Abstract:
Techniques, examples and observations from projects that were successfully brought forward in the face of public controversy and redirected into positive forces will be discussed. These projects were “repaired and restarted” by the communities that had, in some cases, been waiting for years and years to see the project completed. A “lessons learned” approach will be used including suggestions for local leaders to apply in their own communities. One of the projects, the largest single public improvement in a city's history, was locally funded at $5,500,000 in a city of 10,000 population. All of the others utilized a combination of federal and local dollars. This presentation and paper will use insights gained from projects in cities with populations of 3,500; 5,000; 10,000; 35,000 and 120,000. In each case, the highlighted projects were mired in confusion, wracked by dissension and/or stymied by lack of community support. Three of the projects are now completed. Two are waiting for federal-aid funding. These roadway projects range in size from $1,600,000 to over $5,500,000 each. They are all in prominent, highly visible locations within the communities and have sensitive and/or demanding adjacent land uses. These land uses include railroads, large industries, elementary and high schools, historic properties, dense commercial development with multiple driveways, a golf course, a high-rise hotel, fast-food restaurants, convenience stores, and a mega-grocery store, among others. Some of the other characteristics included a single-lane, under-height railroad bridge over an arterial roadway, deficient drainage and storm sewer systems, major utility relocations, and property owners/community leaders fed up with back-to-back studies with no results. All of the cases had one or more previous studies or attempted efforts to develop a workable roadway plan. The new design team assembled for these projects had to deal with the baggage created in the previous attempts as well as the challenge of creating a consensus plan under intense scrutiny.
