Pennsylvania

[74/171FAN]

PennDOT is now in the process of realigning PA 320 at Hanging Rock.

And an I-95 Update: PennDOT Completes Major Construction on I-95 Ramp, Surface Street Improvement Project at Betsy Ross Bridge in Philadelphia

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

PennDOT is now in the process of realigning PA 320 at Hanging Rock.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! 
Paging Brian Troutman. We need a Main Line/West Philly suburbs roadmeet this fall. 

[briantroutman]

If there's enough interest, I'd consider doing it.

Within Pennsylvania–but outside of the Philadelphia area–one potentially meet-worthy item is the CSVT, since the Susquehanna River crossing is now complete (to the best my knowledge).

[sbeaver44]

Passed through Bedford today, using I-99 exit 1 over to the Turnpike.  At the light with Business 220, the shield assembly has EAST Business 220 left, SOUTH Business 220 right.  Hmmmmm

[briantroutman]

Passed through Bedford today, using I-99 exit 1 over to the Turnpike.  At the light with Business 220, the shield assembly has EAST Business 220 left, SOUTH Business 220 right.  Hmmmmm

You're referring to this. I've been through that interchange at least a few times and never noticed it. The erroneous "EAST"  was apparently posted around 2017. This GSV image from 2016 still has the correct "NORTH", but a subsequent GSV from 2018 shows the error.

A subsequent reassurance marker after the intersection has the correct direction.

[sbeaver44]

Passed through Bedford today, using I-99 exit 1 over to the Turnpike.  At the light with Business 220, the shield assembly has EAST Business 220 left, SOUTH Business 220 right.  Hmmmmm

You're referring to this. I've been through that interchange at least a few times and never noticed it. The erroneous "EAST"  was apparently posted around 2017. This GSV image from 2016 still has the correct "NORTH", but a subsequent GSV from 2018 shows the error.

A subsequent reassurance marker after the intersection has the correct direction.

Yes that's the one.  I stopped at Taco Bell and circled around so I saw a North Business 220 sign at the same intersection from a different angle.

I know there's roads that switch directions midway but that's not one of them.

[Crown Victoria]

Some truckers are not too happy about PennDOT's Bridge Tolling plan...

https://www.ttnews.com/articles/pennsylvania-truckers-object-bridge-tolling-plan

According to the article, the list of bridges targeted for tolls will be released next month, and will all be on Interstate highways.

[sbeaver44]

Some truckers are not too happy about PennDOT's Bridge Tolling plan...

https://www.ttnews.com/articles/pennsylvania-truckers-object-bridge-tolling-plan

According to the article, the list of bridges targeted for tolls will be released next month, and will all be on Interstate highways.

10 bridges

I have to imagine the John Harris/I-83 bridge is likely to be one of them as it is over 60 years old.  I can also imagine how awful this will be for Harrisburg if so.

I'd guess more trucks use the George Wade/81 bridge but that bridge is at least a decade newer and has a significantly lower AADT.  I'm certainly terrified to imagine a situation where 81 is tolled and 83 is not, pushing more traffic onto 581 and 83...

[Crown Victoria]

Some truckers are not too happy about PennDOT's Bridge Tolling plan...

https://www.ttnews.com/articles/pennsylvania-truckers-object-bridge-tolling-plan

According to the article, the list of bridges targeted for tolls will be released next month, and will all be on Interstate highways.

10 bridges

I have to imagine the John Harris/I-83 bridge is likely to be one of them as it is over 60 years old.  I can also imagine how awful this will be for Harrisburg if so.

I'd guess more trucks use the George Wade/81 bridge but that bridge is at least a decade newer and has a significantly lower AADT.  I'm certainly terrified to imagine a situation where 81 is tolled and 83 is not, pushing more traffic onto 581 and 83...

I would imagine that both or neither of those bridges will be tolled...too much shunpiking potential if one is tolled and the other not.


I wonder if any bridges currently under construction are being considered. If so, then we can include I-78 over the Schuylkill River in Hamburg as a candidate, which is in the process of being widened as part of the I-78/PA 61 project, although it would be fairly easy to shunpike a toll here.

[TheGrassGuy]

What's the extra rail for?

[briantroutman]

What's the extra rail for?

Interesting and perplexing. What's particularly odd is that the third rail was apparently added between 2016 and 2019. And at the same time, the rail does not continue through Klines Lane; it looks like the rail had been cut through the surface of Klines Lane and then asphalted over afterward. As of when this GSV image was taken in July 2019, the additional rail went as far south as the crossing with 2nd Street. To the north, there's no sign of the third rail by the time the railroad ROW approaches Harrison Street. The railroad's crossing with Main Street is grade separated, so unfortunately we can't see whether the third rail reached that far north.

My guess would be that the third rail was added to allow for the temporary movement of a non-standard gauge vehicle–or perhaps more likely, a large piece of otherwise stationary machinery being rolled along the rails. But whatever that would have been, where it would have come from and where it would have gone to–no more than 3/4 mile away–is a mystery to me. Maybe some piece of railroad maintenance equipment? Perhaps the third rail would have covered a longer distance but the project was shelved for some reason?

[noelbotevera]

Speaking of extra rails, any reason why the Kinzua Viaduct has two inner, redundant rails?

[MASTERNC]

Some truckers are not too happy about PennDOT's Bridge Tolling plan...

https://www.ttnews.com/articles/pennsylvania-truckers-object-bridge-tolling-plan

According to the article, the list of bridges targeted for tolls will be released next month, and will all be on Interstate highways.

Thinking the Ohio River bridge on I-79 or (crazier) the Fort Pitt Bridge in Pittsburgh.  The latter could pay to reconfigure the Banksville/51 weave.

[Dirt Roads]

Speaking of extra rails, any reason why the Kinzua Viaduct has two inner, redundant rails?

They are actually called "bridge rails" and they are used as a derailment protection system.  The derailed axle will stay between the primary rail and the bridge rail.  Sometimes we get lucky and the axle will actually catch a crosstie (called a sleeper in Europe) and hop back on the tracks.  Off of the bridge, railroads do the same thing in tight curves but they generally only put one curve rail on the inside of the "high rail" (at the top of the superelevation).  In olden days, I saw a few locations that had a second curve rail down below the "low rail", but those should have a longer crosstie (which fits outside of the normal ballast profile (rockbed) and really messes up the automated roadbed maintenance process.

[Mr. Matté]

Speaking of extra rails, any reason why the Kinzua Viaduct has two inner, redundant rails?

Technically all four rails are redundant now.

[VTGoose]

What's the extra rail for?

There's actually two rails there in the middle. It is new ribbon rail that will replace the existing rail on one of the tracks. Before the project begins, a train loaded with quarter-mile lengths of continuous welded rail (CWR) unloaded the new rail on the right of way. In this case, a trench was cut into the grade crossing, the new rail laid in it, then it was covered over. When work starts, a long string of track machines will move along as a group to pull up the old rails and hardware and put the new rails in place. When complete, another rail train will come along to load the old rail.

Bruce in Blacksburg

[74/171FAN]

PennDOT Announces Work to Begin on Project to Improve PA 443 in Carbon County.

[noelbotevera]

Speaking of extra rails, any reason why the Kinzua Viaduct has two inner, redundant rails?

(Some of the quote has been trimmed for brevity.)
The derailed axle will stay between the primary rail and the bridge rail.  Sometimes we get lucky and the axle will actually catch a crosstie (called a sleeper in Europe) and hop back on the tracks.  Off of the bridge, railroads do the same thing in tight curves but they generally only put one curve rail on the inside of the "high rail" (at the top of the superelevation).

Will fully admit I'm not an expert in rails, but this sounds like it's a crapshoot to get the train back on the tracks. While a stuck train is better than a derailed train, isn't there a better way to prevent the train axle from derailing in the first place?

[tylert120]

Some truckers are not too happy about PennDOT's Bridge Tolling plan...

https://www.ttnews.com/articles/pennsylvania-truckers-object-bridge-tolling-plan

According to the article, the list of bridges targeted for tolls will be released next month, and will all be on Interstate highways.

Thinking the Ohio River bridge on I-79 or (crazier) the Fort Pitt Bridge in Pittsburgh.  The latter could pay to reconfigure the Banksville/51 weave.

I can't foresee  them choosing to toll any bridge inside city limits.

[sbeaver44]

I can't foresee  them choosing to toll any bridge inside city limits.

I wonder if any I-80 bridges will get tolled.  Since they couldn't toll I-80 as a whole.  The one over the Susquehanna main branch between Exits 241-242 is a fairly long way around, for instance.  Or the Allegheny bridge near Emlenton.

[VTGoose]

Will fully admit I'm not an expert in rails, but this sounds like it's a crapshoot to get the train back on the tracks. While a stuck train is better than a derailed train, isn't there a better way to prevent the train axle from derailing in the first place?

This is straying a bit from roads, but I'll bring it back . . .

A derailment can happen for a variety of reasons, such as a wheel or bearing that fails, or a section of rail fails due to a fracture in the steel -- accidents happen, but technology is being adopted by the railroads to provide better monitoring of things like bearings, the state of wheels, and rail.

The same question could be asked about highways and if might be better to prevent trucks from jackknifing or running into the guard rail or prevent cars from running into other cars. Drivers fall asleep, black ice suddenly appears, tires fail -- things happen. Technology is helping, with adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and collision avoidance warning and braking systems, but accidents are still going to happen. The railroads learned long ago that guard rails on bridges may not prevent a derailment but they might prevent the wreck from happening on the bridge, where cleanup would be a problem.

[74/171FAN]

From PennDOT on weekday upcoming closures along PA 23: 
PECO to Restrict Route 23 (Valley Forge Road) for Utility Improvement in Schuylkill Township, Chester County

I had an issue like this affect me last year when I was attempting to clinch PA 372 on MLK Day (they still worked even on a holiday).  I took care of this though on my NJ/PA 73 Trip that was one year ago yesterday.

EDIT (2-16-2021):  Note that the news release was edited as stated in the below posts.

[ixnay]

From PennDOT on weekday upcoming closures along PA 23:  PECO to Close Route 23 (Valley Forge Road) Through November for Utility Improvement in Chester County

I had an issue like this affect me last year when I was attempting to clinch PA 372 on MLK Day (they still worked even on a holiday).  I took care of this though on my NJ/PA 73 Trip that was one year ago yesterday.

Where did you get the headline?  The article (dated 2/16/21) you linked says it won't be a full closure but an alternating traffic situation during gas main installation along that 1.1 mile stretch.  And I found no mention of anything November in the article.

PECO to Restrict Route 23 (Valley Forge Road) for Utility Improvement in Schuylkill Township, Chester County
02/16/2021

King of Prussia, PA — PECO Energy is planning a single lane closure with flagging on Route 23 (Valley Forge Road) between Moorehall Drive and Country Club Road in Schuylkill Township, Chester County, beginning Wednesday, February 17, for gas main installation, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today. The lane closure will be in place weekdays from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM through late-March.

ixnay

[MASTERNC]

From PennDOT on weekday upcoming closures along PA 23:  PECO to Close Route 23 (Valley Forge Road) Through November for Utility Improvement in Chester County

I had an issue like this affect me last year when I was attempting to clinch PA 372 on MLK Day (they still worked even on a holiday).  I took care of this though on my NJ/PA 73 Trip that was one year ago yesterday.

Where did you get the headline?  The article (dated 2/16/21) you linked says it won't be a full closure but an alternating traffic situation during gas main installation along that 1.1 mile stretch.  And I found no mention of anything November in the article.

PECO to Restrict Route 23 (Valley Forge Road) for Utility Improvement in Schuylkill Township, Chester County
02/16/2021

King of Prussia, PA — PECO Energy is planning a single lane closure with flagging on Route 23 (Valley Forge Road) between Moorehall Drive and Country Club Road in Schuylkill Township, Chester County, beginning Wednesday, February 17, for gas main installation, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced today. The lane closure will be in place weekdays from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM through late-March.

ixnay

It did say earlier today the road would be closed weekdays for several months after these initial lane restrictions - seems the release has been edited

[74/171FAN]

^The original release that came to my email stated the following:

The work schedule and location is: 

Wednesday, February 17, through Friday, February 26, from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM, a weekday lane closure with flagging is scheduled on Route 23 (Valley Forge Road) between Moorehall Drive and Country Club Road; and 
Monday, March 1, through late November, from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM, Route 23 (Valley Forge Road) is scheduled to close weekdays between Moorehall Drive and Country Club Road. During the closure, motorists will be detoured over Whitehorse Road and Valley Park Road.

It must have been actually been March, and the original release must have been in error.  I did not get notified of a correction until your posts.