URBAN HIGHWAY

Title: “Off-Ground” Urban Highway
Author: Mario Yoshinaga
Copyright registered. Rev.August, 2007.

Some classical musics were composed for instruments and outstanding artists yet to appear… and some urban innovative concepts awaits for uncommon Public and Private people with courage to build the future.



Abstract


Freeing the ground

Off-Ground” Highway is the name used by the author to denominate a system of urban highways constructed off the soil surface, basically using aerial and subterranean roads. In São Paulo the Off-Ground system is mostly considered in elevated structure.

This highway system is designed to the traffic of light vehicles- the predominant type of cars in urban areas) . Its structure is independent from the existing urban road network and by this reason it runs higher from similar urban structures,(considering the height limitations imposed by access ramps).

This phisically independ structure (and territory) was intencionally conceived to bring about adequate conditions to be built by PPP – Public and Private Partnership ( The PPP is, according to some studies, considered one of the best use of money in public works). The return of investment are done by tollable roads, suplemented by linked activities such as parking meters, rental storage spaces ( for comercial and utilities) and pipe bridge ( for public work installations).

The transport and land use

This road structure is coincidentally, without any major adjustments, a transport system and by far an Urban Element integrated to the Land Use. A system which connects points of traffic generation (hospitals, universities, comercial centers) to terminals and transfer points (to other means of transport) and directly to car parking spaces, storages or cargo distribution centers. By bringing the heavy traffic to the elevated structure (the ground traffic will turn to be all local), the existing urban roads will be supporting ( momently) less cars. The land developers may find some potencially commercial lands nearby the elevated structure, build a parking structure connected to the elevated highway and multi-purpose constructions around it. All these connections may be digitally monitored for traffic operations, safety and administrative control.

Priority is given to pedestrians. The car trip is reduced to a minimum by short-cut routes ( as straight as possible), taking the trip modes of pedestrian into car and returning, as quickly as possible to the pedestrian ( from its residential threshold to the pedestrianized street).

Environmental Impacts

Visually, the impacts will be minimized by its design. The higher the structure, lower the visual impact as it looks smaller at distance. Absence of ramps permits greater distances of roadbed from the ground and in consequence freeing greater spans. These viaducts, or elevated roads, in such conditions permit the use of bridge design standards: higher and slender.
Less interference on ground activities is given by high structures, such as permanent shaded areas; ventilation, sunlight and rain obstructions; noise and air pollution, among others.
Positivelly, the straight connections giving conditions for saving time and fuel consuming, may permit submission of this project to “Carbon Credits” as a MDL – ( Clean Mechanism of Development). Some about 200.000 vehicles will be using the elevated highway.


Also environmentally positive is the strong urban reference created by these highly visible and uncommon elevated highways, unquestionably a new city icon.