Saturday 15 September 2012

Motorway coverup

Newcastle's central motorway... some still call it CME (Central Motorway East) as there was a CMW planned too. I think discussions have veered away slightly from that.

The CME: an eyesore, something that severs the city, rips its fabric apart, a huge hangover from the 60s, and a barrier to the western communities - Heaton, Byker, Walker - to get into town biking or walking.

It's simple really. Cut and cover. It sits in a concrete channel, so the cut has been done. Now we just have to cover it. You can compensate for the construction and general  user emissions by creating a linear park on top. It has been done elsewhere. Boston springs to mind.

Central Motorway - a coverup

Next cut and cover projects: Gosforth High Street, then Coast Road...

Gotta think big to get big minds thinking.

5 comments:

  1. "a barrier to the western communities - Heaton, Byker, Walker - to get into town biking or walking."

    NCN72 serves all of those 'western' communities, and then some!

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  2. Hi Mr/Ms Unknown. You seem unaware of challenging topography...

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  3. Why would I 'challenge' topography.

    The areas you mentioned are in the east of Newcastle.

    I don't regularly use it, but NCN72 connects us to the city, bypassing the motorway completely.

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  4. Those areas are in the east end of the city. Perhaps that goes some way to explaining your barking mad concept.

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  5. Funny enough Hamburg to exactly that. Germans. Mad.

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