Interstate 11 Through The Northwest?

[roadfro]

Something to keep in mind with this conversation: It is not yet a given that I-11 will extend north of Las Vegas, but it seems to be the sentiment to route it roughly along the US 95 corridor towards (not necessarily to) Reno. If such an extension happens, there's no definitive on whether it goes north further than that, and whether it goes through Reno or more eastward in Nevada and beyond.

[NE2]

Consequences would include significant relief of I5, more traffic on US26 between Madras and Portland, and probably a little more traffic on US97 between Weed and Klamath Falls.

You forgot OR 58.

[707]

Something to keep in mind with this conversation: It is not yet a given that I-11 will extend north of Las Vegas, but it seems to be the sentiment to route it roughly along the US 95 corridor towards (not necessarily to) Reno. If such an extension happens, there's no definitive on whether it goes north further than that, and whether it goes through Reno or more eastward in Nevada and beyond.

Right, though this topic at the same time isn't discussing something fictional, considering Arizona and Nevada officials are truly discussing whether or not I-11 should go through Washington and Oregon.

[mcarling]

Consequences would include significant relief of I5, more traffic on US26 between Madras and Portland, and probably a little more traffic on US97 between Weed and Klamath Falls.

You forgot OR 58.

Yes, you're right.  OR 58 probably would also get some more traffic.

[mcarling]

Something to keep in mind with this conversation: It is not yet a given that I-11 will extend north of Las Vegas, but it seems to be the sentiment to route it roughly along the US 95 corridor towards (not necessarily to) Reno. If such an extension happens, there's no definitive on whether it goes north further than that, and whether it goes through Reno or more eastward in Nevada and beyond.

Right, though this topic at the same time isn't discussing something fictional, considering Arizona and Nevada officials are truly discussing whether or not I-11 should go through Washington and Oregon.

... and the Feds want it to extend to the Canadian border.

[NE2]

... and the Feds want it to extend to the Canadian border.

[citation needed]

[kkt]

Something to keep in mind with this conversation: It is not yet a given that I-11 will extend north of Las Vegas, but it seems to be the sentiment to route it roughly along the US 95 corridor towards (not necessarily to) Reno. If such an extension happens, there's no definitive on whether it goes north further than that, and whether it goes through Reno or more eastward in Nevada and beyond.

Right, though this topic at the same time isn't discussing something fictional, considering Arizona and Nevada officials are truly discussing whether or not I-11 should go through Washington and Oregon.

Right, because Arizona and Nevada booster clubs have so much to say about how Oregon and Washington spend their highway $$.

[Bickendan]

At least out to Bend and Redmond. Most Reno-Portland traffic would split off of US 97 and take OR 58 over the Cascades over US 20/OR 22 or US 26.

[707]

Something to keep in mind with this conversation: It is not yet a given that I-11 will extend north of Las Vegas, but it seems to be the sentiment to route it roughly along the US 95 corridor towards (not necessarily to) Reno. If such an extension happens, there's no definitive on whether it goes north further than that, and whether it goes through Reno or more eastward in Nevada and beyond.

Right, though this topic at the same time isn't discussing something fictional, considering Arizona and Nevada officials are truly discussing whether or not I-11 should go through Washington and Oregon.

Right, because Arizona and Nevada booster clubs have so much to say about how Oregon and Washington spend their highway $$.

And by booster clubs, that includes ADOT, NVDOT and both the state governments. It doesn't matter what Arizona and Nevada want, because its up to the people and governments of Oregon and Washington in the end.

[Brandon]

Something to keep in mind with this conversation: It is not yet a given that I-11 will extend north of Las Vegas, but it seems to be the sentiment to route it roughly along the US 95 corridor towards (not necessarily to) Reno. If such an extension happens, there's no definitive on whether it goes north further than that, and whether it goes through Reno or more eastward in Nevada and beyond.

Right, though this topic at the same time isn't discussing something fictional, considering Arizona and Nevada officials are truly discussing whether or not I-11 should go through Washington and Oregon.

Are they attempting to do with I-11 what Indiana did for I-69?

[roadfro]

Something to keep in mind with this conversation: It is not yet a given that I-11 will extend north of Las Vegas, but it seems to be the sentiment to route it roughly along the US 95 corridor towards (not necessarily to) Reno. If such an extension happens, there's no definitive on whether it goes north further than that, and whether it goes through Reno or more eastward in Nevada and beyond.

Right, though this topic at the same time isn't discussing something fictional, considering Arizona and Nevada officials are truly discussing whether or not I-11 should go through Washington and Oregon.

Right, because Arizona and Nevada booster clubs have so much to say about how Oregon and Washington spend their highway $$.

And by booster clubs, that includes ADOT, NVDOT and both the state governments. It doesn't matter what Arizona and Nevada want, because its up to the people and governments of Oregon and Washington in the end.

Keep in mind that the I-11 study focuses primarily on the Vegas to Phoenix corridor and involves Nevada & Arizona state DOTs and regional planning bodies, but also broad-level scoping going on which the FHWA and consultants are part of. (So it's not NDOT and ADOT specifically deciding what ODOT & WSDOT are going to do.) Once it gets beyond scoping, all affected states would be at the table.

[mcarling]

... and the Feds want it to extend to the Canadian border.

[citation needed]

http://i11study.com/wp/?page_id=34
The US government has a treaty obligation (NAFTA) to Canada and Mexico to upgrade CANAMEX for the entire path between the Canadian and Mexican borders.

[NE2]

... and the Feds want it to extend to the Canadian border.

[citation needed]

http://i11study.com/wp/?page_id=34
The US government has a treaty obligation (NAFTA) to Canada and Mexico to upgrade CANAMEX for the entire path between the Canadian and Mexican borders.

I...don't know how to reply to this. So I'll go with snarkily mean: take a remedial reading comprehension class. Now stating the obvious: the "CANAMEX" corridor uses I-15 north of Vegas. Now just asking questions: where does NAFTA say CANAMEX must be a freeway? Now straight man: fuck it, I can't do this. (heh heh he's a cig)

(It is interesting to note that the official definition does not reach the Mexican border, stopping in Nogales (as I-19 does).)

[Duke87]

I see someone on OSM has gone and marked a proposed twinning of US 95 from Las Vegas to Fallon as "Future I-11/US 95".

[corco]

... and the Feds want it to extend to the Canadian border.

[citation needed]

http://i11study.com/wp/?page_id=34
The US government has a treaty obligation (NAFTA) to Canada and Mexico to upgrade CANAMEX for the entire path between the Canadian and Mexican borders.

At Coutts, Alberta where I-15 is. The Canadian government has no interest in the US building a freeway that ends up in the middle of the wilderness in interior BC.

[NE2]

I see someone on OSM has gone and marked a proposed twinning of US 95 from Las Vegas to Fallon as "Future I-11/US 95".

And it's under construction
Note added: http://www.openstreetmap.org/note/331024

[jakeroot]

Arizonans are right lane phobic. I've driven from Phoenix to Tucson dozens of times. The six lane stretch is flat and has basically no interchanges, but because rural six lane freeways don't exist in the west except over grades, people drive like it's an urban freeway, leaving the right lane open for merging traffic that doesn't exist. Nobody seems to understand that the right lane is for general travel.

You can set your cruise at 90 in the right lane of I-10 and move over for the occasional truck. If you use the left and middle lanes, it's impossible, making traffic seem worse than it is.

I've driven a lot of places in my life and never seen more consistently poorly used capacity than on that six lane stretch of I-10.

There's quite a few sections of rural 6-lane freeway in Southwest Washington, and people are actually pretty good about sticking to the right lane, which is strange for Washington. Well, at least the trucks stick to the right-ish lanes:



If I didn't know any better, I'd say long range plans for I-5 are for at least six lanes, border to border. Though I doubt any official plans exist.

[Bickendan]

Even if the Eastbank Freeway were somehow to go from 4 to 6 between the US 30 ramps and the Maquam Bridge approaches, you'd still have to somehow upgrade the mountain segments between Grants Pass and Cottage Grove, and the entire stretch through the Siskiyous, to say nothing of the East LA interchange or the Ross Island Maze.

[NE2]

you'd still have to somehow upgrade the mountain segments between Grants Pass and Cottage Grove, and the entire stretch through the Siskiyous,

If there's actual congestion there and not just roadgeeks' excretory congestion, adding passing lanes to and promoting US 97-OR 58 as an alternate route might be the easiest solution.

[kkt]

If I didn't know any better, I'd say long range plans for I-5 are for at least six lanes, border to border. Though I doubt any official plans exist.

I wouldn't count on the mountainous stretch from Burlington to Bellingham getting done within the next 20 years or so.  Expensive, and just not that busy.

[Bickendan]

you'd still have to somehow upgrade the mountain segments between Grants Pass and Cottage Grove, and the entire stretch through the Siskiyous,

If there's actual congestion there and not just roadgeeks' excretory congestion, adding passing lanes to and promoting US 97-OR 58 as an alternate route might be the easiest solution.

This, and I-5 through the Siskiyous already has truck climbing lanes.

[Sub-Urbanite]

If I didn't know any better, I'd say long range plans for I-5 are for at least six lanes, border to border. Though I doubt any official plans exist.

I suspect WsDOT would like to finish I-5 at six lanes in the southern half of the state, but I doubt they'd want to put much more into it beyond that. Wisely, they're putting money into upgrading Amtrak Cascades service. Leave the freeway for people who need to drive and get folks going from city to city onto fast trains.

[TEG24601]

This does make a little sense, but only in-so-far as to make travel distances shorter between Vancouver and interior Mexico.  There would be no other reason I can see for it.  SE Oregon is much like Northern Nevada, desert, and nothing more.  There isn't an established population in that area, and unless you run this route up along US 97 in Oregon, it isn't going to really help anyone there, and I doubt anyone is clambering for a freeway from Central Washington to Kamloops (unless it continues to Alaska), so this is largely a non-starter in the PNW.


Now renumbering I-82 to either an odd number or I-88, would make more sense to me at this time, or returning I-80 to Portland.  There is a lot of work needed, but a majority of it is along the highly traveled I-5 corridor (better bypasses, or better traffic control around Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, and Portland/Vancouver), I-84, and I-90 (like how about a canyon crossing bridge near George, instead of wasting all that time and fuel getting to river level to cross).

[mcarling]

This does make a little sense, but only in-so-far as to make travel distances shorter between Vancouver and interior Mexico.  There would be no other reason I can see for it.  SE Oregon is much like Northern Nevada, desert, and nothing more.  There isn't an established population in that area, and unless you run this route up along US 97 in Oregon, it isn't going to really help anyone there, and I doubt anyone is clambering for a freeway from Central Washington to Kamloops (unless it continues to Alaska), so this is largely a non-starter in the PNW.

US 97 is currently being widened from 2 lanes to 4 lanes at Biggs Junction (I-84 interchange).

[kkt]

This does make a little sense, but only in-so-far as to make travel distances shorter between Vancouver and interior Mexico.  There would be no other reason I can see for it.  SE Oregon is much like Northern Nevada, desert, and nothing more.  There isn't an established population in that area, and unless you run this route up along US 97 in Oregon, it isn't going to really help anyone there, and I doubt anyone is clambering for a freeway from Central Washington to Kamloops (unless it continues to Alaska), so this is largely a non-starter in the PNW.

US 97 is currently being widened from 2 lanes to 4 lanes at Biggs Junction (I-84 interchange).

Really, are they doubling the bridge over the Columbia there too?