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Sidewalk to nowhere expansion??
- Thread starter midwest_mice
- Start date
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
Quality is an excellent business model.
Not every amenity needs a cash register.
A happy customer is a repeat customer.
Etc.
Although, if I'm perfectly honest, I can see how a workable solution for that path (tunnel, bridge) will work out quite expensive, while the return will be modest, and intangible. Still, if I had been the lead planologist, I would've completed the loop around SSL. There is already a drawbridge there, by Splash, for employees. But not accessible for guests. One could redesign the entire set-up at some point.
If and when the people making the decisions at WDW once again subscribe to that way of thinking you will have a point. From what I see, that is no longer the way things are done at WDW.
Mrsdonaldduck
Well-Known Member
Ok I have a stupid question when gf was first
Built were you able to walk between gf and MJ
Was the canal always there?
Built were you able to walk between gf and MJ
Was the canal always there?
threeyoda
Active Member
Yes, the canal was constructed at the same time as Magic Kingdom and Seven Seas Lagoon to allow water flow into the Rivers of America and to allow for the Liberty Belle riverboat to access the dry docks in Bay Lake.
flavious27
Well-Known Member
I say less than zero. They will either need to have a bridge as high as the monorail bridge, or have a swing or draw bridge.
vonpluto
Well-Known Member
If the SSL expansion is anywhere near the front of the Blue Sky shelf, they would have to take that into account also. It seems to me that the real challenge to completing the walkway would be crossing the waterway at the World Drive waterbridge.
I wonder if site plans exist showing a complete loop, and all water crossing proposals? Or did they just star laying bricks and play it by mousear?
flavious27
Well-Known Member
If the SSL expansion is anywhere near the front of the Blue Sky shelf, they would have to take that into account also. It seems to me that the real challenge to completing the walkway would be crossing the waterway at the World Drive waterbridge.
I wonder if site plans exist showing a complete loop, and all water crossing proposals? Or did they just star laying bricks and play it by mousear?
Well if they build a new waterbridge, it is going to effect bay lake water traffic for awhile. As for completing the SSL resorts, it will happen one day.
Patricia Melton
Well-Known Member
When I saw this thread, all I could think of was Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends" book of poems.
I bought that for my son and daughter when they were kids and used to read it to them. For the longest time, my son was fascinated with sidewalks, always looking for one that just ended like in the poem.
I bought that for my son and daughter when they were kids and used to read it to them. For the longest time, my son was fascinated with sidewalks, always looking for one that just ended like in the poem.
Polydweller
Well-Known Member
Didn't miss the point at all. Being physically possible to do something is not the same as it being practical to do it.
Polydweller
Well-Known Member
You're right that the actual bridge wouldn't be that expensive, in relative terms. The real expense is the people to operate it at least twice every night 365 days a year. At least 1 on each side and likely an operator to signal the boats for the parade and operate the bridge. It's those sort of ongoing expenses that have to make sense in the budgetting and planning. Since this bridge is not a revenue generator it would be hard to build the business case.
It hasn't really been done. Actually the water bridge was very simple and relatively inexpensive to build. It was just grading of the lane and put a concrete structure over it. When WDW was built Bay Lake existed but the Seven Seas Lagoon did not. Since the couldn't dig into the Florida soil to build the utilidor system they had to build it and the cover the entire structure. They got the soil to do that by excavating the Seven Seas Lagoon and using that. Then to fill the lagoon, they built the roadway to the Contemporary and put a concrete bridge over it. Then they opened the gates to Bay Lake and voila, a filled Seven Seas Lagonn.
So not a tunnel under the water or into the ground but they actually put the water over the road after building the road. A neat solution really. But nothing like I-10 Mobile.
unkadug
Follower of "Saget"The Cult
Please explain why it would be impossible to do?
There have already been several feasible alternatives in this thread alone that are quite possible.
Let's not forget Walt's own quote; "It's kind of fun to do the impossible"
flavious27
Well-Known Member
Agreed. Along with that, it will add to their insurance. It would be nice for them to have the walkway completely encircle ssl, but there are costs and operation issues.
Huh? World Drive is below grade, and the water table, as it passes under the canal. So it's a tunnel.
Or you mean it should be called an aqueduct?
Polydweller
Well-Known Member
It's not a tunnel. The road was graded on firm ground to create a dip in the road. There was no river there originally. Just road grading, like the Seven Seas Lagoon itself is a huge excavation. The lagoon didn't exist either when WDW was built.It's a man made excavation. Then they put the aqueduct in to bring the water from Bay Lake to create the Seven Seas Lagoon. It's not a tunnel which is why it's called a water bridge.
Polydweller
Well-Known Member
Read what I said a little more carefully. I didn't say impossible I said it wasn't practical.
I think we were at crossed purposes. Now I get your description.
And believe me, I know more than probably most people here about phase ones construction. And phase two. And....
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
There is another aquaduck (/tunnel/waterbridge) besides the one at the Contemporary. The backstage service road along EPCOT too goes underneath a waterway, the Int Gateway Waterway. In fact, the backstage water goes underneath the overhead Waterway:
Also, there are already two bridges over the darned Electric Water Pageant canal. Just not accessible to guests walking along SSL. One is over at the backstage service road near Splash. The other...we have all crossed over it, with the WDW RR:
So nothing is (near) impossible. Or even prohibitively expensive. It is simply a question of 'is it worth it'? Personally, I think a road going the full circle around SSL is worth more than one would think. It isn't there, so it isn;t exploited. But imagine the possibilities. For example, why not give SSL hotel guests free access to bicycles around SSL? Or rented Segways. Add some flowers, topiaries and you have a magival walkway.
WDW, the MK area and lakes, aren't supossed to look like a post-industrial wasteland with endless diesel busses and high-rise hotels. Make the lake magical! Use it more, build paths along its shores!
Also, there are already two bridges over the darned Electric Water Pageant canal. Just not accessible to guests walking along SSL. One is over at the backstage service road near Splash. The other...we have all crossed over it, with the WDW RR:
So nothing is (near) impossible. Or even prohibitively expensive. It is simply a question of 'is it worth it'? Personally, I think a road going the full circle around SSL is worth more than one would think. It isn't there, so it isn;t exploited. But imagine the possibilities. For example, why not give SSL hotel guests free access to bicycles around SSL? Or rented Segways. Add some flowers, topiaries and you have a magival walkway.
WDW, the MK area and lakes, aren't supossed to look like a post-industrial wasteland with endless diesel busses and high-rise hotels. Make the lake magical! Use it more, build paths along its shores!
flavious27
Well-Known Member
Also, there are already two bridges over the darned Electric Water Pageant canal. Just not accessible to guests walking along SSL. One is over at the backstage service road near Splash. The other...we have all crossed over it, with the WDW RR:
So nothing is (near) impossible. Or even prohibitively expensive. It is simply a question of 'is it worth it'? Personally, I think a road going the full circle around SSL is worth more than one would think. It isn't there, so it isn;t exploited. But imagine the possibilities. For example, why not give SSL hotel guests free access to bicycles around SSL? Or rented Segways. Add some flowers, topiaries and you have a magival walkway.
WDW, the MK area and lakes, aren't supossed to look like a post-industrial wasteland with endless diesel busses and high-rise hotels. Make the lake magical! Use it more, build paths along its shores!
For a bridge that is maybe 5 or 10 feet wide it should be too expensive to cross over 50 feet of water. At the same time, it will need to be a draw bridge like the other two over the canal. Because guests will have access to it, there will need to be CM near it when they have to raise and lower it.
They could have a stationary bridge like the monorail line that crosses over the canal, but it would need to be just as high up off the ground. With either bridge their insurance will go up. Also the taller bridge will create problems if people prank on it.
cslafferty
Well-Known Member
Question: Let's say they do build a draw bridge over the canal and finish the path to GF and Poly. What about the other side - is there a way to make a walkway to connect MK to TTC (or MK to CR to TTC)?? This would make a complete pedestrian loop, and this, I would imagine would save them some $$ by having lots of people walking to their resort and TTC instead of taking the monorail or boat. This may also get more people to stay in the deluxe resorts. I know that when I think about going deluxe, I only consider BLT or CR because I can walk to the MK (where we spend most of our time). Staying at the others means I still have to rely on the monorail or boat, which means lines and for me that kind of defeats some of the purpose of going deluxe.