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[Max Rockatansky]

Only if Pozo Road (old CA 178) and the La Panza town site get a dedicated exit.

Truck stop at Simmler!

Just a couple miles west of the I-40 San Andreas Fault/Soda Lake Overlook.

[Sub-Urbanite]

That would require it to cross the Cascades. While anything north of 80 is pure fiction at this point, Oregon may be the last state I'd expect to build another mile of new freeway, especially through national forest lands.

I think politically, there's a challenge at the moment, although I have to wonder if the transition to EVs will nullify that within a decade-or-so. It's one thing to be a Climate Doomer and say "We are drawing the line on freeways," it's another thing to be a Climate Doomer when 80% of your friends and neighbors are driving by battery powered by wind, solar and water. Maybe that's a pipe dream, but it's a hopeful one…

As for crossing the Cascades, the lowest pass is also the pass that makes the most sense for this project – Government Camp, at 4000'. It's rarely completely closed – and is often used by truck traffic when I-84 is closed through the Columbia River Gorge due to ice and snow (its elevation tends to protect it from the severe weather that hits at sea level, giving it more steady snow vs. the ice/snow mix in the Gorge).

More importantly, as Portland and Bend have grown, so has traffic on the 26 corridor, closing in on 11,000 ADT west of Government Camp and more than 6,200 ADT south of the Mt. Hood Meadows turnoff. Those are on par with other rural western interstates. And Bend remains the largest US city connected to the rest of the world exclusively by 2-lane roads. It's outright dangerous, and at some point, people are going to get tired of being scared to drive that road.

[Sub-Urbanite]

This may not be news, but the NDOT plans for the I-515 repaving / rehab contract from last fall included replacing all the 515 shields with I-11 shields from 215 to Charleston Boulevard.

[pderocco]

More importantly, as Portland and Bend have grown, so has traffic on the 26 corridor, closing in on 11,000 ADT west of Government Camp and more than 6,200 ADT south of the Mt. Hood Meadows turnoff. Those are on par with other rural western interstates. And Bend remains the largest US city connected to the rest of the world exclusively by 2-lane roads. It's outright dangerous, and at some point, people are going to get tired of being scared to drive that road.

That won't require replacing US-26 with I-11 or anything like it. It will require fourlaning it, and maybe dividing it. And that will be sufficient for another 30 years. I think we'll have flying cars (well, not me, I'll be long gone) before we have an interstate highway from Reno to Portland.

[mgk920]

More importantly, as Portland and Bend have grown, so has traffic on the 26 corridor, closing in on 11,000 ADT west of Government Camp and more than 6,200 ADT south of the Mt. Hood Meadows turnoff. Those are on par with other rural western interstates. And Bend remains the largest US city connected to the rest of the world exclusively by 2-lane roads. It's outright dangerous, and at some point, people are going to get tired of being scared to drive that road.

That won't require replacing US-26 with I-11 or anything like it. It will require fourlaning it, and maybe dividing it. And that will be sufficient for another 30 years. I think we'll have flying cars (well, not me, I'll be long gone) before we have an interstate highway from Reno to Portland.

Howabout a highway that looks to be 'aspiring' to be I-11, like many in here believe that CA 58 is 'aspiring' to be a westward extension of I-40?

Mike

[roadfro]

This may not be news, but the NDOT plans for the I-515 repaving / rehab contract from last fall included replacing all the 515 shields with I-11 shields from 215 to Charleston Boulevard.

That was news to me, as I was unaware of that project. But also interesting because NDOT just got the AASHTO approval for extending I-11 in October.

[Sub-Urbanite]

This may not be news, but the NDOT plans for the I-515 repaving / rehab contract from last fall included replacing all the 515 shields with I-11 shields from 215 to Charleston Boulevard.

That was news to me, as I was unaware of that project. But also interesting because NDOT just got the AASHTO approval for extending I-11 in October.

Technically it's "mainline spot slab replacements, spall repair, and median barrier replacement; ramps coldmill with pbs and open grade; new median lighting and drainage improvements."

Interesting side note - the new signs in the contract plans keep the old US 95 exit numbers (measured from the CA/NV border) and not the new I-11 numbers from Hoover Dam.

[pderocco]

More importantly, as Portland and Bend have grown, so has traffic on the 26 corridor, closing in on 11,000 ADT west of Government Camp and more than 6,200 ADT south of the Mt. Hood Meadows turnoff. Those are on par with other rural western interstates. And Bend remains the largest US city connected to the rest of the world exclusively by 2-lane roads. It's outright dangerous, and at some point, people are going to get tired of being scared to drive that road.

That won't require replacing US-26 with I-11 or anything like it. It will require fourlaning it, and maybe dividing it. And that will be sufficient for another 30 years. I think we'll have flying cars (well, not me, I'll be long gone) before we have an interstate highway from Reno to Portland.

Howabout a highway that looks to be 'aspiring' to be I-11, like many in here believe that CA 58 is 'aspiring' to be a westward extension of I-40?

I just doubt that much of US-26 will warrant fully controlled access. It could end up like US-395 in California's Owens Valley. That would be lovely. I prefer such roads, as long as the traffic isn't heavy.

[roadfro]

This may not be news, but the NDOT plans for the I-515 repaving / rehab contract from last fall included replacing all the 515 shields with I-11 shields from 215 to Charleston Boulevard.

That was news to me, as I was unaware of that project. But also interesting because NDOT just got the AASHTO approval for extending I-11 in October.

Technically it's "mainline spot slab replacements, spall repair, and median barrier replacement; ramps coldmill with pbs and open grade; new median lighting and drainage improvements."

Interesting side note - the new signs in the contract plans keep the old US 95 exit numbers (measured from the CA/NV border) and not the new I-11 numbers from Hoover Dam.

That's not too surprising though on the exit numbers. It was years after signing I-580 and a separate contract unrelated to anything else (if not an in-house job) before NDOT changed the exit numbers to match 580 mileage instead US 395.

[Scott5114]

This may not be news, but the NDOT plans for the I-515 repaving / rehab contract from last fall included replacing all the 515 shields with I-11 shields from 215 to Charleston Boulevard.

Do you have a link to it?

[Sub-Urbanite]

This may not be news, but the NDOT plans for the I-515 repaving / rehab contract from last fall included replacing all the 515 shields with I-11 shields from 215 to Charleston Boulevard.

That was news to me, as I was unaware of that project. But also interesting because NDOT just got the AASHTO approval for extending I-11 in October.

Technically it's "mainline spot slab replacements, spall repair, and median barrier replacement; ramps coldmill with pbs and open grade; new median lighting and drainage improvements."

Interesting side note - the new signs in the contract plans keep the old US 95 exit numbers (measured from the CA/NV border) and not the new I-11 numbers from Hoover Dam.

That's not too surprising though on the exit numbers. It was years after signing I-580 and a separate contract unrelated to anything else (if not an in-house job) before NDOT changed the exit numbers to match 580 mileage instead US 395.

EXCEPT they did the exit numbers in Henderson south of the Fiesta Bowl, so……

[roadfro]

This may not be news, but the NDOT plans for the I-515 repaving / rehab contract from last fall included replacing all the 515 shields with I-11 shields from 215 to Charleston Boulevard.

That was news to me, as I was unaware of that project. But also interesting because NDOT just got the AASHTO approval for extending I-11 in October.

Technically it's "mainline spot slab replacements, spall repair, and median barrier replacement; ramps coldmill with pbs and open grade; new median lighting and drainage improvements."

Interesting side note - the new signs in the contract plans keep the old US 95 exit numbers (measured from the CA/NV border) and not the new I-11 numbers from Hoover Dam.

That's not too surprising though on the exit numbers. It was years after signing I-580 and a separate contract unrelated to anything else (if not an in-house job) before NDOT changed the exit numbers to match 580 mileage instead US 395.

EXCEPT they did the exit numbers in Henderson south of the Fiesta Bowl, so……

IIRC, NDOT switching over I-515 to I-11 south of the 215/564 interchange was a pure signing contract. I believe they replaced a lot of the overhead signs in that stretch simultaneously (I think many of them may have been original to the mid-1990's opening of that stretch of freeway).

The stretch of I-515 between I-215 and Charleston has had several overhead signs replaced in the last few years, through one-offs or other projects. So it might be interesting to see what they're planning to replace with the signage plans.

When NDOT renumbered exits on US 395/I-580 here in Reno recently, they did it mostly with green-out/blue-out patches on the roadside signs and new exit tabs on the existing overheads (which resulted in a couple places where the main sign is in Clearview but the exit tab is in FHWA).

[michravera]

More importantly, as Portland and Bend have grown, so has traffic on the 26 corridor, closing in on 11,000 ADT west of Government Camp and more than 6,200 ADT south of the Mt. Hood Meadows turnoff. Those are on par with other rural western interstates. And Bend remains the largest US city connected to the rest of the world exclusively by 2-lane roads. It's outright dangerous, and at some point, people are going to get tired of being scared to drive that road.

That won't require replacing US-26 with I-11 or anything like it. It will require fourlaning it, and maybe dividing it. And that will be sufficient for another 30 years. I think we'll have flying cars (well, not me, I'll be long gone) before we have an interstate highway from Reno to Portland.

You are, of course, correct! We already have flying cars! I have a license to drive them and so do a half a million other Americans. Now, if I could just find one with a good enough STOL kit (or could afford one that's VTOL capable) to let me land in a parking lot, I'd probably buy one and drive it to work. Cameron Park, California was designed for people with flying cars.

[Sub-Urbanite]

This may not be news, but the NDOT plans for the I-515 repaving / rehab contract from last fall included replacing all the 515 shields with I-11 shields from 215 to Charleston Boulevard.

That was news to me, as I was unaware of that project. But also interesting because NDOT just got the AASHTO approval for extending I-11 in October.

Technically it's "mainline spot slab replacements, spall repair, and median barrier replacement; ramps coldmill with pbs and open grade; new median lighting and drainage improvements."

Interesting side note - the new signs in the contract plans keep the old US 95 exit numbers (measured from the CA/NV border) and not the new I-11 numbers from Hoover Dam.

That's not too surprising though on the exit numbers. It was years after signing I-580 and a separate contract unrelated to anything else (if not an in-house job) before NDOT changed the exit numbers to match 580 mileage instead US 395.

EXCEPT they did the exit numbers in Henderson south of the Fiesta Bowl, so……

IIRC, NDOT switching over I-515 to I-11 south of the 215/564 interchange was a pure signing contract. I believe they replaced a lot of the overhead signs in that stretch simultaneously (I think many of them may have been original to the mid-1990's opening of that stretch of freeway).

The stretch of I-515 between I-215 and Charleston has had several overhead signs replaced in the last few years, through one-offs or other projects. So it might be interesting to see what they're planning to replace with the signage plans.

When NDOT renumbered exits on US 395/I-580 here in Reno recently, they did it mostly with green-out/blue-out patches on the roadside signs and new exit tabs on the existing overheads (which resulted in a couple places where the main sign is in Clearview but the exit tab is in FHWA).

That's what's weird. They actually *are* replacing the signs, exit number panels and exit markers. I'm curious if there was a deliberate decision or if someone goofed.