Allen: "They’ll induce the situation they say they have today on the Kennedy Bridge overnight on the Sherman Minton."

If there's to be over-capacity on the Sherman Minton, can we get our street grid under control before it happens (hint: pro-actively) and not after?

Tyler Allen: We’re building a billion-dollar downtown bridge, then incentivizing drivers not to use it, by Terry Boyd (Insider Louisville)

By tomorrow afternoon, it’s likely the final phases of financing the $800 million Downtown Bridge/Interstate-65 junction redesign will begin as the bi-state tolling body considers tolling recommendations.

But New Albanians should pay heed to the last paragraph.

If they proceed with all this, what’s your main concern? My main concern is, they end up with dramatic revenue shortfalls and can’t service the bonds a la KFC Yum! Center.

That is a big concern of mine. The other big concern of mine is, we will have built more than necessary and damaged this city in the process. Not only damaged it financially, but also damaged it from the development perspective.

When you toll this way…the public money from gas taxes is enough to build the East End corridor. The predictions were, you’d have 60,000 cars per day in a few years on the East End Bridge. Under this tolling regime, by 2030, you’ll only have 45,000 cars per day using the East End Bridge. The really scary part is, we’ve justified the downtown bridge … by saying the (Kennedy) bridge is over-capacity.

The minute they open these two new bridges, instantly, they’ll put the Sherman Minton bridge over capacity according to their own diversion numbers. People trying to avoid the tolls. They said we’ll go five years from now from 78,000 cars per day on the Sherman Minton … to 110,000 cars per day on the Sherman Minton. They’ll induce the situation they say they have today on the Kennedy Bridge overnight on the Sherman Minton.

Doesn’t that seem like bad policy?

MIA: Investment grade toll study for the ORBP.

Leave it to a blogging free-lancer to ask the question:

Tyler Allen to Indiana: ‘Where is the investment grade toll study for the bridges project?’, by Curtis Morrison (Insider Louisville)

Last Friday, the Indiana Finance Authority held a public hearing on $775 million in bonds they’re issuing to start construction on the East End bridge component of the Ohio River Bridges Project.

IFA didn’t bring any information to present such as, say, that investment grade toll study we’ve been looking for. Rather, they were only hosting the meeting to be in compliance with the legal minimum standard of open meeting laws.

Considering the hearing was an hour’s drive away from where the project’s taking place, it was no surprise then there were 15 souls present - nine employees of IFA, KYTC, or ORBP; two of us were journalists, four were Kentucky citizens and one attendee was an Indiana citizen.

Tyler Allen on NBA: “This is a missed opportunity. How can we afford not to go down this path?”

The co-founder of 8664 offers his pro-NBA testimony.

Tyler Allen at IdeaMornings: ‘Expect powerful people to launch organized, well-funded campaign against an NBA team’, by Terry Boyd (Insider Louisville)

... Allen contends anti-NBA arguments – an NBA team will hurt U of L attendance and games are too expensive – “never quite line up.”

“This is a missed opportunity. How can we afford not to go down this path?”

Allen acknowledged U of L officials’ arguments about an NBA team interfering with the men’s basketball scheduling.

Then he stated that of U of L ‘s 54 dates for various programs including men’s basketball, there are only four games – one men’s game, three women’s – scheduled for a weekend night, when the NBA typically plays.

The main argument from NBA opponents is, ” ‘Louisville’s got to do what’s right for U of L,’” Allen said.

“No. We have to do what’s right for Louisville.”

Tomorrow: Tyler Allen on the benefits of the NBA in Kentucky, and an NBA2LOU Watch Party.

At Insider Louisville, we learn that none other than Tyler Allen, co-creator of 8684, is on the professional basketball side of the discussion.

IdeaMornings presenting 8664 founder Tyler Allen weighing in on NBA in Louisville

This promises to be extremely interesting.

Louisville-based businessman Tyler Allen, is scheduled to speak on bringing a National Basketball Association team to Louisville at the IdeaMornings meeting this Fri., Nov. 30 at the iHub.

From the IdeaMornings synopsis:

Tyler Allen is a Louisville businessman, owner of USA Image Technologies, Inc. and co-founder of the 8664 movement. Tyler will be talking about the benefits – intangible included – of bringing an NBA team to Kentucky. There has been a lot of recent discussion on this topic and we look forward to hosting this event and hearing more ideas from the community.

Meanwhile, there's a whole slate of NBA (and ABA) themed activities at Bearno's by the Bridge, as reported (again) by Insider Louisville.

NBA2Lou: Bring the NBA to Louisville Facebook group hosting panel panel discussion Friday at Bearno’s by the Bridge

Think there’s no mass enthusiasm/momentum for bringing pro sports to Louisville?

We know different.

Every time Insider Louisville has an NBA-related post, the IL web traffic disco ball always spins.

So here we go again.

Friday evening, the Bring the NBA to Louisville Facebook group is hosting an event.

The question is, will Metro Mayor Greg Fischer and Louisville businessman Junior Bridgeman, the two most crucial NBA-to-Louisville boosters, attend?

Find out at Bearno’s by the Bridge at 131 W. Main St., right next to the KFC Yum! Center at the corner of Second and Main Streets.

8664: An update

In addition to news that 8664 principal and former Louisville mayoral candidate Tyler Allen is endorsing Hal Heiner in the general election, today brings an email update from JC Stites:

From today's 8664 Update email:

What's happened to 8664?

That's a good question. Basically, we've withdrawn from the bridges discussion for the time being. The good news is the oversized project looks to be taking care of itself. More about that below.

As you know, with the help of some spineless Metro Council members, Mayor Abramson supported handing the decision-making on the bridges issue over to an unelected authority. This group, conflicts and all, has made it clear that they don't care what you think - see public poll info below - and just want to "get 'er done". So, the timing for our less expensive, forward-thinking alternative needs to wait.

In what appears to be an effort to discredit possible alternatives, the Bridges Authority did say at their August 19th meeting that they planned to discuss the scaled-down, toll-free St. Louis bridges project and 8664 at a future meeting. But in their last meeting they took the opportunity to arbitrarily rule out downsizing the ORBP and failed to mention 8664 at all. We've sent numerous emails to find out if/when we might be added to their agenda, but they have not responded. After reading this email, it's probably even less likely.

Back to the good news. Louisville doesn't want to build two bridges. Whether you believe the "two bridges, one project" was a political compromise between KY and IN or a way for special interests to stop the East End Bridge, it doesn't matter. While the increasingly pathetic Courier-Journal has neglected to poll on the issue of bridges for more than a decade, cn|2 did a poll last month and the results are overwhelming and positive.

50.3% want only an East End Bridge
17.3% want only a Downtown Bridge
14.5% want both bridges
10.1% want neither
7.9% refused or don't know

View the entire poll.

So what does this all mean?

It means that Louisville's stale political and media structure got us into this mess. Five years ago, Mayor Abramson basically patted us on the head as to say "never you mind, I've got this all taken care of". Well enough of that.

We need to embrace new media outlets and hold our elected leaders accountable. No more back room deals and unwritten agreements with special interests. Whether you are a Republican, Democrat or Independent, Louisville's future depends on us to hold politicians accountable.

In conclusion, it's clear that Louisville wants to finally build the East End Bridge and move our regional economy forward. We can and will wrestle the decision making for this project away from the Bridges Authority and do the right thing. Removing I-64 from our waterfront will be a game changer, but its time has not yet come. We'll get there and we will make it happen.

Thanks for your continued support.

Ciao,

JC Stites
Co-Founder

PS Need a new 8664 decal? Shoot us an email with your mailing address.

PPS Louisville is great and getting better!

We can do better.

Louisville mayoral candidate Tyler Allen reports on transportation and bridges from St. Louis, showing a level of courage and pragmatism conspicuously absent from the rhetoric of our local political leadership on the same topic:

More from Tyler Allen on the C-J's, ahem, editorial practice

More please, Tyler Allen, in the hopes that political courage is contagious.

Tyler Allen: "We cannot set our city back just because very powerful people do not want an East End Bridge."

Typically excellent stuff from Tyler Allen, candidate for mayor of Louisville.

---

The charade continues. I strongly disagree with the CJ’s editorial of February 5 calling on the “next wave of community leaders to get with the plan.” Now is not the time to “get with the plan”, now is the time for real leaders to step forward and publicly say enough is enough.

The “plan” in this case is the Ohio River Bridges Project and the Tolling Authority set up to finance it by tolling the citizens of this community. The need to build the East End Bridge has been clear for more than half a century! The fact that it is not yet built has had enormous consequences for this community’s belief that we can “get things done.” The solution to this problem is to build the East End Bridge, not continue down an unrealistic path in the wrong direction.

It is a shame that the CJ has been taken in by the fantasy that the current bridges proposal is what the citizens want and the city needs. The idea that we are stuck with a political compromise set in motion before merger, and that has never been publicly vetted by our elected leaders since merger, is very bad public policy.

Must Louisville bury its downtown under a $2 Billion 23 Lane-Wide New Spaghetti Junction just to have the privilege of connecting I-265? Must Jeffersonville double the size of I-65 through its downtown just so its citizens can finally bypass downtown on a East End Bridge on their morning commute to work? The answer is ‘NO’. Let’s be clear, we cannot set our city back just because very powerful people do not want an East End Bridge.

Gov. Daniels told the authority at its first meeting that they “need to be creative” to get this financed. Creativity cannot be limited to where to look for money (especially since it’s clear they are looking mostly into our pockets). Creativity demands looking at the needs and scaling the project down to what we can afford to build.

Critics of mine, including the CJ, have said I’m a one issue candidate. Interestingly, they clearly believe that my so called “one issue” is “the most important civic undertaking in the metro region and is pivotal to the area’s economic future.” Wow, we better get this right. The CJ thinks the candidates for Mayor should get in line. Louisville deserves a “new wave” of leaders who don’t get in line, but rather listen to the citizens, demonstrate a vision and move Louisville forward... starting with an East End Bridge!

8664's Tyler Allen announces his candidacy for Mayor of Louisville Metro.

This not unexpected announcement comes to us from the 8664.org mailing list. Tyler becomes the only Louisville mayoral candidate whose number is saved in my cell phone's memory.

One sentence strikes me: "(We have) painted a bold vision for a better solution. Unfortunately, we have also been thwarted in our attempts to get a true conversation started." There's something very close to home about that.

Dear 8664 Supporter,

I wanted you to be among the first to know that I will be stepping aside at 8664.org and announcing tomorrow that I will be a candidate for Mayor of Louisville Metro. I leave 8664.org in the able hands of co-founder JC Stites and a committed advisory board who I would like to thank sincerely for their unwavering support of this critical issue.

These last four years have been an interesting time for our movement. We have raised awareness of the ill-conceived downtown portion of the Ohio River Bridges Project and painted a bold vision for a better solution. Unfortunately, we have also been thwarted in our attempts to get a true conversation started. Even as recently as this summer when it appeared that our Metro Council would be positioned to hold such a conversation, powerful interests seemed to influence them to rubber stamp a new unelected Tolling Authority that will keep this process away from the public.

My experience with 8664 is one of the primary reasons I have decided to seek elected office. It has taught me that many of the most important issues facing this community are deeply connected and the solutions require creativity and commitment. I intend to bring to government the same vision and passion that are fundamental to 8664.

As I move on to a new campaign, be assured that my commitment to 8664 and the vision it represents for the future of this great city will be as strong as ever. As the campaign takes shape, you can learn more about me and take part in the conversation about other issues critical to this city and region at http://www.tyler4mayor.com/.

I look forward to seeing many of you in the months to come. Take care and thank you for your commitment to 8664.

Peace, Tyler