Category: default || By jt3y

I want to begin by thanking Alert Reader Officer Jim for taking over the Almanac for a week while I was out of town. I'm sure a book deal is in the works for him, or possibly a regular panel slot on "Off Q." (He'll sit between Ruth Ann Dailey and Fred Honsberger.)

For the record, I was traveling in Florida to do some research, but I didn't really want that posted in the Almanac until I got back, for fear that it was like putting a big sign in the front yard that said, "Burglars Welcome." That presumes, of course, that some prospective burglar is reading the Almanac, which would require readership to be up into the double digits, I suppose.

Anyway, I planned to have a complete diary of my trip in the Almanac, beginning today, but due to a computer error (specificially, "Operator Error jt3y"), I forgot to post the first installment this morning. It will appear later tonight. Mea culpa. (I know, you want the new guy back. He didn't forget.)

In the meantime, I wanted to get something as a thank you present for Officer Jim that would be appropriate to his line of work. Thus, I think you'll agree that the gift pictured at right makes a lot of sense.

Before I forget: Julie Mickens does some wonderful work in City Paper. I have very much enjoyed her analyses recently of Allegheny County's patchwork transit system, particularly when she dissected various proposals of Picksberg's Democratic mayoral candidates. Her cover story last week dealt with Braddock, and the impact that the Mon-Fayette Expressway is likely to have on that borough.

The expressway, as currently planned, would wipe out much of Braddock to make it easier for people to speed from Downtown Picksberg and Monroeville. Mickens asked a variety of Braddock residents and local officials what some alternative development strategies might be.

One could argue that the Mon-Fayette Expressway has already had a negative impact on Braddock. I've been told that many of the abandoned properties below Braddock Avenue have been held as "investments" for the last 20 years by absentee landlords who are hoping to cash in when the highway comes through.

The bigger crime of the Mon-Fayette Expressway, in my opinion, will be perpetrated on Turtle Creek, which is going to turn into one big noise and dirt trap for the highway. No one seems to be saying "boo" about that. Some people would say that although Braddock has bottomed out already, Turtle Creek is still a relatively healthy community. If you've been down to Union Township (the Finleyville-Elrama area) and seen the giant stilts that the Joe Montana Bridges sit on top of, then you've got an idea what Turtle Creek can look forward to. Would you like to live under those? I sure wouldn't.

Some how, I can't imagine the Turnpike Commission trying to blast a six-lane expressway through Sewickley and Fox Chapel --- or even through Edgewood --- which leaves me with the sneaky suspicion that people in Braddock and Turtle Creek just don't have the money or the political clout to matter.

Otherwise, wouldn't the elected officials who represent the Mon-Yough area --- members of county council, state legislators, etc. --- be raising holy hell about this? For now, their silence speaks volumes.