Comments on: Budget, Bridge: Part II

By: Edward Vielmetti

Edward Vielmetti — Thu, 21 May 2009 04:37:13 +0000

The city has posted the proposed detour routes if the bridges go out for any length of time. Detour for Eastbound/Westbound Stadium. Detour for Southbound/Northbound State. The north-south detour diverts State Street traffic down Packard; the east-west detour sends traffic all the way out to Eisenhower via S Main and S Industrial. If and when those happen it will be at least as big a disruption as the Broadway bridges being out.

By: David Lewis

David Lewis — Sat, 16 May 2009 12:58:54 +0000

Taking the bridges down is an intriguing idea and it could mean a shorter period of down time for that section of Stadium than replacing the bridges. The Broadway bridge was down for 2 years? Drivers did cope with it fairly well. Stadium might be harder to work around.

In any event I agree with not using local road money to fix it, we need that to make up for the cuts in road maintenance dollars coming from the state. The feds will eventually come through.

The “no bridge” option needs further exploration in case the money is a long time coming.

By: Alan Goldsmith

Alan Goldsmith — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:33:40 +0000

I couldn’t care less about bridge/no bridge. I just want to drive down Stadium and not have the street shut down forever. I just checked the nowhere site and the points supporting NO bridge make a great deal of sense.

No sure until I can learn more but the city needs to consider this as a serious option.

By: Arnold

Arnold — Thu, 14 May 2009 14:57:15 +0000

Well, thanks for the Kudos…

As for the Golden comment getting on to Stadium – that is essentially what everyone else in Burns Park has to do. Take the plunge onto Stadium, or go to Packard to minimize the risk. You could go to state. I don’t think that is a problem that should drive the city to spend money on a bridge, though…. Link to Ann Arbor Bridge to Nowhere website.

Really, the “opinion” letter written by the city was pretty poor and slanted.

By: Tom Whitaker

Tom Whitaker — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:32:56 +0000

Yes. Straight down into the 1,4-dioxane aquifer!

This really makes me wonder what other infrastructure catastrophes are looming in our fair city? I had no idea that this particular disaster was out there just waiting to happen.

By: Alan Goldsmith

Alan Goldsmith — Wed, 13 May 2009 11:59:51 +0000

I’m sure your house is perfectly safe Tom. But if it disappears at least you’ll know where it went.

By: Tom Whitaker

Tom Whitaker — Wed, 13 May 2009 04:41:22 +0000

Wow. That is scary!

I believe one of those sink holes is visible on Dexter Rd., near the bus stop in front of the Maple Ridge Apartments (across from Veteran’s Memorial Park, just east of Knight’s Restaurant). It’s been there, surrounded by orange snow fence for some time now.

It would seem that old stream is trying to “daylight” itself.

By: Alan Goldsmith

Alan Goldsmith — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:13:21 +0000

In reviewing the list of proposed projects I ran into this one on the county list:

West Park Fairgrounds Drain ($6.75 Million):

“Repair and replace 4500 feet of storm sewer from current
36” – 72” diameter pipe, which is rusted and failing and
installation of stormwater BMPs. Several sink holes have
developed. Properties threatened by imminent collapse
include main roads (Maple and Dexter), a shopping mall,
parkland, and residential properties.”

This sounds like the plot of a scifi movie.

By: Alan Goldsmith

Alan Goldsmith — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:55:14 +0000

Chronicle Stim List This is the list the Chronicle posted in a February article. I don't see a bridge on this list but I do see $65 Million for the Court-Police Building.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:04:57 +0000

I should hasten to say that I don’t know of the possible impact of federal stimulus money, since matching fund requirements may be different. We had some review of local stimulus requests earlier and I don’t remember – was the bridge on Ann Arbor’s list?