Recent posts

#1

Northeast / Re: NYC Roads

Last post by Plutonic Panda - Today at 02:15:00 AM

Something I dont see talked about here is how NYCDOT has been on a mission removing car lanes from the avenues and the major east-west thoroughfares in Manhattan. They have created a lot of congestion themselves (yes congestion existed before NYCDOT reimagined NYC Streets but it has gotten worse). The remedy to this artificially inflated congestion is to punish drivers by charging them a +$15 toll to enter Manhattan's CBD. In addition trucks will pay much larger tolls thereby increasing prices on food and other commodities. Obviously most NYC residents use public transit, however NYC residents rely on trucks to deliver food to various local businesses.

I just drove around Manhattan without much issue a few weeks ago.  I find your description to be an exaggeration.

I'm shocked that you would have this opinion.

#2

Pacific Southwest / Re: 🛣 Headlines About Californ...

Last post by Plutonic Panda - Today at 01:44:47 AM

Sepulveda BLVD through the Sepulveda Pass should have been addressed as well. It should be 3 lanes each way with protected bike lanes and sidewalks. Instead there are sections with no pedestrian footpaths. It's very dangerous to ride a bike on it. It is only two lanes each way and can get extremely congested, and has a bottleneck at the tunnel where it narrows to 3 lanes.

I've driven that a thousand times, and I don't think I've ever seen a pedestrian on it (except around the Getty). I rarely see bikes on it, either, although I suspect that the steepness would still be the limiting factor even if they added protected lanes.

I wouldn't exactly refer to it as Times Square. But I've certainly seen people walking on it. And I see bikes often on the weekends. I think this is a case of build it and they will come given there are virtually no alternatives.

Same thing with the Cahuenga Pass. When I was without a car and I lived off of barham, I had to take my bike and I was playing with my life. Of course there was the red line.

#3

Road Enthusiasts Meetings / Re: 2024 List of Potential Roa...

Last post by Great Lakes Roads - Today at 01:25:48 AM

Hi, everyone!  October is here... so we're down to only three more months of 2023.  I figured I would, once again, create and maintain a list of road meets for this next calendar year.

For those of us who are on Facebook, a new group called Road Meets was created over the past week in which folks are welcome to share anything related to road meets of the past and future.  I'd like to give a shout out to Gribblenation, Tom Fearer, Doug Kerr, and Dan Murphy for serving as admins of that group.  Thank you for doing that!    Here's the link to that group:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/836455994788814

Even though we now have the Road Meets group on Facebook, I still think we need to keep a list of meets on this forum for multiple reasons.  Mainly, I'm thinking of the folks in our community who are not on Facebook.  I'll be monitoring the Facebook group as well as this forum to keep this list up to date as best as I can for 2024.

Here are the potential meets I'm aware of so far for 2024:

• New Orleans LA "national meet" - February 17-18
• Atlanta GA "mini meet" - March 2
• Bakersfield CA - April 13
• Charlotte NC "city meet" (choose your own sightseeing) - April 20
• Salem OR (?) - April 28
• Southwest Pennsylvania (25-year anniversary meet - "SWPA25") - May 4
• Meadville PA - June 15
• Indianapolis IN - June 29 CANCELED
• Michigan City IN - July 20
• Berkeley Springs WV (MD/PA/VA/WV Quad State meet) - August 17
• Reno / Carson City NV - September 21
• Orlando FL - October 5
• Duluth MN (?) - October 27
• Brattleboro VT (?) - October or November
• Austin TX - November 2
• Milton DE Route 1/16 (?) - TBD

I think this captures all the tentative meets I've heard about so far.  If I've forgotten anything or if anyone is thinking of hosting a meet in 2024 that they haven't shared yet (and you're ready to share), please chime in and I will update the list accordingly.

I'm looking forward to our next year of road meets!

The Indy meet has since been cancelled...

[CANCELED]

#4

Road Enthusiasts Meetings / Re: Indianapolis Road Meet - S...

Last post by Great Lakes Roads - Today at 01:12:19 AM

CANCELED

OOF

#5

Pacific Southwest / Re: Interstate 11 alignment, t...

Last post by cl94 - Today at 01:02:22 AM

I-11 will probably not extend north of NV 157 in many of our lifetimes.

The only possibility is if it gets extended to the Nevada Test Site. This is already 4 lanes and there is a study underway to consider potential upgrades. Most of the at-grades with paved roads have high crash rates, so a few interchanges may be justified on safety grounds. Once the few paved roads get interchanges, you'd only need to build gravel frontage roads and block the median crossovers (of which the first legal one is just north of NV 157) to get a designation. While the NTS interchange isn't at a numbered road, major military installations are approved endpoints.

North of NTS? Fat chance anything happens soon apart from spot upgrades. A few locations could use passing lanes and I could see some improvements around Yerington, but a 4-lane expressway would be excessive given the volumes that road sees, let alone a freeway. Not the quietest US route in the state, but it would easily be among the quietest segments of the Interstate system, beating out I-70 in Utah, I-95 in northern Maine, and I-80 in Nevada even if traffic volumes increase by 50%. It's one of those roads that may look necessary on a map, but there's zero demand and enough redundancy.

(personal opinion emphasized)

#6

Off-Topic / Re: Random Thoughts

Last post by ZLoth - Today at 12:48:14 AM

Why not just be open 24 hours?

Staffing issues? The need to deep clean and sanitize the equipment?

#7

Mid-South / Re: I-10 expansion between San...

Last post by thisdj78 - Today at 12:46:40 AM

Bids were opened today for the next section to be upgraded to a minimum of 3x3. This section is from east of the Colorado River, westward to SH 71, including a new interchange at SH 71. Pulice Construction won't sleep well tonight knowing they underbid the next bid lowest bid by $105 million.

This project includes a new 8-lane bridge over the Colorado River on a new alignment. About 1 mile of existing alignment immediately east of the Colorado River will be abandoned (although I don't know the eventual plan for it).

For many years - actually decades! - there has been a need to widen I-10 from Houston to the SH 71 split. With this project, it will finally get done.

County:   COLORADO   Let Date:   05/03/24
Type:   WIDEN ROAD - ADD LANES   Seq No:   3201
Time:   0 X   Project ID:   F 2B24(075)
Highway:   IH 10   Contract #:   05243201
Length:   1.727   CCSJ:   0271-01-083
Limits:   
From:   COLORADO RIVER BRIDGE   Check:   $100,000
To:   US 90 (ALLEYTON RD SOUTH)   Misc Cost:   
Estimate   $469,969,329.15   % Over/Under   Company
Bidder 1   $439,895,580.53   -6.40%   PULICE CONSTRUCTION, INC.
Bidder 2   $545,355,544.63   +16.04%   WEBBER, LLC
Bidder 3   $551,244,651.17   +17.29%   WILLIAMS BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION CO., INC.

Any indication of how different the intersection with SH71 will be?

Also, I wonder why the need for new alignment east of and over the Colorado River.

#8

Pacific Southwest / Re: Interstate 11 alignment, t...

Last post by KeithE4Phx - Today at 12:46:15 AM

I doubt it will get down to I-10 in my lifetime. But when it does, it will certainly be a perfectly respectable 2di, at almost 300 miles.

I'll be shocked if it ever gets fully built south of I-40, other than as a 4-lane highway with at-grade intersections as most of it is now.  Arizona politics and the clout of the many ranch owners along that stretch could very easily prevent it from becoming a full freeway.  If and when the 2-lane Joshua Forest Hwy (the most dangerous rural highway in the state) upgrade ever gets done (it should have happened 20 years ago, and is still unfunded AFAIK), I really think that ADOT will be told to consider it finished.  I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not holding my breath.

#9

Pacific Southwest / Re: 🛣 Headlines About Californ...

Last post by pderocco - Today at 12:41:23 AM

Sepulveda BLVD through the Sepulveda Pass should have been addressed as well. It should be 3 lanes each way with protected bike lanes and sidewalks. Instead there are sections with no pedestrian footpaths. It's very dangerous to ride a bike on it. It is only two lanes each way and can get extremely congested, and has a bottleneck at the tunnel where it narrows to 3 lanes.

I've driven that a thousand times, and I don't think I've ever seen a pedestrian on it (except around the Getty). I rarely see bikes on it, either, although I suspect that the steepness would still be the limiting factor even if they added protected lanes.

#10

General Highway Talk / Re: "Highways" that are actual...

Last post by KeithE4Phx - Today at 12:31:57 AM

Frontage Roads for I-17 Phoenix, Black Canyon Highway Maintained by City of Phoenix
NB from 19th Avenue to Carefree Highway, SB From Carefree Highway to Van Buren Street then co-signed with 23rd Avenue from Van Buren Street to Durango Street.

The original Black Canyon Highway was AZ 69, and ran along 43rd Ave. from Grand Ave. north, beginning around 1936 or '37.  Later (circa 1950), it was moved into Phoenix along what would later become I-17.  As you stated, it's strictly the frontage roads on either side of I-17 now, and has been for decades.

A couple others:

Hunt Highway through Sun Lakes, southern Gilbert, and Pinal County in a few segments, from 88th St. in Sun Lakes to AZ 79 just north of Florence.  All segments are either county or town (Gilbert) maintained.

Bush Highway from the north end of Power Rd at the Mesa City Limits to AZ 87 north of Saguaro Lake.  It is an unnumbered Maricopa County highway through the Tonto National Forest.  Prior to at least the mid '70s, Power Rd. was only south of Main St./Apache Trail (then US 60-70-80-89), while Bush Highway was north.