A State Transportation Board committee has green-lighted the massive new interchange at Ga. Highway 400 and Interstate 285 at the north-end Perimeter, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Plans call for the $1.1 billion project to provide for a complete retooling of the loopy intersection between two of the city's busiest highways. With collector-distributors, new bridges and a hell of a lot of temporary commuting headaches, the plan calls for completion in 2020. While we Jawjans fancy spending $1 billion on road improvements, other cities are doing some pretty cool things with the same amount of money... So how does the largest investment in GDOT history stack up to what other cities are doing with $1 billion?
Olympic hopeful Boston has released a proposal to cap a rail yard with a massive platform to build an Olympic Stadium. In a city known for massive engineering feats, the platform is projected to cost up to $1 billion. While it didn't take us that much money to build our Olympic Stadium — which Bostonians recently labeled a success — the proposal could transform a large swath of land in the heart of Boston's midtown, providing a new place for growth at the close of the hypothetical games. [Image: Curbed Boston]
Up in Chicago, plans recently emerged for a 93-story tower to include luxury condos and a hotel. Located along the Chicago River, just west of Lake Michigan, the building designed by Chicago firm Studio Gang Architects will have some pretty slick views. The development, however, won't come cheap, with estimates for construction pegged at about $1 billion. [Image: Studio Gang Architects]
Over on the left coast, the Army Corp of Engineers is embarking on a $1 billion grand idea to spruce up the Los Angeles River. The revitalization of the waterway would bring 11 miles of lush green land to the currently concrete channel, providing a place for recreation and a new path through the city. [Image: Los Angeles River Revitalization Master Plan]
Now, with all those cool projects costing about the same as our future interchange (pending cost overruns), it's nice to know that other cities struggle with out-of-control projects that are way beyond our scale of ridiculousness.
World-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava has been catching a good bit of flak over his new subway station entrance at the World Trade Center. Costs in New York have more than doubled to a reported $4 billion, adding insult to the already eight-year delay in its opening. So we can take solace in that... [Image: WTC Progress]
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