Kansas City road meet: October 17, 2020

[Nikolai]

I've planned out a preliminary route and list of attractions for our tour. Take a look and let me know if you have any other suggestions.

Here's the Facebook event page for the meet. RSVP there so I can estimate how many to expect, and feel free to invite your other roadgeek friends.

You can bring your own lunch to the picnic shelter of Harris Memorial Park in Lee's Summit around 11:30, or just meet us for the tour that departs at 12:30.

At this moment I'm expecting safety guidelines to be similar to how they are today. So keep at least six feet away from others whenever possible, and wear a mask when you can't keep that distance. It's currently required in all the areas we'll be touring (Kansas City, Missouri; Wyandotte County; Eastern Jackson County).

[ozarkman417]

Now that school is virtual, I shouldn't have a problem heading up there at that time. It's a short drive.

[kphoger]

I'm unavailable that week-end.

Funny thing is, I'll probably be in Missouri during the meet, but not near KC.

[Highway63]

Got a near-last-minute schedule flip. I should be able to attend barring rain/plague.

[brianreynolds]

I have not yet attended a road-related get-together this year.  I had originally planned to go to San Antonio, but the timing is bad for me.  It looks like Kansas City is my last chance for 2020.

As an aside, and speaking of 2020, I saw a report that a sportswriter for WSJ predicts that my beloved Detroit Lions will win it all this year.  His logic?  Everything else in 2020 has gone sideways (or worse), so what other conclusion can we expect?  I hope he is right.  I was 6 years old the last time the Lions went the distance.  That was more than a decade before Super Anything.

Nickoli and Gene, I plan to be there.  The likelihood that I actually attend is somewhat better than the odds that the hapless, hopeless Detroit Lions prevail this year.

[Brandon]

Remember, the Lions winning the Super Bowl is one of the impending signs of the apocalypse.

[Scott5114]

I wish I could attend, but the family member I stay with when I'm in Kansas City is in her 90s, so I don't think it's a good idea to see her during the pandemic. Have fun, everyone!

[brianreynolds]

Remember, the Lions winning the Super Bowl is one of the impending signs of the apocalypse.

I'll take my chances.  At my advanced age, what's left to lose?

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Remember, the Lions winning the Super Bowl is one of the impending signs of the apocalypse.

I'll take my chances.  At my advanced age, what's left to lose?

I think today's game against the Bears proves we're probably safe from this doomsday for at least another NFL season.

[ozarkman417]

Should I actually attend this meet, one of the things I will be doing while I'm up there is driving the existing alignment of US 24 east of downtown, before it is rerouted. Notice to Proceed on the signage project is 12/7/20.

[paulthemapguy]

US24 is getting rerouted?

[ozarkman417]

US24 is getting rerouted?

Yes, it is being taken off of Independence Ave west of I-435, and will be routed on to I-435 and I-70 towards downtown.

See the 5th and 6th page of this document. Aside from the re-routing itself, I found it a bit odd that MoDOT would use Google Maps over their own resources for this kind of task.

[hbelkins]

Should I actually attend this meet, one of the things I will be doing while I'm up there is driving the existing alignment of US 24 east of downtown, before it is rerouted. Notice to Proceed on the signage project is 12/7/20.

US24 is getting rerouted?

Yes, it is being taken off of Independence Ave west of I-435, and will be routed on to I-435 and I-70 towards downtown.

See the 5th and 6th page of this document. Aside from the re-routing itself, I found it a bit odd that MoDOT would use Google Maps over their own resources for this kind of task.

For those of you who are Facebook friends with James Schul, or are in some of the same FB road-related groups that he's in, he posted some photos of signs for that area that were being transported through the Dayton area. Some of them had I-435 and US 24 concurrent on the same sign. Wonder if those signs are part of this?

Interesting aside: Missouri produces (or used to produce) its own big guide signs. Wonder if they are now using contractors, like Kentucky does for its panel guide signs, or if the signage was part of a bigger contract?

[brianreynolds]

External factors will almost certainly take me out of this one.  Family events require me to be in 'burban Houston the week folowing (Oct 19-24 or so). 

I tried, I really tried.  If Linda would fly GRR to IAH on the 19th, I would be there to pick her up.  Ain't gonna happen.

She will not fly at all until the Covid thing is long gone.  Damn.  See y'all down the road.  Someday.  Maybe.

[A.J. Bertin]

External factors will almost certainly take me out of this one.  Family events require me to be in 'burban Houston the week folowing (Oct 19-24 or so). 

I tried, I really tried.  If Linda would fly GRR to IAH on the 19th, I would be there to pick her up.  Ain't gonna happen.

She will not fly at all until the Covid thing is long gone.  Damn.  See y'all down the road.  Someday.  Maybe.

Oh that's a bummer, Brian.  I'm sorry to hear this. 

[Alps]

External factors will almost certainly take me out of this one.  Family events require me to be in 'burban Houston the week folowing (Oct 19-24 or so). 

I tried, I really tried.  If Linda would fly GRR to IAH on the 19th, I would be there to pick her up.  Ain't gonna happen.

She will not fly at all until the Covid thing is long gone.  Damn.  See y'all down the road.  Someday.  Maybe.

She wants to be at the meet with you though.

[brianreynolds]

She wants to be at the meet with you though.
[/quote]

Yeah, nice thought.

Steve you are one of the few (less than five) real Roadgeeks who have actually met Linda.

I'm pretty sure you know otherwise.

[Nikolai]

All right, the final plans can be found in the first post of this thread. See you in two weeks in the city of trafficways!

[KCRoadFan]

I'm ready to find out more about this meet - I live in KC!

[SSOWorld]

I'm definitely out of the meet.  I'm undergoing physical therapy and seeing docs for my hip (no surgery planned - yet) and don't wish to risk contracting COVID at any point - I'm skipping local events for the same reason as my city's a hotspot too.

[US 89]

US24 is getting rerouted?

Yes, it is being taken off of Independence Ave west of I-435, and will be routed on to I-435 and I-70 towards downtown.

See the 5th and 6th page of this document. Aside from the re-routing itself, I found it a bit odd that MoDOT would use Google Maps over their own resources for this kind of task.

I thought this had happened already? If I'd known it hadn't been fully changed over yet I would have paid more attention when I went through KC two months ago.

[ozarkman417]

US24 is getting rerouted?

Yes, it is being taken off of Independence Ave west of I-435, and will be routed on to I-435 and I-70 towards downtown.

See the 5th and 6th page of this document. Aside from the re-routing itself, I found it a bit odd that MoDOT would use Google Maps over their own resources for this kind of task.

I thought this had happened already? If I'd known it hadn't been fully changed over yet I would have paid more attention when I went through KC two months ago.

Where in KC did you go through? The signage replacement project's Notice to Proceed date is December 7th, and is on the 10/16 bid letting.

[US 89]

US24 is getting rerouted?

Yes, it is being taken off of Independence Ave west of I-435, and will be routed on to I-435 and I-70 towards downtown.

See the 5th and 6th page of this document. Aside from the re-routing itself, I found it a bit odd that MoDOT would use Google Maps over their own resources for this kind of task.

I thought this had happened already? If I'd known it hadn't been fully changed over yet I would have paid more attention when I went through KC two months ago.

Where in KC did you go through? The signage replacement project's Notice to Proceed date is December 7th, and is on the 10/16 bid letting.

I went through on I-35 and US 71 but would have paid closer attention to whether US 24 was mentioned on the Independence Ave or I-70 exits.

Looking at the few photos I did take, it looks like signage has not changed over yet in that direction. But regardless of what the signs say, hasn't 24 officially been on 70 and 435 for a while now?

[Ned Weasel]

I'd be interested in going to this if I didn't have to work literally every day of the week, including Saturdays and Sundays.  But I also need to be rather judicious about how much I go out and how much I interact with other people IRL right now, because I live with someone who's in a high-risk category, and the last thing I want to do is put people at risk.  I hope everyone has a good time, though!

[ozarkman417]

That's something I haven't taken in to account- I live with older family members. Personally, I'm not be too worried, as I am only 17.

But being 17 brings up another issue: I've never gone further than 50 miles away from town driving by myself. I have my license, time, and money if needed. My issue lies in two questions:

-Will the participants of the meet want a 17 year old driving three hours away from home to meet strangers on the internet during a pandemic?

-Will my family want a 17 year old driving three hours away from home to meet strangers on the internet during a pandemic?