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Highway Documentaries

Started by Max Rockatansky, April 17, 2016, 05:46:57 PM

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Max Rockatansky

Found some older highway documentaries on Youtube today:

US Route 66 Modern Marvels (Mind the helium huff, I think it goes away with a video slow down)



Pacific Coast Highway Modern Marvels



Autobahn Modern Marvels



Super Highways Modern Marvels



Alaskan Highway Modern Marvels



Overseas Highway Modern Marvels



Why does the History Channel show $#!++y documentaries in place of shows like these nowadays?


pumpkineater2

Funny you should post this, I recently watched the ones about superhighways and the Autobahn.

I wish there were more documentaries like these, except newer.
Come ride with me to the distant shore...

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: pumpkineater2 on April 17, 2016, 06:50:26 PM
Funny you should post this, I recently watched the ones about superhighways and the Autobahn.

I wish there were more documentaries like these, except newer.

Doubt we'll get them anymore from the History Channel or Nat Geo, it's hard to find anything that isn't reality TV based on either of them anymore.  Personally I would like to see something on the following:

-  The U.S. Highway System
-  Trans Canada Highway
-  Route 1 Australia
-  Trans Siberian Highway
-  Select highways like US Route 99

jfs1988

California's Gold with Huell Howser (RIP, California misses you)

He did an episode about the Ridge Route (Old 99, now I-5 through northern Los Angeles County & southern Kern County) & one on El Camino Real (U.S. 101).

I wonder if he ever did one on the Arroyo Seco Parkway (CA-110), California's first freeway.

It sucks that a lot of California PBS stations are phasing out his programming. It seems not all episodes are on the Chapman University archives.

Max Rockatansky

Crappy thing is that I can find most of his shows on Youtube but not any of the highway ones.  All I found was a preview for the El Camino Real episode.

jfs1988

Not sure if it counts as a highway documentary, but SoCal PBS recently aired the Globe Trekker episode of Argentina Route 40.

The host only did a short history on the highway & talked about how it involved revolutionary leader Che Guevara.

Its a pretty interesting episode.

froggie

QuoteWhy does the History Channel show $#!++y documentaries in place of shows like these nowadays?

Probably because most of the viewing public isn't nearly interested in roads as members of this forum...

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: froggie on May 10, 2016, 07:13:26 AM
QuoteWhy does the History Channel show $#!++y documentaries in place of shows like these nowadays?

Probably because most of the viewing public isn't nearly interested in roads as members of this forum...

Yeah more of a rhetorical question, it just seems like channels that used to teach you something like History and Discovery are flooded by reality TV or total trash about pyramid building aliens.  More or less it's catering to the lowest common denominator for ratings since most of the shows are in on prime time.  Sometimes History still shows Modern Marvels early in the morning or midday or even on H2.

jeffandnicole

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on May 10, 2016, 07:50:33 AM
Quote from: froggie on May 10, 2016, 07:13:26 AM
QuoteWhy does the History Channel show $#!++y documentaries in place of shows like these nowadays?

Probably because most of the viewing public isn't nearly interested in roads as members of this forum...

Yeah more of a rhetorical question, it just seems like channels that used to teach you something like History and Discovery are flooded by reality TV or total trash about pyramid building aliens.  More or less it's catering to the lowest common denominator for ratings since most of the shows are in on prime time.  Sometimes History still shows Modern Marvels early in the morning or midday or even on H2.

Well, they ain't gonna make money showing something only 15 people are interested in watching.


Max Rockatansky

Quote from: jeffandnicole on May 10, 2016, 09:52:15 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on May 10, 2016, 07:50:33 AM
Quote from: froggie on May 10, 2016, 07:13:26 AM
QuoteWhy does the History Channel show $#!++y documentaries in place of shows like these nowadays?

Probably because most of the viewing public isn't nearly interested in roads as members of this forum...

Yeah more of a rhetorical question, it just seems like channels that used to teach you something like History and Discovery are flooded by reality TV or total trash about pyramid building aliens.  More or less it's catering to the lowest common denominator for ratings since most of the shows are in on prime time.  Sometimes History still shows Modern Marvels early in the morning or midday or even on H2.

Well, they ain't gonna make money showing something only 15 people are interested in watching.

Then aren't they basically reality TV channels then?  Why even call them History or The Learning Channel if you aren't going to learn anything?  This is basically why I didn't have cable for about 5 years, it's basically become shovel feed programming on most channels  Hell I can't even find racing half the time because it's on some weird off kilter channel I've never heard of.  Hell this all started with MTV not showing actual music videos anymore in the 90s and progressed to this point.

RoadWarrior56

i would not classify this particular film as a documentary, it was more of an educational film, an old-style 16 MM talking film that I had seen on a projector in class (maybe 20 minutes long, give or take).  I saw it one time in the early 1980's back when I was a graduate student in Transportation at Georgia Tech.  It was dated even then.  It was apparently produced by or for the Michigan Highway Dept.

It was film about the design features of the new system of Interstate Highways.  The film background examples were of early Michigan freeways and interchanges, probably around 1960.  What I best remember are the co-signed I-94 and US 12 sign assemblies as well as I-96 and US 16.  It has to be old and rare, based on that signage.  It also showed early type bridge structures, singing and marking and vintage cars.  I have searched for this on YouTube and other sites for years with no luck.  I would love to be able to see this again.  I figure that film would be of interest to most regular readers of this forum.  Has anybody ever seen or heard of this film?

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: RoadWarrior56 on May 10, 2016, 10:20:13 AM
i would not classify this particular film as a documentary, it was more of an educational film, an old-style 16 MM talking film that I had seen on a projector in class (maybe 20 minutes long, give or take).  I saw it one time in the early 1980's back when I was a graduate student in Transportation at Georgia Tech.  It was dated even then.  It was apparently produced by or for the Michigan Highway Dept.

It was film about the design features of the new system of Interstate Highways.  The film background examples were of early Michigan freeways and interchanges, probably around 1960.  What I best remember are the co-signed I-94 and US 12 sign assemblies as well as I-96 and US 16.  It has to be old and rare, based on that signage.  It also showed early type bridge structures, singing and marking and vintage cars.  I have searched for this on YouTube and other sites for years with no luck.  I would love to be able to see this again.  I figure that film would be of interest to most regular readers of this forum.  Has anybody ever seen or heard of this film?

I found something like that a while back and posted it I believe in a FritzOwl thread.  It was basically an almost 30 minute video of some sort of town hall discussion in a fictional town called "Connersville" about route 110 being upgraded to an Interstate.  I for the life of me can't find it now or remember what it was called but I'll have to see if I can find it in my posts when I get home.  I would love to see the Michigan video you're talking about since I'm originally from Detroit.

RoadWarrior56

I did find a 1997 PBS documentary based on a book I had read called "Divided Highways".  I had also seen the PBS show back when it had aired.  It is about the history of the Interstate system as well as some of the controversy and effects on the country related to its construction.  The YouTube link is below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLr-8QPbiAY

jwolfer

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on May 10, 2016, 07:50:33 AM
Quote from: froggie on May 10, 2016, 07:13:26 AM
QuoteWhy does the History Channel show $#!++y documentaries in place of shows like these nowadays?

Probably because most of the viewing public isn't nearly interested in roads as members of this forum...

Yeah more of a rhetorical question, it just seems like channels that used to teach you something like History and Discovery are flooded by reality TV or total trash about pyramid building aliens.  More or less it's catering to the lowest common denominator for ratings since most of the shows are in on prime time.  Sometimes History still shows Modern Marvels early in the morning or midday or even on H2.
H2 is no more... It's been replaced by Viceland..

I love ancient aliens... Gotta love Giorgio's crazy hair

jwolfer

I saw a show on Australian ABC ( available on Hulu in US) about Australia's love affair with cars.. It was good.. Nice to see some car culture from Down Under..

roadman

Quote from: jwolfer on May 10, 2016, 01:57:47 PM
H2 is no more... It's been replaced by Viceland..

Noticed the same thing on my cable system.  So did A&E dump the H2 channel entirely, or was the change a decision by the cable provider?
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

Bruce

The only way to get good highway documentaries is to either start a YouTube channel yourself that is oriented towards this niche audience, or to get the FHWA/AASHTO/etc. involved and have them produce something.

RoadWarrior56

There is a thread in this forum from several years ago that links to a relatively long documentary about US 30 in parts of east and central Iowa, circa 1960.  It is an interesting watch.  Maybe somebody can relink to it.

Jardine

IIRC, PBS had a Ken Burns piece on the Brooklyn Bridge, for those of us into bridges, it was pretty good.

Also, I recall another PBS (I think) show that was on neon signs.  Always fun spotting a 'good' animated neon sign unexpectedly and that show was like a 1/2 hour of them. Sorry, don't recall the title.

Max Rockatansky

#19
Quote from: Bruce on May 10, 2016, 03:29:09 PM
The only way to get good highway documentaries is to either start a YouTube channel yourself that is oriented towards this niche audience, or to get the FHWA/AASHTO/etc. involved and have them produce something.

There is stuff like the ADOT channel for Arizona or even Roamin Rich for old US 66 alignments which are both pretty decent watches.  Problem with the both of them along with others is that they tend not to have the funding or subscriber count to crank out a ton of videos. 

Quote from: jwolfer on May 10, 2016, 01:57:47 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on May 10, 2016, 07:50:33 AM
Quote from: froggie on May 10, 2016, 07:13:26 AM
QuoteWhy does the History Channel show $#!++y documentaries in place of shows like these nowadays?

Probably because most of the viewing public isn't nearly interested in roads as members of this forum...

Yeah more of a rhetorical question, it just seems like channels that used to teach you something like History and Discovery are flooded by reality TV or total trash about pyramid building aliens.  More or less it's catering to the lowest common denominator for ratings since most of the shows are in on prime time.  Sometimes History still shows Modern Marvels early in the morning or midday or even on H2.
H2 is no more... It's been replaced by Viceland..

I love ancient aliens... Gotta love Giorgio's crazy hair

Shows how far out of the loop I was for all those years....dare I ask the fate of History International?  Also, who was that that Egyptoligist guy that was on that show that basically was ripping off all his theories from Star Gate?   :-D

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: RoadWarrior56 on May 10, 2016, 11:03:40 AM
I did find a 1997 PBS documentary based on a book I had read called "Divided Highways".  I had also seen the PBS show back when it had aired.  It is about the history of the Interstate system as well as some of the controversy and effects on the country related to its construction.  The YouTube link is below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLr-8QPbiAY

Someone ought to show FritzOwl the section about the inner Boston Beltway.  That was surprisingly engaging documentary, sat through the whole thing just now.

TheHighwayMan3561

Cathy Wurzer of the Twin Cities PBS did a documentary about US 61 in Minnesota. I haven't watched it but I've read the accompanying book.
self-certified as the dumbest person on this board for 5 years running

Rothman

Had a professor at UMass that was a consultant on Divided Highways.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

PHLBOS

There's been at least 2 or 3 that covered Boston's Big Dig.  Here's one of them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfLLaFD0zAY
GPS does NOT equal GOD

Rothman

Quote from: PHLBOS on May 12, 2016, 01:13:16 PM
There's been at least 2 or 3 that covered Boston's Big Dig.  Here's one of them:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfLLaFD0zAY

David Macaulay's Building Big series covered the Big Dig in its Tunnel episode.

PBS also did a Great Projects series; the Big Dig was one of its episodes (especially focusing on Fred Salvucci).
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.



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