Huntsville updates

[Huntsville_secede]

Originally Posted by gkcooper

Who will ride these mythical rails? No one that I know would ride them.

Have you ever been to Europe? The high speed rail network there is unbelievably convenient. I wish we had something like that over here.

[HSVTiger]

And so it goes

Tommy Brown, Huntsville's director of Parking and Public Transit, doesn't see it that way. He said the TIGER grant money - Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery - is for capital projects under way or at least close to putting shovels in the ground.

The proposal for a light-rail line to take commuters from a secure Cummings Research Park/Bridge Street Town Centre station to their jobs on Redstone Arsenal - the first leg of a rail system that could over years grow to serve the metropolitan area - isn't anywhere near to beginning construction. Gooch had hoped to secure the TIGER money to pay for feasibility studies necessary before beginning the design and construction phases.

Brown said Federal Transit Administration staff made clear that the TIGER money is designed to create jobs by getting construction projects going faster than planned.

He also said light rail isn't right for Huntsville at this point because there isn't the necessary population density to support it and the lines are expensive - $20 million or more a mile isn't uncommon, he said.

"This is certainly not closing the door on light rail or any other transportation options for Huntsville" or the area in the future, Brown said. "With BRAC coming, maybe five or 10 years down the road, we might feel differently."

He said Friday that, as the city moves forward with new major road projects, it wants to make sure there's enough right of way to support a future light rail or other transit options.

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletim...050.xml&coll=1

[ThatGuy]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Brown said Federal Transit Administration staff made clear that the TIGER money is designed to create jobs by getting construction projects going faster than planned.

He also said light rail isn't right for Huntsville at this point because there isn't the necessary population density to support it and the lines are expensive - $20 million or more a mile isn't uncommon, he said.

Sounds like he did the right thing given the constraints for the TIGER money.

We already have a North-South rail-line in place from the football stadium at A & M to Ditto Landing. Get something running on that route and then we can talk about spending serious money to expand the routes in the East and West.

[-=skywalker=-]

Originally Posted by gkcooper

Who will ride these mythical rails? No one that I know would ride them.

I would rather ride a high speed train than fly if I had the choice. I personally hate flying, especially with all the hassle and non-sense charges these days. Also, that's one thing I enjoyed about my trips to Europe, I could get anywhere I wanted to go without having to rent a car.

[gkcooper]

No worries, we'll just print the money and build/subsidize it!

[ThatGuy]

Originally Posted by gkcooper

No worries, we'll just print the money and build/subsidize it!

Changing the topic huh? I just think that with the hassle of air travel now, passenger train travel might be more attractive than it was in the past. I'm not even advocating high speed rail for Huntsville. But, if money is to be spent one way or another then I would rather it be on a high speed rail network than something like ACORN.

[jmanhsv]

Originally Posted by gkcooper

No worries, we'll just print the money and build/subsidize it!

Did you know that those roads you drive every day were heavily subsidized? Current gasoline tax rates definitely don't pay for everything. Rail (LRT or high-speed) can carry the same amount of people as a 4-lane highway at a fraction of the cost per mile ($100M/mile for an urban interstate compared to $20-30M/mile for an LRT line).

To be clear, I'm not in support of a nationwide high-speed rail network. Gone are the days where you could take a train from anywhere to anywhere and still be profitable for those who run them. While it might work well in Europe, that continent is much denser, and its cities are much closer to each other. It's just not feasible here. For example, let's say you're going to New York next weekend. Would you spend $250 (round trip, plus tax) to use a rail service that takes 22.5 hours to get from Birmingham to New York when I can spend $340 (round-trip, including tax) to take the same trip in less than 3 hours using non-stop air travel? 22.5 hours is wildly inefficient, and much slower than even driving there (14.5 hours). That's why the US should concentrate its high-speed rail network in places where it would be faster to use rail than drive or fly.

That's why I'm in favor of more regional "hub-and-spoke" high-speed rail networks extending up to 300 miles from the nation's largest metro areas; having terminals near airports would provide better connectivity outside these zones and relieve congestion due to regional air traffic. For Huntsville, that could mean a line to Atlanta (replacement for the Huntsville-Atlanta highway pipe dream?). Even a train with a relatively slow average speed of 100mph with a few stops could make the trip in less than two hours-- no traffic. "Short-haul" trips such as this should be the future of rail travel in this country.

[gkcooper]

I am just being realistic. Light Rail in the South is ridiculous. I wish it were not the case, but people aren't giving up thier cars.

[ThatGuy]

Originally Posted by gkcooper

I am just being realistic. Light Rail in the South is ridiculous. I wish it were not the case, but people aren't giving up thier cars.

I would love to be able to take a train to an Alabama or Auburn game. It would be nice to avoid all the traffic and hassle.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

People won't give up their cars because they don't have a reason to. Give them a reason to and they'll explore other options.

[Huntsvillenative]

Went by the Constellation site yesterday and bulldozers dumptrucks were everwhere. There's definitely some work going on over there.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Madison County's unemployment rate in August was tied for the lowest in the state, with Shelby county, at 7.6 percent, which even when there wasn't a recession isn't terrible.

[Huntsvillenative]

My wish may come true after all!

I was at Bridge Street for dinner at Tommy's Pizza and afterwards spoke with a maintanence worker about them needing to add a ferris wheel on the large grass open area by the parking lot on the northwest side. he said that still could happen as they were thinking about putting one over by the east side of the lake near the hotel. But that now they could still put one where that open are of space is. That would be awesome if they do go ahead with that plan!

Also, went to The Station and saw it for the first time upclose and man, what a swanky place!! Huntsville deserves a high five for coming up and brigning a first class attraction to the city!

Can't wait to see what all else the developers do add in the forseeable future.

Here's a great example of a world class ferris wheel for Bridge Street. This is the iconic wheel in CHicago and the Navy Pier.

[TimCity2000]

any news about potential effect in huntsville regarding the announcement to scrap the missile defense shield in europe? will jobs be lost, or just reshuffled? i assume huntsville is/was playing a major role in that.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

any news about potential effect in huntsville regarding the announcement to scrap the missile defense shield in europe? will jobs be lost, or just reshuffled? i assume huntsville is/was playing a major role in that.

I would assume that they'll just be reshuffled. Obama made it seem like there's going to be another, more local (to the U.S.) shield, so obviously someone has to run that thing.

Of course, for all we know, this decision by Obama may be reversed in the future. It's all up in the air, IMO.

[HSVTiger]

Bridge Street feeling the hard economy
Ketchup restaurant will be closing but another restaurant will be moving in it's space.
Kate Spade will be closing..anyone really surprised
Crabtree and Evelyn closed a few months ago.
Several new retailers have opened in the center, Melting Pot, The Station #2,
there is some talk of a large ferris wheel addition.

This is not too unusual as these type of centers evolve and adapt to their
communities. The economy has really killed retail.

[ThatGuy]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Bridge Street feeling the hard economy
Ketchup restaurant will be closing but another restaurant will be moving in it's space.

I've heard that the Italian place is gone too. Supposedly, neither restaurant EVER paid ANY rent! That leads me to believe the problem is/was poor corporate expansion decisions rather than a weak economy.

I think the stores will eventually shake out to be something that the area really supports. BS itself stays pretty busy, so some stores will want to be there.

[Huntsvillenative]

It's not so much the effect of the economy as it is the lack of interest in some of the places at Bridge Street that killed their business. The Monaco Theater and The Station are the main anchors right now for the younger crowd. If they do add a much needed attraction like a proposed signature ferris wheel (larger than the carnival sized) then you will see business boom at a new level. Bridge Street then could turn a lot of it's lesser attractive businesses and shops into more of a family friendly atmosphere. Something like a Downtown Disney.

They need to add some consumer friendly stores as well like a first class shoe store, a sporting goods store, a music store (FYE maybe), and a video store. Plus a blues club would be really cool, similar to a Memphis-Beale Street style club with live entertainment nightly.

[Huntsvillenative]

Something else that Bridge Street developers should consider if not a ferris wheel is a space needle to compliment the Space center just a mile away. Here's one in Gatlinburgh where there's an observation deck at the top.

[stewdog1]

Originally Posted by Huntsvillenative

It's not so much the effect of the economy as it is the lack of interest in some of the places at Bridge Street that killed their business. The Monaco Theater and The Station are the main anchors right now for the younger crowd. If they do add a much needed attraction like a proposed signature ferris wheel (larger than the carnival sized) then you will see business boom at a new level. Bridge Street then could turn a lot of it's lesser attractive businesses and shops into more of a family friendly atmosphere. Something like a Downtown Disney.

They need to add some consumer friendly stores as well like a first class shoe store, a sporting goods store, a music store (FYE maybe), and a video store. Plus a blues club would be really cool, similar to a Memphis-Beale Street style club with live entertainment nightly.

You know what they need there? A Qdoba or Chipotle.

Seriously. Before the owner of the Qdoba off Airport and Whitesburg closed his store, it was the most profitable in the state of Alabama.

Putting a Qdoba in Bridge Street would be like printing money. The young crowd will be all over it before and after movies, and the lunch crowd would love it for being quick and convenient. There isn't much at BS that is quick and convenient in terms of food.

Now if I was just worth $2 million I would do it. Right where Ketchup is now.