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#91

Pacific Southwest / Re: SR 27 Topanga Canyon Boule...

Last post by Plutonic Panda - April 21, 2025, 04:47:26 PM

A project to repave and rehabilitate much of Topanga Canyon Boulevard is scheduled to begin shortly. As a reminder, portions of the road are still closed.

Here is a Caltrans press release about the project: https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-7/district-7-news/d7-overnight-pavement-topanga-jun2-start

And here's the news article about businesses and residence pushing to get the road reopened, which as of now has no set reopening date:

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/business-owners-residents-push-for-topanga-canyon-boulevard-to-reopen/3666096/?amp=1

#92

Pacific Southwest / Re: CA 71/91 Interchange Proje...

Last post by Plutonic Panda - April 21, 2025, 04:44:37 PM

Just as a reminder, this project is well underway and should finish later this year.

Again, here's the website link and they have construction updates with plenty of photos as well as a link to their Facebook page, which has a plethora of photos and videos. It's coming together very nicely: https://www.rctc.org/projects/71-91-interchange-project/

#93

Pacific Southwest / Re: 405 Sepulveda Pass HO/T La...

Last post by Plutonic Panda - April 21, 2025, 04:42:19 PM

While the article say this is not directly part of the project involving the proposed toll lanes, a couple hundred million dollar rehab project for this section of the 405 is scheduled to begin within about a month and will wrap up in 2029. It lists various improvements, such as:

By the numbers:
92 lane miles of pavement will be rehabilitated.
6,400 feet of Metal Beam Guardrail will be upgraded.
10 culverts will be restored or replaced.
10 ADA curb ramps will be upgraded.
98 sign panels and two full-span overhead sign structures will be replaced.

I only assume given the plans to add to lanes that whatever they do will accommodate that wherever possible. Seems like an awful long timeline to do this.

- https://www.foxla.com/news/405-freeway-sepulveda-pass-traffic-major-repairs-planned-multi-year-project?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=68066cb675b34a000160bd4e&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR5uMYLzgqB8fwAYMpslPissWN91hYxm2QBCOTnj61aYMsmoWcLLD1YlGgZh1w_aem_2b5-rBQDtLNn7fP1R_0ypg

#94

Sports / Re: Fútbol chatter

Last post by JayhawkCO - April 21, 2025, 04:41:12 PM

I believe Spurs were delighted with Arsenal's win at the weekend - it granted them safety at last.

We were never actually in a relegation fight, despite what the red-team pundits and/or the pessimistic part of our fanbase would have you believe. Still, a terrible season by many measures that somehow includes two cup semis.

#95

Sports / Re: Fútbol chatter

Last post by english si - April 21, 2025, 04:38:06 PM

Leicester sacked Steve Cooper when they were two points above the drop. Since, they've gone 2-2-17 in the League. Grass isn't always greener.

Yes. And no goals at home since two of their big rivals for next season (Southampton and West Brom*) have hired and fired managers that lasted significantly less time than their goal drought - yet Ruud remains**. (8 December for Leicester's last goal at the King Power, breaking a 141 year old record a game or two ago. Southampton hired Juric 22-12 and sacked him 7-4, West Brom hired Mowbray 17-1 and sacked him 21-4).

Jamie Vardy is very much not having a party.

In some ways it's good that Leicester didn't even get the points deduction they were due on a technicality. Their terribleness can be blamed on no one but themselves.

West Ham were 14th, and Everton 16th when they got new managers early January. West Ham are now 17th (and the only team not yet safe), but Everton are now 13th - showing that the grass is sometimes greener.

*Who are hoping that the grass is greener this season, by sacking Mowbray tonight. While the last two games have dramatically lowered the odds, there's still a chance they might get into the play offs - but not if they were playing the way they did under Mowbray.
**He get Man U from 14th to 13th as interim manager, while the current manager has done the opposite. Perhaps it's not him, but the Leicester players.

Spurs and Man U are very lucky there's only 17 EPL-caliber teams in England this year.

12, not 17. They are however, lucky that the 8 terrible teams include 3 of whom are significantly worse than the other 5.

I believe Spurs were delighted with Arsenal's win at the weekend - it granted them safety at last.

#96

Mid-Atlantic / Re: Francis Scott Key Bridge (...

Last post by Beltway - April 21, 2025, 04:34:35 PM

I skimmed a lot of what was said, but I did catch this...

The chief difference was that the Baltimore incident happened in clear weather and in a channel that was tangent (straight) from Fort McHenry all the way to 2 miles east of the bridge. So especially for an eastbound (outbound) ship like Dali there are no channel bends even remotely near the bridge.

Left out of this was the incident occurred at night, which is a very important detail.
Left out of this was the incident occurred as the ship lost, regained, and lost power again, which is a very important detail.
Weather may have been clear.  Darkness makes viewing objects and obstructions harder.  Electrical issues on the ship further impacted the ability to go straight.

I didn't go deep into what happened in Baltimore in that post. My quote sums up that it was gross and criminal negligence that a cargo ship was operated that way in confined waters.

I don't know whether the weather was clear in the sense of a cloudless sky. But ..

The camera that captured the collapse was mounted on a home in Riviera Beach, Maryland. It was part of the StreamTime LIVE network and had been installed to monitor activity at the Port of Baltimore. This unexpected footage became a significant record of the event.

So the camera was 3.5 miles from the bridge and 7 miles from the Seagirt Marine Terminal which is visible in the background. Clear weather in a nautical sense and no rain or high winds.

So we can say that weather was not a factor.

I have done boating at night in other areas of Chesapeake Bay and there are all sorts of lighted buoys and fixed beacons all over the areas where boats can go. We had a pencil beam halogen spotlight that could illuminate reflectors on channel markers 5 miles away. A private sailboat 32 feet long.

Lighted channel markers can be seen on the chart of the harbor that has been posted and linked in the post that I quoted.

Ships nowadays also have high-tech radars and GPS tracking systems.

Nighttime in and of itself is no excuse for wrecking a boat.

#97

Off-Topic / Re: What book are you reading,...

Last post by ZLoth - April 21, 2025, 04:34:24 PM

I just finished Queen of Cuba: An FBI Agent's Insider Account of the Spy Who Evaded Detection for 17 Years. This covered the spy case of Ana Montes who was nicknamed "the Queen of Cuba" within the Defense Intelligence Agency... but also was providing information to Cuba. There were some interesting things... she only did it because she felt it was the right thing to do, and both her bother and sister also worked for the FBI. Very interesting listen.

Now onto The Martian read by R. C. Bray. Funny thing is... I haven't seen the movie yet.

#98

Off-Topic / Re: Popular Things You're Just...

Last post by TheHighwayMan3561 - April 21, 2025, 04:34:07 PM

What irks me is the fact they played out some deaths like Michael Jackson.

Every media outlet covered his death way too much. Even Fox covered it considering that their audience falls within the guilty verdict of his sexual identity with younger people.

The unexpected and shocking nature of it was a large part of the major interest in his death.

The one death that drove me up the wall with its incessant coverage was Anna Nicole Smith. Who?

#99

Off-Topic / Re: Popular Things You're Just...

Last post by Max Rockatansky - April 21, 2025, 04:28:54 PM

What irks me is the fact they played out some deaths like Michael Jackson.

Every media outlet covered his death way too much. Even Fox covered it considering that their audience falls within the guilty verdict of his sexual identity with younger people.

Didn't you see Thriller?  Everyone was worried he'd come back as a zombie or a werewolf.   

#100

Off-Topic / Re: Popular Things You're Just...

Last post by roadman65 - April 21, 2025, 04:26:11 PM

What irks me is the fact they played out some deaths like Michael Jackson.

Every media outlet covered his death way too much. Even Fox covered it considering that their audience falls within the guilty verdict of his sexual identity with younger people.