What do visitors say about your area road network?

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Duluth/Superior: "Your streets suck."

It's also pretty hard to find a straight route to go from point A to point B.

[webny99]

Visitors have this to say about the road network in Idaho:

Nothing attached, assuming that's the point.

[plain]

Metro Richmond:
- Why is that bridge so high? (VA 895 over I-95 & the James River, and the reason was because of ships, when Richmond was still an actual seaport)

The port continues to operate, although I can't seem to find how many large ships dock there.
http://www.richmondgov.com/PortOfRichmond/index.aspx

The last ship docked there in 2012. I have read somewhere recently that there might be a chance ships will return, I have to go back and find that article. But for now the barge service to the Hampton Roads ports is keeping the Port Of Richmond busy, which is very positive.

They make it sound like they are still handling ships --

"The Port handles containers, temperature-controlled containers, breakbulk, bulk, and neo-bulk cargo."

Technically the port itself can handle that, but the river (and channel of course) have several issues, leading to both of the last two oceangoing companies that served Richmond to stop calls here. The winding course of the river is a factor, and it's also pretty narrow west/north of Hopewell. The bigger issue however is dredging. An insecticide (Kepone) is on the riverbed below the accumulated silt... dredging will certainly cause another environmental issue.

I'm still looking for that article I mentioned upthread (haven't had much time to do so). Maybe officials are hoping they can land ocean bound ships that don't require the dredging.

If not, it will make both of the fixed spans between Richmond & Hopewell look pointless 

[Beltway]

They make it sound like they are still handling ships --
"The Port handles containers, temperature-controlled containers, breakbulk, bulk, and neo-bulk cargo."

Technically the port itself can handle that, but the river (and channel of course) have several issues, leading to both of the last two oceangoing companies that served Richmond to stop calls here. The winding course of the river is a factor, and it's also pretty narrow west/north of Hopewell. The bigger issue however is dredging. An insecticide (Kepone) is on the riverbed below the accumulated silt... dredging will certainly cause another environmental issue.
I'm still looking for that article I mentioned upthread (haven't had much time to do so). Maybe officials are hoping they can land ocean bound ships that don't require the dredging.
If not, it will make both of the fixed spans between Richmond & Hopewell look pointless 

Dredging the channels back to where they were 20 years ago might not be an issue or problem.

https://www.dailypress.com/news/science/dp-nws-kepone-update-vims-20170624-story.html
Excerpt:

The risk of a recontaminating the James by limited dredging or limited excavation projects such as the overhead power lines that Dominion Energy proposes across the river from Surry to James City County are basically nonexistent, he said.
Kepone is not only buried in the sediment but unevenly distributed. Core samples taken before excavation would first show if it was present, and in what amount.
"So dredging and doing things like putting in pilings or stanchions or something like that, it's not going to contaminate the surface sediments in the river like it was back in the '70s or '80s," said Unger. "That's not going to happen. There may be some localized release of Kepone, localized to the dredging that's occurring. But it's not going to recontaminate the entire food chain in the James River."

[plain]

They make it sound like they are still handling ships --
"The Port handles containers, temperature-controlled containers, breakbulk, bulk, and neo-bulk cargo."

Technically the port itself can handle that, but the river (and channel of course) have several issues, leading to both of the last two oceangoing companies that served Richmond to stop calls here. The winding course of the river is a factor, and it's also pretty narrow west/north of Hopewell. The bigger issue however is dredging. An insecticide (Kepone) is on the riverbed below the accumulated silt... dredging will certainly cause another environmental issue.
I'm still looking for that article I mentioned upthread (haven't had much time to do so). Maybe officials are hoping they can land ocean bound ships that don't require the dredging.
If not, it will make both of the fixed spans between Richmond & Hopewell look pointless 

Dredging the channels back to where they were 20 years ago might not be an issue or problem.

https://www.dailypress.com/news/science/dp-nws-kepone-update-vims-20170624-story.html
Excerpt:

The risk of a recontaminating the James by limited dredging or limited excavation projects such as the overhead power lines that Dominion Energy proposes across the river from Surry to James City County are basically nonexistent, he said.
Kepone is not only buried in the sediment but unevenly distributed. Core samples taken before excavation would first show if it was present, and in what amount.
"So dredging and doing things like putting in pilings or stanchions or something like that, it's not going to contaminate the surface sediments in the river like it was back in the '70s or '80s," said Unger. "That's not going to happen. There may be some localized release of Kepone, localized to the dredging that's occurring. But it's not going to recontaminate the entire food chain in the James River."

I hope that is true. I was sad when the port lost its status, but I don't want that environmental issue either. I'm hoping it will all work out.

[skluth]

Palm Spring, CA

• Why is it so windy on the interstate? Wind funnels through San Gorgonio Pass because the mountains on each side are over 10,000 feet high. This also means accidents and associated backups.
• The interstate is both windy and crowded. Is there a different way to get to the Inland Empire and LA? There's only one way to "quickly" get to the IE. There are no roads other than I-10 between the CA 111 and Haugen-Lehmann Road exits, even though the exits are about 2000 feet apart. You can either take I-10 or go through the mountains on winding, two-lane roads.
• Why is {fill-in-the-blank} Road closed? It's windy. You should have figured that out by now. Especially through and near the pass. They built roads right on the arroyos. Roads close because loose sand blows onto and blocks the roads near the interstate when it's windy. It's even worse when it rains and wet sand covers the roads.
• Why are there so many slow drivers? We're a retirement haven. We have lots of old drivers who should take a behind-the-wheel test rather than just a written test. Blame California law.
• Why are there so many crazy fast drivers? It's California. We have a reputation to maintain. Or maybe we're just worried we'll get stuck behind one of the aforementioned old drivers.
• Why is the ocean so far away? This is California. California is a big state. Only Alaska and Texas are bigger. This isn't Florida where everywhere is <2 hours from the sea.
• Why are the roads so crowded? It's winter. There are an additional 300K people here in winter.
• I heard the roads here are crowded. Which roads? It's summer. It's only crowded in winter. Except CA 111 which is always busy. Avoid CA 111. Seriously, just avoid it if you can.

[wanderer2575]

Michigan:  With all this traffic, why are these freeways still only two lanes each direction?  And tons of potholes and crumbling bridges?  But, hey, nice new BGSs with Clearview font!

[D-Dey65]

#1 thing I usually hear is something along the lines of "how do you put up with all this."

People coming back from the New York Tri-State area have said the same thing to me and some of my relatives.

[roadman65]

Too many tolls!  However there really are not that many.  It's just the folks flying in from Orlando Airport listen to the GPS which puts them either on SR 417 or SR 528 and many don't read the fine print or have the knowledge to program it to avoid tolls.

I worked the Beeline West and got the complaints on that one even one guy who was warned by his relatives about Florida Toll Roads, comes on to be shocked that he is paying a toll, and tells me what to do with the tolls like I own the road.  I even had to remark back, "well you should have listened to your relatives and avoided us!"

[Brandon]

Visitors have this to say about the road network in Idaho:

Boise drivers are nuts.  I was grateful to get down to Utah on the road trip last summer.

[vdeane]

Too many tolls!  However there really are not that many.  It's just the folks flying in from Orlando Airport listen to the GPS which puts them either on SR 417 or SR 528 and many don't read the fine print or have the knowledge to program it to avoid tolls.

I worked the Beeline West and got the complaints on that one even one guy who was warned by his relatives about Florida Toll Roads, comes on to be shocked that he is paying a toll, and tells me what to do with the tolls like I own the road.  I even had to remark back, "well you should have listened to your relatives and avoided us!"

Orlando really does have a ton of toll roads.  Is there any other metro area where the freeway network is entirely tolled save for one interstate?

[hotdogPi]

Too many tolls!  However there really are not that many.  It's just the folks flying in from Orlando Airport listen to the GPS which puts them either on SR 417 or SR 528 and many don't read the fine print or have the knowledge to program it to avoid tolls.

I worked the Beeline West and got the complaints on that one even one guy who was warned by his relatives about Florida Toll Roads, comes on to be shocked that he is paying a toll, and tells me what to do with the tolls like I own the road.  I even had to remark back, "well you should have listened to your relatives and avoided us!"

Orlando really does have a ton of toll roads.  Is there any other metro area where the freeway network is entirely tolled save for one interstate?

Portland, ME, if you ignore the Scarborough Connector. (The other two short freeways lead to the toll road.)

[Rick1962]

"Tulsa has the worst..."
a. Roads.
b. Drivers.
c. Both a & b.

SM-T580

[roadman65]

Too many tolls!  However there really are not that many.  It's just the folks flying in from Orlando Airport listen to the GPS which puts them either on SR 417 or SR 528 and many don't read the fine print or have the knowledge to program it to avoid tolls.

I worked the Beeline West and got the complaints on that one even one guy who was warned by his relatives about Florida Toll Roads, comes on to be shocked that he is paying a toll, and tells me what to do with the tolls like I own the road.  I even had to remark back, "well you should have listened to your relatives and avoided us!"

Orlando really does have a ton of toll roads.  Is there any other metro area where the freeway network is entirely tolled save for one interstate?

You are quite correct on that one.  We should have SR 417 as free I-204 and SR 528 should be I-104..  Heck SR 528 is toll free in neighboring Brevard County as in 1990 the tolls were lifted as the bonds were indeed paid.  In Orlando we have the CFX who does anything under the sun to keep bonds going such as contracting many road projects.

Then FDOT is another who maintains the Beeline West from MM 0 to MM 8, who just added express toll lanes from its terminus with I-4 to Exit 4 and soon from Exit 4 to Exit 8 to keep that part of the road under debt.  The Florida Turnpike is another one that keeps adding lanes to its 309 mile mainline, and you have the SR 408 that we used to call the East West Rip Off as the former OOCEA blackmailed the residents of the area to start using the road or they would raise the tolls by 25 cents, and they did instead of lowering the tolls to get users.

This was back in 1990 where those 50 cent plazas are now well over a buck.

[kphoger]

"Tulsa has the worst..."

...cops