Went to a Reds game last night and was shocked at the poor shape of I-71 from Louisville to the I-71/75 Junction. Some huge absolutely rim rattling pot holes. Time to spend some money Kentucky. With NASCAR coming to Kentucky Speedway time to spend money and fix it soon Kentucky. Also the bus crash sign outside Carrolton is very, very sobering. If you don't know about this crash here is some information about this horrific accident from 1988.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrollton,_Kentucky_bus_collision
I don't travel I-71 very often, but I agree that it's usually in pretty bad shape. Plus as you go east of the Henry County area, you have lots of hills with slow-moving trucks.
I was on it a week ago. They've had problems for the past few years with the right side tirepath of the slow lane breaking down into horribly deep pot holes.
I will agree it was mostly in the right travel lane on both sides. Unless Kentucky wants some really bad publication. It needs to fix the highway between now and next summer. 100K plus NASCAR fans plus press won't do Kentucky any favors. Plus like others said there is need for some truck climbing lanes. However with the triangle of Lexington, Cincy and Louisville. I would hope Kentucky six lanes all Interstates between the three to maximize travel times and enhance revunues from the three biggest economic engines in Kentucky.
I recalled coming upon a hole in the right lane so severe that I had to stop to inspect for damage. It was coming over the crest of a hill, where you couldn't see the pavement that far ahead, and I remembered seeing what looked like a gravel roadway. There was a pile of roadway debris on the shoulder.
A portion of it, from at least the I-75 interchange west, is being repaved... thankfully.
Total rebuild from Sparta (Kentucky Speedway) to I-71/75 appears to be happening. Working all the way to the base and redoing drainage and some slide off areas. They will really have to hustle to get it done before the NASCAR event in July.
From the way it was falling apart last year, it appeared the base had finally disintegrated into rubble. Simply paving over (what they did last time, I believe) doesn't help, it just makes bigger potholes.
Somewhere Pete Rahn and Modot would say that wouldn't be "intelligent design".
Quote from: Sykotyk on April 19, 2011, 11:48:36 PM
From the way it was falling apart last year, it appeared the base had finally disintegrated into rubble. Simply paving over (what they did last time, I believe) doesn't help, it just makes bigger potholes.
They need to tear it up and completely rebuild it, but I suspect the money isn't there for that. I was on it 3 weeks ago and even with the "repairs" they've done, it's still absolutely horrible.
I-71 in a bad shape? wow...... somebody did not do its job......
Quote from: ShawnP on September 16, 2010, 11:21:23 AM
Went to a Reds game last night and was shocked at the poor shape of I-71 from Louisville to the I-71/75 Junction. Some huge absolutely rim rattling pot holes.
Me and my family was on I-71 SB en route to Birmingham and your comment was no joke. From I-75 to the Kentucky Speedway the ride was smooth, but other than that, the roads were horrible. There were potholes in the middle of the road and it was very bumpy. What a shame. :thumbdown:
You would think with NASCAR holding it's first race at Kentucky Speedway that KYTC would spiffy up I-71 from Louisville to Lexington. Nope they left it in poor shape. So don't be surprised about the bad publicity coming your way Kentucky.
Quote from: ShawnP on July 06, 2011, 05:55:51 PM
You would think with NASCAR holding it's first race at Kentucky Speedway that KYTC would spiffy up I-71 from Louisville to Lexington. Nope they left it in poor shape. So don't be surprised about the bad publicity coming your way Kentucky.
Not to mention the fact that I have to travel on I-71 north to go back home this weekend, so we have to put up with the NASCAR fans that are probably trying to head home. And IDK if the northbound lanes are worst than the southbound lanes. X-(
While the KTC is at it (reconsructing I-71), they should look into widening that road from I-75 to the Kentucky Speedway and from two miles from I-265 to the Kennedy Interchange in Louisville.
Well welcome to failure KYTC, Kentucky Speedway and Kentucky State Police. Your could see this happening from months away. As no one in the Commonwealth's government structure had any sense of urgency about them when it came to this race. Sure lots of them wanted the free pub but didn't want to spend the money or effort to accomadate the guests coming to Kentucky. Don't be surprised KY when they don't come back.
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110709/SPORTS16/307090114/Kentucky-Speedway-Fans-find-giant-traffic-snarl-71
Maybe Mr. Smith should do what some other sports teams have done and help PAY for the improvements? :hmmm:
Oh, I'm sorry. I had an attack of common sense. :pan:
Forgive me. :)
Yeah, KYTC did nothing in the wrong here. The interchange performed to its function, and traffic did not queue up that badly onto I-71. KYTC trucks and police were waiting in the medians in the event that traffic did start backing up onto the main through lanes.
The problem was that the Speedway did not anticipate the demand. The entrance was atrocious, the parking situation was dismal and chaotic, and if it takes 2-5 hours to go from the interstate to the speedway which is 1 mile away -- you have a serious problem.
I wanted to exit Friday afternoon to go get gas at Love's in Sparta, but I couldn't even glance at the exit. It was queued all the way out onto the interstate - which was flowing fine the entire time, and not even moving. People had their cars shut off on the ramp to conserve gas.
I was tempted to go to the Kentucky race, but I'm glad I didn't because of the traffic problems.
I would have constructed switchovers at the 10 mile point north and south of the speedway to move thru traffic onto the opposite lanes of traffic. If KY Speedway didn't see a sellout then shame on them. However KYTC and the Commonwealth should have looked at the parking plan to ensure it was a functional one for a sellout. This should have been smooth as Kentucky has knowledge of big events even bigger than this one (that thing called the Derby).
The Kentucky race was a sell out crowd. And actually Bruton Smith expected demand, considering he added more seats than the place can handle. Right now its arguing between all agencies at who's at fault, and all of them have released statements citing they aren't responsible. This is going to be a messy week.
I just looked at my new Kentucky road map, which seems to promote this race like there's nothing else, and the governor's message on the back included the following passage: "Racing fans from around the country will descend upon the Commonwealth, where they'll find warm hospitality and lots of exciting opportunities to have fun." Sure sounds like that's what happened in the C-J article :-D. But in all seriousness, even if that interstate was six lanes (which is should be anyways for the Louisville-Cincinnati traffic), if the design of the interchange and access road to the Speedway are inadaquet, then there will be traffic backups. I do know here in Indianapolis, where we have some experience with big races, they have made some of the main streets from the speedway contraflow before and after the race and it seems to work pretty well, I've only waited up to one and a half hours to get out, but with 400,000 people that isn't too bad.
The traffic plan looked like it had drawn up at a midnight drunk fest at Waffle House on a napkin.
KYTC thought it had it in check........If you notice the posts I noticed the problems last fall.
http://kytcnewsroom.ky.gov/news/2011-07-01_QS400_Traffic.htm
Quote from: ShawnP on July 11, 2011, 03:04:49 PM
KYTC thought it had it in check........If you notice the posts I noticed the problems last fall.
1. The only mentions I see from last fall are about the potholes, not capacity.
2. Did you actually try and speak about the matter with anyone who could affect change?
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110710/COL03/307100054/Doc-Quit-whining-race-goers
What do you expect when you have 100,000+ people descend upon a speedway that is served by two interchanges on a four-lane interstate? Even if we had widened the interstate to six-lanes throughout, or even ten, it would have not solved the underlying issue, and that was with the Speedway management and the lack of coordination with the local police.
There were few attendants in the parking area. If we expect that at other major events, like the Kentucky Derby - which attracts more visitors and has few traffic problems, then why not the Speedway? Did they not anticipate the demand after selling out 100,000 tickets? There were also broken elevators, a lack of toilet paper, a lack of restrooms and overrun concessions. They added seats, but not capacity elsewhere.
As for closing down the other lanes of Interstate 71 and converting them to outbound-Speedway traffic, what about considering the other 30,000+ vehicles per day that use Interstate 71? There is no good alternative, sans US 41 - and that is slow going.
Or the fact that you can't carpool or bus people in from more distant locations? Say, Florence Mall or Middletown Mall. That reduces the number of drivers on the roadway that idle at the exits and parking areas, saves gas and money, and requires fewer parking spaces.
I'm not saying this because I work for them, but there is no way that KYTC can be blamed for this.
They already rebuilt KY 35 in the area, built a new alignment of 35 south from I-71 to Sparta to connect with the improved route that turns into US 127 and leads to Frankfort (a good alternative route), built a new exit at the speedway, and built a connector road to the Markland Dam. KYTC can't be blamed for the speedway having a lack of parking or for what the speedway people did with traffic once it left the state highway system and entered the speedway property.
What I don't understand is why traffic would have been more of an issue here than, say, at Pocono. I-80 there is only four lanes, and there is only one exit (PA 115) for the speedway. And isn't there only one main exit off I-20 to Talladega?
Someone referenced the Kentucky Derby. I think most of the parking there is on private property away from the track. From what I've seen, Churchill Downs actually has very little parking on-site.
Looking at a follow-up article, it seems that the Speedway grossly underestimated the parking capacity that would be required during the upgrades. The lots were nearly full by 1 in the afternoon. The backups began to occur before that, but became exaggerated due to the lack of parking and direction because of that.
First, as many of you know, I am an avid NASCAR fan and I was one of the many who was not able to attend the race. I took some back roads including US 42 to avoid the brunt of it, but still sat in traffic for three hours before giving up. Most of the reports I read said 12-15 mile back ups. I was watching Google traffic and the red areas (stop and go traffic) extended from the speedway up onto I-71/75 to the north and to US 421 south at their peaks (50-60 miles total). And, even at 9:30pm when I gave up, there was still about 10 miles to the north and 15 miles to the south!
No, I didn't expect it to be as good as other tracks, but this was way over the top. Also, Kentucky Speedway has been hosting top level NASCAR races since 2000 and they routinely got 60,000 fans. So, it's not like they have no experience with traffic!
Quote from: hbelkins on July 11, 2011, 11:51:48 PM
I'm not saying this because I work for them, but there is no way that KYTC can be blamed for this.
Agreed. First and foremost the blame goes to Bruton Smith and his Speedway Motorsports, Inc. From a corporate standpoint, this is total incompetence as they also run Bristol, TN; Charlotte, NC; and Atlanta, GA. And, the track presidents (GMs?) from those three tracks were there. All three tracks handle or have handled much bigger crowds than that and I-81 is only 2 lanes each way in the Bristol area.
SMI had an even bigger traffic disaster in 1997 for the first race at Texas Motor Speedway. But, that was the first year any races were held there.
Some blame also goes to the Kentucky State Troopers who just blocked things off and shrugged when I asked them where should I go. Someone from the troopers should have been in touch with the SMI people! :pan:
Quote from: hbelkins on July 11, 2011, 11:51:48 PM
They already rebuilt KY 35 in the area, built a new alignment of 35 south from I-71 to Sparta to connect with the improved route that turns into US 127 and leads to Frankfort (a good alternative route), built a new exit at the speedway, and built a connector road to the Markland Dam. KYTC can't be blamed for the speedway having a lack of parking or for what the speedway people did with traffic once it left the state highway system and entered the speedway property.
What I don't understand is why traffic would have been more of an issue here than, say, at Pocono. I-80 there is only four lanes, and there is only one exit (PA 115) for the speedway.
On Pocono, you're exactly right. Now, capacity there is about 80,000. But, as you said, I-80 is only four lanes there (or anywhere else in PA except for climbing lanes). PA 115 is only a two lane road that they make into three lanes inbound only before and outbound only after. I've never had a problem getting in or out of there! There are some alternate routes but only if you're good with Delorme or a GPS!
Quote from: hbelkins on July 11, 2011, 11:51:48 PM
And isn't there only one main exit off I-20 to Talladega?
No, there are two exits off I-20 to Talladega. From Birmingham and west you have Exit 168 (AL 77) and for Atlanta and east Exit 173 (Talladega county 5). There are also multiple routes in on arterials from the north and south. My brother and I quickly learned that these are MUCH quicker into the track coming from middle Tennessee. Even so, they got over 200,000 when the economy was good.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Talladega+Superspeedway,+Speedway+Boulevard,+Talladega,+AL&hl=en&ll=33.583449,-86.071186&spn=0.067214,0.154324&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=32.38984,79.013672&t=h&z=13
Quote from: hbelkins on July 11, 2011, 11:51:48 PM
Someone referenced the Kentucky Derby. I think most of the parking there is on private property away from the track. From what I've seen, Churchill Downs actually has very little parking on-site.
The same goes for Bristol and Indianapolis. But, those tracks TELL YOU that there is not adequate parking on speedway property. But, even that wouldn't have been enough on Saturday night, as there simply were not enough off track spaces to handle the overflow unless you wanted to walk 4 or 5 miles each way!
Fortunately, they have offered ticket exchanges to those of us that couldn't make it.
http://www.jayski.com/cupnews.htm#tracks
I'll let everyone know how that goes!
Would it be a bad idea to make a left turn joke? :)
^^^
I don't think so. Saturday was one sick joke that wasted 7 hours of my life driving around in my van.
I could definitely use a good one!
Quote from: mightyace on July 12, 2011, 01:34:39 AM
All three tracks handle or have handled much bigger crowds than that and I-81 is only 2 lanes each way in the Bristol area.
Um, I-81 in Bristol is 3 lanes each dirrection. Outside of Bristol (East of Exit #7), yes, it's 2 lanes in VA (can't comment on the TN side past the first exit). Also I-381 is only 2 lanes as well.
I'll preface this by saying I've never been to a NASCAR race in my life, so take the following for what you will:
Quote from: hbelkins on July 11, 2011, 11:51:48 PM
What I don't understand is why traffic would have been more of an issue here than, say, at Pocono. I-80 there is only four lanes, and there is only one exit (PA 115) for the speedway. And isn't there only one main exit off I-20 to Talladega?
Or take Michigan International Speedway, which is 20 miles of two lane roads from the nearest interstate in the middle of nowhere, and you never hear stories of gridlock. It appears that MIS has a coherent plan to get people in and out.
I understand it's en vogue to shriek "the state's broke" when it comes to any transportation project, but it would appear to this causal observer that money in Kentucky can be better spent elsewhere than upgrading capacity on a stretch of road whose traffic counts don't merit such a move, all for an event that takes place one weekend a year that can be moved at the whim of a single person. Especially when KYTC has done so much already.
I appreciate the local perspective, as opposed to those who would smugly MMQB the whole mess.
Hmmmmmmmmm
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110804/NEWS01/308040050/Kentucky-fires-highway-safety-boss-Boyd-Sigler?odyssey=mod|mostview
Don't believe everything you read in the Courier-Journal. I know all three of the individuals named. There is likely far more to the story. Only trouble is, Mr. Sigler doesn't have civil service protection and can be fired at will.
I read Pitino was a good coach in the CJ. So it must be true right?
Construction coming along as it looks about 50% completely paved. I am also glad to see Kentucky has decided to spend alot of money on drainage improvements.
Quote from: ShawnP on August 11, 2011, 10:13:08 AM
Construction coming along as it looks about 50% completely paved. I am also glad to see Kentucky has decided to spend alot of money on drainage improvements.
If those drainage improvements are anything like what they did to the Bluegrass Parkway sometime back in the 80's, I hope KTC learned their lesson from that, and will ensure the contractor uses good fill material. Somewhere around the middle of the BG (I'm thinking near the interchange with KY 53), they added a bunch of culverts to divert water underneath the carriageways from the median to the outside shoulders. At just about each and every one of those culverts, you can feel the bumps! H.B. can attest to this, it's a rough ride for around 15 miles.
Quote from: wriddle082 on August 11, 2011, 09:49:27 PM
If those drainage improvements are anything like what they did to the Bluegrass Parkway sometime back in the 80's, I hope KTC learned their lesson from that, and will ensure the contractor uses good fill material. Somewhere around the middle of the BG (I'm thinking near the interchange with KY 53), they added a bunch of culverts to divert water underneath the carriageways from the median to the outside shoulders. At just about each and every one of those culverts, you can feel the bumps! H.B. can attest to this, it's a rough ride for around 15 miles.
Yes, and mostly in the eastbound lanes.
Spending some Money both the Speedway and the Commonwealth.
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/nkypolitics/2011/08/30/state-will-spend-3-6-million-on-road-improvements-for-speedway/
All projects are done on I-71 and it's totally repaired from KY Speedway to the 71-75 split. Still need a bit of bridge work in that area but they aren't horrible. Southbound has new pavement around Carrolton. Northbound needs some repair in that area. Kentucky is also repairing pavement and bridges from the Watterson (I-264) to Spaghetti Junction. Southbound is happening now and soon they will switch to Northbound.