Recent posts

#91

Traffic Control / Re: Single-lane left turns con...

Last post by fwydriver405 - April 18, 2024, 02:29:17 PM

Build Grant signal conversions are breaking ground in Sanford currently, which does include the removal of permissive phases at two intersections on Main St, at Westview Dr and at the Shaws Plaza (only Westview has been converted so far), due to the left turn crossing two thru lanes. Right now the new signals at Westview are still on the old controller with the existing timings, with the reservice yellow trap on Main St removed.

March 17, 2023


April 13, 2024

#92

Off-Topic / Re: Minor things that bother y...

Last post by wanderer2575 - April 18, 2024, 02:23:16 PM

Businesses that require one to create an account in order to do things like order food or book an appointment.  Sure, offer the option for those who would rather create a username/password and save things like payment/contact information, but there needs to be an option to do these things without creating an account.  I have no desire to create an account for, say, a once a year eye exam or if I'm trying out a new place to get my hair cut, and I definitely won't if I'm just ordering food while I'm traveling, so this degrades my experience by forcing me to downgrade to a phone call (which is both more annoying and more likely to lead to errors; plus there likely won't be an email confirmation).

It has to have been mentioned somewhere in the 338 pages prior, but businesses that require one to register/login to an account, or at least select delivery/pickup options, before allowing one to just look at the damn menu.  Maybe I'm not having it brought home, but instead plan to actually sit down and eat there.  If I have to go through a hassle just to see your offerings, I'll go elsewhere.  :grumble:

#93

Off-Topic / RIP Dickey Betts

Last post by roadman65 - April 18, 2024, 02:21:30 PM

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/dickey-betts-allman-brothers-band-dead-727523/

#94

Weather / Re: What's your weather curren...

Last post by jlam - April 18, 2024, 02:18:39 PM

32 and snowing.

Similar here, although just light flurries that won't stick.

We had a couple of inches accumulate overnight, but the pavement was too warm for the roads to get too bad.

#95

General Highway Talk / Re: Roads that you have been o...

Last post by Max Rockatansky - April 18, 2024, 02:17:32 PM

I got a whole bunch of photos of Nacimiento-Fergusson Road in Big Sur shortly before fire took it out.  Similarly CA 236 looks way different post fire than when I took my pictures. 

Aside from that there is dozens of roads taken out by fire, floods, mudslides and other like disasters that I've been prior to those events occurring. I never thought to sit down and compile a list.

#96

Southeast / Re: Mississippi

Last post by HemiCRZ - April 18, 2024, 02:11:32 PM

^ This "Phase 2" is technically the third phase.  Grading and bridges had already been done under a several-years-ago project between the river and MS 1.  This announcement simoly finishes that stretch by doing the actual paving.

I knew the bridging and alignment for this segment have been done for some time; I always make fun of the bridges to nowhere when I travel through this part of the Delta. I guess so much time has passed between then and now that MDOT feels most people have likely forgotten the bridges are there already.

#97

Off-Topic / Re: 911 outage reported across...

Last post by mgk920 - April 18, 2024, 02:05:11 PM

My internet service was very funky over the past few days, too.

Mike

#98

Mid-Atlantic / Re: West Virginia Turnpike

Last post by seicer - April 18, 2024, 02:04:45 PM

Roads to Prosperity had two sets of bonds issued. General obligation bonds, permitted by a voter-passed constitutional amendment, were issued for projects all over the state including, inexplicably, the Beckley area widening on the Turnpike. A second set of bonds, backed solely by toll revenue on the Turnpike from increased tolls, is for projects in the 10-county area of the southern part of the state. Most of those projects are off-turnpike.

including, inexplicably, the Beckley area widening on the Turnpike.

You keep saying this, but is it any more ridiculous than widening I-79 to 6 lanes around Clarksburg, or gasp... let's connect 2 dead/dying cities of Huntington and Charleston with a 6-lane highway. Columbus/Cincinnati and Pittsburgh/Cleveland are not connected with a 6-lane highway but Charleston and Huntington?!?

The West Virginia Turnpike around Beckley was also widened in recent years because the level of service was not great. Factor in US 19 and Interstate 64 dumping traffic onto the highway, multiple local interchanges, a service area, and numerous grades - it made for a lot of slow driving. It also has a high truck percentage rate. A case could be made to widen most of the Turnpike at this point to six lanes - it can be a slow drive (<55 MPH) for much of the route in the summer because of tourism. (And a point can be easily made for widening southward to Interstate 81. The route experiences very long backups at the tunnels and on the grades because of the high percentage of trucks that use the highway.)

Back to the original argument, Bitmapped was making a comment that a State-funded Roads-to-Prosperity Program funded a widening project on the West Virginia Turnpike that (coulda-woulda-shoulda) been funded by the Parkways Authority (ergo, the Turnpike Authority).  The rest of the discussion should be a political one (that may not be inappropriate on this Forum, as it is related to how the citizenry of a particular state has a penchant for funding highway infrastructure projects, if they can't get their Congressional forces to bring in an earmark).

The Turnpike widening around Beckley was a Roads to Prosperity project. But the rest of the discussion borders politics but is related as that's how a lot of projects come to fruition. It's why you see the "Robert C. Byrd Appalachian Highway System" signage in the state and not elsewhere - Senator Byrd was responsible for bringing home the dollars to complete much of the ADHS corridors in West Virginia over his decades-long tenure.

Putnam County has under 60,000 people.  There are Interstates that pass communities with more people than that with only two lanes in each direction that do just fine...

Connecting to two of the state's most significant employment centers, Interstate 64 has only one real alternate route: two-lane US 60. One accident that closes the highway will cause complete gridlock on US 60. The only other alternate route is to drive up to WV 2, which is a good two-hour detour. Regardless, population figures don't matter when planning routes if the highway has a poor level of service, carries too much traffic for its design, or has steep grades that congest traffic and contribute to safety issues. The latter is a significant issue for Interstate 79 north of Clarksburg, where a lack of truck climbing lanes contributes to significant speed differentials. A cheaper alternative could be to add truck climbing lanes, but with the number of lanes that would be needed, an overall corridor upgrade could be more beneficial.

Interstate 64 between Charleston and Huntington varies between 72,000 and 31,000 AADT and generally consists of 13% and 20% trucks.

Interstate 77 around Parkersburg will be six lanes from Mineral Wells to US 50, with the underpowered US 50 interchange in the planning phases for reconstruction. Traffic counts are around 25,000 AADT, but there is heavy rush-hour traffic.

Interstate 79 between Anmoore and Morgantown will be six lanes, with significant portions widened between Clarksburg and Bridgeport and around Fairmont. The corridor is seeing significant commercial growth in Bridgeport near the FBI CJIS facility and at White Hall.

The West Virginia Turnpike around Beckley was also widened in recent years because the level of service was not great. Factor in US 19 and Interstate 64 dumping traffic onto the highway, multiple local interchanges, a service area, and numerous grades - it made for a lot of slow driving. It also has a high truck percentage rate. A case could be made to widen most of the Turnpike at this point to six lanes - it can be a slow drive (<55 MPH) for much of the route in the summer because of tourism. (And a point can be easily made for widening southward to Interstate 81. The route experiences very long backups at the tunnels and on the grades because of the high percentage of trucks that use the highway.)

You can't just look at Google Maps, see farm and forest land, and conclude that rural interstates don't deserve widening or improvement projects.

Speaking of Google Maps, it appears that there's contiguous development along I-64 between the Huntington and Charleston, much of it within a couple miles of I-64 on a narrow strip.  Such a development pattern and lack of other east-west routes (besides US 60) could explain why this area would punch above its weight class in terms of congestion.  That said, this congestion isn't showing on the Google Maps traffic layer - toggling on "typical traffic", nearly all of it shows as green every day through rush hour.  To the extent that there are issues, they seem to be mainly approaching the Kanawha River.  Now, I know green doesn't mean as comfortable as us roadgeeks would like, or even going the speed limit necessarily, but it's hardly the complete stop situation described by SP Cook.

I think SP Cook lives in the metro valley, and I live adjacent to it. But I've been on it enough to know that one accident causes traffic to be shunted to a two-lane road too many times. The problem is that it's a singular highway that carries the burden of through traffic for an entire valley. It's also an issue with the Turnpike as the detour involves steep, winding grades that become complete bottlenecks that RVs and large trucks have issues negotiating. In general, the state has a lack of alternative routes - it's not easy to just add parallel roads to provide relief or to widen existing roads.

And while the two cities on each end have declined in population, they are still just as important - it's just that people now live in outlying areas and commute.

#99

Southeast / Re: Alabama to Buy Foley Beach...

Last post by The Ghostbuster - April 18, 2024, 02:03:52 PM

Since there already is an AL 161 between AL 182 and AL 180 in Orange Beach, I assume the Foley Beach Express and the Baldwin Beach Express will simply become an extension of AL 161. Also, Google Maps shows the Baldwin Beach Express from CR 34/Lehman Rd. to Interstate 10 as CR 83. I assume that is an inaccurate labeling.

#100

Off-Topic / Re: My idea for US currency re...

Last post by mgk920 - April 18, 2024, 02:03:31 PM

Round to the nearest quarter. 13s and 63s round down. 38s and 88s round up (notice: all "tied" rounds end at even dollars or half dollars, intentionally). Part of me thinks the nearest half-dollar, but the prevalence of the current quarter over the 50cent piece keeps me glued to the quarter. The penny, nickle, and dime had their run. Make it legal to scrap them immediately if one so chooses or as deposited to banks they go away after whatever lenght transition period is approved

Coins: Quarter. Dollar. 2Dollar.

Bills: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100

I'd almost rather see a $25 bill and make the $20 go away, but I don't think enough is gained to make that change worth it

Round to the nearest quarter. 13s and 63s round down. 38s and 88s round up (notice: all "tied" rounds end at even dollars or half dollars, intentionally). Part of me thinks the nearest half-dollar, but the prevalence of the current quarter over the 50cent piece keeps me glued to the quarter. The penny, nickle, and dime had their run. Make it legal to scrap them immediately if one so chooses or as deposited to banks they go away after whatever lenght transition period is approved

Coins: Quarter. Dollar. 2Dollar.

Bills: 5, 10, 20, 50, 100

I'd almost rather see a $25 bill and make the $20 go away, but I don't think enough is gained to make that change worth it

I like that slate, except that I would use $5 coins instead of banknotes (modern versions of the really old 'half eagles').  OTOH, a denomination of '25' of anything was the real oddball, making finer parsing much harder.  Many other places have found the '1-2-5' progressions much easier and more efficient, too.  BTW, over a century ago, the USA also had a gold 'quarter eagle' ($2.50 coin).

Mike