October 2008
Monthly Archive
Mon 27 Oct 2008
Posted by Alex under
Utah[2] Comments
Opened September 13, 2008, the Legacy Parkway (Utah 67) represents a new freeway-level roadway from Interstate 215 in North Salt Lake to Interstate 15 & U.S. 89 in Farmington. The road was a 12-year project in the making, and features aesethic aspects to enhance the experience of its drivers.
Interstate 15 enters the interchange with U.S. 89 south and Legacy Parkway south of their respective ramps with Park Lane.
Curves built into the roadway accent Legacy Parkway views of the Wasatch and other natural features. Stone-facades added to the overpasses and other roadway elements compliment the roads’ scenic byway designation. A 2,225-acre preserve was purchased and restored to its natural state along the western frontage of the parkway to go with the pedestrian/bike and horse trail.
Stone monuments line both sides of the Legacy Parkway at its southbound beginning.
Legacy Parkway cost $685-million to build and carries four lanes overall. Tractor trailers are prohibited, but speed limits are set at just 55 mph on the road meant to provide up to 30% traffic relief along parallel Interstate 15. Only two interchanges are available along the 14-mile route, the northern with Parrish Lane in Centerville and southern at 500 South in Bountiful.
Initially Legacy Parkway and Interstate 15 & U.S. 89 travel side by side through to the State Street overpass.
Sources
Wed 22 Oct 2008
Posted by Alex under
Alabama1 Comment
Governor Bob Riley introduced Alabama’s new general issue license plate design for 2009. Designed by the Department of Tourism, the new look features a beach scene, inspired by the coastal areas of Baldwin County and perhaps Dauphin Island. These tags will phase out the “Stars Fell On Alabama” series issued since 2002.
Alabama, like many other states, changes the general issue license plate every 5 years. Read more about the new tag in the State of Alabama press release.
Tue 21 Oct 2008
That is the cry of the Onondaga Citizens League about Interstate 81 in downtown Syracuse. Built in the 1960s, the aging viaduct is nearing the end of its lifespan, begging the question, do we repair it for $100 million or tear it down and build something else? Supporters of the demolition plan cite Milwaukee’s 2002 removal of the Park Freeway spur leading east from Interstate 43. That freeway, constructed in 1969 as a viaduct, was removed at a cost of $45 million and replaced with a new surface boulevard. Following the work, some development replaced adjacent parking lots and industrial lots as land values increased by some 180 percent.
Interstate 81 northbound along the viaduct over Harrison Street.
The Park Freeway removal galvanizes other freeway-removal proponents, such as the ’8664′ supporters of Interstate 64 along the Ohio River in Louisville. What that group and the Onondage Citizens League suggest is that through traffic interests can be supported on the various bypass routes that are also in place. In Syracuse, all through traffic would shift to Interstate 481, in Louisville through traffic would shift onto the future joined-Interstate 265. Studies indicate that 40% of the 100,000 vehicles per day (vpd) that travel Interstate 81 are just passing through.
The Park Freeway before demolition (2000).
So what about the other 60,000 vpd? Alternatives studied include replacing the viaduct with a new viaduct, replacing the viaduct with a depressed freeway, replacing the freeway with a tunnel, or replacing the freeway with a surface boulevard. These options are also being touted for the hated Alaskan Way viaduct in Seattle as well. However with a surface boulevard as an option, how does it go about addressing the need of traffic congestion?
Post-demoliton of the Park Freeway.
A surface boulevard can enhance a neighborhood or city district, but does it address commuter needs the way a controlled-access route does? The Park Freeway example cites the new McKinley Avenue as its replacement. What news articles neglect to indicate when mentioning the Park Freeway project, is that it was an incomplete freeway spur, like the Embarcadero, that did not connect to any other high-speed route. What is different for Interstate 64 in Louisville and Interstate 81 in Syracuse, is that both routes play pivotal roles in long distance travel, not only joining the cities in question with surrounding areas, but also adjoining states and regions. Shoving all of the traffic to a bypass route is not necessarily the answer either, when a good portion of the daily traffic originates or ends within these cities.
Interstate 81 elevates over the street grid from the brief its partition with Interstate 690 southward.
Onondaga Citizens League will release the findings of its study in February 2009. It is unclear presently what government and transportation officials favor for these projects. In Seattle, the state Governor states that the Alaskan Way viaduct will come down in 2012 whether an alternative is decided upon or not, because of its age and damage sustained from earthquakes. Syracuse’s 1.4-mile viaduct will need to be similarly addressed before age and deteoration deplete funds and increase safety risks.
Sources:
Mon 20 Oct 2008
One of the few freeways being built these days entails is the Charlotte beltway, Interstate 485. Slated for opening soon is the latest segment of Interstate 485, extending the beltway east from North Carolina 16 (Brookshire Boulevard) to Interstate 77 & North Carolina 115 on the north side of Charlotte. Originally supposed to open a year and a half ago, contractors hope to put the finishing touches on the new freeway by October 31 of this year sometime in November? Cold weather delays have pushed back the project yet again (10-28).
Interstate 485, as envisioned, is a 67-mile beltway encircling the city of Charlotte through its suburbs. The first segment to open was the connector between then-U.S. 521 (South Boulevard) and North Carolina 15 (Pineville-Matthews Road), though a portion of freeway from Interstate 85 to U.S. 29 on the northeast side predated the Interstate designation by several decades. The final segment to open is the northeastern quadrant, between North Carolina 115 and Interstate 85. Currently construction is delayed until 2015 with a possible 2017-18 completion.
Recent updates on SouthEastRoads include a split of our 2001-created Interstate 485 guide into inner and outer loop pages, with complete coverage of the outer belt, and photos of the inner belt between North Carolina 24 & 27 and the temporary end at North Carolina 16 (Brookshire Boulevard).
Sources:
Sat 18 Oct 2008
Posted by Alex under
Florida1 Comment
To go along with the “Possible Insect Swarms” sign on Florida 417, we present to you two other finds from today:
Both of these signs are located along Florida 70 (one per direction) in Okeechobee County.
Sat 18 Oct 2008
Posted by Gantrification under
Florida[13] Comments
I’ve always wondered if the Turnpike should be extended northwest to US 19/98. While I’ve heard rumors that it has been considered in the past, I’ve never seen or heard much to substantiate it other than “possibly maybe long-term”. I also do not have any traffic statistics or projections, but the few times I’ve driven on US 19/98 through the Big Bend I’ve noted the road was a fast 4-lane without much traffic on it. S.R. 44 was recently 4-laned from Crystal River to Wildwood (I-75) as well, which could relieve some pressure on other roads. US 27 Alt from Ocala to US 19/98 in Chiefland is another highway that doesn’t have much to say either.
The real beast is I-75, which is becoming very congested and dangerous. Perhaps the reason why US 19/98 doesn’t have much traffic is because of the way to get there. Both SR 44 and US 27 Alt have towns to pass through (Bronson, Willison, Inverness, etc.), which to most people is a hassle that they want to avoid completely. Would a Turnpike extension to the Lebanon area clear some traffic away from I-75 now or in 20 years? Also consider hurricane evacuations. What about a Turnpike extension to Tallahassee? That’s probably not viable now, but just how wide can I-75 be, and how much of that is long distance traffic?
Sun 5 Oct 2008
Construction of the new Greensboro bypass, otherwise known as Painter Boulevard, resulted in the relocation of Interstate 85 from the city onto the southeastern section of the new road in 2004 and then Interstate 40 on both the sections of the new bypass in February 2008. The new bypass was constructed in an effort to alleviate the through-city route of Interstates 40 and 85 and their “Death Valley” interchange south of downtown. Painter Boulevard carries six overall lanes of traffic with a 65 mph speed limit.
Interstate 85′s original alignment was renumbered to Business Loop Interstate 85 in 2004, and the majority of motorists now travel the bypass if they are not headed toward Greensboro. The shield swap did not cause problems in the long run and the designations stuck. Interstate 40′s relocation did its job of relocating through traffic away from the city through the southwest suburbs, but at the dismay of area residents who complained about the noise level associated with the many trucks that use the cross-country route. That problem was compounded with numerous complaints leveled at the Business Loop vs. Interstate 40 designations and the confusion that they caused. So just seven months after opening the new Interstate 40, the designation was returned to its original alignment through the city.
The September 2008 relocation of Interstate 40 back into Greensboro left new Interstate 73 alone along Painter Boulevard between Future Interstate 840 and the merge with Interstate 85. Additionally Interstate 73 follows a portion of the northwest Greensboro beltway with Future Interstate 840 to Bryan Boulevard.
The numbering debacle that arises is that area freeways will receive their third exit renumbering in four years. Interstate 40′s exit numbers will return to the short-lived Business Loop and they will replace the Business Loop Interstate 85 numbering convention used between “Death Valley” and junction Interstate 840. But that is not the end of it, as Painter Boulevard’s southwest quadrant will also be renumbered to match the mileage of the easy-to-follow Interstate 73.
The Exit numbering scheme of the Greensboro Interstate system after the February 21, 2008 opening of new Interstate 40 & 73.
How the exits will be renumbered with the mid-September announcement that Interstate 40 will return to its original route.
Through all of this, Interstate 40′s statewide mileage will again be accurate. During the Business Loop Interstate 40′s time, the mileage figures from Durham eastward were significantly off from the actual distance to Tennessee due to the additional mileage gained from the Greensboro bypass. U.S. 421 also was shifted from its in-city routing along the Joseph M. Hunt Jr. Expressway and Interstate 40 to Interstates 85 and 73 along the bypass route. No other changes are expected in the Greensboro area until the completion of Interstate 840 and the building of Interstate 785, two projects still many years away due to funding needs.
Painstakingly done, all of our North Carolina guides affected by the return of Interstate 40 to Greensboro are now updated. Additionally Interstate 73 gets its own guide for the first time on SouthEastRoads:
Exit number maps created by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). See their press release on the Interstate 40 relocation here.
Thu 2 Oct 2008
Georgia was the one of a few southeastern states to openly embrace the concept of using Interstate Business Loops in the early days. North Carolina had its loops through Lexington, Fayetteville, and Rocky Mount, before the urban freeway loops of Winston-Salem and Greensboro (of which Business Loop I-40 was recently decommissioned) joined the list. Those routes represented temporary Interstate alignments or former Interstate alignments. South Carolina contributed with its Business Spur series, which consisted of loosely signed (except for Business Spur Interstate 20) continuations of Interstate freeway ends. They too added a business loop freeway in 1992.
In Georgia however, Business Routes for both Interstates 75 and 95 represented neither former nor temporary paths of their parent freeways or their ends. Interstates 16, 20 and 85 were ignored, while Interstate 95 gained routes in Brunswick and Darien, and Interstate 75 gained routes in Valdosta, Tifton, Cordele (?), and perhaps another city or two (if you know, let us know!).
So are the routes still alive? Today, the majority of the routes remaining are hard to follow. The Brunswick business spur is gone, and only one stand alone shield remains for Business Loop Interstate 95 at Darien to go with signs on the freeway mainline still touting the route. Along Interstate 75, business loop shields are posted for the Tifton route and for the north end of the Valdosta route, but nothing remains in Cordele or anywhere else. Once away from the freeway, the remaining routes are almost nonexistent.
While we cannot fully attest to how well the Tifton route is signed, we have explored the Valdosta one several occasions:
Business Loop Interstate 75 shields were already removed from Exit 16 guide signs, yet this lone shield assembly was posted in 2005 along the then five-way overlap east. Photo taken 05/28/05.
Georgia 94 was removed from the overlap including both the Interstate 75 guide signs and the U.S. 84 & 221 shield assemblies by 2008. Business Loop Interstate 75 gained a fresh shield in the process. Photo taken 09/28/08.
However as U.S. 84 east & 221 north continue into downtown, all Business Loop Interstate 75 shields disappear.
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