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California

Started by andy3175, July 20, 2016, 12:17:21 AM

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TheStranger

The CalTrans sign replacement/upgrade project in SF/San Mateo County continues in earnest.

- Old sign gantries on US 101 near the airport have been removed (particularly those dating to when I-380 was opened in the 1970s), replaced mostly with L-shaped sign bridges that have slightly taller signs than before. 

- The new next-three-exits sign near South Airport Boulevard on northbound 101 is taller, allowing for more visual separation between each line of text.  This can be easily compared to the 2000s-era next-three-exits sign about 1/8 mile north in the median.

- At the 380 split, the narrow, vertical 3di shields are used for "380 to 280."

- There are a couple of temporary signs (orange background on wooden posts) at the 101/380 junction that mistakenly list 380 and 280 as US highways!

- Southbound, the San Bruno Avenue and North Access Road ramps have separate signage but the same exact exit number (423A) even though northbound exit to North Access Road has its own number (423C).

- In SF, gore point signage (with exit number!) was installed for the very first time sometime in the last two weeks at the Central Freeway/US 101 exit for 9th Street.
Chris Sampang


citrus

Quote from: TheStranger on March 13, 2021, 11:59:05 AM
The CalTrans sign replacement/upgrade project in SF/San Mateo County continues in earnest.

I really wish I snapped a pic of this, but there's, for now, an overhead gantry on 101 SB that has been half replaced. So there's a reflective "San" and 101 shield, and a button copy "Jose" and "SOUTH".

There's temporary construction signage at CA-92, well. And I really really hope they do some pavement maintenance along with these upgrades. Potholes all over the place by the airport!

jander

There is a random I-80 shield just past hospital curve   It's probably technically where 80 begins but I never noticed it before.  Just an 80 shield on a stubby pole, low height, on the crash barrier between east and west bound.  It cant be more than 6ft off the roadway. 


jander

https://www.kqed.org/news/11864205/is-that-a-ghost-freeway-on-the-peninsula-and-are-our-highways-filthier-than-ever

For the uninitiated, Interstate 280 is the freeway that runs from San Francisco's South of Market on the north end to the outskirts of downtown San Jose on the south. The highway, routed through the Peninsula hills and devoid of billboards, has long been called "the world's most beautiful freeway." (Yes – some people think a freeway can be beautiful.)

Interstate 380, by contrast, is a simple 1.7-mile connector that links I-280 to U.S. 101 adjacent to San Francisco International Airport.

Bay Curious PodcastBay Curious is a podcast that answers your questions about the Bay Area. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, NPR One or your favorite podcast platform.
It turns out Masters' "suspicion" about I-380 is spot on. The freeway was conceived of as something much more than it is today.

Back in the formative years of Bay Area freeways, highway planners envisioned the freeway continuing west beyond I-280, across San Bruno's Crestmoor Canyon, up over Sweeney Ridge, descending to meet Highway 1 somewhere in Pacifica, perhaps in the Sharp Park neighborhood.

Caltrans confirms that history. The best single account of the plan, though a brief one, appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal in 2014. Titled "The Interstate 380 Controversy," the Journal's piece characterized opposition to the freeway among San Bruno and Pacifica residents this way: "The public was outraged. The pristine watershed would be violated with gas-belching cars and smoke diesel 16-wheelers. No way would they allow this to happen."

TheStranger

Weird quirk as part of the US 101/Bayshore Freeway sign update project near SFO:

Years ago (2002?), CalTrans installed one of the only button copy internal exit tabbed signs ever in this state (keeping in mind the 1971 Los Angeles exit numbering experiments were all via external tabs) at Millbrae Avenue on southbound US 101, given the exit number of 420.

About a decade ago, when retroreflective signage was added to that stretch of 101, the northbound side got the exit number of 421.

On the very newly installed retroreflective Millbrae Avenue exit sign southbound (probably less than a week old), 420 is used as the exit number there, AND the 2003 button copy sign remains as well a few feet down the road!
Chris Sampang

Occidental Tourist

Quote from: TheStranger on March 20, 2021, 10:23:07 PM
Weird quirk as part of the US 101/Bayshore Freeway sign update project near SFO:

Years ago (2002?), CalTrans installed one of the only button copy internal exit tabbed signs ever in this state (keeping in mind the 1971 Los Angeles exit numbering experiments were all via external tabs) at Millbrae Avenue on southbound US 101, given the exit number of 420.

About a decade ago, when retroreflective signage was added to that stretch of 101, the northbound side got the exit number of 421.

On the very newly installed retroreflective Millbrae Avenue exit sign southbound (probably less than a week old), 420 is used as the exit number there, AND the 2003 button copy sign remains as well a few feet down the road!


TheStranger

Quote from: Occidental Tourist on March 21, 2021, 03:41:56 PM
Quote from: TheStranger on March 20, 2021, 10:23:07 PM
Weird quirk as part of the US 101/Bayshore Freeway sign update project near SFO:

Years ago (2002?), CalTrans installed one of the only button copy internal exit tabbed signs ever in this state (keeping in mind the 1971 Los Angeles exit numbering experiments were all via external tabs) at Millbrae Avenue on southbound US 101, given the exit number of 420.

About a decade ago, when retroreflective signage was added to that stretch of 101, the northbound side got the exit number of 421.

On the very newly installed retroreflective Millbrae Avenue exit sign southbound (probably less than a week old), 420 is used as the exit number there, AND the 2003 button copy sign remains as well a few feet down the road!


The internal tab button copy sign on 101 in Millbrae has been replaced as of today, after about 18 years.

SM-G973U1

Chris Sampang

bing101


Here is a crazy Four Foot roadgeek segment


M3100

In Redlands: The I-10 University St. EB exit will be closed nightly, from 9pm-5am, April 5-9, 2021.  This is for tree removal and other maintenance. Other construction, including replacing and adding traffic signals, will continue through Fall 2021.  Source of this info is the SBCTA working in conjunction with Caltrans District 8; see goSBCTA.com/I10university

Joshua Whitman

Quote from: GaryA on March 04, 2019, 08:02:55 PM
Just noticed that the upper CA 39 closure (between Crystal Lake and CA 2) status has been updated.  For quite a while it showed a date in 2020, then it was updated to 2025.  Now it shows "Expected to end at 5:01 am Nov 30, 2050".

(Not that I'm expecting it to open then or ever, much as I'd like to see it open again.)
Believe me, 30 years is a hell of a long time for that section of the highway to reopen.

skluth

Quote from: Joshua Whitman on April 03, 2021, 02:08:05 AM
Quote from: GaryA on March 04, 2019, 08:02:55 PM
Just noticed that the upper CA 39 closure (between Crystal Lake and CA 2) status has been updated.  For quite a while it showed a date in 2020, then it was updated to 2025.  Now it shows "Expected to end at 5:01 am Nov 30, 2050".

(Not that I'm expecting it to open then or ever, much as I'd like to see it open again.)
Believe me, 30 years is a hell of a long time for that section of the highway to reopen.
I didn't think Caltrans would be that together regarding an opening date. According to their website:

SR 39
[IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]
IS CLOSED FROM 4.4 MI SOUTH OF THE JCT OF SR 2 TO THE JCT OF SR 2 (LOS
ANGELES CO) 24 HRS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK - DUE TO CONSTRUCTION -
MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE

There is no other information regarding opening, or even what the construction is for that matter.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: skluth on April 03, 2021, 11:54:41 AM
Quote from: Joshua Whitman on April 03, 2021, 02:08:05 AM
Quote from: GaryA on March 04, 2019, 08:02:55 PM
Just noticed that the upper CA 39 closure (between Crystal Lake and CA 2) status has been updated.  For quite a while it showed a date in 2020, then it was updated to 2025.  Now it shows "Expected to end at 5:01 am Nov 30, 2050".

(Not that I'm expecting it to open then or ever, much as I'd like to see it open again.)
Believe me, 30 years is a hell of a long time for that section of the highway to reopen.
I didn't think Caltrans would be that together regarding an opening date. According to their website:

SR 39
[IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]
IS CLOSED FROM 4.4 MI SOUTH OF THE JCT OF SR 2 TO THE JCT OF SR 2 (LOS
ANGELES CO) 24 HRS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK - DUE TO CONSTRUCTION -
MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE

There is no other information regarding opening, or even what the construction is for that matter.

To that end I don't believe there has been any official action in the CTC minutes (recalling what I've seen on Daniel's site) in years.  The 2050 is probably a place holder or someone trying to be funny.

sparker

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on April 03, 2021, 12:16:47 PM
Quote from: skluth on April 03, 2021, 11:54:41 AM
Quote from: Joshua Whitman on April 03, 2021, 02:08:05 AM
Quote from: GaryA on March 04, 2019, 08:02:55 PM
Just noticed that the upper CA 39 closure (between Crystal Lake and CA 2) status has been updated.  For quite a while it showed a date in 2020, then it was updated to 2025.  Now it shows "Expected to end at 5:01 am Nov 30, 2050".

(Not that I'm expecting it to open then or ever, much as I'd like to see it open again.)
Believe me, 30 years is a hell of a long time for that section of the highway to reopen.
I didn't think Caltrans would be that together regarding an opening date. According to their website:

SR 39
[IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]
IS CLOSED FROM 4.4 MI SOUTH OF THE JCT OF SR 2 TO THE JCT OF SR 2 (LOS
ANGELES CO) 24 HRS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK - DUE TO CONSTRUCTION -
MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE

There is no other information regarding opening, or even what the construction is for that matter.

To that end I don't believe there has been any official action in the CTC minutes (recalling what I've seen on Daniel's site) in years.  The 2050 is probably a place holder or someone trying to be funny.

Yeah -- no one in CA would even think of getting up for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5:01 a.m.!

kkt

Quote from: sparker on April 03, 2021, 03:41:04 PM
Yeah -- no one in CA would even think of getting up for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5:01 a.m.!

:clap:

fungus

The I-10 HOV gap between West Covina and Pomona has been closed, at least in the eastbound direction, as this weekend the roadway looks like it has been striped to the ultimate condition. The westbound lane looks like it could open any day now. Of course, the HOV lane ends at Towne Avenue since SBCTA is doing the widening of I-10 to a double express HOT lane in San Bernardino County.

TheGrassGuy

GSV-related question: what is the name of the ship floating right off of Pier 15 in San Francisco?
If you ever feel useless, remember that CR 504 exists.

andy3175

Quote from: fungus on April 06, 2021, 12:47:31 PM
The I-10 HOV gap between West Covina and Pomona has been closed, at least in the eastbound direction, as this weekend the roadway looks like it has been striped to the ultimate condition. The westbound lane looks like it could open any day now. Of course, the HOV lane ends at Towne Avenue since SBCTA is doing the widening of I-10 to a double express HOT lane in San Bernardino County.
I've noticed quite a bit of progress on HOV projects throughout Los Angeles, including on Interstate 5 through Burbank and Norwalk. Hopefully these segments will open soon. The HOV lane gap would then be through the East Los Angeles Interchange, but I am not sure if there are plans of that connection or how it would be done. I'm sure it would be very costly and difficult to do without impacts to adjacent neighborhoods.

The Interstate 10 HOV lanes is a nice addition to the regional system. I need to head over there to see the progress and get some pictures.

SM-G975U

Regards,
Andy

www.aaroads.com

skluth

Quote from: TheGrassGuy on April 10, 2021, 09:20:34 PM
GSV-related question: what is the name of the ship floating right off of Pier 15 in San Francisco?

You're going to have to supply more info than that. There's A LOT of GSV at Pier 15. Just lifting the little GSV guy while zoomed in on Pier 15 shows multiple blue GSV lines crossing the pier like a lost tweaked meth head.

heynow415

Quote from: skluth on April 11, 2021, 01:51:30 PM
Quote from: TheGrassGuy on April 10, 2021, 09:20:34 PM
GSV-related question: what is the name of the ship floating right off of Pier 15 in San Francisco?

You're going to have to supply more info than that. There's A LOT of GSV at Pier 15. Just lifting the little GSV guy while zoomed in on Pier 15 shows multiple blue GSV lines crossing the pier like a lost tweaked meth head.

Pier 15 is the Exploratorium, a wildly popular "hands-on" museum, though this is the first time I've seen GSV going inside a building - very cool.  As to what is anchored off of it, it could be any number of things since (in normal times) that area of the waterfront is pretty active with ferries, the cruise ship terminal, recreational craft, and so on.  If the image happened to be taken in October during fleet week then it could be a military vessel.

fungus


jakeroot


fungus

Quote from: fungus on April 06, 2021, 12:47:31 PM
The I-10 HOV gap between West Covina and Pomona has been closed, at least in the eastbound direction, as this weekend the roadway looks like it has been striped to the ultimate condition. The westbound lane looks like it could open any day now. Of course, the HOV lane ends at Towne Avenue since SBCTA is doing the widening of I-10 to a double express HOT lane in San Bernardino County.

The westbound lanes were open this weekend. They shut down lanes Friday night to restripe and they were good to go on Sunday.

TheStranger

Driving down the Bayshore Freeway/US 101 several times in the last week or so, I've really come to appreciate the slightly taller new retroreflective signs that have been put up between San Mateo and SSF.

As CalTrans still seems to be big on the same-sign-height look, the extra space allows for the signs at specific exits to not be visually cramped.  I will say that the new sign at SFO on 101 for the 380 (to 280) interchange, the shield size makes the digits somewhat hard to read, as it is the narrower Interstate shield on those as opposed to the wider ones I associate with most freeway 3di shields.

Where the larger sizes work their best are those next-three-exit signs: the extra spacing between each line is less straining visually.

Amusingly, there's a sign bridge at 380 with a fading button copy South Airport Boulevard sign (nearly impossible to read at night with no lighting!), next to a early-2000s retroreflective sign for North Access Road.  The contrast of the two signs' conditions and background colors couldn't be more obvious.

Lots of lamp posts along 101 that aren't being lit up anymore near the airport, which really puts the old button copy signs at a big disadvantage.
Chris Sampang

bing101


Highway Heaven's tour of CA-60






TJS23

I see a lot of discussion about if either Interstate 40 should be extended or if CA-99 should become I-7 or I-9. I get the assumption reading these comments that only one of these can happen, is that because of Federal Funds/Mileage?



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