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So the final phase of the Truman Parkway is poised to open.
Insert your cynical comment here.
If you’re relatively new to town, you might not know that the project has taken decades.
And even if you think you’re well-versed in Truman Parkway history, you should read several recent blog posts at SavannahNow by news researcher Julia Muller.
As I write this, Muller has detailed the Truman Parkway history through 1989.
Early history from 1925 - 1969
Muller’s first post dates the idea for an “automobile road” along the Casey Canal all the way back to 1925. In 1953, the city engineering department completed a feasibility study for the “Casey Canal Parkway.”
And so it goes.
Reading the history, you might be struck by the messiness of the government bureaucracies that we have created. Or you might be struck by the inevitable complexities of completing major public works projects that impact so many stakeholders.
But the cynicism and the jokes will abate if the Truman helps traffic flow in the city as much as some of us think it will.
How will the completion of the Truman Parkway impact commuters?
When I leave Armstrong Atlantic State University each afternoon on my drive back to Thomas Square, I have two basic choices.
The most obvious choice is to turn north on Abercorn Street and struggle through an irritating 20 minutes or so of traffic lights.
Sure, I can peel off of Abercorn onto Middleground Road and White Bluff Road, but those options are typically more trouble than they’re worth because of congestion.
Of course, many of the drivers on the road with me are traveling north with the intention of going west. They’re bound for West Chatham or other areas, but they have to go around Hunter Army Airfield.
The sheer size of Hunter and the constraints of coastal geography force both northbound and westbound drivers onto the same congested roads.
Or I can turn south onto Abercorn Street when I leave Armstrong. There is inevitably congestion at Rio Road, but once I get to Veterans Parkway, it’s a pretty easy trip into town even at the height of afternoon rush hour.
In other words, no matter which route I choose, I’m taking up lane space that is needed by westbound or southbound drivers.
When the Truman’s final phase is open a week from now (allegedly), I’ll be peeling off Abercorn and getting out of the way of all those commuters who want to head south or west.
And consider other impacts.
Right now, Armstrong students or employees who live on Wilmington Island are forced to travel a variety of congested surface streets. With the Truman open, those commuters and others who travel between the far Southside and the islands will have a pretty straight shot to their destinations.
Even though the Truman itself will become more congested, many commuters will still save chunks of time each day. That’s time that could be put to better uses — time for family, time for work, time for leisure.
But what about induced demand?
If we increase the supply of a product, the demand for it sometimes increases.
If we build new roads, we might alleviate congestion in the short run, but we might also lure new users and encourage commuters to shop or work even farther from their homes.
Local planners are predicting that the Truman Parkway will result in a flood of additional cars on the Southside. If that happens, commuting on Abercorn Street and Abercorn Extension could quickly become even worse than it is now.
I’m skeptical that we’ll see that much more traffic on Abercorn. Yes, the Truman will encourage additional trips to the far Southside, but the highway will also relieve congestion in some areas at some times.
Since the Truman does nothing to address the congestion at Rio Road and in Georgetown, few commuters will be lured by that route if they’re trying to reach I-95.
Of course, I could be totally wrong, and it’s possible that the Truman Parkway will simply exacerbate the existing problems on Abercorn.
If the worst-case scenarios are realized, we might see renewed attention on expensive long-range fixes, such as the proposal for an elevated expressway above Abercorn Street from the Truman to Rio Road.
The completion of the Truman might also lead to dramatically more traffic at the parkway’s north terminus at President Street.
Then we could see even more pressure on local and state officials to make upgrades to President Street. We might also hear more calls for a second bridge to Hutchinson Island, although that proposal is fraught with challenges.
Despite the problems that could result from the Truman’s completion, I’m betting that the benefits will dramatically outweigh the drawbacks. I think the new connectivity will be a boon for culture and commerce throughout the city.
We’ll be getting some answers soon.
City Talk appears every Tuesday and Sunday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net. Send mail to 10 East 32nd St., Savannah, Ga. 31401.