Dix Park just announced that mid-October they will release the draft master plan.
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Loving the idea of that land bridge!
That looks cool and gosh what a fantastic concept, but what annoys me about what I have seen of the land bridge is that it crosses Western but not Ashe. Ashe is much smaller than Western, but Ashe is busy nonetheless, and Dix Park promises to make it more so. People turning off of Western onto Ashe or vice versa are busy enough looking for a hole in traffic to make their turn so they aren’t really looking for pedestrians. Even crossing Ashe on foot near Western can feel a bit treacherous at times.
So IMO it doesn’t really connect to Pullen Park nor does it really make a connection for the Rocky Branch Greenway. It seems like they are gearing up to spend millions of dollars on something eye popping with lots of pizzazz that falls short on substance.
Gosh I need to stop being so negative.
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I would think that the Western/Ashe intersection is going to need to be reworked at some point. It’s currently quite hostile to almost every mode of transportation and especially pedestrians. Yet it’s also the entrance to a park, the confluence of green ways, and the location of bus stops. It needs desperate help.
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More pictures from the Dix Park event at Union Station. Bad news, car-centric. Good news at least we’re moving forward
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Totally valid point. I cross Ashe at the point often, jogging (or running…the new debate apparently, ha). Anyway, I think if you just lifted Ashe up a little at the Creek we’d be fine. You can enter the Pullen parking lot a little farther north at the raised grade, just take out that extra little “on ramp” from west bound Western to Ashe, and the existing grade of Western should match up nicely. Put in a nice wide, and well lit tunnel and voila. Connected straight to the pavilion. You might could even use stormwater grant money for part of it given that you’re taking out hard culvert under Ashe and presumably putting in a natural style rework like the parts of Rocky Branch further west had done.
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At the last workgroup/feedback meeting I went to, there was almost unanimous support that the 5 spoke parking lot “event hub” needed to be reworked into something more aesthetically pleasing, since it’s the center of the walking loop. They must have something in mind for that…
I wish the amphitheater area had been given more thought… (skyline view, sunsets?, topography, proximity to RR) and in general wish it was larger.
But hey, pretty stoked that Lake Wheeler is a shining multi modal downtown gateway!
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The draft master plan is up and includes the slides presented yesterday evening. You can also add comments on the proposed features in each section of the park.
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interesting…it looks like they’ve terminated Ashe so that it doesn’t even connect to Western.
Also, I sure hope this has been shown to the HQ2 folks…outstanding! Can’t wait!!!
Evan - where did you see/hear that Lake Wheeler will be multi-modal? Was this discussed at the meeting? I wasn’t able to attend. Not seeing anything in the draft plans that suggest multi-modal, but maybe I’m missing something.
Thanks.
Really digging this master plan so far. Can’t imagine the amount of time, effort and money this is going to take but it’s going to be really great once things start getting implemented. Hopefully they’re able to do it in a way that doesn’t disrupt too much of the park all at once. Does anyone know what kind of time frame this is all supposed to occur in or is that something that is further down the road?
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Decades. Unless there’s some one generous like Jeff Bezos to help the project along it will have to be built per yearly budget. Which will be just a few million at a time.
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I just meant multi-modal in terms of adding protected greenway next to lake wheeler. Currently it is mono-modal: Automobiles. Adding a greeway = cars, bikes, scooters, walkers = multi-modal
Please keep those silly scooters OFF of the greenways!!! I frequently run on the greenways and those things will not be tolerated by the runners. Bikes are fast enough (but typically very courteous of runners), but those stupid scooters rushing up behind you is an accident waiting to happen.
I absolutely love the plan! One question I do have, for those who have more knowledge of the plan than I: Is the Promenade Loop car-free or is it sort of a shared space? It looks to connect to several of the roads.
Also, I’m not sure how they expect anyone to access the 5-spoke parking lot . . . there’s no road connection as far as I can see.
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They Paved Paradise and Put in a Parking Lot .
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Huh, sure enough, that’s what it’s showing. Could the City really be relying on the Pullen Ave improvements to handle everything? Is anyone aware of any other road plans to alleviate this? Ashe is a pretty important connection. I’m usually not Mr Roads guy, but it seems like something has got to give here…
This plan looks amazing. Anyone know how many the amphitheater would hold? My only gripe is the parking lot in the center of the promenade circle.