this is the hideous first post of the AARoads Shield Gallery blog … well, it’ll be part of AARoads’s general On the Road blog, but it’ll be the one visible by default by people who click on the “Blog” link on the shield gallery. I will be posting photos of my driving adventures across the country (and, occasion, around the world!) - it will focus on highway shields, with the occasional excursion for scenery and old bridges.
I’ll be posting photos old and new, and here to start us off is a sample of a highway sign. Yep, it’s painted directly on the road, somewhere around Amboy on old 66 in California.
It’s no secret that Phoenix is one of the sprawliest urban areas in the nation. Arizona’s DOT is responding to this need for infrastructure with Loop 303, a third freeway loop around Phoenix. The road has been around in a two-lane highway form for several years now, but groundbreaking took place last week on the first section of freeway for Loop 303 stretching from I-17 north of Phoenix west and south to US 60.This is the first new groundbreaking for a Phoenix area freeway since 2006.
A map and more information on the freeway is available from AZDOT here. Look for the link between I-10 and I-17 to be opened in 2015.
Photo by Rob Branch-Dasch / Decomprose on Flickr, used with permission.
DFW’s tolling authority, the NTTA, is replacing all of their signs - which are now unique to each route - with a standardized version. The Dallas North Tollway’s familiar round green shields are about 30% gone; the George Bush Turnpike’s old signs are over 60% replaced, and the newly christened Sam Rayburn Tollway (SH 121) has about 25% of its signs in the new style.
One state north, Oklahoma, is updating their new state highway shields with alternatively colored signs for scenic routes. Oklahoma can be surprisingly scenic. I only wish the directional banner would match.
Lubbock, Texas has opened two new stretches of freeway in May. Phase 2 of the large Marsha Sharp freeway completed the interchange at 19th Street (where US 62 splits off) and continued the main lanes northeast and east to Avenue Q (US 84). The $131 million phase of the project started about 4 years ago. It’s still not 100% complete, as landscaping and signs are not installed yet. Additionally, no one appears to know that it is open yet, because the author was the only person on the route on a Saturday afternoon.
This view looks north at the 19th Street interchange, a few days after opening. Traffic headed eastbound on 19th gets a direct ramp to northbound US 82, and westbound 19th Street traffic gets a direct ramp to southbound US 82.
A recent visit to State Line, Mississippi revealed changes made by 2007 to U.S. 45, Mississippi 42, and Mississipi 57. This small town derives its name from its proximity to the Alabama state line on the Greene and Wayne County lines. Mississippi 42 enters State Line as a two lane road from Richton to the west; Mississippi 57 connects the community with Leakesville to the south; U.S. 45 joins the area with Waynesboro and Citronelle.
Construction starting around 2000 involved widening all remaining two-lane sections of U.S. 45 northward from the Alabama state line to Meridian. This work included an expressway bypass of Quitman and completes U.S. 45 as a four-lane route trough to the Tennessee state line.
Widening of U.S. 45 ties into another four-lane corridor underway along Mississippi 57 south to Leakesville and Mississipi 63 between Leakesville and Moss Point. This work is partially complete with a 12-mile stretch of new expressway grade road for Mississippi 57 from U.S. 45 south. A new alignment was built east of Main Street, extending the state route to a partial trumpet interchange with U.S. 45. Included in the work was the relocation of Mississippi 42 onto St. Peter Street and a new diamond interchange between the two highways.
Further south, all of Mississippi 63 was four-laned between an interchange with U.S. 98 and the city of Moss Point by 2000. Mississippi 63 remains a two-lane route between U.S. 98 northeast of Lucedale to its overlap with Mississippi 57 through Leakesville. This is changing now with the construction of a new four-lane highway from the current stub end with U.S. 98 to a widening of existing Mississippi 57 north of its split with Mississippi 63.
The final 25-mile stretch of new four-lane is presently under construction. Completion expected by fall 2011, the $42.1 million roadway includes substantial new alignments for Mississippi 63 and 57 and a diamond interchange where they come together southeast of Leakesville.
A look at changes made to the State Line area road network between 2000 and 2009. Note the relocation of Mississippi 42 from Kennedy Street onto St. Peter Street and the realignment of its intersection west from Alabama 56. Mississippi 57 north from a crossover south of St. Peter Street to the end with U.S. 45 exists as a limited access freeway with partial shoulders.
An extension of the Mobile County 39 (McDonald Road) divided highway constructed in the mid-2000s will take place on May 20, 2009. County Highway 39 was realigned eastward to meet Interstate 10 at a new six-ramp partial-cloverleaf interchange that opened January 12, 2005. Presently the four-lane road ends at U.S. 90 by Irvington.
Work began December 2007 on a $10.2 million extension of County Highway 39 from a folded-diamond interchange with U.S. 90 to Padgett Switch Road at Half Mile Road to the south. This construction is very near completion based upon a recent visit and a Mobile Press Register news story published today.
Upon completion, travelers heading to/from Interstate 10 and Bayou La Batre will have a direct route to Mobile and points north for hurricane evacuation purposes. The placement of a CSX Railroad parallel to U.S. 90 allows for County Highway 39 to have not only an interchange with U.S. 90. but also an interchange with Park Boulevard and Gibson Road near Mobile International Raceway.
View some images from the soon to be opened highway. (more…)
It’s that time of year again to go through the Rand McNally road atlas to see what has been added/updated/deleted over the past year. I recently had a chance to glimpse the latest edition and noticed the following updates and additions from last year’s print:
Alabama: U.S. 78 (Future Interstate 22) is now complete to east of Graysville with the rest to Interstate 65 showing as under construction.
Florida: the completion of TOLL Florida 414 in the Orlando area (Apopka).
Kentucky: Finally showing the construction of the last seven miles of the Pennyrile Parkway from Alternate U.S. 41 to Interstate 24.
North Carolina: the addition of Interstate 795 from Interstate 95 southeast toward Goldsboro as well as the new U.S. 70 bypass of Clayton. Also of interest in the Winston Salem/Greensboro/High Point inset is the proper relocation of Interstate 40 back to its original alignment and the addition of Interstate 73 on the portion between Interstate 40 at Exit 212 and Interstate 85 at Exit 120 as well as the portion north of Exit 212 (multiplexing with Future Interstate 840).
Pennsylvania: The completion of the Interstate 99 freeway along U.S. 220 from Exit 52 north to College State, thus bringing the out-of-place interstate ever closer to its second interstate crossing (namely Interstate 80).
Rhode Island: The Providence inset now properly shows the realignment of Interstate 195.
Overall the new edition is not too bad. There are still discrepancies that they have not addressed (nor have they addressed them in years past) and will have to wait until next year to see if they address them then.
This is, however, the second straight year that Rand McNally has debuted their road atlas towards the end of April instead of the usual end of September. What gives? My theory on this is to help boost sales and try to turn a bigger profit to help keep the company afloat (amid the changes that they have endured over the last couple of years). The traditional mapping industry has been downsizing for a few years now and only a handful of mapping companies remain, including Rand. As one of the leading cartography companies (if not the leading company) in the states, distributing their road atlas in the 2nd quarter instead of the 4 quarter may help boost their sales and bring them extra income to help maintain them in this downsized economy.
Coming to fruition within the last few years are two new state highway alignments in Harrison County, Mississippi. The first is Mississippi 605, a highway designated along the previously unnumbered Lorraine and Cowan Roads between U.S. 90 and Interstate 10 and northward onto a new four-lane facility to Mississippi 67 at Traditions Parkway. Second is the new four-lane alignment of Mississippi 67, a 19-mile route with expresswaylike characteristics between U.S. 49 north of Saucier and the Interstate 10/110 interchange at D’Iberville. Relocated Mississippi 67 joins Mississippi 15 at a new trumpet interchange north of the Biloxi city limits with the two sharing pavement south to a joint end at Interstate 110. Mississippi 15 south of Interstate 10 is decommissioned, though most signs along the freeway still include the co-sign.
Mississippi 15 southbound at the new trumpet interchange with Mississippi 67.
Mississippi 67 was fully opened to traffic after a ribbon cutting ceremony on January 16, 2009. Work on the nine-miles leading northwest to U.S. 49 from Traditions Parkway opened to traffic by May 14, 2008. The final section entailed ten miles between Mississippi 605 and Mississippi 15 north of Woolmarket. The highway cost $72 million and took six years to complete.
Heading northbound at the off-ramp to Mississippi 605 south and Tradition Parkway north.
New Mississippi 605 opened on December 20, 2006 as an extension of Cowan-Lorraine Road 8.2 miles north to Mississippi 67 at the planned Traditions community. The new road cost $16 million and presently is mostly undeveloped.
One mile south of the interchange with Mississippi 67 on Mississippi 605 northbound.
Took a ride to south Baldwin yesterday and checked out the status of road work at the current north end of the Foley Beach Express. According to a WKRG report from August of last year, work on the $26 million project to extend the four-lane roadway will take 5 to 7 years and initial construction involves two miles. Well after a field check, only 1.5 miles of new road is presently under construction, and this involves building a new carriageway along side Baldwin County 28 S north for one half mile to the east-west Baldwin County 28 and a new roadway northward along Eagle Road to Baldwin County 32.
The new carriageway will carry northbound Foley Beach Express, though we would not be surprised if the facility opens with a two-lane configuration temporarily. A 45-mph speed limit is already posted along the unopened stretch north of the present Foley Beach Expressway east-west alignment. Drivers will be required to make a 90 degree turn between the extension and original roadway once the 1.5-mile extension opens.
The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority is making moves toward a 25 cent toll increase at all 14 toll plazas and most toll ramp facilities in the greater Orlando area. The OOCEA covers about 105 miles of toll roads in the central Florida region such as Toll Florida 408, 417, 429 and the newly partially opened Toll Florida 414. Some motorists are against this type of increase and have already suggested that if indeed the tolls are raised, they will begin to take the more congested routes, such as Interstate 4 and Colonial Drive. The OOCEA stated that they have no choice since their revenues and ridership have fallen consistantly for the last 11 months, which according to them is unprecedented in the agency’s history. It has also been suggested that the increase could bring in more than $40 million annually. This increase could help pay for projects such as the extension of Toll Florida 414 west of Toll Florida 429, construction of the 25 mile Wekiva Parkway, the proposed limited access toll facility connecting the proposed 414/429 with Interstate 4 near Sanford, among a few other projects. Read here for more information on this story.
So that means for all those motorists who are currently using the 25 cent toll ramps, beginning in April you will start paying double. To some that may not seem like much but when you break it down quarter by quarter it starts adding up real quick, especially if you use the toll roads everyday. That also means motorists on expressways such as the Beachline (Toll Florida 528) are going to get screwed as well as a portion of that facility is also maintained by the OOCEA, more specifically the portion that runs directly north of the Orlando International Airport. I imagine even more motorists will avoid that specific toll plaza (as it can be done and I purposely have done it many times). Not that I took the toll roads much, but if I did need to get across town in a hurry and didn’t feel like using the congested arterials or Interstate 4, I would use them.
So, once again, thanks to this wonderful recession that we are currently in, an agency of the government gets to pass the buck onto you.
