Comments on: Let your freak flag fly

By: Caro

Caro — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 10:18:57 +0000

The ramp to nowhere was actually going to be named the Jimmy Carter expressway, and it met with deadly opposition.
In the mid seventies in preparation for building the road there were already a ghost town of good intercity housing that was slated for removal. You can still see the steps leading up to where houses used to have been. This road would have divided the neighborhood and changed its character. Many little parks were going to be destroyed. There were lots of protests and anti-road t shirts and anti-road bumper stickers that said “Build it in Plains” (Jimmy Carter’s hometown) Women were chaining themselves to trees rather than let the bulldozers start the destruction. I remember putting anti-road jack o lanterns up on the ramp with friends on 80s Halloween. I am glad that the road did not go through! It would have been a blight on President Carters otherwise stellar reputation.

By: Chad Magnussen

Chad Magnussen — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 02:37:48 +0000

Brad,

Thanks for the information. When I moved to Atlanta in 1992, I did give a little thought to the history behind this “RAMP-TO-NOWHERE.” It was quite obvious something went wrong–terribly wrong.

In some ways maybe the ramp should still be standing. It would be a lasting tribute to the inefficiency of government.

Chad

By: Brad

Brad — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 00:29:13 +0000

No - that project was not engineered by the city, but in fact was a GA DOT project that was effectively killed by the city. That ramp at Moreland Ave was to connect to the Stone Mountain Freeway, which was to connect to said road to downtown. After construction started & was halted in the 70’s, which occured after much of Virginia Highlands & Inman Park was destroyed - much of that part of town was in no-man’s land until a compromise was built, Freedom Parkway. As well as other DOT property, which ran north - south which was to be a freeway connecting GA 400 & I 675 became a park.

By: Chad Magnussen

Chad Magnussen — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 01:42:57 +0000

I must confess that I live OTP ( Outside the Perimeter ), so my ventures to Little Five Points is on a somewhat infrequent basis– perhaps once a month.

Since Jonathan has written several enlightening articles, from an historical perspective, in regard to Little Five Points I am fairly certain he’s the guy that can answer a question that’s been in the back of my mind for a while. If Jonathan can’t, I’m sure there’s someone living ISP who can. Maybe OTP, too.

I moved to Atlanta in 1992, and in the early ’90s there was an uncompleted, abandoned street access ramp supported by a couple of cement posts located on Moreland Avenue. To say the least, this “THING” ( I’ll call it: the “RAMP-TO-NOWHERE” ) looked strange–beyond strange. I think it was located where the walking and biking trails are now, and near the row of new Victorian townhomes on Moreland Avenue.

What W-A-S this thing–the “RAMP-TO-NOWHERE? The “RAMP-TO-NOWHERE” wasn’t there just for a couple of months, six months, but for at least four or five years. Needless to say, the cost of building this uncompleted, abandoned “RAMP-TO-NOWHERE” and then demolishing it must approach several hundred thousand dollars. Maybe in the millions of dollars?

I am sure cement company CEOs thought this “RAMP-TO-NOWHERE” was a brilliant idea. As a Georgia taxpayer, I don’t this ramp was such a good idea.

I certainly hope that the guy or guys ( I don’t think women could be this dumb) at City Hall, responsible for this brilliant idea, were voted out-of-office. But then on the other hand, when do politicans get voted out-of-office when they do dumb things? Duh! Duh! Duh!

Apparently, a future road (?), a future road to Fernbank (?), a future road to the Druid Hills Country Club ( especially convenient for gay couples ) was on the drawing board, but a politican put up his own ROAD BLOCK.

Chad