Response to 35W Coverage
Wednesday 27 November @ 09:27:20
Ed Felien writes:
One of my suggestions is that the exit ramp be moved from 35th Street to 38th Street, but the entrance ramp could easily remain at 36th Street. Would this compromise please everyone or no one?
Jeanne Massey responds:
This idea was thoroughly explored at the request of Kingfield. Project consultants spent six months developing and reviewing with the communities a series of”hybrid” options to assess the feasibility of a split ramp between 36th and 38th streets.
None proved feasible. The main problem was the inability to get the 36th Street ramps underneath the 35th Street bridge with proper clearance. The slant of the ramp would simply be too steep and, therefore, dangerous for decelerating and accelerating ramp traffic. This assumed retaining the 35th Street bridge, which I and most others advocated for because 35th Street is a major street eastbound from the highway.
A very complicated option was proposed that would have gotten around the problem of the 35th Street bridge, with the construction of a large retaining wall structure. However, it would have been a very imposing structure in the communities and may have taken parts of the current frontage roads.
I was truly hoping a hybrid option would have worked as a sound compromise between keeping ramps where they are and moving them to 38th Street. I was disappointed when they didn't work out.
Jeanne Massey
Kingfield
Ed Felien writes:
Thank you Jeanne Massey for disabusing me of the fantasy that I ever had an original thought. Seriously, I appreciate your thoughtful and experienced remarks on this topic. I do believe, however, the traffic weaving that results from the 31st Street/35th Street entrance/exit ramps is the single most important problem that should be resolved by restructuring 35W.
