2018 Road Meets

[Max Rockatansky]

What? No West coast road "geek" meetup? I'm in southern CA and would it be great to a meetup in California or the western USA (anywhere west of the 100th meridian-or farther east to Kansas City, MO/KS). In fact, we need a 1000-person meetup in the middle of the USA or North America, so we all can meet up from east, west, north and south regions. And I figured out Kansas City will be perfect, close to the center of the mainland USA.

I'll probably be going to the Mud Creek Slide reopening next summer on 1 provided it isn't delayed for some reason.  I figured that might be something worth looking into for the local folks on the West Coast.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

What? No West coast road "geek" meetup? I'm in southern CA and would it be great to a meetup in California or the western USA (anywhere west of the 100th meridian-or farther east to Kansas City, MO/KS). In fact, we need a 1000-person meetup in the middle of the USA or North America, so we all can meet up from east, west, north and south regions. And I figured out Kansas City will be perfect, close to the center of the mainland USA.

We've noted this issue before, which is that for whatever reason 99% of the people who plan and attend meets live east of the Mississippi River. It's a very East Coast-centric hobby.

[cl94]

What? No West coast road "geek" meetup? I'm in southern CA and would it be great to a meetup in California or the western USA (anywhere west of the 100th meridian-or farther east to Kansas City, MO/KS). In fact, we need a 1000-person meetup in the middle of the USA or North America, so we all can meet up from east, west, north and south regions. And I figured out Kansas City will be perfect, close to the center of the mainland USA.

We've noted this issue before, which is that for whatever reason 99% of the people who plan and attend meets live east of the Mississippi River. It's a very East Coast-centric hobby.

Which is why there's a New York meet almost every year, a PA meet most years, an AL meet most years... The problem is that, with most of us living out east, a lot of planning is required for a long-distance meet. And the people out west are pretty spread out. Not like out east where I have 20+ potential attendees within an easy day's drive.

[froggie]

And the people out west are pretty spread out.

Not fully.  There are concentrations in both Seattle/Portland and California.  It's just that, for whatever reason, they haven't tried organizing their own meets.

[hbelkins]

What? No West coast road "geek" meetup? I'm in southern CA and would it be great to a meetup in California or the western USA (anywhere west of the 100th meridian-or farther east to Kansas City, MO/KS). In fact, we need a 1000-person meetup in the middle of the USA or North America, so we all can meet up from east, west, north and south regions. And I figured out Kansas City will be perfect, close to the center of the mainland USA.

And the people out west are pretty spread out.

Not fully.  There are concentrations in both Seattle/Portland and California.  It's just that, for whatever reason, they haven't tried organizing their own meets.

If there aren't any meets planned in your area, plan one yourself and host it. It's not that hard.

And the logistics of a 1,000-person meet would be impossible. Meets with 20 or so people are hard enough to manage. And I have attended two meets in Kansas, and I think there have been others in the KC-area in the past that I haven't attended, so there have been meets there previously.

[Max Rockatansky]

And the people out west are pretty spread out.

Not fully.  There are concentrations in both Seattle/Portland and California.  It's just that, for whatever reason, they haven't tried organizing their own meets.

In California the regulars on the board are spread out pretty far.  I'm in Fresno but there are others in the Bay Area, San Diego, Los Angeles, and the Inland Empire from what I've observed.  Given Caltrans lack of major projects I think it's hard to draw interest for a get together over such a wide area.  About the only project that really would have garnered that kind of interest would have been the Hinkley Bypass or I-580 being extended in Carson City.  A lot members just went to those projects in their own travels.  Really it's just the Mud Creek Slide and West Side Parkway as the big projects that I can think of in the near future that might worth seeing.   I'm always up for something like a somewhat unique route clinch or really any excuse to get out of the house. 

[oscar]

In fact, we need a 1000-person meetup in the middle of the USA or North America, so we all can meet up from east, west, north and south regions.

We have had "national meets", drawing people from at least three time zones. None of the ones I attended had more than a few dozen participants.

This forum doesn't have 1000 people who do road meets. And for the ones who do, it's hard to round them all up on any specific date and place, considering work and family obligations, financial situations, etc.

[Desert Man]

And the people out west are pretty spread out.

Not fully.  There are concentrations in both Seattle/Portland and California.  It's just that, for whatever reason, they haven't tried organizing their own meets.

In California the regulars on the board are spread out pretty far.  I'm in Fresno but there are others in the Bay Area, San Diego, Los Angeles, and the Inland Empire from what I've observed.  Given Caltrans lack of major projects I think it's hard to draw interest for a get together over such a wide area.  About the only project that really would have garnered that kind of interest would have been the Hinkley Bypass or I-580 being extended in Carson City.  A lot members just went to those projects in their own travels.  Really it's just the Mud Creek Slide and West Side Parkway as the big projects that I can think of in the near future that might worth seeing.   I'm always up for something like a somewhat unique route clinch or really any excuse to get out of the house. 

If there are 40 million people in CA, Imagine 200 forum members who ever posted on AAroads are Californian, and I suppose 100 of them are regulars...and finally, 50 want to have a meetup. I suggest the state capital of Sacramento, esp in a hotel conference room...if not a place exciting enough, how about the Disneyland hotel lobby room?

[Max Rockatansky]

And the people out west are pretty spread out.

Not fully.  There are concentrations in both Seattle/Portland and California.  It's just that, for whatever reason, they haven't tried organizing their own meets.

In California the regulars on the board are spread out pretty far.  I'm in Fresno but there are others in the Bay Area, San Diego, Los Angeles, and the Inland Empire from what I've observed.  Given Caltrans lack of major projects I think it's hard to draw interest for a get together over such a wide area.  About the only project that really would have garnered that kind of interest would have been the Hinkley Bypass or I-580 being extended in Carson City.  A lot members just went to those projects in their own travels.  Really it's just the Mud Creek Slide and West Side Parkway as the big projects that I can think of in the near future that might worth seeing.   I'm always up for something like a somewhat unique route clinch or really any excuse to get out of the house. 

If there are 40 million people in CA, Imagine 200 forum members who ever posted on AAroads are Californian, and I suppose 100 of them are regulars...and finally, 50 want to have a meetup. I suggest the state capital of Sacramento, esp in a hotel conference room...if not a place exciting enough, how about the Disneyland hotel lobby room?

There aren't that many of us that active on here every day even on this forum.  I tend to see just as many as five people logged on from California much less post something on a daily basis.  You'd probably be looking at 5-7 realistically if there was a long discussion about a possible get together.

[US71]

Based on this discussion so far, here's what I see as a list of possible meets for 2018:

-La Crosse, Wisconsin
-Central Susquehanna Valley (PA)
-Fairbanks/Dalton Highway (AK)
-Louisiana
-Huntsville, Alabama
-Portsmouth, Ohio
-Northeastern Minnesota
-Arkansas?
-South Hampton Roads (VA)
-Northeastern Wisconsin (I-41)

Other ideas have been tossed around, but these are the ones that sound like they have a possibility of happening. Am I missing ideas that have been shared that are a significant possibility? I figured putting all these ideas into one list might be helpful.

I'm sort of kicking around a possible Springfield/SW Missouri meet, but haven't had time to discuss this with my Alternate self.

[froggie]

^^ Since you two are discussing it, a few days ago I ran a check of every active (or semi-active) poster and which state they're located in.  Basic criteria were at least 300 posts, have at least logged into the forum (not necessarily posted) within the past month, and I was able to derive their general location from their posts if they didn't include it outright in their profile.  Found 13 "active" members in California, with 6 of those 13 in the Bay Area.

[Max Rockatansky]

^^ Since you two are discussing it, a few days ago I ran a check of every active (or semi-active) poster and which state they're located in.  Basic criteria were at least 300 posts, have at least logged into the forum (not necessarily posted) within the past month, and I was able to derive their general location from their posts if they didn't include it outright in their profile.  Found 13 "active" members in California, with 6 of those 13 in the Bay Area.

I'm pretty much up for something.  Really I think it just depends on whether we could find a road project worth seeing along with a place people would actual want drive to. 

[J N Winkler]

Some contributors upthread expressed a desire to visit several midwestern and frontier-tier states, such as Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas.

In terms of road meets, I think it might make more sense to do one in Kansas in 2019 rather than 2018, to give several ongoing major construction projects time to finish.  In Wichita (last road meet held in 2013) these include the upgrade of I-235/Kellogg from cloverleaf to stack/turban hybrid and the eastward extension of the Kellogg freeway that includes redevelopment of the Kellogg/Webb/Turnpike interchange.  In northeastern Kansas the SLT and the Johnson County Gateway are both open and ORT at the Eastern Terminal on the Kansas Turnpike will be done in a few weeks, but ORT construction will be underway at East Topeka in 2018 and work will also begin on the Lewis and Clark viaduct that carries I-70 across the state line.

I am less familiar with what is going on in Nebraska and Iowa, but I do follow the contract lettings for both states.  Nebraska has the Build Nebraska Act now (apparently to inject added funding for road construction) and there have been many fat I-80 contracts lately.  Iowa DOT is in the middle of a multi-year expansion of I-80 and I-29 in Council Bluffs as well as replacement of the I-74 Mississippi River bridges.

[A.J. Bertin]

In terms of road meets, I think it might make more sense to do one in Kansas in 2019 rather than 2018, to give several ongoing major construction projects time to finish.  In Wichita (last road meet held in 2013) these include the upgrade of I-235/Kellogg from cloverleaf to stack/turban hybrid and the eastward extension of the Kellogg freeway that includes redevelopment of the Kellogg/Webb/Turnpike interchange.  In northeastern Kansas the SLT and the Johnson County Gateway are both open and ORT at the Eastern Terminal on the Kansas Turnpike will be done in a few weeks, but ORT construction will be underway at East Topeka in 2018 and work will also begin on the Lewis and Clark viaduct that carries I-70 across the state line.

Ooh... I'd love to attend a Wichita meet if possible.

[hbelkins]

Some contributors upthread expressed a desire to visit several midwestern and frontier-tier states, such as Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas.

In terms of road meets, I think it might make more sense to do one in Kansas in 2019 rather than 2018, to give several ongoing major construction projects time to finish.  In Wichita (last road meet held in 2013) these include the upgrade of I-235/Kellogg from cloverleaf to stack/turban hybrid and the eastward extension of the Kellogg freeway that includes redevelopment of the Kellogg/Webb/Turnpike interchange.  In northeastern Kansas the SLT and the Johnson County Gateway are both open and ORT at the Eastern Terminal on the Kansas Turnpike will be done in a few weeks, but ORT construction will be underway at East Topeka in 2018 and work will also begin on the Lewis and Clark viaduct that carries I-70 across the state line.

Maybe Richie could be talked into doing another meet in his area.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

Some contributors upthread expressed a desire to visit several midwestern and frontier-tier states, such as Iowa, Nebraska, and Kansas.

In terms of road meets, I think it might make more sense to do one in Kansas in 2019 rather than 2018, to give several ongoing major construction projects time to finish.  In Wichita (last road meet held in 2013) these include the upgrade of I-235/Kellogg from cloverleaf to stack/turban hybrid and the eastward extension of the Kellogg freeway that includes redevelopment of the Kellogg/Webb/Turnpike interchange.  In northeastern Kansas the SLT and the Johnson County Gateway are both open and ORT at the Eastern Terminal on the Kansas Turnpike will be done in a few weeks, but ORT construction will be underway at East Topeka in 2018 and work will also begin on the Lewis and Clark viaduct that carries I-70 across the state line.

I am less familiar with what is going on in Nebraska and Iowa, but I do follow the contract lettings for both states.  Nebraska has the Build Nebraska Act now (apparently to inject added funding for road construction) and there have been many fat I-80 contracts lately.  Iowa DOT is in the middle of a multi-year expansion of I-80 and I-29 in Council Bluffs as well as replacement of the I-74 Mississippi River bridges.

Before Steve had squired me off to his houseparty, last month, I was intending to drive out from C-bus to Omaha and then double back through Iowa & Illinois to cover the Lincoln Hwy between Omaha and Chicago (actually I wanted to go see the Tama, Ia Lincoln Highway bridge (which the local authorities are threatening to tear down) , but figured I need something more than just one bridge).
You mentioned the Council Bluffs I-80/I-29 rebuild. There is a "new" bridge for US 34, crossing the Missouri River, north of Plattsmouth, Neb (3 years old). In Omaha there was the rebuild of the I-480/US75 interchange (that was completed 5 years ago), old US 75 between Offutt AFB and the south edge of Omaha, and old Lincoln Highway stuff can be found.

So there's my argument for Omaha-Council Bluffs (just don't ask me for food or lodging recommendations)

[hbelkins]

(actually I wanted to go see the Tama, Ia Lincoln Highway bridge (which the local authorities are threatening to tear down)

This one?







(Photos taken in 2010 during the two-day Iowa meet; more at http://www.millenniumhwy.net/2010_Iowa_Day_4/index.html)

And what is wrong with the locals that they'd want to tear that bridge down? It's a tourist attraction.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

        
Concerning the Tama, Iowa LH Bridge (In order of most recent, to oldest...)
http://www.tamatoledonews.com/page/content.detail/id/605355/Focus-of-talks-continuing-on-the-Lincoln-Highway-Bridge.html?nav=5006

http://www.tamatoledonews.com/page/content.detail/id/605059/Another-round-on-the-Lincoln-Highway-Bridge--Michael-says--Fix-it--and-fix-it-now-.html?nav=5006

http://www.tamatoledonews.com/page/content.detail/id/605021/Calls-for-more-support-for-Lincoln-Highway-Bridge-restoration.html?nav=5003 (Editorial)

http://www.tamatoledonews.com/page/content.detail/id/604981/Paving-underway---cosmetic--repairs-approved-for-Lincoln-Highway-Bridge.html?nav=5006

http://www.tamatoledonews.com/page/content.detail/id/604767/Grants-fall-through--New-sources-need-to-be-sought-to-restore-Lincoln-Highway-Bridge.html?nav=5006

[froggie]

According to a recent local news article, a recent bridge inspection suggested that the bridge would become unusable within 5 years without repairs, and the question is about who would pay for the repairs.  There is *NOTHING* in the article to suggest that "local authorities are threatening to tear it down".  In fact, the city's mayor is quoted as noting that making sure the bridge stays on the National Historic Registration list is a concern.

[US71]

According to a recent local news article, a recent bridge inspection suggested that the bridge would become unusable within 5 years without repairs, and the question is about who would pay for the repairs.  There is *NOTHING* in the article to suggest that "local authorities are threatening to tear it down".  In fact, the city's mayor is quoted as noting that making sure the bridge stays on the National Historic Registration list is a concern.

I'd say bypass the bridge. 

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

According to a recent local news article, a recent bridge inspection suggested that the bridge would become unusable within 5 years without repairs, and the question is about who would pay for the repairs.  There is *NOTHING* in the article to suggest that "local authorities are threatening to tear it down".  In fact, the city's mayor is quoted as noting that making sure the bridge stays on the National Historic Registration list is a concern.

I'd say bypass the bridge. 

No money. Grant money fell through (bottom link in my last post)

[froggie]

Technically, the bridge has already been "bypassed"...the BUS US 30 bridge is a short distance north.

[Alps]

Technically, the bridge has already been "bypassed"...the BUS US 30 bridge is a short distance north.

This. You could totally just close it for now.

[cl94]

Technically, the bridge has already been "bypassed"...the BUS US 30 bridge is a short distance north.

This. You could totally just close it for now.

Of course, "for now" will probably morph into "forever" if Iowa is anything like states out here when it comes to transportation funding.

[Hurricane Rex]

By the looks of the past posts on this thread, I don't see any meets out west. Is there just too much space in between our cites, or is it just a lack of organization for the people out here. Either way, is there a way that one can get on the calendar? It's not likely that I'll go because of my school and running schedule but I want to happen for all of the road-geeks out here.