Congressman's office calls Metro's assessment of option 'disappointing'

Following two graphics are from the kroncs article


My guess that METRO is interested in the Richmond corridor because of existing ridership. My preference is the Westpark corridor following the exisiting railroad right-of-way west of Kirby and then going underground from Kirby to Wheeler Station making the station at Wheeler bellow ground. Long term this option would generate a lot more ridership than any Richmond alignment mainly because it has the potential to create an express route from west Houston to midtown (downtown and the Medical Center).


And if an undergroun is located along the Westpark alignment it can line up with the Wheeler alignment and directly into the universities.

Two key elements on this:
1. It will get support from Culberson
2. People have the erroneaous idea that subway and roadway tunnels are A) too expensive and B) cannot be done in Houston.

Related to the concept of developing future transportation corridors that have a vision for Houston can be read at the following www.i45parkway.com link.

The article also includes the following route alternative data:

ROUTES AND RATIOS
Metro and federal transit funding agencies assess projects partly on a dollar figure based on the ratio of ridership to cost. In general, lower ratios are viewed as preferable for transit funding. Calculations for the three remaining proposals for the western leg of the University Line, as well as for the original plan Metro dropped this week:

• Richmond-Westpark via Cummins
Cost: $324.2 million
Ridership*: 12,600
Ratio: $25,730

• Richmond-Westpark via Greenway Plaza
Cost: $338.3 million
Ridership:* 11,750
Ratio: $28,792

• Richmond-Westpark via U.S. 59
Cost: Cost: $373.7 million
Ridership:* 7,850
Ratio: $47,604

• Original Plan (Richmond-Sage-Westpark )
Cost: $427.1 million
Ridership:* 14,200
Ratio: $30,074

*Estimated daily average (Source: Metropolitan Transit Authority)

France shows off tallest bridge

Pictures and excerpts from BBC article


France has completed work on the Millau Bridge, one of the largest construction projects in Europe. When the bridge opens in 2005, cars travelling from Paris to Barcelona will sail over the Tarn valley in southern France at a height of nearly 250 metres, cutting journey times on one of Europe's busiest roads.

Tangled route
Until the bridge was built, traffic on the busy A-75 motorway had to negotiate twisty roads running through the valley near the town of Millau. At the height of summer these roads quickly became jammed with holiday traffic. The elegant bridge, designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster, now bypasses Millau and links the two existing sections of motorway.

Crossing the valley
The bridge spans the valley of the River Tarn, a 2.5 km wide gorge dividing two plateaux in France's rugged Massif Central region. The largest pylon is 343 metres high- taller than the Eiffel Tower. The bridge has cost 390 million euros ($517m) to build. Drivers will pay a 4.9 euro toll to use it.

Tourist attraction
The Millau Bridge, now the highest bridge structure in the world, has become a major tourist attraction in its own right. An estimated 10,000 vehicles will use it every day, rising to 25,000 per day at the height of summer. The French government has the right to assume control of the bridge from 2044, if it proves extremely profitable.

A Russian Skyscraper Plan Divides a Horizontal City

Article found in The New York Times. Perhaps a view of the arguments between preservationists and progressists. Interesting to point out that development of great cities such as Saint Petersburg was done in a progressive mentality hiring European architects to show-case the best architecture of the time. Can also find the article at UrbanArticleBlog



Following is an excerpt from the article:

By STEVEN LEE MYERS
Published: December 2, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Dec. 1 — Russia’s largest company, Gazprom, announced on Friday that it had chosen the architecture firm RMJM London to design this city’s tallest building, brushing aside arguments from preservationists and residents that the project — whoever the architect — would destroy the city’s architectural harmony.

RMJM’s winning proposal includes a twisting glass tower that would anchor a business and residential center planned for a site on the Neva River opposite the Smolny Cathedral, one of the city’s most famous landmarks.

As now designed, it would rise 1,299 feet — higher even the Peter and Paul Cathedral, built 300 years ago by Peter the Great, which is just over 400 feet tall.