The recent re-doing of the Portland transit mall was not really necessary, and it cost a fortune, but the spendthrifts in city government and Tri-Met pushed it through anyway. Meanwhile, downtown has deteriorated to a point that in many ways resembles its bleak state around 35 years ago. But hey, we've got shiny trains, and this, this morning:
We're not sure what that is. Other than peculiar, and sad.
7 comments:
The most untalked about, shameful, collateral damage from the new transit mall was the obliteration of all the cherry blossom trees in Chinatown (including the ones along 4th ave since that was used during construction!) . The light rail junkies don't care about anything other than their next fix. Please tell me if I'm wrong.
Except in the bus stop blocks, I'm pretty sure that the trees that were there before construction are still there.
As for 4th Ave, I remember those trees being taken out by a different project, the Old Town/Chinatown 3rd & 4th Avenue Streetscape Plan. Except for parking removal, I don't think there was much changed for the buses.
S.W. Lincoln Avenue used to be a beautiful street.
Not so much anymore.
I just can't wait until all the trees along S.E. McLoughlin Boulevard in Westmoreland Park are chopped down...
But that didn't have anything to do with light rail. Of course not. It's only those bad, awful buses that cause so much environmental damage.
The trees along McLoughlin will be preserved. Moreover, Westmoreland Park is on the other side of the road and is of course a park, so it won't be affected.
4th and Davis, particuliarly,had at least a couple really nice cherry blossom trees outside the eclectic, asian marketplace. The trees were removed for the temp. bus mall, and the market soon went out of biz and has been empty ever since. Jason, did you see the advice for you in the comments for the post on Eugene transit (Sunday)?
IMO, all the tree's will grow back big and strong anywhere you plant them; however, the problem lies with the cost to maintain that new bridge, seems how it's going to be a transit exclusive thoroughfare. At the very exact moment the trees grow big enough to renew themselves, the bridge will need a major overhaul... who going to pay for that?
And that "preserved" wetland? Will that be kept, too? The one that takes up all the space between McLoughlin and the Union Pacific mainline?
Every report I've seen shows the trees are going.
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