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Alabama

Started by codyg1985, November 02, 2011, 07:44:29 AM

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froggie

^^ That's a crapton of backtracking for AL 77.  Unfortunately, given the completely haphazard way the city developed, there's no good routing for it to take.


barcncpt44

#401
ALDOT told media outlets today that a one trip toll on the new bridge and byway will be $6.  They plan on introducing a monthly $90 pass, and more than five trips paying the $6 toll will have a 15% discount.

https://twitter.com/mynbc15/status/1151285856986173442

https://www.al.com/news/mobile/2019/07/90-monthly-pass-highlights-latest-toll-plan-for-i-10-mobile-river-bridge-project.html?fbclid=IwAR1Qp7VyiAMYztUu0ygRm5zWW3-ptZXySYz3pWrJq1hRveFcl132I7QdH18

Also, the Facebook Group Block the Mobile Byway toll is quickly growing with over 26,000 members now.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1276861619188737/

A bland smile is like a green light at an intersection, it feels good when you get one, but you forget it the moment you're past it. -Doug Coupland

froggie

Do these people not realize that, without tolls, paying for a new bridge and widened Bayway is HIGHLY UNLIKELY?

barcncpt44

Quote from: froggie on July 16, 2019, 09:31:56 PM
Do these people not realize that, without tolls, paying for a new bridge and widened Bayway is HIGHLY UNLIKELY?

And people on that Facebook group are perfectly happy with the status quo.

A bland smile is like a green light at an intersection, it feels good when you get one, but you forget it the moment you're past it. -Doug Coupland

jdb1234

Quote from: barcncpt44 on July 16, 2019, 09:36:41 PM
Quote from: froggie on July 16, 2019, 09:31:56 PM
Do these people not realize that, without tolls, paying for a new bridge and widened Bayway is HIGHLY UNLIKELY?

And people on that Facebook group are perfectly happy with the status quo.

Exactly.

Charles2

Unfortunately, there are a lot of groups on Facebook that make the Flat Earth Society seem forward thinking.

formulanone

#406
I didn't get a photo, but "US 20" in the Shoals is no more, as of last weekend. There is now an Alabama 20 patch over this sign's long-time error...


roadwarrior

Quote from: jdb1234 on July 17, 2019, 01:47:41 PM
Quote from: barcncpt44 on July 16, 2019, 09:36:41 PM
Quote from: froggie on July 16, 2019, 09:31:56 PM
Do these people not realize that, without tolls, paying for a new bridge and widened Bayway is HIGHLY UNLIKELY?

And people on that Facebook group are perfectly happy with the status quo.

Exactly.
Quote from: Charles2 on July 17, 2019, 09:26:25 PM
Unfortunately, there are a lot of groups on Facebook that make the Flat Earth Society seem forward thinking.

You guys do realize most people in Mobile can't afford it, right?  That's another bill for most people. 

froggie

^ Most people in Mobile do not need to head east over to Baldwin County or beyond.

Plutonic Panda

Quote from: froggie on July 16, 2019, 09:31:56 PM
Do these people not realize that, without tolls, paying for a new bridge and widened Bayway is HIGHLY UNLIKELY?
Yet other states and cities are able to build projects with no tolls. Alabama can do the same. It will just take longer. The problem is once the project is paid off the tolls will remain. Lumping anti-toll folks and flat earthers together is ridiculous.

roadwarrior

Quote from: froggie on October 30, 2019, 08:12:06 AM
^ Most people in Mobile do not need to head east over to Baldwin County or beyond.

That's the problem.  So many people from Mobile moved over to Baldwin but work in Mobile.  There's a perceived higher status of wealth in Baldwin as well (to a degree it's true) and a lot of people are over there trying to fake it. 

roadwarrior

Quote from: Plutonic Panda on October 30, 2019, 02:35:35 PM
Quote from: froggie on July 16, 2019, 09:31:56 PM
Do these people not realize that, without tolls, paying for a new bridge and widened Bayway is HIGHLY UNLIKELY?
Yet other states and cities are able to build projects with no tolls. Alabama can do the same. It will just take longer. The problem is once the project is paid off the tolls will remain. Lumping anti-toll folks and flat earthers together is ridiculous.

Alabama doesn't want to get taken advantage of like New York/New Jersey.  I'm fine with one toll...but that's if it will produce anything.  Tolling both tunnels seems ridiculous.  There's a toll in Orange Beach that doesn't financially support itself.  I'm not so sure we don't need to rethink our approach to the concept of a toll.  Maybe certain taxes (for ex. gas tax) will help.

But it seems ridiculous that the state wasn't able to get any money for the project.  I'm not so sure we shouldn't just start placing temporary tolls on random existing shorter paths/roadways.  Make people go the longer way if they want it for free.  But in this case the free longer way (Cochrane) really won't be possible to travel.  It's already crowded.

froggie

Quote from: Plutonic Panda on October 30, 2019, 02:35:35 PM
Quote from: froggie on July 16, 2019, 09:31:56 PM
Do these people not realize that, without tolls, paying for a new bridge and widened Bayway is HIGHLY UNLIKELY?
Yet other states and cities are able to build projects with no tolls. Alabama can do the same. It will just take longer. The problem is once the project is paid off the tolls will remain. Lumping anti-toll folks and flat earthers together is ridiculous.

Most projects can be done incrementally, pieces at a time, which spreads the cost out over a longer period.  Not really the case here.  While you could theoretically split the bridge and the Bayway into two separate projects, after that point it's all-or-nothing for each.

Plutonic Panda

Quote from: froggie on November 02, 2019, 07:53:42 AM
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on October 30, 2019, 02:35:35 PM
Quote from: froggie on July 16, 2019, 09:31:56 PM
Do these people not realize that, without tolls, paying for a new bridge and widened Bayway is HIGHLY UNLIKELY?
Yet other states and cities are able to build projects with no tolls. Alabama can do the same. It will just take longer. The problem is once the project is paid off the tolls will remain. Lumping anti-toll folks and flat earthers together is ridiculous.

Most projects can be done incrementally, pieces at a time, which spreads the cost out over a longer period.  Not really the case here.  While you could theoretically split the bridge and the Bayway into two separate projects, after that point it's all-or-nothing for each.
True but the US needs to get off its ass and spend more on infrastructure. People need to be willing to pay a bit more for better infrastructure. If they are unwilling and refuse to do so then I agree tolls are the only option. Hopefully that is the last resort but it's also the easiest way and politicians are too quick to denounce other options.

roadwarrior

Quote from: froggie on November 02, 2019, 07:53:42 AM
Quote from: Plutonic Panda on October 30, 2019, 02:35:35 PM
Quote from: froggie on July 16, 2019, 09:31:56 PM
Do these people not realize that, without tolls, paying for a new bridge and widened Bayway is HIGHLY UNLIKELY?
Yet other states and cities are able to build projects with no tolls. Alabama can do the same. It will just take longer. The problem is once the project is paid off the tolls will remain. Lumping anti-toll folks and flat earthers together is ridiculous.

Most projects can be done incrementally, pieces at a time, which spreads the cost out over a longer period.  Not really the case here.  While you could theoretically split the bridge and the Bayway into two separate projects, after that point it's all-or-nothing for each.

The most important thing is that the Mobile River Bridge gets built.  It's been talked about for decades and it has to happen right now.  You can barely travel in that direction anymore unless it's early morning or night.  We can do something about the Bayway later on.  That was how it was originally supposed to be and not unwisely lumped together and held over residents' heads.  The Bayway can be dealt with separately/later.  It will be easier to deal with.  We just need the hardest part to go through so something can begin to be done.  But the plan to toll everything instead of just one route and lump the bridge in with expansion of the bayway was such an incompetent move and people in the area just don't make enough money to be able to pay everyday.  There would need to be more than one free route.

Tom958

http://www.sandmountainreporter.com/free_share/article_819ace9c-12ed-11ea-b4f9-4b4ba8535270.html

The US 431 Issue | Part 1: Tempering heat of nation's most dangerous highway
By TAYLOR BECK The Reporter Nov 29, 2019 Updated Nov 29, 2019

Since the early 2000s, the 353-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 431 that blazes through east Alabama has been known as one of the most dangerous roadways in the world and earned the nickname "Highway to Hell."

With "poor visibility, high speeds and sudden 2-4 lane changes,"  U.S. 431 was determined to be the fourth most deadly road in the country in 2013 by the World Health Organization. The organization presented information on road safety from 182 countries, accounting for almost 99% of the world's population. The report indicated the total number of traffic deaths worldwide at the time was 1.24 million per year – 33,808 in the U.S.

As of October, there have been 310 traffic accidents in Albertville and 48 traffic accidents in Boaz on U.S. 431, according to local police and fire department records. There has only been one fatality – a woman died after suffering severe burns only days after being involved in a collision in Boaz.

No statistics were available for the current year in Guntersville, but as of October, the city's police department has recorded 17 traffic fatalities on U.S. 431 in Guntersville since 2014. Statistics show police worked 239 traffic accidents on U.S. Highway 431 from 2014-2015.

Since study results and statistics have been released, the Alabama Department of Transportation and various municipalities where U.S. 431 is located have worked diligently to create a safer traffic environment and improve road conditions to lower the fatality rate.

What exactly is being done, and is it enough?

The Reporter looks to answer those questions in a five-part analysis of U.S. 431, particularly the stretch of highway spanning from Boaz through Albertville and into Guntersville.

The rest of the series is behind the paywall. I'd like to read it, though.

I can't imagine that anything transformative like a Memorial Parkway-type freeway conversion or a new terrain highway will come out of this. More likely, access management and some r-cuts.  It's fun to think about, though. Apparently a study was done a couple of years ago- - I remember examining some proposed changes to the approach to the 431 causeway heading north from Guntersville. I don't see anything about it on ALDOT's website, though, even though there's the output from an access management study on 431 north of Anniston.

formulanone

Quote from: barcncpt44 on April 18, 2019, 02:29:35 PM
Quote from: formulanone on April 14, 2019, 12:03:23 PM
Word from our barcncpt44 on Instagram is that the alignment of SR 21 has been shifted on to SR 200 in the town of Piedmont.

This possibly makes the AL 200 designation redundant and/or removed, but I couldn't find any data on it in ALDOT's website.

That is indeed the case.  I also talk about it, plus pictures including redoing the former AL-200 / AL-21 intersection at the link.  https://geekalabama.com/2019/04/11/roadscapes-wednesday-alabama-state-route-200-is-eliminated-in-piedmont/

ALDOT confirms that AL Route 200 was deleted in January of 2019, according to the notes on their milepost maps:

https://aldotgis.dot.state.al.us/MilepostPDF/web/co8mp.pdf

Brian556


formulanone


barcncpt44


A bland smile is like a green light at an intersection, it feels good when you get one, but you forget it the moment you're past it. -Doug Coupland

sparker

Quote from: barcncpt44 on February 05, 2020, 08:05:48 PM
Quote from: Brian556 on February 04, 2020, 09:30:44 PM
Found a cateye RXR is Talladega: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.4370524,-86.103871,3a,15y,7.19h,86.61t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sEfuvF06xxclTZOvRJFZDbg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Sadly, it's not there anymore.

Probably on the garage wall of someone connected to the Talledega street department -- or simply an opportunist with a wrench and some WD-40!  Anything with button-copy -- and relatively small -- tends to be fair game these days for both collectors and the aforementioned opportunists.

Tom958

New to me, anyway: Yesterday I drove  US 43, AL 5 and AL 22 from Mobile to Selma. It's not an especially rewarding drive, but I did discover this one-quadrant interchange at AL 5 and AL 28 at the town of Catherine. I doubt that there was a capacity warrant for it, but both highways (quite a bit of the pavement for old AL 5 is still intact) were/are on steep grades that contributed to drivers running the stop signs or traffic signals there (see this Streetview. Neither end of the connecting ramp has or appears to need traffic control other than minimal stop and yield signs. The interchange bridge was built in 2005.

Also, there's the Grove Hill bypass. The US 43 bypass has five lanes, but with a Jersey barrier through the area of the interchange with US 84. The US 84 interchange was built in 1995, apparently along with a two-mile-long relocation of US 84 as a new four-lane highway with a fifty-foot median. You can see both from here on the interchange bridge. I was suprised that ALDOT went for a turn lane instead of a proper median on a new-terrain highway that apparently doesn't allow driveways, and more so when I saw the nearby relocation of US 84.

codyg1985

Quote from: Tom958 on March 11, 2020, 06:56:43 PM
New to me, anyway: Yesterday I drove  US 43, AL 5 and AL 22 from Mobile to Selma. It's not an especially rewarding drive, but I did discover this one-quadrant interchange at AL 5 and AL 28 at the town of Catherine. I doubt that there was a capacity warrant for it, but both highways (quite a bit of the pavement for old AL 5 is still intact) were/are on steep grades that contributed to drivers running the stop signs or traffic signals there (see this Streetview. Neither end of the connecting ramp has or appears to need traffic control other than minimal stop and yield signs. The interchange bridge was built in 2005.

Also, there's the Grove Hill bypass. The US 43 bypass has five lanes, but with a Jersey barrier through the area of the interchange with US 84. The US 84 interchange was built in 1995, apparently along with a two-mile-long relocation of US 84 as a new four-lane highway with a fifty-foot median. You can see both from here on the interchange bridge. I was suprised that ALDOT went for a turn lane instead of a proper median on a new-terrain highway that apparently doesn't allow driveways, and more so when I saw the nearby relocation of US 84.

Did you notice that the US 84 Grove Hill bypass had high-numbered mile markers?
Cody Goodman
Huntsville, AL, United States

Tom958

Quote from: codyg1985 on March 11, 2020, 07:20:52 PMDid you notice that the US 84 Grove Hill bypass had high-numbered mile markers?

Nope, I didn't drive on it. I didn't even know it existed until I checked it out on Google Maps.

froggie

While the bridge was built in 2005, the AL 5 relocation at AL 28 didn't happen until later in 2006 or early 2007.  The old condition was stop control for AL 28...AL 5 had the right-of-way pre-overpass.



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