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 [...]
Going further afield again, this time to China. It's no secret that China is the world's hottest economy right now. The Chinese are flexing that muscle in the same way that America did in the 1950s - they're building massive amounts of freeway (known as gonglu in Chinese). By the end of the next decade, China will have more freeway miles than the United States and drivers will be able [...]
Speaking of carbon copying signs, perhaps it is about time that Interstate 10 guide signs in Mobile County, Alabama reflect Biloxi and/or New Orleans? Pascagoula made sense when Interstate 10 was originally built, because the freeway defaulted onto U.S. 90 at the state line for many years before Mississippi completed its portion. Nowadays, Pascagoula makes little sense, as Interstate 10 travels through Moss Point, Pascagoula's neighbor to the north, and U.S. 90, [...]
Photo taken 12/13/08 Well, the masterminds over at Google Maps have done it again. Upon going on Google Maps on Monday night, it was discovered that one of their features, Street View, has been drastically modified. First off, Street View can now take up your entire screen, whereas the previous version displayed it in a pop-up window. Second, there is now more extensive coverage, especially in rural [...]
I suspect with the increased usage of GPS/Navigation units in cars and trucks, that more and more drivers will rely upon these gadgets over anything else to get around. Not only will they help phase out the paper map industry as we know it, but eventually I see them phasing out the need for many of the signed routes that we have in our cities today. California already sort of [...]
I-384 westbound Exit 2 This is a new sign gantry for eastbound I-384 exit 2. I'm not quite sure why Conn DOT elected to replace the old one seeing as it was not damaged and completely functional. The other part about this seemingly preemptive replacement is that there are other signs throughout the state that could be updated first. Here's what the old one looked like: [...]
Barricades were removed on the latest stretch of Interstate 485 to open for motorists in the northern Charlotte area yesterday. What was expected to be completed in March 2007 opened without any fanfare by midday between North Carolina 16 (Brookshire Boulevard) and Interstate 77 / North Carolina 115 (Old Statesville Road). The 5.5 mile stretch completes the northwest quadrant of the Charlotte beltway, leaving the unconstructed northeast quadrant as the [...]
Expansion along Interstate 15 within San Diego County continues in the form of widened Managed or HOT Lanes both in capacity and in length. The freeway project entails the freeway from the merge with California 163 (Cabrillo Freeway) northward to junction California 78. Upon completion, Interstate 15 will vary between 12 and 14 overall lanes. Looking northward at the Poway Road off-ramp, the current one-way two-lane Managed Lanes [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
