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A vision splendid - Peter Fitzsimons
This was in the Sun-Herald last Sunday!
BRING it in tight. Here's the plan. For many a moon Sydney has struggled with the ugly slash across its very face that is the Cahill Expressway, perched above Circular Quay railway station. While other great cities in the world – such as New York, San Francisco, Mumbai, London and Paris – present an open and glorious vista at their major point of scenic entry, we have the wretched Cahill.
Paul Keating was the last leader of any description who had a look at getting rid of it but had to abandon such thoughts because of the $90 million price tag and the enormous logistical difficulties.
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But here is the thing. This week the news broke that the Circular Quay ferry terminal is riddled with concrete cancer and will have to be replaced. Good! Why not – are you still with me tree-people, God bless you, I am singing for you too? – rebuild the whole terminal 100 or so metres out into the harbour, put landfill in the remaining space and have that as the principal city square?
It could be our version of the fabulous Piazza St Marco in Venice, 'cept instead of the Palace of the Doges dominating at one end, we'd have the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and harbour right in the palm of our hands.
What WAS he on?
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11 comments:
What a blue...Wow!
If it's designed right, citizens will be thrilled with the results. It took a 7.0 earthquake to get San Francisco to tear down it's Central Freeway. Despite initial trepidation, the results have been so spectacular that no one now doubts the wisdom of this action. Good luck.
Ah, change. It can be so unbalancing.
*shudder*
Must have been asleep, completely missed that one.
Don't get me wrong. I agree with removing the Cahill Expressway. And that is where I would put the park.
Agreed that the shape of SYdney Cove has been 'adjusted' numerous times since 1788. HOwever, to fill in the area out to the start of Bennelong Point is total sacrilege.
Not to say expensive ...
And logistically how necessary is the connection that the CE afords? If one uses the tunnel, one can still get to North SYdney via the 2nd off-ramp.
The Cahill Expressway needs to go but not sure I like teh iodea of the wharves encroaching on the Opera House.
No more of the Harbour should be taken for any purpose. We were walking through the lovely Royal Botanic Gardens from the Art Gallery and we came to an obstacle, the Cahill Expressway down in a trench, right through the middle of the gardens. But careful what you wish for, they might build a flyover.
I dunno that the Cahill being there matters that much but I'm no town planner.
It doesn't bother me either. You can hardly see it in your tip top photos. However it is getting old and dilapidated and is an eyesore up close.
I agree that the Cahill express is an eyesore and blocks circulation. Getting rid of it would be grand!
Not sure about filling up the bay until Benelong point though...:-)
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