CONNECTIONS: Analysis
Kirby widening poses dangers
A fast-moving project to widen Kirby Drive, remove its trees, and make the pedestrian realm smaller needs some emergency attention from cool heads. Kirby Drive between the Southwest Freeway and San Felipe is soon to be completely torn up in order to improve the storm sewer system in the area. This is much needed, as there is frequent flooding in the area. But the construction means there is an opportunity to make the streetscape better, and there has been considerable energy put into that idea over the last few years. Unfortunately, it also means the City’s Design Manual comes into play, and those rules say the reconstructed street as to have wider lanes then it does today. In addition, a 14-foot median is proposed.

Together, the effects of the rules in the outmoded Design Manual plus the size of the median mean that 174 trees will have to be cut down and the pedestrian realm on each side will be 7 feet narrower. These are both horrible ideas. More at http://gulfcoastinstitute.org/connections/.