Those who follow this little blog know that I have complained, at length, about the disasters at 96th and Allisonville, and the road construction for the "Michigan Left" that creates 4 lights for u-turns, that make you turn right to go left. Yes, you read that correctly.
I drove thru the intersection a couple of days ago. While it is still under construction, I believe all but one of the u-turns is open, which means that drivers are NOT supposed to turn left in the conventional manner.
But they are. I saw FOUR vehicles in a row turn left from northbound Allisonville to westbound 96th. There are signs everywhere not to do this. They were fortunate that there was a break in the southbound traffic, and that no police were in sight.
But this tends to support part of my skepticism about this project in the first place. Drivers will NOT understand, nor obey, the new traffic pattern.
Wonder what "lucky" driver, when involved in an accident here, will have a smart, aggressive lawyer who sues the Town/City of Fishers for creating an dangerous situation. You heard the prediction here first. More taxpayer dollars down the drain.
Showing posts with label traffic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label traffic. Show all posts
Friday, May 10, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Riverplace developer files for bankruptcy
As predicted in an earlier post, the developer of Riverplace at 96th and Allisonville, Centre Properties, has filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy in order to reorganize.
In the Indianapolis Star article about the filing, they blame the construction at 96th and Allisonville for the demise of their shops on the corner. Which is odd, as supposedly the expanded Riverplace behind the corner shops was the REASON for the silly u-turns at the intersection, where the Town of Fishers is spending $10 million (with cost overruns) to make traffic even worse there.
This whole area I have previously called "Fishers Flop #1. Failed development next to two sewer plants, the White River, and a near to gravel pits and an asphalt plant is the reason to "improve" the intersection (already bad during rush hour), so the development fails because of the road "improvement" it inspired?
Priceless. Oops. Not "priceless". TEN MILLION DOLLARS OUT OF OUR POCKETS.
Becoming a city can't come soon enough.
In the Indianapolis Star article about the filing, they blame the construction at 96th and Allisonville for the demise of their shops on the corner. Which is odd, as supposedly the expanded Riverplace behind the corner shops was the REASON for the silly u-turns at the intersection, where the Town of Fishers is spending $10 million (with cost overruns) to make traffic even worse there.
This whole area I have previously called "Fishers Flop #1. Failed development next to two sewer plants, the White River, and a near to gravel pits and an asphalt plant is the reason to "improve" the intersection (already bad during rush hour), so the development fails because of the road "improvement" it inspired?
Priceless. Oops. Not "priceless". TEN MILLION DOLLARS OUT OF OUR POCKETS.
Becoming a city can't come soon enough.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Riverplace and 96th and Allisonville
What a lot of people think is Fishers' Biggest Flop is the entire mess at 96th and Allisonville. But it takes a bit of history to explain.
For many years, a developer, Centre Properties, has been trying to get permission from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to fill in part of the White River flood plan just north of the 96th Street bridge. Residents north and south of 96th along the river opposed the permit, fearing increased flooding. For years, DNR turned down the permit, so the development went no where.
Suddenly, about 2007, the DNR reverses itself and approves the permit. If memory serves, this was not long after former Fishers Town Council member Charlie White (yes, THAT Charlie White) went to work for DNR. Now, I am not saying that Charlie had anything to do with that, but it seems a large coincidence.
So then, the developer asks for Town Council approval for its grandiose and supposed $500 million dollar mixed-use project with condos, stores, and commercial uses. And the Town Council approves it, despite near-total opposition by residents and testimony by both Fishers and Indy transportation people that the development would make an already horrible intersection even worse. Councilman David George, a civil engineer, voted against it. A news article about the approval is here.
Well, apparently the staff in Fishers was worried enough about massive traffic jams that they had to come up with something. And they did. Its called a "Michigan Left". What that means, astonishingly enough, is that YOU CAN'T TURN LEFT AT THIS INTERSECTION any more. What you do is turn RIGHT, then make a U-Turn, AGAINST ONCOMING TRAFFIC (maybe with a light), and then go right, the direction you wanted to go anyway.
I am no traffic engineer, but this seems to defy common sense, especially at rush hour. Traffic wanting to go left against rush hour traffic will have to make a right turn, change 3 lanes immediately, then U-turn against rush hour traffic. Without a light, impossible. WITH a light, almost impossible. Have you seen how FAR rush hour traffic backs up there? And with thousands of more cars with a half-billion dollar development, WHERE DO THEY ALL GO???
Fortunately, Riverplace seems a bust, so far. It was to have opened years ago, and nothing has been done there. It is a huge vacant lot overrun with weeds. So it is not adding to the massive traffic headaches at 96th and Allisonville.
Worse, Fishers is carrying the whole load financially for this "improvement". Indy is paying nada. They gave approval for their side of the county line on condition that they not have to pay anything. The estimated costs are over $8.6 million. A diagram and more info on this nightmare on the Town's website is here.
And who wants to live, work and shop next to TWO sewer plants and the smelly White River anyway?
This is not only the Town Council's fault. The developer has a lot sunk in this, foolishly. But we have now sunk millions of taxpayer dollars into making a bad situation worse.
I rate this:
FISHERS FLOP #1.
For many years, a developer, Centre Properties, has been trying to get permission from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to fill in part of the White River flood plan just north of the 96th Street bridge. Residents north and south of 96th along the river opposed the permit, fearing increased flooding. For years, DNR turned down the permit, so the development went no where.
Suddenly, about 2007, the DNR reverses itself and approves the permit. If memory serves, this was not long after former Fishers Town Council member Charlie White (yes, THAT Charlie White) went to work for DNR. Now, I am not saying that Charlie had anything to do with that, but it seems a large coincidence.
So then, the developer asks for Town Council approval for its grandiose and supposed $500 million dollar mixed-use project with condos, stores, and commercial uses. And the Town Council approves it, despite near-total opposition by residents and testimony by both Fishers and Indy transportation people that the development would make an already horrible intersection even worse. Councilman David George, a civil engineer, voted against it. A news article about the approval is here.
Well, apparently the staff in Fishers was worried enough about massive traffic jams that they had to come up with something. And they did. Its called a "Michigan Left". What that means, astonishingly enough, is that YOU CAN'T TURN LEFT AT THIS INTERSECTION any more. What you do is turn RIGHT, then make a U-Turn, AGAINST ONCOMING TRAFFIC (maybe with a light), and then go right, the direction you wanted to go anyway.
I am no traffic engineer, but this seems to defy common sense, especially at rush hour. Traffic wanting to go left against rush hour traffic will have to make a right turn, change 3 lanes immediately, then U-turn against rush hour traffic. Without a light, impossible. WITH a light, almost impossible. Have you seen how FAR rush hour traffic backs up there? And with thousands of more cars with a half-billion dollar development, WHERE DO THEY ALL GO???
Fortunately, Riverplace seems a bust, so far. It was to have opened years ago, and nothing has been done there. It is a huge vacant lot overrun with weeds. So it is not adding to the massive traffic headaches at 96th and Allisonville.
Worse, Fishers is carrying the whole load financially for this "improvement". Indy is paying nada. They gave approval for their side of the county line on condition that they not have to pay anything. The estimated costs are over $8.6 million. A diagram and more info on this nightmare on the Town's website is here.
And who wants to live, work and shop next to TWO sewer plants and the smelly White River anyway?
This is not only the Town Council's fault. The developer has a lot sunk in this, foolishly. But we have now sunk millions of taxpayer dollars into making a bad situation worse.
I rate this:
FISHERS FLOP #1.
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