STAY IN LANE in tunnel…why?

[bugo]

Changing lanes is apparently allowed on the I-49 tunnel in northern Arkansas as there are no signs prohibiting them and the centerline is a white dotted line.

[PHLBOS]

I-90 in Seattle/Mercer Island and Boston allows you to change lanes.

To clarify for I-90 in Boston: The Pru(dential) and Liberty Tunnels both have shoulders and allow the changing of lanes; but the main core of the 2-lane/no shoulder Ted Williams Tunnel (beneath Boston Harbor) does not.

[deathtopumpkins]

I-90 in Seattle/Mercer Island and Boston allows you to change lanes.

To clarify for I-90 in Boston: The Pru(dential) and Liberty Tunnels both have shoulders and allow the changing of lanes; but the main core of the 2-lane/no shoulder Ted Williams Tunnel (beneath Boston Harbor) does not.

The Prudential tunnel does not have shoulders, and is marked with solid lines.

And by Liberty Tunnel, what on earth are you referring to?

[PHLBOS]

The Prudential tunnel does not have shoulders, and is marked with solid lines.

My bad on the shoulders reference to the Pru Tunnel.  IIRC, the 3-lanes in that tunnel weren't always marked with a solid line and I don't recall seeing any STAY IN LANE signs even with the single sold white lines.

And by Liberty Tunnel, what on earth are you referring to?

The short I-90/Big Dig tunnel that links the Pike to the Ted Williams Tunnel.  This was also the tunnel that had the imfamous ceiling tile collapse that killed a female passenger in a passing car several years ago. 

This tunnel was originally named the O'Neill Tunnel by then-Governor Romney (the I-93 tunnels originally had the Liberty name) but the Democratic legislators switched the names either at the end of Romney's term or shortly after he left office.  They wanted the longer distance (I-93) tunnel to be named after the late, former-Speaker of the House that pushed for funding of the Big Dig project during the 80s.

[agentsteel53]

This tunnel was originally named the O'Neill Tunnel by then-Governor Romney (the I-93 tunnels originally had the Liberty name) but the Democratic legislators switched the names either at the end of Romney's term or shortly after he left office.  They wanted the longer distance (I-93) tunnel to be named after the late, former-Speaker of the House that pushed for funding of the Big Dig project during the 80s.

remember, kids, your tax dollars pay for this revolving door of idiocy. 

can't we just name it after some universally beloved* non-partisan Boston figure?  there's plenty of them.  Paul Revere, Sam Adams, etc etc...

* or, dead for long enough that nobody remembers that they were a sheep-fucker.

[jeffandnicole]

I'm sure most Americans that recognize Sam Adams will wonder why they named a tunnel after someone who brewed beer. 

[Truvelo]

Is there a standardised way of signing stay in lane rules? I've been looking through my photos and I found this one with NO LANE CHANGING. I've seen STAY IN LANE and DO NOT PASS all the time but this is one is unusual to me.

[PHLBOS]

remember, kids, your tax dollars pay for this revolving door of idiocy.

IMHO, the MA voters that keep re-electing these legislators (some have probably been there since the last Dukakis Administration or close to it) that make these decisions are the bigger idiots.  Yes, I said it. 

can't we just name it after some universally beloved non-partisan Boston figure?  there's plenty of them.  Paul Revere, Sam Adams, etc etc...

Gov. Weld indeed did that when he named the 3rd Harbor Tunnel after the former Boston Red Sox player Ted Williams... who was still alive at the time.

They could've used another sports figure name for the remaining Big Dig tunnel(s) like Celtics player Bob Cousy, Bruins player Bobby Orr, or another Red Sox player Carl Yastrzemski (aka 'Yaz').  Naming it after former Patriots QB Steve Grogan might be pushing it a tad.

However, Bay State Dems are collectively one of the most partisan bunch of politicians out there.  Although Gov. Romney threw them a bone by naming the short I-90 tunnel as the O'Neill Tunnel and naming the I-93 tunnel as the Liberty Tunnel; they wanted the main tunnel (the I-93 ones) named after their champion.

Some voters wanted the tunnels named the Taxpayer's Tunnel.

BTW, Paul Revere has a whole town adjacent to Boston named after him.

[Alps]

Is there a standardised way of signing stay in lane rules? I've been looking through my photos and I found this one with NO LANE CHANGING. I've seen STAY IN LANE and DO NOT PASS all the time but this is one is unusual to me.

STAY IN LANE and DO NOT PASS are both standardized messages. DO NOT PASS is really intended for the two-way application, though not specifically limited to such. I prefer STAY IN LANE - what if you want to change lanes without passing anyone? DO NOT PASS makes no sense, to me, on a one-directional multi-lane road, and I frequently ignore those signs (for example, 2 miles in advance of a construction zone with a lane closure, slow truck on the right, I'm passing. If you want me to stay behind the truck, merge the lane there, instead of 2 miles later).

[vdeane]

Is there a standardised way of signing stay in lane rules? I've been looking through my photos and I found this one with NO LANE CHANGING. I've seen STAY IN LANE and DO NOT PASS all the time but this is one is unusual to me.

Obviously, they don't care if you stay in your lane or not, as long as you don't change lanes. 

[jp the roadgeek]

The West Rock tunnel on CT 15 and the cut and cover I-84 tunnel in downtown Hartford both prohibit lane changes (the latter especially because of merges to/from the I-91 interchange), while the short cut and cover CT 72 tunnel in downtown New Britain allows for them.

[jeffandnicole]

Just wondering...how many tunnels feature passing zones...and interchanges?  The Trenton Tunnel permits passing, and also on the north end of the tunnel has a SB Exit/NB Entrance.  It's only a few hundred feet into the tunnel where the gore point is located, but the ramps are treated just like one would find on any regular highway.

[PHLBOS]

Just wondering...how many tunnels feature passing zones...and interchanges?

Two of the fore-mentioned Boston Big Dig tunnels O'Neill Tunnel (I-90) and the Liberty Tunnel (I-93) feature both passing zones and interchanges.  The Mass Pike Pru Tunnel has a partial interchange in it (Exit 22).

The eastern end of the Ted Williams Tunnel features an interchange w/Logan Airport (Exit 26) with passing lanes in that immediate vicinity only.

One Boston tunnel that was part of the Central Artery North Area (CANA) Project, a pre-cursor to the Big Dig, but not yet mentioned in this thread is the short US 1 tunnel (named City Square Tunnel) in Charlestown/City Square.  It features an interchange (for Charlestown/City Square) at the tunnel's ends.  The southbound tunnel allows passing throughout but the northbound tunnel only allows passing mid-way through (where the entrance ramp from City Square above merges on the left side and northward). 

[Compulov]

Just wondering...how many tunnels feature passing zones...and interchanges?  The Trenton Tunnel permits passing, and also on the north end of the tunnel has a SB Exit/NB Entrance.  It's only a few hundred feet into the tunnel where the gore point is located, but the ramps are treated just like one would find on any regular highway.

Not sure this counts (since most of the ramp is outside the tunnel), but the I-10 tunnel in Phoenix has the entrance/exit lanes for 7th ave & st partially in the tunnel. It's also another tunnel which allows passing. It also has really cool (IMO) lighted signs for the exits on either side of the tunnel and for a lane ending.
While I'm sure there's probably a number of examples where this is wrong, can we assume that generally speaking, modern cut/cover tunnels (most likely carrying high-grade freeways/Interstates) are more likely to allow passing, whereas either older, substandard cut/cover or even newer drilled/tube (water/mountain) tunnels are less likely to allow passing? It just seems like cut/cover tunnels are more likely to be wide enough to allow for shoulders (which I'd imagine makes it "safe enough" for passing).

[1995hoo]

Just wondering...how many tunnels feature passing zones...and interchanges?  The Trenton Tunnel permits passing, and also on the north end of the tunnel has a SB Exit/NB Entrance.  It's only a few hundred feet into the tunnel where the gore point is located, but the ramps are treated just like one would find on any regular highway.

The I-395 tunnel in DC (locally often called the Third Street Tunnel, also sometimes called the Center Leg Freeway) has four lanes per side and permits passing, and it also has a northbound exit and southbound entrance. The northbound exit is further interesting because after splitting off into a separate passageway, the exit ramp itself then splits.

Street View of the main exit point here: http://goo.gl/maps/Di8hc (the cars ahead of and behind the Google car with no lights on are not an unusual sight in that tunnel)

Street View of that ramp split is here: http://goo.gl/maps/MpwWl

[Signal]

I always thought it was because, when there is a lot of traffic, it can back things up. It is also often narrower than a normal road. That can also be tied with maintaining your speed through a tunnel...

[Alps]

The West Rock tunnel on CT 15 and the cut and cover I-84 tunnel in downtown Hartford both prohibit lane changes (the latter especially because of merges to/from the I-91 interchange), while the short cut and cover CT 72 tunnel in downtown New Britain allows for them.

Prohibit is a double white. Discourage is a single white. Both of your cases are single whites.