Open Thread 9
NE 130th construction update: Current construction at NE 130th St Infill Station is focused on the concrete platform and canopy structural steel. This work will be completed prior to electrification of the Lynnwood Link Extension overhead traction power, which allows operational testing prior to Lynnwood Link's projected opening in July 2024.... The station finishes contract was issued for bid this spring and includes construction of station finishes and plaza and roadway improvements. This final station construction work is anticipated to begin in October 2023. The final station contract is pending Q2/Q3 board action from the Sound Transit Board.... Construction of station finishes, streetscape, and roadway improvements is anticipated to take approximately two years to complete, with the NE 130th Infill Station opening in Q2 2026." This is from a Sound Transit email announcement. More about the design.
The Urbanist worries that new Denny station alternatives could delay Ballard Link.
Everett Link is about to start environmental review. ST's System Expansion Committee will meet June 8 to consider alternatives to study.
Aurora Avenue has rechannelization workshops through June 15. (Urbanist)
Phoenix halts housing construction due to water limits. ($) New subdivisions will require a 100-year water supply from a non-groundwater, non-well source. This is an Arizona state mandate on parts of Maricopa County. The decision means cities and developers must look for alternative sources of water to support future development - for example, by trying to buy access to river water from farmers or Native American tribes, many of whom are facing their own shortages. That rush to buy water is likely to rattle the real estate market in Arizona, making homes more expensive and threatening the relatively low housing costs that had made the region a magnet for people from across the country."
A journey on the Elizabeth Line ($) in London. A photo tour of four station areas along the line. The Elizabeth Line, aka Crossrail, opened a year ago.
What if the US never built the Intestate highway system? (Geography by Geoff podcast) This 1.5 hour podcast is mostly about the creation of the Interstate program. The last third gets into what if that hadn't happened. Co-host Hunter Shobe is a geography professor at Portland State University, and the author of Upper Left Cities: a cultural atlas of San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle". (I haven't read the book.)
This is an open thread. If you know of any projects looking for feedback now, leave them in the comments.