Entry 11 - Some Nuclear Growth (5E140)

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Entry posted by Linoa06 · April 29, 2015

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And we're back in Amesbury! Today there'll be some traffic on the M2 between Hickory and Wittenburg so stay tuned for the latest news on 105.2!

The CBD has seen some considerable construction in the past few years. The motorway is all elevated now, allowing for a narrower street grid and more links between the two parts of the town. One can see the new Mall, the drive into Hickory Circle, and a couple of skyscrapers.

And if we look closer, we can just begin to picture an emerging skyline!

The Blitzball Stadium over in Amityville is now completely surrounded with mid-rise buildings, mostly offices though.

Amityville District is becoming dominated by high rises, but the twin Yakisoba Buildings are definitely the more remarkable of the lot.

Just facing City Hall, the new Haley Tower houses a variety of offices. Insurance companies have moved in, but one can also find a panoramic restaurant at the top.

The new tower is visible from many parts of the town, even the more densely built downtown areas.

The building facing the Courthouse was demolished. Parking is becoming increasingly hard in Amesbury, with many formerly free spots now charging hefty fees. This is one of the newer parking lots.

Not everything is made of dark, austere concrete! The Mall was considerably expanded and rebuilt. A Great Temple to Mara now bounds the southern edge of the Mall, which in springtime looks pink with the petals of blossoming cherry trees.

Looking south towards the Great Temple of Mara. If only that glass building in the background was destroyed...The view would be so much better.

Driving alongside the Mall, one can see two new buildings : the Haymarket Centre - a multistory shopping centre and office building with some unique architecture - and, further along the road, the eggshell-shaped Imperial Operahouse.

Glass and concrete buildings meet greenery : the road leading up to Hickory Circle was refurbished and trees were replanted on both sides.

The motorway weaves through the urban fabric of the town, then curves and disappears in the CBD area. Now traffic is beginning to back up before Hickory.

The residents of the West Bank communities complained that most new developments in the city were only ever built on the other side of the river, where the CBD is. To address these issues, the Council decided to build the Victoria Expo Centre in Woodgate. Now, the residents of the West Bank communities complain that such a flashy building should really only have been built somewhere on the other side of the river..

To be fair most West Bank communities are still very low-rise and almost suburban - maybe they will not whine so much next time someone plans to put a really tall and expansive skyscraper in the middle of their backyard.

This growth was only made possible by ever expanding industrial facilities. The Federal Government has decided to implant a brand new Nuclear Power Plant in the middle of the Highlands Industrial District. Many residents complained but it was eventually built and contracted to private investors for the next 20 years. The plant's output is 1920 MW, however only a third of its reactors are currently running at the time.

The Plant even needs its own freight rail station to keep it operational - mostly to bring in nuclear fuel and send waste away.

Here is the other side of the plant.

The industrial areas of town are easily very busy, and many people work there, despite a general trend of deindustrialization across the whole country. Williams is a company focused on the manufacture of electronic components, with a few factories dotted across the city - and about 3.000 people directly working for them.

Despite high unemployment, the industry increase in town has only carried a wave of new housing, such as in Wigston, one of two main communities that are still showing massive population growth.

As Amesbury grew, Wigston became a small suburban town. Here is the bridge that links north Amesbury (Aylestone) to Wigston.

Driving towards Wigston. There are adverts for a "Hadron Collider" but what exactly is that? Does it collide hadrons? And what exactly is a hadron? If it's such an exotic particle surely we should build a zoo. But what kind of zoo collides hadrons?

The Wittenberg Turnpike meets with the road from Aylestone to Wigston. It allows a more direct link, through motorways, to downtown Amesbury and the airport. The interchange was finally fixed and traffic has finally become smoother. Basically - Wigston is now far closer to Amesbury. It's also got its own industrial district now, as hinted in the picture!

The other massive community to have grown is the giant tile known as Gatsby, Lorsdale Heights and Pearl Heights - or, collectively, the Marigold District. It is built on hilly terrain, and there are lovely views of the CBD from some spots over in Marigold.

Marigold is mostly suburbia, though of a less built-up kind. The roads tend to be dustier and less well-kept due to their very low traffic.

The most important roads in Marigold tend to be darker and more enduring though. Gatsby Road links with the M1 motorway that weaves across the district.

This district is the furthest of the city's contiguous districts - in fact it's further from the CBD than Wigston or Gilmore!

To its north, Marigold Avenue forms a boundary but also where denser growth focuses. Its cherry trees are quite well known throughout the town.

The Avenue is bounded by retail shops on one side, such as the Fault-Tec company that produces fallout shelters and other protective apparatus against nuclear explosions. There are quite a few fallout shelters, or Vaults, built across town. Have you reserved a space within one today?

The other side of the avenue is mostly bordered with brownstone buildings and higher-rise housing.

There is still, however, a lot of construction ongoing in the area. How the avenue might look in a few years is still quite unknown.

All this growth has created massive problems for the city's garbage collection services and many recycling centres have opened across town to accommodate the extra intake.

And that's it for today! Amesbury has passed the 150K inhabitant gap and is well on its way to 200k ow, so next entry I will build a heavy rail transit line to link the town together. Feedback is welcomed as usual!

Thanks for following my CJ, and until next time =)