"Aladdin's and all the merchants at the Underground Station will be open regular business hours during the complete reconstruction of Bank St. in front of the Underground Station."

Previously we examined another in a series of oblivious Gahan street grid errors.

GREEN MOUSE SAYS: Main and Bank work to begin on Monday the 13th -- or was that Friday the 16th?

As usual, indie businesses bear the brunt as the Democratic Party's patronage imperatives enrich campaign donors.

Dear friends.

Aladdin's and all the merchants at the Underground Station will be open regular business hours during the complete reconstruction of Bank St. in front of the Underground Station. We appreciate everyone's patronage and understanding while this project is underway. And please keep in mind that all parking behind the Underground Station is open and all sidewalks are accessible as well.

In which Deaf Gahan encourages public housing residents to be "thrilled" about the indoor grass at the sportsplex he built with their money.

On April 2 a "handful" of Mark Elrod Tower residents (the mayor's words, not ours) witnessed a full-throttle City Hall team in glorious campaign mode. Mayor Gahan, Gauleiter Duggins and BOWhisperer Nash each spoke. In this excerpt, Gahan deftly shifts from a question about sidewalks to "cool stuff."

---

Question: Are they putting sidewalks down Grant Line?

Jeff Gahan: “Beechwood all the way down to McDonald Lane. Do you guys think that’s a good idea?”

(some say yes, others no)

“I do, too. We also (audio muddled) down Mt Tabor Road, sidewalks on both sides (audio muddled) like it, but that’s the thing you run into. To me it makes sense to have sidewalks on both sides, but not there. Anyway, so yes, we have five roads plugged up right now, and Warren did that (giggles), and, uh, we’ve got paving on top of it, so there’s a lot of construction in the city, lots of cool stuff going on in downtown New Albany, we have, we are having a resurgence now, a lot of folks are finding interest in New Albany, it lost interest for a while, now they’re kind of coming back. Got some new housing in New Albany, attracting some people, got housing – older housing – redone so it’s attracting as well, so, uh, investing heavily in the parks, yeah, got a lot of folks that are using the parks. If you guys aren’t, you should be, we’ve got a great swimming pool. Love to see you in the pool, love to see you in the parks, uh, we have a sportsplex with a grass surface so you can walk in there year-round, love to see you in there. Make sure you use those facilities, but anyway, we’re thrilled, thrilled that you’re here, thrilled to be here, uh, you got any questions for me?"

---

For obvious reasons and maximum humor, these transcriptions will be kept brief.

In which Deaf Gahan regales public housing residents with ribald tales of the "superstar" Warren Nash.

On April 2 a "handful" of Mark Elrod Tower residents (the mayor's words, not ours) witnessed a full-throttle City Hall team in glorious campaign mode. Mayor Gahan, Gauleiter Duggins and BOWhisperer Nash each spoke.

In this excerpt, Gahan attempts to answer a question about Grant Line Road repairs.

---

Question: "When is the anticipated finishing date on Grant Line, just to get it open without construction, whether there’s pot holes or not?"

Jeff Gahan: “Everything is supposed to be done by September. I’m talking about we have five roads under construction now, Market Street – we just tore that one up – uh, Grant Line Road, Mt. Tabor Road, Old Vincennes, yeah, and so they’re all supposed to be done by September, on top of the paving we’re going to do. So all this stuff is messy, I mean, change is messy, construction is messy, plans are hard, communicating is the toughest thing we do – the hardest thing we do is talk to people about, hey, this is what we’re trying to do, it’s hard to get out to 38,000 people and say hey, this is what we’re trying to do, yeah I know, this is good stuff, it’s not bad stuff, this is all good stuff, but you know, how many people do we have in this room, a handful? To have this one on one with people and to make ‘em feel good about their hometown, and say hey, they’re not all bad guys, we take money and all the resources we can get, we’re packing it into service, stuffing it into service to make sure it’s working for you. Uh, it’s difficult, it’s difficult, but we do this every day now, so that’s what we try to do, communicate like this, uh, I’m a little – I like this format a little bit better than typing things out on social media, but uh, you know it’s real, it’s real stuff, you guys, we’re a community that has a long history of caring about housing, and do all of you know this guy, who this guy is right here? This is former mayor Warren Nash, and he runs our -- Warren Nash is a superstar, he was the mayor when he was in his 30s, and you guys talk about that tower? Guess who was around, said let’s build that tower and give people a place to go? This guy, and he was way ahead of his time. Way ahead of his time. Nobody else was doing that stuff, Warren was. Warren serves every day at the board of works, every Tuesday the board of works, he deals with things just like this. What about this, what about that – what about this pothole, how about that stop sign, how are we going to build this road, why are you paving that road instead of this one. Hey, I got a sewer bill, can you help me with the sewer bill. That’s what Mr. Nash does every single Tuesday."

---

For obvious reasons and maximum humor, these transcriptions will be kept brief. 

GREEN MOUSE SAYS: Deaf Gahan may be juiced to the bejeezus-belt on donor cash, but he's not getting any votes from the Mt. Tabor Road construction zone, is he?

As a preface to what follows, the Mouse suggests you take another look at the concluding chapter of NA Confidential's series surveying the vast sums of money being channeled from out-of-town companies doing business with the city -- as exemplified by the grandly Orwellian "Mt. Tabor Road Restoration and Pedestrian Safety Project."

The Jeff Gahan Money Machine, Part 20: Buying and selling a city? Our master list of 59 Gahan wheel-greasers is a pornographic potpourri of pay-to-play.

What this neighborhood is going through is incredible. We begin with explanations, and follow with photos.

I was quite disturbed by what I found when walking through the construction site on Mt. Tabor yesterday. People should know what is happening to our neighborhood.

1 – The storm water “pipe” along the road is just a small corrugated pipe that has been duct-taped together.

2 – The exit drains to the creek do not run down the hillside. They shoot water (and street garbage) into the creek.

3 – In many areas. The rip-rap that is supposed to slow the water extends only a few feet beyond the exit drain, not the full length of the hillside.

4 – No measures have been take to collect the garbage that will flow out the drain.

The creek is being turned into a landfill!

There can be only one conclusion: #FireGahan2019

---

As an addendum, NA Confidential has been unable to confirm whether New Albany Mayor Jeff M. Gahan or anyone working in the city's administration is under federal investigation or indictment for corruption, bribery or racketeering. It is standard policy of the U.S. Justice Department to refuse to confirm or deny the existence or non-existence of investigations or subjects of investigations. A similar policy exists at the F.B.I.

Greenway work begins, but when it comes to the boat club, the fix is still in.

And yet these questions remains unanswered.

ON THE AVENUES: Federal funding mechanisms total eighty percent. The other half is unalloyed political malice.

What is the true story behind the New Albany Boat Club returning to its moorings and building astride the prospective Greenway?

And here:

GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: Greenway timbering east of the (former?) boat club.

If the boat club is coming back, it can only be at the behest of the city. But why?

Note to all the ambitious young journalists: Ask city officials to explain the boat club saga, and the eminent domain story that accompanies it. They don't want to talk about it. This should tell us all something important. Thanks.

Now, to the triumphant installation of vehicular "recreational" (that's a cruel bureaucratic euphemism, isn't it?) roadways where shared-use walking and bicycle paths should exclusively be.

But wait: Maybe "recreational" should be read as "access road to the boat club" -- right, Chris Gardner?

Greenway work to start in New Albany next week, by Madeleine Winer (Courier-Journal)

Construction on New Albany's $2.5 million portion of the Ohio River Greenway project will start next week.

The work will extend the greenway from East 8th Street to East 18th Street. Water Street will be restricted to local traffic only early next week, according to a release from the Indiana Department of Transportation. The over three-quarters of a mile of construction will include two boardwalks, a recreational road and a shared-use trail.

All this money, and we still won't be ready for bridge tolls. But at least we can rely on stormwater flooding.

I'd be for the expenditures if I thought they'd keep detouring. Anyone seen that frozen deer carcass?

Thanks, MB (and MW earlier today). I'm initializing your names for Second Amendment reasons.

Council frivolity, slice of the second part: "Gahan Cares More About Concrete Than People."

Thanks to Mr. B for these photos.

John Rosenbarger sat at his desk. Outside his door, the clamor of the peasantry could be heard amid the clatter of pitchforks.

He spat, then threw back his last shot of fiery sarsaparilla.

“The grandeur of my physique, the complexity of my worldview, the decency and taste implicit in my carriage, the grace with which I function in the mire of today’s world – all of these at once confuse and astound the buffoons at Mt. Tabor and Klerner Lane."

Rosenbarger gazed at his reflection in the framed portrait of Robert Moses.

"But Jeffie's got my back, bro."

New Albany residents concerned road construction will lead to more flooding; Council passes resolution to support NAFC Schools referendum

NEW ALBANY — Residents in neighborhoods near Silver Slate Creek have concerns that upcoming road construction will make flooding issues much worse.

Nearly 20 New Albany residents turned out at the New Albany City Council meeting Thursday to voice their concerns over a project that will widen Mount Tabor Road. New storm grates would mean drainage would go directly into the creek in the residential area.

Harvey Hamilton, who lives on Creek View Circle just in front of the creek, said he's been there 34 years and only started seeing issues four to five years ago.

“Silver Slate Creek starts right behind our house,” he said. “There's about a six or eight-foot pipe there that dumps where the creek starts. Now we've had five trees that have lost roots and washed across the creek. The cable people and the electric people moved their boxes up on the street.

“We're losing ground and losing trees. We appreciate anything you can do for us.”

For one resident, Team Gahan's congenital secretiveness has made the problem worse.

“It was my knowledge that plans for such projects have to be public, located somewhere within the county building where people who were affected could come and take a look at them and to my knowledge these people have said they've had trouble locating said plans."

6th district councilman Scott Blair, who helped the neighborhood slay the nasty Rosenbarger Roundabout back in '13, assured his constituents that he'd sponsor an openness resolution in council -- though he'll need to consult his Mutable Principles Book to see whether he can vote in favor of his own idea.

(Blair) wants to initiate a public meeting with the project engineers to keep the people updated on any changes that have been made and to refresh anyone's memory on the project that was initiated three years ago.

Bankers; you can't trust 'em, and even North Korea won't take 'em off your hands.

Unsurprisingly, the CoffeyCopperHead did not hesitate to strike: That hi-falootin' wee-fee dunnit.

“I still go back to $600,000 for WiFi for downtown. How far would that go to help this problem and that only goes to benefit very few people.”

Yes, "them people" again.

The summary:

The roundabout was removed from the plan in 2013, and the sidewalks are needed, but not unless the overall intent is narrowing lane widths and slowing traffic. These people rightly fear that road "improvements" will attract further traffic and make their drainage issues even worse. It's hard to argue against this point of view, but Jeff Gahan -- perhaps NA's least communicative mayor ever -- doesn't even try.

Hence the signs, and the pitchforks. If only we'd start using the latter.

(Part One)

"Debunking the Myth That Only Drivers Pay for Roads."

The author writes, "The point is that America is an increasingly (and, now, majority) multimodal place, with a transportation network that offers personal options and collective benefits."

Has the point been grasped hereabouts?

Debunking the Myth That Only Drivers Pay for Roads, by Eric Jaffe (City Lab)

The use of general taxpayer money to construct and repair roads is enough on its own to shatter the concept that drivers pay their own way. But there's lots more to the problem—starting with the enormous social costs of driving. Those are the costs that society as a whole pays for car-reliance: the environmental impact of pollution, the health impact of accidents, and the economic impact of productivity lost to traffic, among them. These have been estimated at $3.3 trillion a year ...

... When you tally all these hidden costs together, alongside the assists that already occur for road construction and maintenance, the average household pays between $1,105 and $1,848 a year in what the report calls "uncompensated damage costs to support motor vehicle use in the United States." Again: whether they drive a lot or hardly at all.

I call this view, "Market Street One-Way Bowling Alley."

Let's just hope the Tiger Truck behemoths traveling eastbound stay in the right lane, and the cars traveling the wrong direction westbound keep left ... although that might be a problem, come to think of it.

Petty local oligarchs profiting from ORBP? Say it ain't so, Kerry.

ORBP skeptic Daniel B. had this to say about Tom Clevidence's reasoning.

The Bridges Project is driving up the cost of all other construction in the area. I do not remember this being used as a selling point for the project.

It surely was not. But the extraction oligarchs are making a few bucks, aren't they -- and just as surely, this WAS their chief selling point, and the one stuffed down our throats.

Clarksville council increases maximum bonding capacity for project, by Matt Koesters (Huntsville Picayune)

 ... The Clarksville Town Council unanimously voted at an Aug. 18 work session to increase the town’s maximum bonding capacity for its wastewater and stormwater projects from $37.5 million to $40.5 million to accommodate rising prices.

“The reason that it went up from our original, anticipated bond amount, was according to our engineers — and I’ve seen it myself — the cost of construction, due to the [Ohio River] Bridges Project, has gone up tremendously,” said Tom Clevidence, the town’s director of engineering and stormwater operations. “You can’t hardly get a dump truck. You can’t hardly get materials and stuff like that.

“For a contractor to bid a job, he has to figure on having to wait for concrete, wait for rock, wait for trucks, so he has to build that into his project.”

Clevidence said he believes Ohio River Bridges Project is putting a strain on the area’s supply of raw construction materials.

“It does make sense when you’ve got a billion dollars’ worth of work going on on the riverfront in this location, and they’re pulling rock from the local quarries and concrete from the local suppliers,” Clevidence said.

Look at the bright side of the 6-week-long Clark Memorial Bridge closing.

It will make it easier for pedestrians to cross 2nd Street on the Louisville side without being murdered by heavy trucks.

What's the plan when the Clark Memorial Bridge closes?, by Braden Lammers (Business First)

... Beyond notifying the public, bridge officials said, they are leaving it up to commuters and the companies to determine the best route to take.

Traffic congestion, traffic safety, and how NOT to be confused about them.

As you consider the considerable merits of a two way street grid in New Albany, and find it hard to wrap yourself around some of the things we've been saying, read the two paragraphs below.

Jeff Speck provides pertinent answers for you, and just because Bob Caesar can't grasp them, it does not mean you can't.

Jeff Speck: Walkable City / Slideshow (Thinking In Practice)

You mention that building more roads in fact leads to more congestion. An interesting notion – could you elaborate on that?

In constrained road systems, the principle constraint to driving is congestion. If you allay congestion by building more roadway, people drive more, and quickly fill up the new space. This is identified as the Fundamental Law of Traffic Congestion, and not disputed among thoughtful planners.

What are some of the major challenges in the advocacy of walkability and pedestrian-friendly environments? What do you usually come up against in your work?

The principal challenge is overcoming the confusion, in fact, that surrounds traffic congestion, as well as traffic safety. Convincing populations that new roads will not solve their traffic woes is possible, but convincing the municipal engineers, who were educated differently (and wrongly) can be harder. They were also taught, in the US at least, that the way to make roads safer is to make them wider, with fewer obstacles like trees. Recent studies show that this, too, is wrong. Wider, simpler, clearer roads cause people to drive faster, and dramatically increase the likelihood of death by automobile.

The city is thinking about doing road shit. Really. It says so, over there behind that wall.

There was an article by Daniel Suddeath in the local chain newspaper about council members quizzing administration officials 'bout infrastructure projects: "New Albany City Council questions administration about projects." Tunnel under the paywall to read it, or peruse this nifty paraphrasing.

The miracle is that City Hall sent anyone to the council meeting when there existed a chance they might have to reveal top secret plans. But David Duggins, who serves as the city's Economic Development and Redevelopment Director Everywhere Except Downtown was there on Thursday.

Duggins said that anything you've heard about the Slate Run Road, Mount Tabor Road and Captain Frank Road projects is true, unless it isn't. All are being contemplated, unless they aren't. The mayor will consider modifications, unless he won't. The usual suspects from Pool "A" will design these projects and build them, unless other usual suspects from Pool "B" are chosen instead. To reveal more would mean having to kill us all, and the street department can't manage such a clean-up.

Councilman John Gonder then made a forceful presentation on the topic of sidewalks in the context of safety, and mentioned that since the city is in a position to massively fund no-brainer quality of life issues like aquatic complexes, there obviously is money for basic walkability elsewhere. Duggins answered that the city had contacted the usual engineering suspects and would begin formulating a secret sidewalk plan for Captain Frank Road.

Finally, council person Diane Benedetti asked Duggins about the long discussed and always delayed Slate Run Road project. Resisting the impulse to provide Benedetti with the most obvious reasons ...

If you don't vote with the mayor, you can't have any road work.

How can you have any road work if you don't vote with the mayor?

... or suggesting that she move to Silver Hills where the streets are paved with Caesar's Gold, Duggins remained composed and replied that of course, it is being considered just as top secretly as all the others.

In other news, the Arts Council will permanently loan a Barney Bright sculpture to Bicentennial Park, where everyone hopes it won't be vandalized during the annual Harvest Homecoming Swill Walk.

Is it beer thirty yet?

A jeer with a bit of jaundice, but what can be expected from mere reporters, anyway?

I meant, "Stenographers."

My two cents: Business owners on the Grant Line corridor had ample warning as to the road being closed at the rail crossing; specifically, our criticism has to do with the visual manner that stretches of road on both sides of the rail crossing were signposted and blocked with impediments (undoubtedly to deter big trucks), thus giving an APPEARANCE of shutdown when in fact autos could proceed to retail destinations.

JEERS

... to the City of New Albany, the Indiana Department of Transportation and the contractors in charge of the Ind. 111/ Grant Line Road construction work.

Last week, local businesses had to write their own signs and post them alerting people they were still open because of the confusing signage placed along the route when Grant Line Road closed at the railroad crossing. Unfortunately, this has been par for the course on this project. Whether it be massive potholes created on the sides of the road and interstate exit, the lack of information shared with business owners or the near daily shifts in apparently closed lanes, there’s been a lapse in communication on this effort that at times has led to quite dangerous situations. Yes, with every great road improvement comes some pains, but many of these are unnecessary. Perhaps if the city spent as much time informing the public of the traffic situation on one of its busiest roads as it does touting and explaining parking for its Live@5 concert series, the situation would be much better.

— News and Tribune

CHEERS

... to the city of New Albany for making a decision Wednesday to cancel its weekly Live@5 event scheduled for Friday.

This move because of extreme heat in the forecast gave ample time to spread the word that the weekly concert would not be held.

— News and Tribune

Train track work finished yesterday, Grant Line Road now open.

From Daniel Suddeath at News and Tribune.

Grant Line Road in New Albany reopens at train tracks

NEW ALBANY — After closing Monday for construction, the railroad crossing on Grant Line Road has reopened.

City officials said Grant Line Road reopened at the crossing at about 2:25 p.m. Friday. CSX Railroad Corp. had requested the closing so that it could install new tracks in conjunction with the improvement project being footed by the city for Grant Line Road.

The crossing is near Pillsbury Lane and the closure meant motorists had to use detour routes to access many of the businesses along Grant Line Road.

Construction is expected to continue into the fall between Mount Tabor Road and McDonald Lane along Grant Line Road, with improvements to include the addition of a turning lane.

Grant Line Road railroad crossing work on June 18.

Monday (June 18) is the day for a temporary closure of Grant Line Road at the CSX railroad tracks. If you're coming to NABC's original location, approach from the Interstate and you'll be fine. A detour map is here.

Part of Grant Line Road to close June 18; CSX resurfacing railroad crossing near Pillsbury plant, by Daniel Suddeath (News and Tribune)

NEW ALBANY — The date for the Grant Line Road closure has been moved back to June 18, as the street will be shut down at the train tracks near Rolling Creek Drive for likely one week.

CSX Railroad Corp. will be resurfacing the crossing in conjunction with the city’s Grant Line Road improvement project, though New Albany is flipping the bill for the work.

Straight Outta Mobile: "Grant Line work to stretch through July 31."

Observing the oddities of local newspapering is a longtime sport for jaded New Albanians, as when on-line stories about GOP election recounts, the Jingle Walk and and Grant Line road construction are lumped together beneath a photo of Republican kingpin Dave Matthews.

When I tried to find the story a second time using the News and Tribune's wretched and entirely variable search engine, it remained hidden, but at least there was the entertainment value of batting away a handful of pop-up ads amid the overall futility. A Google search did the trick, and because I'd hate to have anyone else endure the same agony, here's a reprint of OSIN's piece on the composition and duration of the Grant Line work.

Grant Line work to stretch through July 31

The more than $2.7 million Grant Line Road construction project is under way, as traffic has been backed up along the route at certain times due to the closure of turning lanes at intersections including University Woods Drive and McDonald Lane.

The project — which is being footed through relinquishment funds the state provided last year after the city agreed to maintain a portion of Ind. 111 — is slated to last until at least July 31.

The initial phase of the project stretches from Mount Tabor Road to McDonald Lane. While turning lanes will likely remain closed for most of the construction, officials expect two-way traffic to continue without the need for flaggers.

“The huge majority of the time, there will be two lanes open at all times,” said John Rosenbarger, director of public facilities projects for the city.

In order to ensure two-way traffic is available, Rosenbarger said flaggers may be needed for a short period while a temporary lane is built.

Among the upgrades, Grant Line Road will have five lanes of traffic including a turn lane from the Interstate 265 exchange to University Woods Drive.

“It will make some traffic improvements and importantly provide pedestrian access and a pedway,” Rosenbarger said of the project.

The second phase of construction, from McDonald Lane to Beechwood Avenue, is the “real priority,” he added.

As the city is finalizing engineering plans for the second tier of construction, Rosenbarger said officials elected to proceed with the I-265 to McDonald Lane section first because the state already had design strategies for the span from when it was considering building an overpass over the train tracks near the Pillsbury plant entrance.

The Indiana Department of Transportation scrapped those plans when it elected to pay New Albany $6.125 million for the city to oversee repairs and upgrades to 4.5 miles of Ind. 111.

“So we had a pretty short process to complete plans for a surface road instead [of the overpass] and the right-of-way was mostly in hand through the previous INDOT effort,” Rosenbarger said.

As for starting a project on a major thoroughfare while the Sherman Minton Bridge closure continues to stifle traffic in the area, Rosenbarger said officials are hoping one situation won’t have a major impact on the other. In fact, Rosenbarger said traffic actually appeared to be less dense due to the bridge closure during a paving and sidewalk project along State Street that occurred in September and October.

“We observed a pretty major reduction in traffic for that particular thoroughfare as a result of the Sherman Minton closing,” he said.

Ready for more fun, NA commuters?

From the Board of Works comes this travel advisory. Suggested detour routes are West Street and Bono Road, and also I-64 and I-265.

State Street from Children's Academy school to near Green Valley Road will be closed for construction, including paving and restriping, from early Sunday morning, Sept. 26, to Thursday, Sept. 29. Additionally, the intersection of Green Valley Road and State Street will be closed Wednesday morning.

We will send additional advisories if weather or other circumstances force changes in the road closure.

McDonald Lane improvements could be another first step for bicycling in New Albany.

Glancing at the calendar, I see that it's 2010 (Year 3 A.K. -- After Kochert).

Accordingly, no road improvement project such as the one outlined below should be considered for implementation without a commensurate and safe bicyling advocacy component. After all, McDonald Lane is ideally situated to link Community Park with access to the Greenway via a future bike lane on Slate Run Road. Speaking of transportation on two wheels, Matt Nash's column today provides encouragement to bike to work.

Improvements planned for McDonald Lane; Public hearing to be held June 8 at Our Lady, by Chris Morris (Tribune)

New Albany city officials are looking for public input for the proposed improvements to McDonald Lane from Grant Line Road to Charlestown Road.

New Albany Mayor Doug England said public input is vital to making sure the improvements “are the best fit for our community.”

Thank you Mitch -- may I have another?

The Tribune's Daniel Suddeath makes a nice effort at extracting information from INDOT, which apparently learned its public relations skills from Novosti.

No date set for Grant Line Road project in New Albany

The city is responsible for acquiring properties for the detour route around the construction. The detour will likely be from University Woods Drive to Plaza Drive to Unruh Court to McDonald Lane, if property can be purchased for an access road connecting Plaza and Unruh.

All of us doing business along the Grant Line eagerly await something (anything) from the state that might prove useful for us in planning how we're going to operate during the two years it takes to surmount a railroad that should be nationalized in the first place.

I'm waiting for someone from the city to tell me how my customers are going to get from the acreage where most of them park, which is across Plaza Drive (built to carry a fraction of the traffic it will have to bear as detour), to my building without being flattened.

It's a mess now, and the road's not yet being used as a detour to put drivers right back where they were before: Waiting at the same railroad track that crosses McDonald Lane.

Vent over.