Always Street Changes

Discussion in 'Postcards from Planet Earth' started by Shale, Jul 29, 2015.

  1. Shale

    Shale ~

    Messages:
    5,190
    Likes Received:
    318
    While I didn't travel to get this story, I live in Miami Beach, so it is a travel destination. So, here is an update on the famous Publix Supermarket on West Avenue and 20th Street in Exotic Miami Beach. (Which also has great Art in Public Places)

    Street Changes
    By Shale
    July 28, 2015

    Whenever I get out of a matinee, I usually get a snack on the way home, either at Dunkin Donuts or one of the Publix Supermarkets near the Lincoln Road Cinema. The store at 1920 West Avenue (Actually facing 20th Street) has had road work going on in front of it for months, and I would sit on the bench out front and watch while having chocolate milk & cookies before biking home on Bay Road.

    It has been about a month since I went to that store so I was quite surprised today seeing that the road and sidewalks on 20th Street were three feet higher than they were in the past.

    [​IMG]

    The bench on the sidewalk was much lower than the two steps that are there now. It was about six steps up to the store and the bench was lower than the entrance deck.

    Here is a Google Street View of the entrance as it was since the Publix store was built. You can see the green bench once sat on and the six steps up to the entrance deck.

    [​IMG]

    The buildings a block away were flush with the street before, now under a 3-foot wall. I can see problems in a heavy downpour as these walls become a pool, but we are to trust that the designers factored that in.

    [​IMG]

    No, I do not trust them, nor do I see the logic of raising the street bed so much higher than the existing buildings. .

    At least there are new sewer covers passing as Art In Public Places on Miami Beach.

    [​IMG]
     
    1 person likes this.
  2. NoxiousGas

    NoxiousGas Old Fart

    Messages:
    8,382
    Likes Received:
    2,385
    Why?
    what is the reasoning behind raining the level of the street?
     
  3. Pressed_Rat

    Pressed_Rat Do you even lift, bruh?

    Messages:
    33,922
    Likes Received:
    2,454
    Now the buildings will flood that much quicker if there's a hurricane.
     
  4. deleted

    deleted Visitor

    1 person likes this.
  5. Karen_J

    Karen_J Visitor

    I'd say it's about global warming / sea level rise, or hurricane storm surge, or both. A lot of coastal cities have a lot of work to do, so they need to get started.
     
  6. Shale

    Shale ~

    Messages:
    5,190
    Likes Received:
    318
    Well, that explains the raised roadbed, but IDK what the lower buildings are going to do. I've been watching this work for some time over the past year as they dug deep holes in the middle of the road on 20th Street and it looked like they were installing drainage. There may be a pumping station also. Hopefully in a bad rain with high tide they can keep on top of it. New Orleans relies solely on pumps since it is below sea level as well. We may have to eventually consider levees or dikes like the Netherlands. It will break up our beachy shoreline but better than sinking into the Atlantic.
     
  7. Karen_J

    Karen_J Visitor

    People can be creative and resourceful, especially when they have no choice. Remember the old stories about what the New Orleans French Quarter used to do before the river levees were built? Business owners noticed that the spring floods came up to about the same level every year, two or three feet above floor level on the second story. They raised those floors above the high water mark, turning those second levels into storage attics where all the first floor furniture was stored every spring. Living quarters were moved to third floor level. When the water went back down in late spring, they shoveled the mud out, brought the furniture back downstairs, and picked up where they left off with normal life. Not a fun system, but they made it work for decades.

    Some commercial property owners in Miami will do a better job than others with water level modifications. Most will be pushed by their insurance companies. Flood insurance is usually government subsidized, but most businesses have private insurance for business interruption regardless of cause. It's usually a rider to fire and public liability coverage.
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice