Recent posts

#1

Weather / Re: Earthquakes and Volcanoes

Last post by bing101 - Today at 09:53:11 AM

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taiwan-rattled-by-dozens-quakes-no-major-damage-2024-04-23/


https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-earthquake-hualien-usgs-7ac3e6db25489a2da80f3e06ecc61b27


Here is more on the latest Taiwan quake and experts are saying this is an aftershock from the quake from April 3rd.

#2

Mid-South / Re: AR Highway 612

Last post by MikieTimT - Today at 09:40:20 AM

The contractor is hauling dump truck loads of gravel to a lot at the junction of Old AR 68 and US-412 to kick off the next phase of the remaining western leg of AR-612 and the XNA Connector that exits off it, so it was more than a ceremonial groundbreaking.

#3

Northeast / Re: New York

Last post by bmitchelf - Today at 09:34:15 AM

Yeah, that's just what we need. Another flatfooted attempt by politicians to show a neighborhood that they're doing something about a problem. Like this will make any difference at all.

Don't underestimate amount of abuse people are willing to take for the privilege of being called a "New Yorker"

Not many people in NYC would consider a speed limit reduction abuse...

I am not sure how to feel about overall trends in NYC.
On one hand, Manhattan is obviously running over capacity. Hence congestion pricing, limiting speeds, trouble dance with medallions, uber, Airbnb.
And although public transportation is better than anywhere else in US, my understanding is that it is not really an option for many people. Not that there is a lot of spare capacity in MTA as well.
Should I call that catch-22?
 
 

If it was "not really an option for many people" then traffic would be at a standstill all day. There is definitely spare capacity post covid.

#4

Great Lakes and Ohio Valley / Re: Minnesota Notes

Last post by froggie - Today at 09:30:21 AM

Both were originally replaced.  It wasn't until sign replacements the past few years that MnDOT started doing right-justified exit tabs.

#5

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

Last post by 1995hoo - Today at 09:23:25 AM

^^^^

The old bridge in DC was also known as the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge; it received that name in 1965. As you note, when it opened in 1950 it was the South Capitol Street Bridge.

#6

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

Last post by davewiecking - Today at 09:06:46 AM

I can't seem to find what the controversy about that verse is though. For example, the Wikipedia article about the song doesn't mention any lyrics being controversial.

Towards the bottom of the wikipedia article there's a Protests section where it's covered in quite a bit of detail.

The name will almost certainly be changed. Francis Scott Key was a slave owner, and he was also a lawyer who fought to preserve slavery in court. On the other side of that, Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass were both born (as slaves) in Maryland.

There is already a bridge named after Frederick Douglass, not in Maryland though.

There's one a lot closer: the bridge in DC previously known as the South Capital St. Bridge. But still not in MD. Nothing wrong with more than one structure being named after someone.

#7

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

Last post by webny99 - Today at 08:57:52 AM

I can't seem to find what the controversy about that verse is though. For example, the Wikipedia article about the song doesn't mention any lyrics being controversial.

Towards the bottom of the wikipedia article there's a Protests section where it's covered in quite a bit of detail.

The name will almost certainly be changed. Francis Scott Key was a slave owner, and he was also a lawyer who fought to preserve slavery in court. On the other side of that, Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass were both born (as slaves) in Maryland.

There is already a bridge named after Frederick Douglass, not in Maryland though.

#8

Southeast / Re: I-40 in North Carolina

Last post by cowboy_wilhelm - Today at 08:46:27 AM

The six through lanes on I-40 are a bit of overkill with the collector lanes. No one seems to be utilizing the third right lane since it ends up exiting or ending after a couple of miles, especially the tractor-trailers. I wish they'd gone ahead and widened a couple more miles west to Exit 148 and rebuilt the two sub-standard interchanges/bridges at 148 and 150.

I wouldn't say it's overkill... building for the future. It allows traffic to have more merging space and to un-choke traffic a little bit through that interchange area.

Which is the purpose of the C/D lanes. I wouldn't be surprised if a similar amount of traffic use the C/D lanes as the through lanes. Sure, better to widen with the rest of the project and future-proof it, but it's not really where the additional lanes are needed since so much traffic exits the I-40 main line. It's still overkill for such a short distance and lower volume when everything bottlenecks back to two sub-standard lanes after the C/D lanes merge. Like why not add 1000 feet of auxiliary lane eastbound to connect exits 150 and 151? Oh well, maybe one of these decades.

It's kind of funny how much conversation there is on here about future interstate upgrades in North Carolina when there are still so many miles of existing interstate highway in North Carolina that don't even meet modern interstate standards.

#9

Northeast / Re: Massachusetts

Last post by SectorZ - Today at 08:42:18 AM

What does Governor Sequential (Sununu) have to say about the proposal?

I'd imagine he'd be vociferously opposed to it.

Got a link for that, too.

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/a-toll-for-driving-into-mass-nh-gov-says-not-so-fast/3345545/

#10

Off-Topic / Re: New Oklahoma City Skyscrap...

Last post by GaryV - Today at 07:54:21 AM

I think it would be a monstrosity that would be better suited for being built in Chicago, Los Angeles or New York City.

Because those cities need or deserve monstrosities?

I agree with other posts, that unless OKC is vastly different from other cities, large office or residential buildings are seldom needed any more. GM is moving out of the RenCen in Detroit, and they don't know what the future will hold for those buildings. Just that it won't likely be office space, and they don't know if residential would be viable.