try to follow its path along River Road.
Designated as a scenic byway in its eastern stretches, River Road ends at Seventh Street downtown.
But now, after 30 years of being cut off by an interstate and the floodwall, River Road may be extended four blocks west to improve access and boost development of a little-known industrial area just west of Ninth Street known as Shippingport.
Eventually, city officials would like to extend River Road even farther, connecting to Northwestern Parkway and the historic Portland community.
The project "will complete an important connection between downtown and the Portland neighborhood," Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson said. "It will also help expand economic opportunities for Shippingport and the Portland neighborhood" as redevelopment starts in the areas.
Although the estimated $2.5million for construction of a two-lane River Road extension to west of 12th Street probably will not be budgeted until next year, Abramson's proposed budget for 2004-05 earmarks $450,000 in federal aid to start the project.
About $200,000 would pay for final engineering and design work, with the remaining $250,000 to acquire about 7 acres needed for right of way, said Barry Alberts, director of the Downtown Development Corp.
The government already owns much of the needed right of way.
Metro Council President Kelly Downard, R-16th District, said he supports the project, although council members — who soon will vote on the mayor's budget — have not yet discussed it fully.
"It would open up that part of the city," Downard said, bemoaning the fact that the area west of Main Street largely was cut off from downtown when the Ninth Street interchange to I-64 opened more than 30 years ago.
Important entryway
River Road near the downtown wharf was reconfigured in the mid-1990s to accommodate Waterfront Park. As a result, Alberts said, the stretch from Third to Seventh streets is short on aesthetics — much of it runs under Interstate 64 and along the floodwall, and "there are no signs, no lights, no banners to indicate it is a gateway to the Main Street area," he said.
Alberts said some of the $2.5million for the extension would pay to improve the stretch of River Road from Third to Seventh streets, including new lighting and landscaping. He said a stoplight may be installed at Seventh and River Road to make it easier for pedestrians to cross.
River Road now forks at Seventh, with one split for vehicles coming north on Seventh and the other wrapping around west to Eighth Street.
Alberts said the plan calls for new intersections on River Road at Seventh and at Eighth. The extension would then go under the Ninth Street ramp to I-64 and run into Rowan Street near 10th — a block north of Main.
Rowan, which ends near 13th, would be improved and could be renamed River Road in the blocks between 10th and 12th, officials said.
KYFI, a container-freight company, owns most of the land not owned by the government near Rowan.
Larry May, KYFI's administrative manager, acknowledged that the company is negotiating with the city but referred questions to attorney Richard Head. Head did not return telephone calls yesterday. Alberts declined to comment on the right-of-way negotiations.
Alberts did say that building the new River Road under I-64 would require removing some parking, although the road's exact path has not been finalized.
Louisville Science Center director Gail Becker said she is concerned about what might happen to about 300 city-owned parking spaces behind the center at 727 W. Main St., because the center takes in about $150,000 a year from parking fees.
But Becker supports the expansion, which she called "really important" as a new entryway to the West Main area.
Alberts said replacement parking might be available nearby. The major design challenge, he said, will be to lay out the road's corridor through and around the pylons supporting I-64.
Metro officials plan to award a contract for final design work early this summer, Alberts said.
Business support
David Baughman, whose Baughman Group operates several companies along Rowan that make, distribute or repair a variety of industrial products, said he and other area business owners are "universally thrilled about the project," which would provide access to a string of industries between Main and the Ohio River west of Ninth.
The River Road extension "fits us perfectly," said Baughman, vice president of the 5-year-old Shippingport Centre Business Association, which has nearly a dozen active members.
"It would open us up to the East End," Baughman said. "Now, the Ninth Street interchange stops everything. ... It would help us become an inner-city industrial park."
David Morris, director of the Metro Development Authority, said the city has spent about $350,000 in the past five years to help those businesses — removing a low railroad overpass that interfered with truck traffic, and initiating a master-plan study, landscaping and repairs on Main Street.
During that same period, Baughman said, members of the business group have invested about $15million in their companies. He said his companies alone have spent about $2.4million on upgrades since 1999, when the association was formed.
Ben Adkins, a director of Adkins Machinery Movers near 13th and Rowan, said his business had invested about $150,000 in recent improvements. Adkins also supported the project, saying, "Any time you increase the flow of traffic and make it easier to get in and out, it is advantageous."
Getting to Portland
Although the plan for the second leg of the River Road extension northwest to Northwestern Parkway and Portland is sketchy, Abramson and Alberts said they believe it needs to be done.
Alberts said relatively little land would have to be acquired for the right of way for the second extension, which would be about three blocks long and would require a new overpass above the Norfolk Southern railroad.
The link to Portland, which has been cut off from downtown since I-64 was built, would provide better access between downtown and such public areas as Shawnee and Lannan parks. It might also bring more users to the RiverWalk along the Ohio, officials said.
John Owen, a Portland activist, said that connecting that neighborhood to downtown via a new River Road also might draw investment to Portland and "get the city going west of Ninth Street."
A new River Road also could alleviate some traffic tie-ups on Portland Avenue and 22nd Street, he said.
And it might be a springboard for Portland to promote some of its rich history, Owen said.
City officials, for example, have considered trying to develop a park at the old Portland Wharf.
City officials also hope to persuade the Army Corps of Engineers to convert Shippingport Island into a public reserve.
For now, there is no plan to develop a new phase of Waterfront Park downriver, near Shippingport Island or Lannan Park, said David Karem, executive director of the Waterfront Development Corp.
But, in five or 10 years, after Waterfront Park's initial three phases are completed, a downriver expansion of the park "deserves a good look-see," Karem said. "There is a lot of pretty spectacular land in that direction. Making River Road a gateway to that area opens up the access and would be very helpful.
www.courierjournal.com/localnews/2004/06/15ky/A1-riverroad0615-10575.html
Project would open downtown link to Portland, help businesses
By SHELDON S. SHAFER
sshafer@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
PHOTOS BY MICHAEL HAYMAN, THE C-J
Louisville Metro government is considering a plan to extend River Road, seen here at Seventh Street under Interstate 64.
This area, at Rowan and 13th streets looking east, is targeted for a $2.5 million extension of River Road from downtown Louisville.
The Ohio River might run the length of metro Louisville, but don't try to follow its path along River Road.
Designated as a scenic byway in its eastern stretches, River Road ends at Seventh Street downtown.
But now, after 30 years of being cut off by an interstate and the floodwall, River Road may be extended four blocks west to improve access and boost development of a little-known industrial area just west of Ninth Street known as Shippingport.
Eventually, city officials would like to extend River Road even farther, connecting to Northwestern Parkway and the historic Portland community.
The project "will complete an important connection between downtown and the Portland neighborhood," Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson said. "It will also help expand economic opportunities for Shippingport and the Portland neighborhood" as redevelopment starts in the areas.
Although the estimated $2.5million for construction of a two-lane River Road extension to west of 12th Street probably will not be budgeted until next year, Abramson's proposed budget for 2004-05 earmarks $450,000 in federal aid to start the project.
About $200,000 would pay for final engineering and design work, with the remaining $250,000 to acquire about 7 acres needed for right of way, said Barry Alberts, director of the Downtown Development Corp.
The government already owns much of the needed right of way.
Metro Council President Kelly Downard, R-16th District, said he supports the project, although council members — who soon will vote on the mayor's budget — have not yet discussed it fully.
"It would open up that part of the city," Downard said, bemoaning the fact that the area west of Main Street largely was cut off from downtown when the Ninth Street interchange to I-64 opened more than 30 years ago.
Important entryway
River Road near the downtown wharf was reconfigured in the mid-1990s to accommodate Waterfront Park. As a result, Alberts said, the stretch from Third to Seventh streets is short on aesthetics — much of it runs under Interstate 64 and along the floodwall, and "there are no signs, no lights, no banners to indicate it is a gateway to the Main Street area," he said.
Alberts said some of the $2.5million for the extension would pay to improve the stretch of River Road from Third to Seventh streets, including new lighting and landscaping. He said a stoplight may be installed at Seventh and River Road to make it easier for pedestrians to cross.
River Road now forks at Seventh, with one split for vehicles coming north on Seventh and the other wrapping around west to Eighth Street.
Alberts said the plan calls for new intersections on River Road at Seventh and at Eighth. The extension would then go under the Ninth Street ramp to I-64 and run into Rowan Street near 10th — a block north of Main.
Rowan, which ends near 13th, would be improved and could be renamed River Road in the blocks between 10th and 12th, officials said.
KYFI, a container-freight company, owns most of the land not owned by the government near Rowan.
Larry May, KYFI's administrative manager, acknowledged that the company is negotiating with the city but referred questions to attorney Richard Head. Head did not return telephone calls yesterday. Alberts declined to comment on the right-of-way negotiations.
Alberts did say that building the new River Road under I-64 would require removing some parking, although the road's exact path has not been finalized.
Louisville Science Center director Gail Becker said she is concerned about what might happen to about 300 city-owned parking spaces behind the center at 727 W. Main St., because the center takes in about $150,000 a year from parking fees.
But Becker supports the expansion, which she called "really important" as a new entryway to the West Main area.
Alberts said replacement parking might be available nearby. The major design challenge, he said, will be to lay out the road's corridor through and around the pylons supporting I-64.
Metro officials plan to award a contract for final design work early this summer, Alberts said.
Business support
David Baughman, whose Baughman Group operates several companies along Rowan that make, distribute or repair a variety of industrial products, said he and other area business owners are "universally thrilled about the project," which would provide access to a string of industries between Main and the Ohio River west of Ninth.
The River Road extension "fits us perfectly," said Baughman, vice president of the 5-year-old Shippingport Centre Business Association, which has nearly a dozen active members.
"It would open us up to the East End," Baughman said. "Now, the Ninth Street interchange stops everything. ... It would help us become an inner-city industrial park."
David Morris, director of the Metro Development Authority, said the city has spent about $350,000 in the past five years to help those businesses — removing a low railroad overpass that interfered with truck traffic, and initiating a master-plan study, landscaping and repairs on Main Street.
During that same period, Baughman said, members of the business group have invested about $15million in their companies. He said his companies alone have spent about $2.4million on upgrades since 1999, when the association was formed.
Ben Adkins, a director of Adkins Machinery Movers near 13th and Rowan, said his business had invested about $150,000 in recent improvements. Adkins also supported the project, saying, "Any time you increase the flow of traffic and make it easier to get in and out, it is advantageous."
Getting to Portland
Although the plan for the second leg of the River Road extension northwest to Northwestern Parkway and Portland is sketchy, Abramson and Alberts said they believe it needs to be done.
Alberts said relatively little land would have to be acquired for the right of way for the second extension, which would be about three blocks long and would require a new overpass above the Norfolk Southern railroad.
The link to Portland, which has been cut off from downtown since I-64 was built, would provide better access between downtown and such public areas as Shawnee and Lannan parks. It might also bring more users to the RiverWalk along the Ohio, officials said.
John Owen, a Portland activist, said that connecting that neighborhood to downtown via a new River Road also might draw investment to Portland and "get the city going west of Ninth Street."
A new River Road also could alleviate some traffic tie-ups on Portland Avenue and 22nd Street, he said.
And it might be a springboard for Portland to promote some of its rich history, Owen said.
City officials, for example, have considered trying to develop a park at the old Portland Wharf.
City officials also hope to persuade the Army Corps of Engineers to convert Shippingport Island into a public reserve.
For now, there is no plan to develop a new phase of Waterfront Park downriver, near Shippingport Island or Lannan Park, said David Karem, executive director of the Waterfront Development Corp.
But, in five or 10 years, after Waterfront Park's initial three phases are completed, a downriver expansion of the park "deserves a good look-see," Karem said. "There is a lot of pretty spectacular land in that direction. Making River Road a gateway to that area opens up the access and would be very helpful.
www.courierjournal.com/localnews/2004/06/15ky/A1-riverroad0615-10575.html