Megaduct

This post originally appeared on Orphan Road.

Oy vey. And they accuse us rail fans of being obsessed?

I’ve had a couple long sessions with Chopp, hearing his passionate commitment to his idea. He recalls growing up in Bremerton, looking out his bedroom window at the Olympics, and wanting all citizens to have that inspiring view. He talks about an example in Paris, the Promenade Plantee, 4.5 kilometers of the “Green Stream” atop a defunct railway viaduct, or the Highline in New York City, a 22-block park projects on top of an abandoned rail deck. Chopp has hired an architect, Kevin Peterson, to refine his ideas. He’s hiring public relations counsel. He’s got some business leaders to make his case with leading politicians. He’s also famously stubborn and shows no signs of conceding.

I appreciate the outside-the-box thinking, but seriously, this thing is a disaster. This is the kind of massive, neighborhood ripping project that went out of style in the 60s. One thing we’ve learned since then is to be a little more humble with the changes we make in the urban fabric.