The biggest planned project that I am aware of is the extension of I-69 from Indianapolis down through Evansville, Memphis and Houston to the Mexican border at three spurs leading to Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo.

There is also the extension of I-49 from Shreveport up through western Arkansas via the I-540 corridor, then up the US 71 corridor to Kansas City. There is also a planned southern extension from Lafayette through Acadiana to New Orleans.
Also, from what I am aware of:
-US 78 between Memphis, TN and Birmingham, AL is being upgraded to become I-22.
-I-795 is now being marked along US 117 and 264 between I-95 near Wilson, NC and Goldsboro, NC.
-I-210 near Los Angeles, CA.

There are other new I-routes that are planned and/or under construction. One closer to home - US 41 between metro Milwaukee and Green Bay, WI will be marked with a yet undetermined I-route number when needed upgrades are completed in a few years.

There are MANY other non-interstate tollway/freeway/motorway projects planned and under construction throughout the USA, too.

Mike

I-355 planned to be Chicago's outer-beltway in the long term? (considering if I-294 is the inner beltway)

Anyways, cool to see a new interstate extension open today! :)

I-355 planned to be Chicago's outer-beltway in the long term? (considering if I-294 is the inner beltway)

Anyways, cool to see a new interstate extension open today! :)
Not really, it is mainly to serve local traffic. There were plans to further extend I-355 to the southeast and east and its I-80 interchange was laid out to allow for it, but its proposed routing has been heavily developed over and any additional extension in such a manner is unlikely to happen within my lifetime.

OTOH, since it opened, I have looked upon I-39 as an 'outer-outer bypass' of Chicagoland. There is a freeway/tollway planned for west of the Fox River ('Prairie Parkway'), but it faces an uncertain future. One was planned to run north-south east of the Fox River, but it was never built and its planned ROW has since been completely developed over. Hopelessly overcongested IL 59 was the result of that non-project.

I-355 opened for business at about 2200 local time on Sunday. Toll each way between I-55 and I-80 is $1 I-PASS/EZPass and $2 cash.

Mike

My road atlas says it has 4 exits and 2 interchanges;

Interchange I-55
Exit 127th Street in Lemont
Exit Archer Avenue in Homer Glen
Exit 159th Street in Lockport
Exit Southwest Highway (US6) in New Lenox
Interchange I-80

Las Vegas and Phoenix both have beltways under construction.

Here in Ohio, State Route 161 is being built out as an expressway in Columbus (approx. 10 miles). U.S. 24 will be built out as a 22 mile expressway in the southwest Toledo suburbs. These are fully controlled access. There are also a number of rural routes that are being built out to "Parkway" standards with 4 lanes of mostly controlled access, but with the occasional traffic light.

Not really, it is mainly to serve local traffic. There were plans to further extend I-355 to the southeast and east and its I-80 interchange was laid out to allow for it, but its proposed routing has been heavily developed over and any additional extension in such a manner is unlikely to happen within my lifetime.

OTOH, since it opened, I have looked upon I-39 as an 'outer-outer bypass' of Chicagoland. There is a freeway/tollway planned for west of the Fox River ('Prairie Parkway'), but it faces an uncertain future. One was planned to run north-south east of the Fox River, but it was never built and its planned ROW has since been completely developed over. Hopelessly overcongested IL 59 was the result of that non-project.

I-355 opened for business at about 2200 local time on Sunday. Toll each way between I-55 and I-80 is $1 I-PASS/EZPass and $2 cash.

Mike

Thanks for the information.

I guess this is good news for the people who live in that area. From what I read from the Tribune, it's in the booming exurbs.

http://i14.tinypic.com/7yib7mt.png

I didn't realize it opened today.

From Wikipedia:

Southern extension
Des Plaines River Valley Bridge during Roll the Tollway opening ceremonies on November 11, 2007.
Des Plaines River Valley Bridge during Roll the Tollway opening ceremonies on November 11, 2007.

In late 2005, construction began on the 12.5 miles (20.1 km) long southern extension of I-355 from I-55 in Bolingbrook to I-80 in New Lenox. This portion was built very similar to the portion of I-355 between Interstate 88 and Interstate 55. Prior to construction, local residents protested against the expressway because of reduction in their property values. In addition, some environmentalists protested because of the sensitivity of the Des Plaines River wetlands where construction would take place. Will County officials lobbied for the extension in an attempt to boost economic development in the Joliet-to-Woodridge corridor. New malls are currently planned in New Lenox and local property values are expected to increase in the area given the new access to the western and northwestern suburbs.[4]

Plans for the southern extension were nearly brought to a halt in 1995 after discovery of the Hine's Emerald Dragonfly, an endangered species, near the river wetlands. The project was allowed to continue after construction crews were trained on how to work near the habitat. The crews also agreed to keep carcasses of any dragonfly kills. In addition, separate habitats for the dragonfly were developed near the Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve in Lemont and in two other preserves in Cook and Will counties.[5]

Bidding on an excavation contract passed on November 18, 2004 with construction beginning several days later. The southern extension to I-80 opened to traffic on November 12, 2007.[6]

One of the most notable features of the new highway is the Des Plaines River Valley Bridge, a bridge over the Des Plaines River, the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, the Illinois and Michigan Canal, Bluff Road, New Avenue, numerous railroads, and a major Commonwealth Edison utility corridor. The bridge is 1.3 miles (2.1 km) long.

A ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony was held on Veterans Day 2007 (November 11, 2007) when the entire length of I-355 was officially renamed the Veterans Memorial Tollway.[7] The ceremony was held near the interchange at 127th Street in Lemont. In addition to the dedication, the day's activities included a Charity Walk/Run/Roll and a Charity Bike Ride. [8] After noting the success of the festival, ISTHA announced plans to repeat the event, including closure of the entire southern extension, annually.[9] The southern extension was opened to motorized traffic in the predawn hours of November 12.

Las Vegas and Phoenix both have beltways under construction.
.

Any infos and pictures from some local guys about this beltways?
Generaly I wish to see some more relations from various freeway construction from across US on this thread.
Suprisingly few pictures of any construction comparing with some other countries subforums (eastern europeans do good job with construction updates)
Come on guys, there are over 300 milions of Americans. Someone has to have camera ;)

Any infos and pictures from some local guys about this beltways?
Generaly I wish to see some more relations from various freeway construction from across US on this thread.
Suprisingly few pictures of any construction comparing with some other countries subforums (eastern europeans do good job with construction updates)
Come on guys, there are over 300 milions of Americans. Someone has to have camera ;)



http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff140/taiwanesedrummer36/las_vegas_map.gif

Las Vegas Beltway links:
- Rocky Mountain Roads: Nevada Interstate 215/Bruce Woodbury Beltway (http://www.rockymountainroads.com/i-215_nv.html)
- Inner loop I-215 Beltway pictures (http://www.rockymountainroads.com/i-215a_nv.html) (from 2004)
- Inner loop CC-215/future I-215 Beltway pictures (http://www.rockymountainroads.com/i-215b_nv.html) (from 2004)
- Outer loop CC-215/future I-215 Beltway pictures (http://www.rockymountainroads.com/i-215c_nv.html) (from 2006)
- Outer loop I-215 Beltway pictures (http://www.rockymountainroads.com/i-215d_nv.html) (from 2006)



http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff140/taiwanesedrummer36/phoenix_map.gif

Phoenix loop freeways links:
- Rocky Mountain Roads: Phoenix metropolitan area (http://www.rockymountainroads.com/phoenix.html)
- AZ Loop 101: inner loop pictures (http://www.rockymountainroads.com/az-101.html) (from 2003 & 2007)
- AZ Loop 101: outer loop pictures (http://www.rockymountainroads.com/az-101a.html) (from 2003, 2004 & 2007)
- AZ Loop 202: Red Mountain Freeway pictures (http://www.rockymountainroads.com/az-202a.html) (from 2003 & 2007)
- AZ Loop 202: Santan Freeway pictures (http://www.rockymountainroads.com/az-202b.html) (from 2004 & 2006)
- AZ Loop 303: Estrella Parkway initial segment (http://www.rockymountainroads.com/az-303.html)


That should keep you occupied for a couple of weeks.

This is a 30 km or so long section of (future) I-22 northwest of Birmingham, AL, with a dedication ceremony to be held in the afternoon of Wednesday, 2007-11-14.

http://www.al.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-32/1195050553239590.xml&storylist=alabamanews

:dance:

Mike

Not really, it is mainly to serve local traffic. There were plans to further extend I-355 to the southeast and east and its I-80 interchange was laid out to allow for it, but its proposed routing has been heavily developed over and any additional extension in such a manner is unlikely to happen within my lifetime.
A small followup on this one, the Village of New Lonox, IL DOES have a plan for a potential I-355 southeast extension, it would diverge from I-80 just west of its broad 'S' curve west of I-355.

See:
http://www.lannert.com/projects/cconsult/new%20lenox/nlcomp.html
for that part of New Lonox's comp. plan.

Mike

http://i11.tinypic.com/6q366j7.png

This is a 30 km or so long section of (future) I-22 northwest of Birmingham, AL, with a dedication ceremony to be held in the afternoon of Wednesday, 2007-11-14.

http://www.al.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-32/1195050553239590.xml&storylist=alabamanews

:dance:

MikeHehe, thanks for the updates! Corridor X (10, I guess)? What kind of corridors are that? I didn't know you guys had them too. I live 5 km from its European counterpart. xD

OTOH, since it opened, I have looked upon I-39 as an 'outer-outer bypass' of Chicagoland. There is a freeway/tollway planned for west of the Fox River ('Prairie Parkway'), but it faces an uncertain future. One was planned to run north-south east of the Fox River, but it was never built and its planned ROW has since been completely developed over. Hopelessly overcongested IL 59 was the result of that non-project.


Mike


The Prairie Parkway was a pork project that former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert got funding for in the 2005 Federal Highway Bill. Chicago has I-294, I-355 and I-39 that serve as north-south beltways, so another route is not needed.

As far as I-69, the state of Indiana is going to start building a 2-mile portion from I-64 north in 2008. The state has allocated $700 million for construction of the interstate from Evansville to Crane Naval Warfare Center. The rest of the route is unfunded at this time.

Hehe, thanks for the updates! Corridor X (10, I guess)? What kind of corridors are that? I didn't know you guys had them too. I live 5 km from its European counterpart. xD
It's a name we give as a part of the Appalachian Regional Commission(ARC) Development Corridors.

When completed, some of the corridors will be signed as Interstates and some will not be.

http://www.aaroads.com/arc/index.html

Corridor X will be I-22 when it has its connections between 2 interstates completed(I-69 in Memphis and I-65 in Birmingham). Until then, it'll just be signed as US 78 and "Future" I-22.

^ Oh, so the X is actually the letter, not number 10. Interesting, Appalachian corridors. :)

I-22? Wow, this is out of the blue...nice! :D

They're thinking of making US Route 113 an expressway from Milford south to the Maryland state line here in Delaware. Right now, it is a four lane, divided, higher-speed, surface highway (huge median) with few interchanges and even less traffic lights.

If this is approved and gets built, many people think that Delaware Route 1 will be turned into an expressway from where the expressway ends at Dover Air Force Base south to Milford. This would provide an expressway from the northern end of the state to the southern end of the state.

1994 Los Angeles Earthquake :ohno:

mcoHJHo8d6k

What happened to these broken stack interchanges in LA?

They were repaired rather quickly.

^^

Yeah. The repairs was so quick that everyone forgot about the Northridge Earthquake years later.

When I visited the U.S. I was extremely amazed by the great motorways in the U.S. The extensiveness of them was a true wonder. Some of my favourites were Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Ohio. Some of the worse I noticed were Pennsylvania, Michigan and New York.

When I visited the U.S. I was extremely amazed by the great motorways in the U.S. The extensiveness of them was a true wonder. Some of my favourites were Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Ohio. Some of the worse I noticed were Pennsylvania, Michigan and New York.

A lot of the freeways in Pennsylvania and New York were built in the 1940s and 1950s, so they are pretty old.

The freeways in Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida are all new or have been extensively rebuilt in the past few years (as is the case in Georgia).

A 10 km long section of I-74 opened on Friday, 2007-11-30, in the area of Maxton, NC.

See:

https://apps.dot.state.nc.us/pio/releases/details.aspx?r=1448

:dance:

Mike

Nice, that is just southwest of Fayetteville, and will eventually connect Charlotte with the I-95.

Guys, pictures from some freeways construction please. Someone posted links to loops constructions in Las Vegas and Phoeanix.
Then there were infos about opening some short freeways here and there.
That's it???
Are there any longer freeways under construction anywhere?

Noone is interested in constructions? Noone takes pictures to post them online?
In Poland when there is any construction, some crazy (in positive way) guys post pictures almost daily.

Yeah Poland is pretty active. In fact i think there isn't any infrastructure subforum on SSC that's so active.

Well, this is probably due to the fact that the motorway system in the US is very mature at this point. Poland, on the other hand, is in the process of extensively expanding its road infrastructure.

North Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles, taken 11-18-2007. Most people might not find the flat stretch beautiful but I thought it was.

http://i12.tinypic.com/6k7p0nd.jpg
http://i15.tinypic.com/6yob2xe.jpg
http://i19.tinypic.com/87cm42d.jpg
http://i14.tinypic.com/6ladwg6.jpg

Almost out of the mountians:
http://i5.tinypic.com/8a2ocxk.jpg

Speed Limit 70, flat land for the next couple hundred miles (more or less):
http://i5.tinypic.com/6kk7ytg.jpg

http://i6.tinypic.com/828g02q.jpg
http://i13.tinypic.com/73mbgae.jpg

When I lived in Sacramento, I made four round-trips to Los Angeles on I-5 and found the road rather boring and monotonous. Even Nevada's stretch of I-80 with its endless desert did not seem as boring as the Central California's I-5.

When I lived in Sacramento, I made four round-trips to Los Angeles on I-5 and found the road rather boring and monotonous. Even Nevada's stretch of I-80 with its endless desert did not seem as boring as the Central California's I-5.

Haha, it did look boring on the flat stretch. I think the excitement of being in California for the first time kept me awake.

That flat stretch looks kinda old with those concrete plates. The looks reminds me of a 1960's German Autobahn.

http://i15.tinypic.com/6yob2xe.jpg

Why do they have those grooves on so many of California's expressways? :dunno:

drainage perhaps? It doesn't look exactly like water-absorbing pavement...

Radi mode
The pavement is really crappy! I'm surprised, this is THE road on the West Coast, something like this would be inconceivable in the EU.
End Radi mode

Radi mode
The pavement is really crappy! I'm surprised, this is THE road on the West Coast, something like this would be inconceivable in the EU.
End Radi mode

Please change "EU" to "Stroma, God of all that is asphalt and concrete" and only then will it sound like Radi.

FM 2258, the interstate on your pics looks really bad, such a motorway wouldn´t be allowed anywhere in europe, the concrete must be really awful to drive on, I am happy we have very smooth asphalt here on the nationalroads, what bothers me msot is that on one of your pics there are aktually potholes on the asphalt which is very bad for a motorway.

FM 2258, the interstate on your pics looks really bad, such a motorway wouldn´t be allowed anywhere in europe,

Yet, Belgium and Germany are full of it.

Yet, Belgium and Germany are full of it.

Chris, I am not talking about that they used concrete but about the condition of the motorway which isn´t very good. There are parts which are way worse to the very old part of the E79 which I´ve shown here, the old part has rosty crashbarriers and old and already rough asphalt but no potholes and bumps at all.

drainage perhaps? It doesn't look exactly like water-absorbing pavement...

Certainly not... it's concrete.

I think the sole purpose of those grooves is to incrise friction, to enhance safety.
They could be transversal, and maybe in that case they would help in the drainage, but these longitudinal ones doesn't appear to help much in that...

I guess it's a grip thing then... especially in curves with sideward-forces. Flat concrete can be very slippery, even without rain.

Interstates are expensive to maintain. Plus, the whole bidding-process brings highway maintainance and construction in most areas of the US to a snail's pace. What the country desperately is a revitalized network of regional rail systems.

I don't understand where these car hogs get the idea that driving is fun. I hate driving! You sit in a car for hours and hours while your eyes die from looking at highway and your body cramps from sitting and sitting and sitting. At least on a train or plane you can walk around when it suits your fancy.


:applause: Fabulous! This is the first time I saw a comment on SSC by a fellow North American who dislikes the driving culture & Supporting the growth of regional rail systems in North America.

Nevertheless, we must admit that parts of our interstate system is one of the best all around the world. The interchange in Dallas is purely superb.

I guess it's a grip thing then... especially in curves with sideward-forces. Flat concrete can be very slippery, even without rain.

Exactly--- the speed limit over such interstate portion is comparable to Autobahn, there are more magnificient bank curves over the rugged, open terrain in the Southwest.

The Interstates are impressive, its the drivers that makes it suck to drive.

You may say so.

I don't know about the flat areas, but most of the I-5 pictures show steep hills, which are simply spectacular, very beautiful! :)

But here I can agree with some of the previous posters about the condition of this interstate. The pavement quality looks simply horrible in places. But of course, this is an old discussion, and it is no secret that many roads in North America aren't maintained as well as they should be.

EDIT: Especially the pavement in this picture: http://i5.tinypic.com/6kk7ytg.jpg. Such conditions are simply unacceptable on a major freeway. Reminds me of some sections of the A20 in Quebec, Canada. On Ontario's 400-series I generally have not seen such a bad state of disrepair, but our system is much smaller, and I guess easier to maintain.

I guess it's a grip thing then... especially in curves with sideward-forces. Flat concrete can be very slippery, even without rain.

Exactly... grip was the word I was looking for. Those groves are made right after the concrete is poured, when it's still workable, and they can be made longitudinally (like in this case) or transversally, and their purpose is to enhance the grip, as completelly flat concrete would be too slipery.

An exaple of transversal grooves on A-66 in Spain:
And this is how the concrete looks.
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u148/adcava/HPIM1495.jpg

^^

I love the sound those grooves make, at least how they sound in the U.S. with that light whistle that always reminds me of a jet plane for some reason.

I think the people living near the freeway are not so pleased with the sound ;)

That's why we use PAC in the Netherlands on 90% of our motorways (goal = 100%). It reduces noise quite a lot compared to ordinary concrete.

A 10 km long section of I-74 opened on Friday, 2007-11-30, in the area of Maxton, NC.

See:

https://apps.dot.state.nc.us/pio/releases/details.aspx?r=1448

:dance:

Mike

Good news.

However...what I don't understand is why NC is calling the highway that they are building "I-74". The completed part of I-74 that we all know about ends in Cincinnati, which is far away from the parts that NC is building and the states in between (Virginia, and I presume West Virginia and Kentucky) are not building their sections anywhere as fast.

I think they will eventually need to change it...it's such a big mistake on the whole numbering system...the number is too high, and it's not going in the right direction (it's supposed to go east-west, not north-south), and there's already a US 74 in North Carolina. Ironically, this highway meets it!

(end roadgeek mode :lol:)

^^

I thought in North Carolina Interstate 74 was merged with Interstate 73 for a while. I wonder if this part coincides with 73.

^ I think it does.

I-73 is also another road that looks iffy that it will get completed. A lot of states to the north (especially Ohio) are moving slowly to actually plan their sections. That, or North Carolina is moving too fast, if that makes sense. But at least it makes more sense than I-74.

^ I think it does.

I-73 is also another road that looks iffy that it will get completed. A lot of states to the north (especially Ohio) are moving slowly to actually plan their sections. That, or North Carolina is moving too fast, if that makes sense. But at least it makes more sense than I-74.
Here's the thing I don't get.

Why can't US 35 in Ohio(which is all freeway from I-75 to WV) not be designated as I-73? Then just duel I-73 and I-75 to Toledo and then run 127 as I-73 on up into Michigan and onto upgraded old US 27?

Here's the thing I don't get.

Why can't US 35 in Ohio(which is all freeway from I-75 to WV) not be designated as I-73? Then just duel I-73 and I-75 to Toledo and then run 127 as I-73 on up into Michigan and onto upgraded old US 27?

That would serve no purpose, other than to say, "hey look, this road is two expressways instead of one!"

When I-73 was being considered in Ohio in the early 1990's, it would have been an expressway link between Toledo and Columbus (a very painful, congested corridor which I travel far too often :ohno:), continuing to the Southeast. It would have replaced U.S. 23. But due to budget constraints and NIMBY's it was never built and the state has cancelled all plans.

Today, segments of U.S. 23 are so urbanized (especially in Delaware County which exploded in population) it's going to be 10 times as difficult and expensive to build out this route.

That would serve no purpose, other than to say, "hey look, this road is two expressways instead of one!"

When I-73 was being considered in Ohio in the early 1990's, it would have been an expressway link between Toledo and Columbus (a very painful, congested corridor which I travel far too often :ohno:), continuing to the Southeast. It would have replaced U.S. 23. But due to budget constraints and NIMBY's it was never built and the state has cancelled all plans.

Today, segments of U.S. 23 are so urbanized (especially in Delaware County which exploded in population) it's going to be 10 times as difficult and expensive to build out this route.
Which is why I-73 needs to go the way of I-80/90 from Chicago to Cleveland, only on I-75 and from Toledo to Dayton. Then go on US 35 and take that all the way to WV.

No it doesn't solve US 23's issues but it's the next best thing toward a complete I-73 from Michigan to South Carolina. (and it avoids Columbus with additional truck traffic).

Another option if you don't want I-73/75 from Toledo to Dayton is I-73/75 from Toledo to Wapakoneta, then freeway US 33 from Bellefontaine westward till Wapakoneta.

From there, take 270 from 33 at Dublin on down to 23 South as I-73 and then US 23 south freeway'd(since South of Columbus is not built up at all).

I don't see the point in I-73 going through Ohio unless it involves new expressway construction. Ohio isn't some redneck state desperate for a new expressway at all costs that it would take one added on in name only to one of the already existing ones.

I don't see the point in I-73 going through Ohio unless it involves new expressway construction. Ohio isn't some redneck state desperate for a new expressway at all costs that it would take one added on in name only to one of the already existing ones.
Cough*I-80/90*cough Cough*I-39/90/94*cough

Besides, US 35 is a relatively new freeway anyway.

Radi mode
The pavement is really crappy! I'm surprised, this is THE road on the West Coast, something like this would be inconceivable in the EU.
End Radi mode


:lol:



FM 2258, the interstate on your pics looks really bad, such a motorway wouldn´t be allowed anywhere in europe, the concrete must be really awful to drive on, I am happy we have very smooth asphalt here on the nationalroads, what bothers me msot is that on one of your pics there are aktually potholes on the asphalt which is very bad for a motorway.

I would think with a 41,000+ mile freeway system, there are bound to be a couple potholes somewhere in the system.

:lol:





I would think with a 41,000+ mile freeway system, there are bound to be a couple potholes somewhere in the system.

yes but the united states is supposed to be rich yet still has such shitty motorways. the struma and the trakiya are much smoother and shinier than these pictures and that's without the money that the EU is supposed to give us, those idoits. look at this: (some picture of substandard freeway from a bulgarian bus) and tell me that it wouldnt be the best in the US if built there

:rofl:

ADCS, nah, it's too intelligent. No one would believe it's Radi.

Sorry, couldn't bring myself to misspell more than one word

After several years of delay due to unforeseen acid rock (iron pyrite) formations that were found during construction, I-99 between Bald Eagle Village and State College, PA will open sometime this week, date/time dependent on weather.

http://www.centredaily.com/news/local/story/283119.html

:dance:

Mike

I-99 is a weird number there... I-95 and I-97 are more to the east, doesn't fit quite within the system...

I-99 is a weird number there... I-95 and I-97 are more to the east, doesn't fit quite within the system...
Yea, that number was written into federal law by a local USHouse representative when he inserted the project into a Federal highway funding bill back in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

:nuts:

Also, some more info on this project:

http://www.centredaily.com/news/local/story/286478.html

Mike

A 5 km section of (future) I-73/840 on the west side of Greensboro, NC opens on Tuesday, 2007-12-18.

http://www.digtriad.com/news/local_state/article.aspx?storyid=94695&catid=57

Also check out the KEWL video of a drive on this new section of interstate in the above link.

:dance:

Mike

Wow, NC motorways have European-like entrance and exit lane marking :)

New video from the same guy, with Christmas cheer:

DTOC-r00TPg

-I'd want to see I-69 fully completed from Indy to Brownsville
-I-49 from Kansas City to Shreveport
-I-73 in its entirety(even if that means saving costs in Ohio by making US 35 into I-73 and dueling up I-75/73 from Toledo to Dayton, much in the way I-39/90/94 is in Wisconsin)
-I-74 from Cincinnati eastward to West Virginia and then southward to SC

and in Canada...

-Highway 400 in Ontario all the way north to Sudbury.
-Highway 417 all the way west from Ottawa to the Manitoba border.
-A-73 all the way south to Maine
-A-30 in its entirety
-A-85 in its entirety
-A-5 from Gatineau east to A-15(and complete that too).

That's just me.

You guys?

Freeways are a thing of the past. Invest your $40 bill in some public transport/rail... real infrastrcuture.

Freeways are a thing of the past. Invest your $40 bill in some public transport/rail... real infrastrcuture.
Trucks will always be the lifeline of trade.

Public Transport doesn't do jack for Trucks. Rail is doing all it can with freight. This has a lot more to do with Trucks then anything else. We will always need freeways for semis. Distribution Centers locate by freeways. Look at China and their extensive buildout of freeways(which incidentally in Eastern China, are never "free" and several roads are actually listed on the Hong Kong Exchange to be bought and sold as a commodity or bond). It's all about the Trucks.

how about a highspeed rail coast to coast in canada...

-Two new 6 or 8 lane Saint Claire River crossings in the Detroit-Windsor area along with needed new connecting freeways on each side (all entries that I make here assume a Canada-USA customs union allowing the border checkpoints to be removed);

-A new Niagara River crossing between I-290 and the QEW on the north edge of Buffalo, NY/Fort Erie, ON;

-Interstate compatible highway upgrades between Vancouver, BC and Calgary and Edmonton, AB, along with better connections between that and I-5;

-A new-ROW I-25 extension from I-90 near Sheridan, WY via the Tongue River to I-94 in the Miles City, MT area, then continuing northward from I-94 roughly along MT 16 from Glendive, MT to continue along SK 6 to Regina, SK;

-Interstate compatible highway upgrades along US 2 and US 41 between I-75 at Saint Ignace, MI and Green Bay, WI. Also a direct freeway connection between the International Bridge at SSM and a new major highway running eastward from SSM towards Sudbury, ON (twin the bridge?);

-Extend I-35 from Duluth, MN to Thunder Bay, ON.

That should just aboot eat up $40G.

:yes:

Mike

how about a highspeed rail coast to coast in canada...
Still won't solve the Trucking situation. I'm thinking for your area, get Highway 1 east from Winnipeg widened to 4 lanes to the Ontario Border, and then have either Highway 11 or 17 widened to 4 Lanes to Thunder Bay(and 4 Lane Highway 61 all the way south to Duluth, MN as a collaboration between MTO and MNDOT to be both I-35 and a new 400-series Highway) and then Highway 17 widened to 4 Lanes to Sault Ste. Marie(where it can tie into I-75).

It's ALL about truck traffic and vastly improving logistics for your nation. As we all know, Canada has a ways to go before having as tightly integrated logistics like the USA and EU have.

A new 3 km section of I-64 (upgraded from the prior US 40) opened on Tuesday, 2007-12-18 in suburban Saint Louis, MO.

http://www.modot.org/stlouis/news_and_information/District6News.shtml?action=displaySSI&newsId=14559

:dance:

Mike

^^

It seems like there quite a few new stretches of Interstate opening up this year. This is good. :)

Here are some pictures of northbound Interstate 710 heading from Interstate 405 to the Alondra Blvd/Compton Exit in the Los Angeles area. It's no Struma Motorway or highway with fantastic views but still a very vital part of our wonderful Interstate highway system:

All taken in the afternoon of November 16, 2007:


http://i12.tinypic.com/86py68y.jpg
http://i13.tinypic.com/89kn58w.jpg
http://i17.tinypic.com/81s3cpy.jpg
http://i11.tinypic.com/73ccsb9.jpg
http://i9.tinypic.com/8avxd14.jpg
http://i18.tinypic.com/85mnnf7.jpg
http://i12.tinypic.com/82aa44k.jpg
http://i12.tinypic.com/6tmslkg.jpg
http://i7.tinypic.com/6sl9q2g.jpg
http://i2.tinypic.com/6ydkoyd.jpg
http://i15.tinypic.com/6ludw6c.jpg
http://i6.tinypic.com/8644q4k.jpg
http://i7.tinypic.com/8bgnnkp.jpg

As mentioned above, the southern branch of the Trans-Canada highway (Hwy. 1/5/97 in BC) should be brought up to freeway standards from Calgary to Kamloops, as well as from Kamloops back to Chiliwack. This isn't just due to traffic - in the highway's current configuration, it is unsafe. There are a lot of fatal wrecks in the mountains between Alberta and BC. Also, Canada's main port to the orient is the port of Vancouver, and it would be good to widen the Trans-Can out of Vancouver to Calgary for cargo shipping alone.

This isn't exclusive of rail lines; rail lines could be overhauled or installed at the same time the highway is rebuilt.

This would be expensive in the short-term, certainly. But it is the type of investment in infrastructure that makes the whole economy richer.

...
-Highway 400 in Ontario all the way north to Sudbury.
...


As far as I know, this is being done in various stages as we speak, many parts scheduled to be completed circa 2009-2010.

That's a nice video. Also the 6 lane change! :)

Wow the pavement looks extremely old, and so are the signs. But i guess repaving it (in this case, i think it needs whole new concrete slabs), causes chaos in the low density of freeways there is in Los Angeles.

(otherwise of what people think, Los Angeles doesn't have a very large freeway system, when counted to population, remember there live 18 million people there).

Freeways are a thing of the past. Invest your $40 bill in some public transport/rail... real infrastrcuture.


Oh yeah? Since when is public transportation more efficient than cars?

Wow the pavement looks extremely old, and so are the signs. But i guess repaving it (in this case, i think it needs whole new concrete slabs), causes chaos in the low density of freeways there is in Los Angeles.

(otherwise of what people think, Los Angeles doesn't have a very large freeway system, when counted to population, remember there live 18 million people there).
It may be old pavement, but without the freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw-etc thing in the Los Angeles area that much of the rest of the USA, Canada and Europe faces, it will have a much longer life, even with choking levels of traffic.

It may look old and tired, but if it gives a smooth ride, why replace it?

Mike

Yeah i think so. And unlike Europe, i think the far majority of the traffic knows what to expect because they drive there everyday. In Europe there are far more foreign trucks and not-local traffic on the roads.

It may look old and tired, but if it gives a smooth ride, why replace it?
Southern California motorways and expressways will often give you a very bumpy ride :ohno: It's not that it would damage your suspension, but they are definitely not Struma, not even close :D

The 710 (Long Beach Freeway) gets a ton of truck traffic because it goes directly to the combined ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. There was a plan for truck lanes and carpool lanes (and some of the freeway was repaved a few years back) and most of it would go on the ROW that parallels the freeway, but I haven't heard about it for a long time, but the concrete barriers on the freeway makes me think that maybe they're going to start working on it soon?

I would focus on some of the most congested areas, one being the Seattle region. It is controversial, but I believe an eastside North-South bypass should be built east of I-405, taking a lot of truck traffic off of I-5 and I-405. Unfortunately, the residents of this area for the most part are dead set against it and it probably will never happen.

Staying out west, an alternate route (mainly for commercial traffic) should be built from Northern California up along the east side of the Cascades as far north as I-90 or beyond is another unlikely scenerio. I-5 is overburdened from Northern California to the Canadian border, and is the ONLY N-S freeway west of Idaho/Utah.

^^ I would understand why the residents of the area east of I-405 are much against this bypass.

As for the Nor-Cal to Canada alternative route, I have a hard time imagining where it could be built due to the geography of the region. I do, however, believe that there should be a direct link between Trans-Canada and I-5.

How about this extremely nice asphalt, i bet it could be better than the Struma.

http://i18.tinypic.com/434m595.png

http://i3.tinypic.com/5241lw2.png

Phoenix, AZ.

I think the US road system is quite completed for now. Some US-routes which have lots of expressway-grade sections could be upgraded to full freeway standards, but i think i would much of that 40 billion dollars to dig freeways in in urban area's. It makes people more appreciate freeways.

I think the US road system is quite completed for now. Some US-routes which have lots of expressway-grade sections could be upgraded to full freeway standards, but i think i would much of that 40 billion dollars to dig freeways in in urban area's. It makes people more appreciate freeways.
Won't help with truck traffic. It's not efficient for trucks to travel though tunnels for long distances(say, 2-3 miles or longer). Why else do you think truck traffic is so heavily restricted through tunnels worldwide?

They took old tires and recycled it in with asphalt to make it super smooth and quiet to drive.

They put the asphalt on that overpass? Either it's really lightweight asphalt or that's one strong bridge.

I don't understand why there is all this talk about building more freeways because of semis. Freight is more efficient on rail. Semis are gas guzzling behemoths that tear up the road. We should keep freight on rail as much as is possible. Any $40 billion that the US gets should be spent on upgrading rail. The current budget for freeways is sufficient.

I don't understand why there is all this talk about building more freeways because of semis. Freight is more efficient on rail. Semis are gas guzzling behemoths that tear up the road. We should keep freight on rail as much as is possible. Any $40 billion that the US gets should be spent on upgrading rail. The current budget for freeways is sufficient.
Rails alone are impractical for the "Just in Time" Logistical world we live in today.

Intermodal Centers serve to move cargo between Sea Port, Airport, Rail, and/or Semi.

We need all 4 in order to be optimal in logistics.

Oh no, I'm not saying rail exclusively, but we don't need any major upgrades to our freeway system until our rail system is upgraded.

Thought it would be nice to have a dedicated thread regarding Kentucky's (highway) transportation infrastructure. I've posted news clippings for years at several newsgroups and Yahoo! groups as well.

--

Personal notes:
The eastern bypass is a four-lane divided highway with access points at major intersections and approximately every 2,000 feet to serve farms and local businesses -- although this has been abused in other cities to serve the whims of sprawling development that reduces the LOS and functionality of the bypass.

The southern end of the bypass ends at a T-intersection with existing four-lane US 127 and the ramp from US 127 northbound to US 127 Bypass northbound is a sharp 25 MPH ramp -- essentially a right-turn. At the very least, this needs to be corrected with a banked high-speed ramp. Existing intersections with major roads should also be considered for potential interchanges as well.

100 turn out to hear about Harrodsburg bypass (http://www.amnews.com/public_html/?module=displaystory&story_id=36364&format=html)
By Ann R. Harney, Advocate-Messenger, November 20, 2007

HARRODSBURG - More than 100 Mercer Countians took the opportunity Monday to learn and comment about a possible bypass around the northwest side of Harrodsburg.

Possible may be the operative word. One of the questions people were asked on a comment form was whether a bypass is needed.

A slide show presentation ran constantly through the session from 4-7 p.m. at Lions Community Center.

Large maps were available for study. Smaller versions of the same map were given to people when they signed in, and they could be marked by people who wanted to show where they thought the roadway should go.

The proposal is to put the road from the Industrial Spur of the current bypass around to Mackville Road, but no actual route has been drawn or even considered. A map showing a corridor of 1,000 to 2,000 feet wide has been circulated.

On hand at the meeting were representatives of the District 7 office, including Stuart Goodpaster, branch manager for planning, who said he was surprised at the large number of people who attended.

Mercer County Judge-Executive John Trisler said he was not surprised at the turnout, but he was pleased.

Also on hand were representatives of Bluegrass Area Development District and QK4, an engineering firm from Louisville that the state has hired as consulting engineers on the project.

A bypass is being considered because of traffic congestion on the northwest side of the city. The Mercer County School District is the source of some of the congestion, and some thought has been given to making Moberly Road four lanes from the Industrial Spur to a trailer park on the road. Moberly Road is a key north-south corridor for reaching the various Mercer County schools.

Mercer Superintendent Bruce Johnson said that would be his preference and the school board would donate the land. It owns most of the land on both sides of the road.

A new Mercer County Senior High School is being built, and the added traffic from that building is likely to be on Moberly Road.

State needs your input

Whatever the opinions of the public, the state highway department will depend heavily on them. In addition to filling out forms, the public may call the District 7 office in Lexington and send letters within 15 days of Monday's meeting.

Letters can be sent to P.O. Box 11127, Lexington, Ky., 40512, attention Jim Rummage. There also was a court reporter at the gathering to take down verbal comments.

"People think we've picked a route," said David Thacker of District 7's public information office. "We haven't."

Engineers will look at each of the comments to get a feeling of what the people want and develop alternate routes on a map.

State officials will return to Harrodsburg in six months to a year, Thacker said, to make a final determination of what the people want. Then, if a bypass is wanted, officials will approach the General Assembly for money, probably during the 2010 or 2012 sessions.

State Rep. Milward Dedman, D-Harrodsburg, said the meeting was part of the very earliest of steps toward a possible road.

Mercer County Magistrate Ronnie Sims is most concerned about the safety of a possible roadway. The south entrance and one intersection on the current bypass have been the site of several serious traffic accidents. Several tractor-trailer trucks have overturned on the south entrance, and federal funds have been allocated for remediation of those sites. However the work has not been done.

"I don't want the problems we have with the east bypass," Sims said. "It was not properly designed, and it's a mess."

you still we need trucks to ship the stuff from train terminals to places...

Also there are not only a few dozen places where trucks deliver, there are tens of thousands in any big city. To serve each place by rail is impractical.


Anyways i say making the 401 6-8 lanes thrugh ontario.

Extend the collector-express system to Mississauga and Oshawa.

Rail freight is only efficient in very large numbers, like 500 tonnes of grain or dangerous goods.

Most cargo transports aren't that big. Also containers needs to be shipped, not only from A to B, but from A to B - Z. You can't do that efficient with rail. Most of those trains are probably not running on electricity, so it's also not so much better for the environment.

fm2258- Did you go to Compton?

Yeah i remember him asking that in a Los Angeles subforum.

fm2258- Did you go to Compton?

I did, let me update pictures in the subforum. I'll put a link to that here when I'm done.

Oh yeah? Since when is public transportation more efficient than cars?

When it is as available as the car. Look at London, New York, Paris, Tokyo- hell, any major city, and public transportation is far more efficient.

And public transportation doesn't POLLUTE or contribute to global warming.

I would invest very little in new road construction. The US Interstate system is quite extensive.

As for trucks, in certain high volume areas dedicated truck lanes could be built.

Most of the money should go to road upgrades and repairs.

When it is as available as the car. Look at London, New York, Paris, Tokyo- hell, any major city, and public transportation is far more efficient.

Yeah, but that's not affordable for any mid-size to large city, only for really large cities like the ones you mentioned. And even those cities like New York and Paris still have huge amounts of cars on their roads. It is an utopia to think public transportation can even meet the majority of transport demands, especially in the non-multi-million-cities.

And public transportation doesn't POLLUTE or contribute to global warming.

Since when do trains and buses run on wind? The most polluted streets in the Netherlands are the ones near busterminals. So public transportation may be more environment-friendly than the average american car, they are by far not climate-neutral.

I do agree on your second post though.

Won't help with truck traffic. It's not efficient for trucks to travel though tunnels for long distances(say, 2-3 miles or longer). Why else do you think truck traffic is so heavily restricted through tunnels worldwide?

I wouldn't be necessarily real tunnels, i was thinking about half sunken freeways in the ground. The noise is really reduced that way, without having to pollute the horizon with sound barriers. Near really nice locations, you can build a real tunnel, like they did on motorways in Barcelona for instance.

Won't help with truck traffic. It's not efficient for trucks to travel though tunnels for long distances(say, 2-3 miles or longer). Why else do you think truck traffic is so heavily restricted through tunnels worldwide?
Most tunnels that I know of allow big-rigs, but prohibit haz-mats. Haz-mat accidents are not pleasant in tunnels.

Mike

Again, I'm not saying RAIL ONLY, we just need to upgrade it because in many locations it is not a viable alternative to freeways. For example, the path to Las Vegas from Los Angeles is extremely congested and nothing more can be put on there, so trucks have to go on the 15, making traffic on that freeway even worse than it already is.

In my opinion, long distance rail is rather an alternative to flying than to car-trips.

Most tunnels that I know of allow big-rigs, but prohibit haz-mats. Haz-mat accidents are not pleasant in tunnels.

Mike

Hmm i remember the movie Daylight ;) (with Silvester Stallone).

Las Vegas is not too far a distance from Los Angeles, so many people just drive there. The traffic along the freeway is terrible. My argument is that a lot of that is caused by trucks because the freight route is saturated. We need to upgrade that and put a passenger rail line between Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

Las Vegas is not too far a distance from Los Angeles, so many people just drive there. The traffic along the freeway is terrible.

Really? CA DOT gives only 35.000 - 40.000 AADT for the section Barstow - Nevada (this is what i think you can call through traffic between LA and LV)

40.000 is nothing, even on 2x2 lanes.

It might be a lot more busy ofcourse on holidays, but when you only travel a certain road on holidays, it doesn't give a good view of what the traffic is on average.

I-5 between San Fransisco and LA is totally empty, at least when I drove that route 7 years ago with family.

Oh yeah? Since when is public transportation more efficient than cars?

Um...since forever. Transit has the capability to move many more people per hour than do cars & freeways. Take the 401 in Toronto for example. This is one of the busiest freeways in the world, yet still moves only 500,000 cars per day (and this is with huge traffic jams). Just the YUS subway, which is of a shorter length and doesn't run 24 hours carries more than that.


Yeah, but that's not affordable for any mid-size to large city, only for really large cities like the ones you mentioned.

What do we define as mid-sized to large? I'd say around 1-5,000,000 inhabitants or so? If so, just look no further than cities like Stockholm, Munich, Busan, Berlin, Copenhagen, Montreal, etc. All with extensive and well-used metros.

As long as the city is dense enough with a well designed transit system, it can move most people regardless of population.


And even those cities like New York and Paris still have huge amounts of cars on their roads. It is an utopia to think public transportation can even meet the majority of transport demands, especially in the non-multi-million-cities.

Well of course they are going to have lots of cars on the road. But the fact remains the majority of people in these cities use transit. You simply could not fit an extra 5 million cars in city like New York (going back to my point on efficiency - is it impossible to move such massive numbers of cars, while transit is fully capable).

A Super his speed train lines across north America

I've always liked that the LA/Orange County freeways don't try to apologize for being freeways. With the towering interchanges and large number of lanes, they don't try to hide what they are all about - driving. You won't find any 'parkways' with only 2 lanes in each direction and extremely wide grassy medians. These roads in LA are freeways and are proud of it. Does that make sense?

Um...since forever. Transit has the capability to move many more people per hour than do cars & freeways. Take the 401 in Toronto for example. This is one of the busiest freeways in the world, yet still moves only 500,000 cars per day (and this is with huge traffic jams). Just the YUS subway, which is of a shorter length and doesn't run 24 hours carries more than that.




What do we define as mid-sized to large? I'd say around 1-5,000,000 inhabitants or so? If so, just look no further than cities like Stockholm, Munich, Busan, Berlin, Copenhagen, Montreal, etc. All with extensive and well-used metros.

As long as the city is dense enough with a well designed transit system, it can move most people regardless of population.




Well of course they are going to have lots of cars on the road. But the fact remains the majority of people in these cities use transit. You simply could not fit an extra 5 million cars in city like New York (going back to my point on efficiency - is it impossible to move such massive numbers of cars, while transit is fully capable).

Again, a lot of countries have only a few very large cities. That is when public transportation can be efficient, but not so much for any 100.000 - 500.000 cities and their commuter area's. And efficiency is not always about capacity, but what about driving time? The car is often faster even with traffic jams. Public transportation do not start at your door, and doesn't bring you to your work exactly, you often need extra transportation, which adds up to the time.

I do agree PT is efficient in multi-million agglomerations, but the number of such large cities is only small compared to the numerous 75.000 - 500.000 population centers. You don't build a metro-network in a city with 150.000 inhabitants, that's not affordable for these cities. Even if you build one line, it is only efficient to a part of the city, since you can't serve an entire population with one line.

So my point is, except in the very large cities (million or more), public transportation can never outrun a car on typical suburb-to-job drives.
PT is fast from city center to city center, but the demand for such links is lower than the massive urban-job commute.

A fast rail-link in the United States is more an alternative to flying, and maybe some long car-trips, but not for the average commute. Therefore, there shouldn't be a comparison between freeways and highspeed rail, but between airplanes and highspeed rail.

^^ Not really :D

A couple from around Chicago.....

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter1.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter10.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter11.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter12.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter15.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter5.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter4.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter3.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter2.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter14.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter13.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter6.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter7.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter8.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter9.jpg

Um...since forever. Transit has the capability to move many more people per hour than do cars & freeways. Take the 401 in Toronto for example. This is one of the busiest freeways in the world, yet still moves only 500,000 cars per day (and this is with huge traffic jams). Just the YUS subway, which is of a shorter length and doesn't run 24 hours carries more than that.




What do we define as mid-sized to large? I'd say around 1-5,000,000 inhabitants or so? If so, just look no further than cities like Stockholm, Munich, Busan, Berlin, Copenhagen, Montreal, etc. All with extensive and well-used metros.

As long as the city is dense enough with a well designed transit system, it can move most people regardless of population.




Well of course they are going to have lots of cars on the road. But the fact remains the majority of people in these cities use transit. You simply could not fit an extra 5 million cars in city like New York (going back to my point on efficiency - is it impossible to move such massive numbers of cars, while transit is fully capable).

Too bad none of that will solve logistics relating to "just in time" transport. Semis will always be needed and vital to our continents. You can't expect to build a Distribution Center and only have it by a railline, or only by a port. You need a distribution center that's every bit as massive as what Target, Wal-Mart, or the US Military has at certain Army, Naval, and Air Force Bases.

Public Transit does nothing to solve the issue with goods, transport, and highly efficient "just in time" logistics. In a perfect world, all goods would be RFID tracked and transported in the absolute most direct manner. It just seems like so many on here don't want to see the importance of land based goods transport via 18 wheelers.

Again, a lot of countries have only a few very large cities. That is when public transportation can be efficient, but not so much for any 100.000 - 500.000 cities and their commuter area's.

As I said earlier, as long as a city is sufficiently dense and of a certain size with a well planned and organized transit network, that network will be able to sustain itself. Or, not be cost prohibitive for small municipalities, in other words.


And efficiency is not always about capacity, but what about driving time? The car is often faster even with traffic jams.

I'd say there are 4 parts to efficiency in this context - capacity, time, energy use, and cost.

Capacity: I think its been established that PT can always carry a far greater number of people than can cars.

Time: In congested larger, denser cities, transit will be faster, but of course, in smaller, sprawlier centres the car will likely take less time.

Energy: As long as there is a sufficient use of the system, it will use less energy per person that cars.

Cost: In many cases, transit systems are able to create a profit. Freeways are generally free to use and thus are wholly supported by tax payers. And of course, driving is much more expensive for the individual with gas costs, insurance, repairs, and the car itself.


A fast rail-link in the United States is more an alternative to flying, and maybe some long car-trips, but not for the average commute. Therefore, there shouldn't be a comparison between freeways and highspeed rail, but between airplanes and highspeed rail.

Can't say I recall even mentioning HSR, let alone it competing directly with the automobile.


Too bad none of that will solve logistics relating to "just in time" transport. Semis will always be needed and vital to our continents.

Well, yeah, uh, I wasn't exactally recommending that we ship our goods via subways. :lol:

Really? CA DOT gives only 35.000 - 40.000 AADT for the section Barstow - Nevada (this is what i think you can call through traffic between LA and LV)

40.000 is nothing, even on 2x2 lanes.

It might be a lot more busy ofcourse on holidays, but when you only travel a certain road on holidays, it doesn't give a good view of what the traffic is on average.

You should try driving that Friday nights and Sundays. It is terrible. A HSR line there would be a great investment, and it is being studied between Vegas and Anaheim.

I-5 between San Fransisco and LA is totally empty, at least when I drove that route 7 years ago with family.

Well it's not that way today.

As I said earlier, as long as a city is sufficiently dense and of a certain size with a well planned and organized transit network, that network will be able to sustain itself. Or, not be cost prohibitive for small municipalities, in other words.

But that's just the point: efficient PT demands a higher density. In that way, even a city with a few million people could be bad connected with PT, if it has a very low density. But does that really matter, if people are happy and commuters have acceptable travel times? Someone mentioned some european cities. The reason why those are relative well connected with PT is that, especiallly city centers, are very old, which represent in a high density. Keeping it accesible for cars is hard, but not impossible.

You build a city on the way people want to live, not on the way they want to be transported there. That's just accessory.

I'd say there are 4 parts to efficiency in this context - capacity, time, energy use, and cost.

For the daily commuter only the costs and (especially) time really matter.

Capacity: I think its been established that PT can always carry a far greater number of people than can cars.

A freeway can carry the same amount of people as a railway, if it's wide enough. What you mean is you problably need less space to carry the same amount of people. But even that is certainly not always true. Not every PT-line carries every 2 minutes some hundreds of people underneath a city centre. PT is always concentrating to places, so that means the majority of the line is underused. Besides from that, you need a lot of space to provide stations and railways to 'park' trains, on which you can't carry pessengers. So the space-effenciency of PT is questionable...

Time: In congested larger, denser cities, transit will be faster, but of course, in smaller, sprawlier centres the car will likely take less time.

In a way, that sounds like a demand that traffic should be stuck to make PT efficient. You're ignoring the consequences of the congestion problem. You'll never get problems solved with that attitude.

Energy: As long as there is a sufficient use of the system, it will use less energy per person that cars.

Trains also need a lot of electricity, or even diesel, as well as buses. I'm sure PT will use less energy per person, but does that really improve things? For the commuter it is, except for some extreme environmentalistics, not an important issue. Besides from that: some countries (especially in europe) are very dependant from car drivers, because a big part of the state's income comes from them...

Cost: In many cases, transit systems are able to create a profit. Freeways are generally free to use and thus are wholly supported by tax payers. And of course, driving is much more expensive for the individual with gas costs, insurance, repairs, and the car itself.

And PT lines are not supported by tax payers, you'd say? Driving may be more expensive, but if the driver gets back a (much) shorter travel time, it compensates for most of the people more than enough.

Don't get me wrong. Imo there still should be invested in PT. Only not for solving congestion problems, but for solving problems in PT itself.

For the daily commuter only the costs and (especially) time really matter.

And so the average commuter should not at all care about the environment? And regarding capacity, they wouldn't care about overly-congested roads or packed trains?


A freeway can carry the same amount of people as a railway, if it's wide enough. What you mean is you problably need less space to carry the same amount of people. But even that is certainly not always true.

Correct, you do need less space. Much, much less space, mind you. As I mentioned earlier, the 401 freeway in Toronto is one of the world's busiest with 500,000 cars being carried every day. For most of its width, however, it is 18 lanes (huge).

Compare this to the JR Yamanote line in Tokyo, which carries 3,550,000 people/day. For the 401 to carry this many people, it would need over 120 lanes.

The Yamanote is mostly at grade so it does take up some space (no more than a minor road though), but theoretically, it could be entirely underground and take up no space at all. For a 120 lane motorway to be underground however, would be quite the feat.


Besides from that, you need a lot of space to provide stations and railways to 'park' trains, on which you can't carry pessengers. So the space-effenciency of PT is questionable...

The space used on elevated stations & track, station entrances, and rail yards is minuscule compared to that used just by freeways, not to mention every other road, off/on ramp, and parking lot.

Going back to Toronto, let's just compare the TTC's main train yard vs. a stretch of the 401.

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/1977/davisvilleui7.jpg

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/6605/401jb1.jpg

Now, just multiply the latter by 40km (or more).


For the commuter it is, except for some extreme environmentalistics, not an important issue.

hmm, no. These days, more than just "extreme environmentalists" actually give half a shit about the earth.


And PT lines are not supported by tax payers, you'd say? Driving may be more expensive, but if the driver gets back a (much) shorter travel time, it compensates for most of the people more than enough.

Transit lines are supported by tax payers, yes, but unlike freeways and roads, they typically pay for themselves through fares after a few years.


Don't get me wrong. Imo there still should be invested in PT. Only not for solving congestion problems, but for solving problems in PT itself.

Right, and plenty of "investment" into roads for more cars, correct?

You should stop comparing cities with efficient public transportation (like Tokyo) to freeways. Those few cities were public transportation is actually a better alternative to cars (i would take the subway in New York or Madrid too), are no comparison to the thousands of 100.000 - 700.000 cities or low density urban area's (like the Randstad, Atlanta etc) where the car is much more efficient than public transportation.

However this discussion looks like to end up as a classic public transportation versus freeways one, forgetting that it are often different transportation demands/motives, and agglomeration circumstances (demographics, density, economy) can differ very much.

I personally love the way they do it in Spain, money don't seems to be an issue, and both public transportation and freeways are excellent. In other western European countries (like mine) the transportation budget is just laughable, and barely enough to maintain the network, let alone expanding/improving it.

Naturally the Semitruck gets lost in the discussion even though WE WILL ALWAYS NEED FREEWAYS FOR OUR GROWING SEMITRUCK POPULATION.

LOGISTICS. No amount of public transit will reduce the growth of semis on the road.

People still bring up the semi argument and its over. No one is arguing for rail exclusively.

It doesn't matter how many cars you take off the road, the number of semis to offset that will grow. The net effect is zero.

Remember that.

^^

Isn't that last picture Interstate 190? I think it's only destination is the airport and Interstate 90.

Can you provide proof to support that?

^^

Isn't that last picture Interstate 190? I think it's only destination is the airport and Interstate 90.

You also forgot the Canadian border :) It connects directly to Highway 405 in Ontario. I remember driving on it on my trip to NYC this summer, I posted some pictures long ago.

You also forgot the Canadian border :) It connects directly to Highway 405 in Ontario. I remember driving on it on my trip to NYC this summer, I posted some pictures long ago.
That's actually Highway 420 aka Pot Freeway.

EDIT: Those were pics from I-190 in Chicago. You guys are thinking of I-190 in Buffalo-Niagara.

^^ Oh, right, I didn't know there were multiple Interstates with the same number.

I don´t know about US numbers, but Dutch planning agency predicts truck traffic will grow with 80% in the next 15 years.

If we do nothing, some motorways will be a parking lot for trucks within 10 years. These motorways already faces 20 - 25% truck traffic, which takes up 50% of the capacity. If that grows with 80%, all capacity will be taken by trucks with 2x2 lanes, but most of those motorways have an overtaking prohibition, so all those trucks will never fit on one lane.

Our economy relies heavily on transportation, since we have 4 mainports nearby, the ports of Rotterdam, Antwerpen and Amsterdam, and Schiphol airport.

The Antwerp Deurganckdocks will be so busy, that every 3 seconds, a truck leaves. That means every 1,5 second a truck is underway from and to these docks. The majority of these trucks have to travel through the Netherlands at some point during the journey.

Some motorways already faces a wall of trucks, making it nearly impossible to exit or enter the motorway. This problem is not to be underestimated.

This is the entrance to the A67 motorway in Eindhoven.
http://lh6.google.com/ASWchris2/R2g6TFCBRzI/AAAAAAAAE40/fRrjCABgJiw/foto%20119.jpg?imgmax=512

http://lh5.google.com/ASWchris2/R2g6T1CBR1I/AAAAAAAAE5E/-CGZLCu3IMA/foto%20121.jpg?imgmax=512

http://lh3.google.com/ASWchris2/R2g6UVCBR2I/AAAAAAAAE5M/YILbiSbd-P8/foto%20122.jpg?imgmax=512

Trucks everywhere you can look.

This problem also occurs in Germany, where during sundays, all rest area's are overcrowded.
http://lh4.google.com/ASWchris/RrC9laCS5lI/AAAAAAAAEU4/u6LMOcplrJw/foto%20098DLD.jpg?imgmax=512

Nothing but trucks in Belgium.
http://lh3.google.com/ASWchris/RnxH9VI12-I/AAAAAAAABOU/R_cVkgHrHsw/foto%20068.jpg?imgmax=512

http://lh3.google.com/ASWchris/RpSvBTyBZAI/AAAAAAAADy8/u4L6C2-zQLc/foto%20111.jpg?imgmax=512

http://lh4.google.com/ASWchris/RpSvBjyBZBI/AAAAAAAADzE/-JPmbb6cPEM/foto%20112.jpg?imgmax=512

^^ Oh, right, I didn't know there were multiple Interstates with the same number.

There are actually quite a lot, though 3-digit numbers only.

I wonder what excuses Dutch environmentalists and NIMBYs are going to make for blocking motorway upgrades after all their major motorways are gridlocked?

There are actually quite a lot, though 3-digit numbers only.

I think the only exceptions to that are Interstates 84, 86, and 88 which are split in the middle of the country.

Ontario's media often dubs the 401 a factory on wheels because of the trucks

I think the only exceptions to that are Interstates 84, 86, and 88 which are split in the middle of the country.
There are two I-74s and two I-76s, too.

Mike

^^ Why? Sounds pretty confusing.

It's really not. The interstates are in different parts of the country so they don't cross each other. It's almost like they are absorbed by other interstates in the middle of the country.

There are two I-74s and two I-76s, too.

Mike

Haha...I forgot about those two.


^^ Why? Sounds pretty confusing.

The people that use Interstate 76 in the western part of the country probably don't know about the 76 in the eastern part of the country. They're so far apart I guess instead of using up a new number they decided to use the same number. It's not like you're on Interstate 84 in Idaho and trying to find it again in Connecticut, you're just on your local 84.



Edit:

It's really not. The interstates are in different parts of the country so they don't cross each other. It's almost like they are absorbed by other interstates in the middle of the country.



Exactly.

I took these pictures from December 24, 2006 in Western Louisiana and wanted to share. I love our Interstate system but even though it isn't perfect, it does a very good job. Starting from around mile 130 to the Texas Border. It was very rainy to start off but luckily it cleared up:





http://i9.tinypic.com/6t0pgjn.jpg
http://i14.tinypic.com/6t4kxzs.jpg
http://i15.tinypic.com/71q5dlt.jpg

Here I exited to look at some swamps. I like how in the United States the state highway sheilds slightly differ from the ones on the Exit sign:
http://i7.tinypic.com/6lsi3kg.jpg
http://i19.tinypic.com/6le0sqt.jpg


Back on West Interstate 10 swamp causeway. Not a bad ride but obviously you get bumps everytime you go over a bridge stand:
http://i13.tinypic.com/7y4iws7.jpg



Swamp:

http://i13.tinypic.com/6wvxwt0.jpg
http://i11.tinypic.com/6jvo9pg.jpg

Back on solid ground. It's hard to see because of the slick rain but the pavement here had cracks every 10 to 20 feet. So you're driving and you hear and feel the "clacking" sounds on your tires which I think is kinda cool:

http://i16.tinypic.com/8ezxesh.jpg
http://i8.tinypic.com/6t2jx3s.jpg
http://i7.tinypic.com/7275n9z.jpg

Out the back window of the shitty car I had back then:

http://i12.tinypic.com/727oghd.jpg

Ok here the pavement got really bad. It's like the cracks in the pavement were jolting the car. As you could imagine you hear and feel "thunk, ka-thunk, BOOM, thunk, BOOM, grumbe, BOOM...etc." If the Struma Motorway was the most beautiful woman you've seen, this strech of Interstate 10 was like a woman you don't even wanna fuck:

http://i4.tinypic.com/6lj0pdc.jpg
http://i2.tinypic.com/6o3lykh.jpg
http://i9.tinypic.com/8g4mqh2.jpg
http://i9.tinypic.com/71plx7s.jpg
http://i19.tinypic.com/72jljbc.jpg

Some roadside scenery:

http://i14.tinypic.com/6sbd21c.jpg

Exit 23 seems very appealing:

http://i7.tinypic.com/6k7w7j7.jpg
http://i2.tinypic.com/6k7p9pi.jpg

Appraching the bridge in Lake Charles:

http://i10.tinypic.com/6jd5emw.jpg



The Bridge:

http://i2.tinypic.com/867vno8.jpg
http://i14.tinypic.com/6wxg8w8.jpg
http://i13.tinypic.com/71vzpxi.jpg
http://i11.tinypic.com/8fbjqk7.jpg


The pavement got much better at this point. Looks like a repaving project was done in the past few years:

http://i6.tinypic.com/6yyx3c3.jpg

Then it got BAD again. Fucking awful, but I still love my Interstate system:

http://i3.tinypic.com/71rgtmp.jpg
http://i14.tinypic.com/866qnax.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/73f93zs.jpg

These next 3 pictures are dedicated to radi

http://i17.tinypic.com/8c1rbwl.jpg
http://i12.tinypic.com/81jzfrm.jpg
http://i16.tinypic.com/8dzkms5.jpg


The pavement got better again. Cool:

http://i16.tinypic.com/6sk52l2.jpg
http://i2.tinypic.com/86807iw.jpg
http://i12.tinypic.com/8g3uh50.jpg
http://i13.tinypic.com/8c3igdu.jpg


Texas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://i16.tinypic.com/82dbos1.jpg
http://i12.tinypic.com/6s8ny9k.jpg

I wonder what excuses Dutch environmentalists and NIMBYs are going to make for blocking motorway upgrades after all their major motorways are gridlocked?

Ruining the landscape. (which COULD be a good excuse) But those organisations are just hypocratic, here. They just refuse to accept to build one single inch of asphalt, even not if it is well fit in (like in the A6-A9 connection, they blocked the plan for even a complete tunnel for the whole secion...) I'm especially talking about milieudefensie here. They have a lot of power and unfortunately also a lot of adherents...

It's even worse, they have hired attorneys which are payed by the Dutch government. So we pay tax so these guys can make traffic jams and pollution worse!

-Two new 6 or 8 lane Saint Claire River crossings in the Detroit-Windsor area along with needed new connecting freeways on each side (all entries that I make here assume a Canada-USA customs union allowing the border checkpoints to be removed);

-A new Niagara River crossing between I-290 and the QEW on the north edge of Buffalo, NY/Fort Erie, ON;

-Interstate compatible highway upgrades between Vancouver, BC and Calgary and Edmonton, AB, along with better connections between that and I-5;

-A new-ROW I-25 extension from I-90 near Sheridan, WY via the Tongue River to I-94 in the Miles City, MT area, then continuing northward from I-94 roughly along MT 16 from Glendive, MT to continue along SK 6 to Regina, SK;

-Interstate compatible highway upgrades along US 2 and US 41 between I-75 at Saint Ignace, MI and Green Bay, WI. Also a direct freeway connection between the International Bridge at SSM and a new major highway running eastward from SSM towards Sudbury, ON (twin the bridge?);

-Extend I-35 from Duluth, MN to Thunder Bay, ON.

That should just aboot eat up $40G.

:yes:

Mike

Can you please run for congress? I'd donate all I have to your campaign!

I don't feel any love after looking at those pictures. We're not supposed to be a third world country. Those examples of Interstate are simply awful. Nothing there to be proud of.

This resurfaced section looks fine

http://i16.tinypic.com/6sk52l2.jpg

But most of it looks like it has'nt been touched since opening

You have a rare talent for picking out the ugliest, most dilapidated stretches of Interstate in America, and then posting oversized images of them that nobody really wants to see.

Well, it was a good thread while it lasted.

^^

Maybe it's a wakeup call that the U.S. government needs to take some serious action against our aging transportation infrastructure. We've already had an Interstate bridge collapse in Minneapolis, traffic is a nightmare in a lot of cities and as you can see in the pictures, potholes plague alot of our pavement.

I'll try to resize the pictures next time. People who may have dial up connection might want to kill me at the moment. As for the claim that people don't want to see these pictures, if many more people than you object, then I'll get the hint that people just want discuss and look at only the most beautiful parts of the Interstate system.

Paddington, it seems to me that you are somehow convinced that this thread is only about fabulous (man, I hate this word) interstates in the USA. Therefore, the few ugly pictures of American interstates, as they are in real life, should not go to this thread. You had the same problem with me posting some ugly pictures of I-80 in the Sierras even though I posted a few really nice ones too.

I personally enjoyed FM's photo-report, but I agree that he should have downsized the pictures before posting them here.

Yeah, but this thread was meant to be celebrating the U.S. interstates. There's already multiple threads (here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=275072)and one started by Konigsberg here (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=443722)) with people complaining about the odd pothole or cracked road on American interstates that they've gone out of their way to photograph, and how roads in Germany/Korea/Burkina Faso are allegedly better.

You don't see me going on the Texas forum and posting random pictures of fat Southern rednecks in their cowboy hats and boots just to crap on other people's threads. :cheers:

Great photos and thanks for sharing.

Frankly, while it is a stretch of interstate that appears to need a great deal of maintenance work, a lot of it looks to be in fair condition. However, the scenery leaves much to be desired, and combined with dreary weather, it's just a very ugly stretch of interstate.

Actually those pictures are too big even for DSL users.

The point seems lost here that a bumpy road still serves its purpose.

Actually those pictures are too big even for DSL users.

Yes, my 20 mbit connection even takes some time to download them all. Half the size would be better, i usually compress them even to 95%, since that doesn't lower the quality, but it lowers the number of kilobytes significantly.

it's not that great down there, but i will excuse that region. I've been there, although over a year ago, to do some post-Katrina relief work. I was more in mississippi state which actually does a pretty good job on it's highways, but it does the job. No, it's not perfectly smooth..or errr..Struma like, but it works.

And I think it'll be replaced in the future.

But there aren't any roads like that here in Ontario. The closest I can get to bump bump roads are I-69 just past Port Huron. haha.

it's not that great down there, but i will excuse that region. I've been there, although over a year ago, to do some post-Katrina relief work. I was more in mississippi state which actually does a pretty good job on it's highways, but it does the job. No, it's not perfectly smooth..or errr..Struma like, but it works.

And I think it'll be replaced in the future.

But there aren't any roads like that here in Ontario. The closest I can get to bump bump roads are I-69 just past Port Huron. haha.
Don't you mean Highway 402? Once you get past the Land of Sarnia, 402 gets better.

Don't you mean Highway 402? Once you get past the Land of Sarnia, 402 gets better.
the 402, although isn't perfect..is by far and away much much better than what you have in Michigan. And it'll all be replaced within the next year, so the entire highway will be smooth sailing.

Ontario highways are pretty darn good compared to the states. Michigan sticks out.

the 402, although isn't perfect..is by far and away much much better than what you have in Michigan. And it'll all be replaced within the next year, so the entire highway will be smooth sailing.

Ontario highways are pretty darn good compared to the states. Michigan sticks out.
Agreed, but when you said east of Port Huron, that's Sarnia, Ontario and Highway 402. I-69 is west of Port Huron(and have heard it's rough between Flint ant the Port despite being the same age as the 402).

Agreed, but when you said east of Port Huron, that's Sarnia, Ontario and Highway 402. I-69 is west of Port Huron(and have heard it's rough between Flint ant the Port despite being the same age as the 402).
i never said east. :)

I know it's west. I said past port huron, you probably just read quickly (like I do) and misinterpreted).

that road is BRUTAL in spots. (I-69 between Flint & the border)

i never said east. :)

I know it's west. I said past port huron, you probably just read quickly (like I do) and misinterpreted).

that road is BRUTAL in spots. (I-69 between Flint & the border)
So what can we throughout the rest of the world to to be Strumatized?

Most of the people on this planet live in large urban areas of over 1 million people, so having rail transit in them would drastically reduce highway congestion and air pollution. Subways and trams do not burn fossil fuels, and busses emit far less CO2 per capita than individual cars.

Most of the people on this planet live in large urban areas of over 1 million people, so having rail transit in them would drastically reduce highway congestion and air pollution. Subways and trams do not burn fossil fuels, and busses emit far less CO2 per capita than individual cars.
Again, that would simply be nullified by the growth of Semis on the road. Yes, Semis now use LOW SULFUR Diesel but an 18-wheeler is an 18-wheeler.

Highway congestion is only gonna get worse as more Trucks get on the road and that's why more roads and freeways are needed. Oh yeah, and even bigger Distribution Centers.

^^ Before starting the war in some other Middle Eastern country, try to repair your interstates :D Or you can do the above two things simultaneously if you raise the taxes, but Americans wouldn't like this idea for sure.

Interestingly, that 'Exit 880' on I-10 in Texas is the highest numbered interchange in the USA. That's how far it is in miles (about 1416 km) via I-10 from there to the New Mexico-Texas state line in the El Paso, TX area.

:shocked:

Mike

I'd probably put all of Hartford's highways underground.

^^ lol you see, if you guys used the metric system in the US, you could have amazingly high exit numbers :D

We also have exit numbers in the 800s on Highway 401 near the Quebec border, but that's because of the metric system :)

Think about how high the exit numbers would be if Ontario's Highway 17 was a freeway. They'd be in the 2,200s.

If we used metric, even I-95 through little Connecticut would be near the 200s. :)

I believe the last exit is 92 or 93, but it's sequential exits (still common in the NE, pig-headed politicians don't want to spend money to change), I-95 has about 112 mi (~180km) in this state.

I like the milemarker-exits better.

The US problem with that is that while there aren't often multiple exits within 1 km, there are often multiple within a mile. Sometimes you have exit 53A - D or something. (American urban exits are usually somewhat closer to eachother than European urban exits).

I like the milemarker-exits better.

The US problem with that is that while there aren't often multiple exits within 1 km, there are often multiple within a mile. Sometimes you have exit 53A - D or something. (American urban exits are usually somewhat closer to eachother than European urban exits).

In some cities like Chicago they build too many expressway exits. The ramps are really small, and as soon as an exit/entrance ramp ends another exit/entrance ramp starts. This is why the traffic is so bad in the mornings, IMO.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter10.jpg

On the newer urban/suburban expressways they do a better job of keeping the expressway exits at least a mile apart. When I drive to work in Columbus, there's some slowdown near the expressway exits (as people try to merge, and those on the right most lane try to get out), but the difference is that in Chicago, the expressway exits are often continuous without gaps in between so the entire expressway becomes slow.

Duplicate

I must agree with Paddington. So many exits have a problem when the line waiting for the traffic lights starts at the freeway. So the freeway becomes clogged, and the more exits there are, the more chances there are this happens somewhere.

In some cities like Chicago they build too many expressway exits. The ramps are really small, and as soon as an exit/entrance ramp ends another exit/entrance ramp starts. This is why the traffic is so bad in the mornings, IMO.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter10.jpg

On the newer urban/suburban expressways they do a better job of keeping the expressway exits at least a mile apart. When I drive to work in Columbus, there's some slowdown near the expressway exits (as people try to merge, and those on the right most lane try to get out), but the difference is that in Chicago, the expressway exits are often continuous without gaps in between so the entire expressway becomes slow.

I live in Chicago and agree. They actually tore out each and every one of those bridges the past few years and put up new onces with much better detail and decore. They also tore out a few of the ramps to improve the traffic flow. It was much needed.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Candrson/me%202/inter6.jpg

You can see the new red railings in this view...and one of the older bridges behind it (that hadn't been replaced yet)

Boston's $14.8B Big Dig Finally Complete

When the clock runs out on 2007, Boston will quietly mark the end of one of the most tumultuous eras in the city's history: The Big Dig, the nation's most complex and costliest highway project, will officially come to an end.

After a history marked by engineering triumphs, tunnels leaks, epic traffic jams, last year's death of a motorist crushed by falling concrete panels and a price tag that soared from $2.6 billion to a staggering $14.8 billion, there's little appetite for celebration.

Civil and criminal cases stemming from the July 2006 tunnel ceiling collapse continue, though on Monday the family of Milena Del Valle announced a $6 million settlement with Powers Fasteners, the company that manufactured the epoxy blamed by investigators for the accident. Lawsuits are pending against other Big Dig contractors, and Powers Fasteners still faces a manslaughter indictment.

Officially, Dec. 31 marks the end of the joint venture that teamed megaproject contractor Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff with the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority to build the dizzying array of underground highways, bridges, ramps and a new tunnel under Boston Harbor all while the city remained open for business.

The project was so complex it's been likened to performing open heart surgery on a patient while the patient is wide awake.

Some didn't know if they'd live to see it end.

Enza Merola had a front row seat on the Big Dig from the front window of her pastry shop stacked neatly with tiramisu, sfogliatelle and brightly colored Italian cookies in Boston's North End.

During the toughest days of the project, the facade of Marie's Pastry Shop, named after her sister, was obscured from view. The only way customers could find the front door was along a treacherous path through heavy construction.

"For a while we thought we weren't going to make it," Merola said. "But you know, we hung in there."

The Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel Project as the Big Dig is officially known has its roots in the construction of the hulking 1950's era elevated Central Artery that cut a swath through the center of Boston, lopping off the waterfront from downtown and casting a shadow over some of the city's oldest neighborhoods.

Read more... (http://abcnews.go.com/US/WireStory?id=4050352&page=1)

Boston's Big Dig - nation's costliest highway project - comes to an end
25 December 2007

BOSTON (AP) - When the clock runs out on 2007, Boston will quietly mark the end of one of the most tumultuous eras in the city's history: The Big Dig, the nation's most complex and costliest highway project, will officially come to an end.

Don't expect any champagne toasts.

After a history marked by engineering triumphs, tunnels leaks, epic traffic jams, last year's death of a motorist crushed by falling concrete panels and a price tag that soared from $2.6 billion to a staggering $14.8 billion, there's little appetite for celebration.

Civil and criminal cases stemming from the July 2006 tunnel ceiling collapse continue, though on Monday the family of Milena Del Valle announced a $6 million settlement with Powers Fasteners, the company that manufactured the epoxy blamed by investigators for the accident. Lawsuits are pending against other Big Dig contractors, and Powers Fasteners still faces a manslaughter indictment.

Officially, Dec. 31 marks the end of the joint venture that teamed megaproject contractor Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff with the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority to build the dizzying array of underground highways, bridges, ramps and a new tunnel under Boston Harbor -- all while the city remained open for business.

The project was so complex it's been likened to performing open heart surgery on a patient while the patient is wide awake.

Some didn't know if they'd live to see it end.

Enza Merola had a front row seat on the Big Dig from the front window of her pastry shop -- stacked neatly with tiramisu, sfogliatelle and brightly colored Italian cookies -- in Boston's North End.

During the toughest days of the project, the facade of Marie's Pastry Shop, named after her sister, was obscured from view. The only way customers could find the front door was along a treacherous path through heavy construction.

"For a while we thought we weren't going to make it," Merola said. "But you know, we hung in there."

The Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel Project -- as the Big Dig is officially known -- has its roots in the construction of the hulking 1950's era elevated Central Artery that cut a swath through the center of Boston, lopping off the waterfront from downtown and casting a shadow over some of the city's oldest neighborhoods.

Almost as soon as the ribbon was cut on the elevated highway in 1959, many were already wishing it away.

One was Frederick Salvucci, a city kid for whom the demolition of the old Central Artery became a lifelong quest.

"It was always a beautiful city, but it had this ugly scar through it," said Salvucci, state transportation secretary during the project's planning stages.

Rather than build a new elevated highway, Salvucci and others pushed a far more radical solution -- burying it.

Easier said than done.

Those who built the Big Dig would have to undertake the massive highway project in the cramped confines of Boston's narrow, winding streets, some dating to pre-Colonial days.

Of all the project's Rubik's Cube-like engineering challenges, none was more daunting than the first -- how to build a wider tunnel directly underneath a narrower existing elevated highway while preventing the overhead highway from collapsing.

To solve the problem, engineers created horizontal braces as wide as the new tunnel, then cut away the elevated highway's original metal struts and gently lowered them onto the braces -- even as cars crawled along overhead, their drivers oblivious to the work below.

It was the just one of what would be referred to as the Big Dig's "engineering marvels."

The Big Dig's long history is also littered with wrong turns -- some unavoidable, others self-inflicted.

One of the biggest occurred in 2004 when water started pouring through a wall of the recently opened I-93 tunnel under downtown Boston. An investigation found the leak was caused by the failure to clear debris that became caught in the concrete in the wall during construction. Hundreds of smaller drips, most near the ceiling, were also found.

Some delays were unrelated to construction.

The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge -- the project's signature element -- went through dozens of revisions as designers labored to come up with the most practical and elegant way to cross the Charles River.

But the project's darkest day came near the end of construction in 2006 when suspended concrete ceiling panels in a tunnel leading to Logan Airport collapsed, crushing a car and killing Del Valle, 39, a passenger in the vehicle driven by her husband.

The tunnel was shut down for months as each of the remaining panels was inspected and a new fastening system installed. A federal investigation blamed the use of the wrong kind of epoxy and the Massachusetts attorney general indicted the epoxy manufacturer.

Four workers also were killed working on the project. During peak construction, more than 5,000 workers labored daily on the project.

The project's escalating budget also became an unwanted part of its legacy.

In 2000, former Big Dig head James Kerasiotes resigned after failing to disclose $1.4 billion in overruns. A frustrated Congress capped the federal contribution.

"It never should have taken so long. It never should have been so expensive," said former Gov. Michael Dukakis, who left office just as major construction was to begin.

For those who grew up with the noise and clutter of the old Central Artery, the transformation of downtown Boston is still a wonder to behold.

The darkened parking lots under the old elevated highway have been replaced by parks, dubbed the Rose Kennedy Fitzgerald Greenway after the mother of Sen. Edward Kennedy, who grew up in the North End. Buildings that once turned their backs to the old Central Artery are finding ways to open their doors to the parkway.

Mayor Thomas Menino, who presided over the city during most of the construction, said that for the first time in half a century, residents can walk from City Hall to the waterfront without trudging under a major highway.

"When I came into office in 1993, people said your city isn't going to survive," he said. "Now we have a beautiful open space in the heart of the city. It knits the downtown with the waterfront. All those dire predictions by the experts didn't come true."

Drivers also give the Big Dig a big thumbs up.

A study by the Turnpike Authority found the Big Dig cut the average trip through Boston from 19.5 minutes to 2.8 minutes.

"Before we drive bumper to bumper, but now they are moving very well," said Gamal Ahmed, 38, who has been driving a cab in Boston for seven years. "Sometimes we are stuck, but not like before."

For Salvucci, who warns gridlock could soon return without a major commitment to public transportation, the Big Dig -- for all its whiz-bang engineering -- was always second to the city itself.

"The Big Dig is not a highway with an incidental city adjacent to it. It is a living city that happens to have some major highway infrastructure within it and that highway infrastructure had to be rebuilt," he said. "This was not elective surgery. It had to be done."

--------

Associated Press writer Rodrique Ngowi contributed to this report.

Important dates in the history of the Big Dig
25 December 2007
AP

Some important dates in the history of Boston's Big Dig highway project:

1982 -- Original estimate for the project pegged at $2.6 billion.

1987 -- Congress approves initial federal funding.

1991 -- Construction begins on Ted Williams Tunnel beneath Boston Harbor.

1995 -- Ted Williams Tunnel under Boston Harbor to Logan Airport opens.

1998 -- Cost estimate jumps to $10.8 billion.

1999 -- Big Dig Chief James Kerasiotes step down for failing to disclose cost overruns.

2002 -- Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge over the Charles River is completed.

2003 -- I-90 connector tunnel and the northbound and southbound lanes of I-93 tunnel open.

2004 -- Leak sends water pouring into I-93 tunnel, highlighting ongoing leak problems.

2005 -- Investigators find 169 defective panels in I-93 tunnel, most needing minor repairs;

May 2006 -- Six men who worked for the Big Dig's largest concrete supplier are arrested on charges they falsified records to hide the inferior quality of concrete.

June -- Main Big Dig tunnel dedicated for late House Speaker Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill Jr.

July 10 -- A woman is crushed to death by falling ceiling panels in connector tunnel leading to Ted Williams Tunnel, sparking criminal investigations.

Aug. 5 -- Big Dig Chief Matthew Amorello forced out in wake of ceiling panel collapse.

Aug. 8, 2007 -- Epoxy supplier indicted in connection with ceiling panel collapse.

Dec. 24 -- Family of Milena Del Valle announces $6 million settlement with the epoxy supplier for her death.

Dec. 31 -- Big Dig comes to an end as an active construction project.

Source: Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and Associated Press news reports

Big Dig Figures
By The Associated Press
25 December 2007

Figures associated with Boston's Big Dig highway project:

Original cost estimate: $2.6 billion

Current cost estimate: $14.798 billion

Length of project: 7.5 miles, about half in tunnels

Amount of dirt removed: 16 million cubic yards

Number of workers at peak construction: 5,000

Number of workers killed: 4

Number of lanes on the old elevated highway: 6

Number of lanes on the new highway system: 8-10

Number of historic artifacts excavated from the Big Dig's path: 200,000

Weight of the project's final environmental impact report: 44 pounds

Number of leaks discovered in roof-wall joints in 2004: 2,000 to 3,000

Number of cars using the old elevated highway when it opened in 1959: 75,000/day

Number of cars expected to use the new underground highway by 2010: 245,000/day

Average trip through the center of Boston on the old Central Artery: 19.5 minutes

Average trip through the center of Boston using the Big Dig: 2.8 minutes.

Source: Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and Associated Press news reports

Engineering Feats Connected With Big Dig
By The Associated Press
25 December 2007

Some engineering feats associated with Boston's Big Dig project:

-- Tunnel Jacking.

Part of the project called for a tunnel extension under an active Amtrak railroad. Project managers realized the soil was so unstable that the rail lines could collapse. Engineers built a gigantic concrete box open on both ends, froze the soil using hundreds of rods and nudged -- or jacked -- the box under the railroad a few feet at a time. The top of the box supported the rail lines, the inside became part of the tunnel.

-- Slurry Wall Construction.

The Big Dig featured the most extensive use of slurry wall construction in North America. To create the tunnel walls in downtown Boston, excavators dug a narrow trench, sometimes more than 100 feet down. To keep the trench walls from collapsing, a thick slurry mixture was pumped into it. The slurry was then displaced as the trench was filled with concrete.

-- Supporting the Old Elevated Highway.

To keep the old six-lane elevated highway running as they built an eight to 10 lane tunnel directly underneath, project officials had to devise a way to remove the old support columns without the elevated highway collapsing. The solution? Build wider horizontal supports, then cut away the bottom parts of the original struts and lower them onto the new horizontal braces, shifting the entire weight of the overhead highway onto the new horizontal braces.

-- Casting Basin.

Building a tunnel under Fort Point Channel, an extension of Boston Harbor into South Boston, proved to be another challenge. The channel was too narrow to float in tunnel sections, so engineers built a massive casting basin or dry dock to build the concrete sections on site. The basin was then flooded and the section floated and sunk exactly into place -- no second attempts possible.

Source: Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and Associated Press news reports

It´s not completely fair to compare 1982 2.6 billion dollars to 2007 14.8 billion dollars.

There is a lot of inflation since 1982.

according to inflationdata.com the inflation between 1982 and 2007 was 114.65%.

Ofcourse, it´s still a huge rise from the initially budget, though it´s very hard, not to mention impossible to calculate the costs 25 years beforehand.

And every major infrastructure project becomes more expensive over the years. (besides inflation). Those 1982 2.6 billion was more a nice sale talk probably. We have the same thing happening in the Netherlands or other European countries. It's something you can expect, especially in this ambitious big dig project, one of the largest civil-engineering projects ever.

Quite amazing that the government was willing to continue with the plan and pay for it despite the cost overruns, but that may also mean other cities are not likely going to get support for similar yet needed projects in the future.

Yeah, but what are you gonna do? Stop halfway the construction? That would be even more a waste of money.

What was the real problem here?
Some unforeseen costs, or a scam or fraud?

I see on wikipedia the 2,6 billion figure was only a first estimate. When construction began, it was estimated at 5,8 billion. Now it costed nearly 15 billion dollars.

According to inflationdata.com the inflation between 1991 (start construction) and 2007 was about 50%. That means the initial estimate was 8,7 billion 2007 dollars. Now they spend 15 billion dollars, which is a cost overrun of 6 billion dollars or nearly 70%.

To compare; the Channel Tunnel between England and France had a 80% cost overrun, and is by far not profitable.

I don't see it's that bad, spread out the 15 billion dollars over the 16 years of construction you spend almost 1 billion a year, which should not be a very big problem for Massachusetts or federal funding.

^^ Before starting the war in some other Middle Eastern country, try to repair your interstates :D Or you can do the above two things simultaneously if you raise the taxes, but Americans wouldn't like this idea for sure.


For the most part, individual states are responsible for the roads, not the federal government. The Fed's are around to protect us, help with infrastructure improvements, and regulate the economy. I think people forget that Americans deal with their state government in their every day lives, not really the federal government.

Health...education....roads...etc. These are all up to individual states. That's why some states have HORRIBLE roads, then you drive across the line into another state and it's suddenly much much better. Honestly though, people in the US are just use to it, they don't really care if the road is COMPLETELY smooth and in excellent shape. I just drove back through rural Illinois and saw a few potholes, and the road was full of cracks. I really didn't even give it a second thought, it just was what it was. Unless your car is being damaged or it's REALLY bumpy, I don't think people bother to get upset...

For the most part, individual states are responsible for the roads, not the federal government. The Fed's are around to protect us, help with infrastructure improvements, and regulate the economy. I think people forget that Americans deal with their state government in their every day lives, not really the federal government.

Health...education....roads...etc. These are all up to individual states. That's why some states have HORRIBLE roads, then you drive across the line into another state and it's suddenly much much better. Honestly though, people in the US are just use to it, they don't really care if the road is COMPLETELY smooth and in excellent shape. I just drove back through rural Illinois and saw a few potholes, and the road was full of cracks. I really didn't even give it a second thought, it just was what it was. Unless your car is being damaged or it's REALLY bumpy, I don't think people bother to get upset...

Just dont neglect maintenance until something similar happens as with that ominous bridge...

Along with all the uncompleted ones, 10rot?

For the most part, individual states are responsible for the roads, not the federal government. The Fed's are around to protect us, help with infrastructure improvements, and regulate the economy. I think people forget that Americans deal with their state government in their every day lives, not really the federal government.

Health...education....roads...etc. These are all up to individual states. That's why some states have HORRIBLE roads, then you drive across the line into another state and it's suddenly much much better. Honestly though, people in the US are just use to it, they don't really care if the road is COMPLETELY smooth and in excellent shape. I just drove back through rural Illinois and saw a few potholes, and the road was full of cracks. I really didn't even give it a second thought, it just was what it was. Unless your car is being damaged or it's REALLY bumpy, I don't think people bother to get upset...

Yeah, Canada is very similar since the provinces are responsible for the roads. You drive on Highway 401 in Ontario, and then suddenly you cross into Quebec (where the 401 becomes A20), and suddenly the pavement quality deteriorates.

Ohio's roads are generally in good condition. They also tend to have plenty of capacity (lanes), and less problems with traffic than other states.

The state DOT also does a good job with standards like plenty of ramp space, adequate signage, and good sized shoulders.

Ohio is my favourite state in terms of roads that I've driven on. I haven't been to many..only about 12, 13 states. But Ohio definitely has the best standard.

Kentucky isn't bad either.

Michigan is TERRIBLE.

Ohio is my favourite state in terms of roads that I've driven on. I haven't been to many..only about 12, 13 states. But Ohio definitely has the best standard.

Kentucky isn't bad either.

Michigan is TERRIBLE.

That is exactly what I thought, Ohio has some really nice ones, along with North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina, but Pennsylvania, Michigan and New York's were terrible.

Hi, the photos of the I-80 through the Sierra Nevada don't show up on this thread when I open it. Were the photos taken off, or is there something wrong on my end?

^^ Don't seem to show up for me too. If you look carefully, this thread is extremely old, so it's quite possible that the pictures are no longer available.

Look, this thead is to talk about road surface and not to devolp political turmoil, so just shut up, all of you!

Look, this thead is to talk about road surface and not to devolp political turmoil, so just shut up, all of you!

Old thread :)

Old thread :)

Yeah, well it was on the 1st page :nuts:

My God!!!

American Interstates are the best highway`s in World!!!

Very huge!!!

Yeah, the pictures are gone for good. Sorry guys ;)

Someone with no point going straight to Nazi references about Germany = funny, since it just shows how pathetic the argument has gotten. It's just like whenever anyone brings something up that Bush has done to try to make fun of the United States.

There's an internet law regarding this matter:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law

I-80 was closed this morning for all traffic near Truckee.

Due to 10 feet of snow dumped in the region

Los Angeles

CHP Rainy Day Statistics - 525 reported traffic accidents handled by the CHP between 6pm Friday and 6am this morning (LA CAD 0001)


---

525 traffic accidents during the night in LA :D

^^

That's understandable. You should see how people drive in Los Angeles at 1:00am. I was doing 90 on the 91 when I was there in November. :)

I-80 was closed this morning for all traffic near Truckee.

Due to 10 feet of snow dumped in the region

:shocked: 10 feet?

That's what they told on CNN this morning. Colorado could eventually even recieve over 13 feet of snow.

That's what they told on CNN this morning. Colorado could eventually even recieve over 13 feet of snow.
Yea, over 4 meters of it!

This kind of snow is what the Sierra Nevada range is famous for (see: the Donner party)

Mike

Two killed, dozens of cars in Wisconsin pileups

MADISON, Wisconsin (AP) -- Dozens of cars were involved Sunday in pileups that killed at least two people on a foggy stretch of highway.

Emergency workers at the scene of a multi-car pileup on Interstate 90 near Madison, Wisconsin Sunday.

The Wisconsin State Patrol shut down Interstate 90 east of Madison in both directions, causing a traffic backup of about five miles, according to a Wisconsin State Patrol dispatcher who declined to give her name.

A truck plowed into vehicles that had braked upon reaching a fog bank, causing one pileup, Wisconsin State Patrol Lt. Laurie Steeber said. One person was killed.

A similar pileup three miles away happened when another group of vehicles on the interstate also began braking in fog, Steeber said. A second person was killed in that pileup.

At least three dozen vehicles were involved in the two pileups, Steeber said.

Thirty-five people were taken to Madison hospitals, three with life-threatening injuries, she said.
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Two people were discharged from Meriter Park Hospital after treatment for minor injuries, spokeswoman Mae Knowles said. The conditions of the others were unknown.

The Madison area was foggy all day, with visibility of an eighth of a mile or less when the pileup started, said Chris Franks, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sullivan.

:ohno:

For some-odd reason, people just don't respect heavy fog. This is a Worldwide thing, not just here in the USA. There was also a multi-fatal fog pileup on another interstate in Wisconsin a few years ago (I-43 between Milwaukee and Sheboygan).

<sigh...>

BTW, I live about a 1:45 drive from that part of I-39/90 and despite the signs, very slow speed limit (105 km/h) and sometimes heavy police presence, that road drives and behaves just like any motorway in Europe (120-130 km/h and sometimes faster normal traffic speed).

Mike

That is exactly what I thought, Ohio has some really nice ones, along with North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina, but Pennsylvania, Michigan and New York's were terrible.

I can imagine that NY's interstates are one of the busiest and therefor one of the most run down. I dont have any statistics to back that up, but 18 million peeps living in the tri-state area doesnt do your roads any good :)

Most New York interstates and parkways are very old. Maintenance is a problem, since you would create mass traffic jams on those 3 lane interstates when closing one or two lanes for repaving.

Yea, over 4 meters of it!

This kind of snow is what the Sierra Nevada range is famous for (see: the Donner party)

Mike

It isn't the "Snowy Mountains" for nothing, that's for sure.

I don't think this discussion is productive without pics on the first page. Sad they are gone. :ohno:

Verso, I thought this topic was long dead, so I was not more careful to save the pictures.

Well, I can give you some pictures of one-metre snow in Eastern Washington if you want ;) Today, I had to make a 230-km round trip to bring my sister-in-law to the Spokane Airport, and the road US-195 was awful. The whole roadway was covered with snow. If you, guys, seen film "Fargo", you would have an idea what i am talking about :)

Ohio has some really nice ones, along with North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina, but Pennsylvania, Michigan and New York's were terrible.
I have only driven in Western states, and surprisingly I found that the best overall quality of roads was in Nevada. The entire Nevada stretch of I-80 from the border of California to Utah is in nearly perfect condition. In California, they do very poor maintenance of mountainous stretches of I-5 and especially I-80.

I have only driven in Western states, and surprisingly I found that the best overall quality of roads was in Nevada. The entire Nevada stretch of I-80 from the border of California to Utah is in nearly perfect condition. In California, they do very poor maintenance of mountainous stretches of I-5 and especially I-80.

Probably something with the weather; their transportation projects are completed so fast, without using the design-build method (at least to the best of my knowledge). Maybe gambling revenue has something to do with it...

Actually those pictures are too big even for DSL users.

huge and impractical countries need huge and impractical pictures...

huge and impractical countries need huge and impractical pictures...

:lol::rofl::lol:

Now THAT my friends is what we call a classic.

An approximately 27 km long section of future I-73/74 opened within the past couple of days in southern North Carolina, bypassing Ellerbe, NC and continuing northward into Montgomery County.

http://www.yourdailyjournal.com/articles/2008/01/08/news/top_story/top.txt

:dance:

Mike

The Florida Highway Patrol warned drivers to stay off the roads Thursday morning, because driving conditions were as bad if not worse than Wednesday morning. I-4 was closed for a 14-mile stretch in both east and westbound directions and was expected to remain closed for an indefinite time.

Crews tried to work through the night, Wednesday, to repair a stretch of I-4 damaged in a fiery 70 car pile-up, but had to suspend their efforts when more fog and smoke filled the air and construction crews could not see.

Florida and local officials said four people were killed and 38 were injured in the mangled, fiery wrecks.

The blazes left what amounted to a 650-foot wide hole in the interstate that will have to be repaired before the roadway can be reopened. Authorities thought if all went well, there was a possibility that could happen by mid-morning Thursday, but they weren't making any promises. The damage was most significant in the eastbound lanes. Diesel fuel spilled during the crash which softened and damaged the interstate.

:eek:

pics from this horrible accident (http://www.wftv.com/slideshow/news/15009625/detail.html)

i have found a very few pics from my last visit in the us back in 2005 on my hard drive. unfortunately i was not that much interested in highways back then, my priority was in taking pics of skyscrapers ;)

entrance to holland tunnel, nj side
http://home.arcor.de/patrickcbolloschmidt/fotos/gr05102111.jpg

capital beltway
http://home.arcor.de/patrickcbolloschmidt/fotos/gr05102104.jpg

iron curtain
http://home.arcor.de/patrickcbolloschmidt/fotos/gr05102102.jpg

i have found a very few pics from my last visit in the us back in 2005 on my hard drive. unfortunately i was not that much interested in highways back then, my priority was in taking pics of skyscrapers ;)

entrance to holland tunnel, nj side
http://home.arcor.de/patrickcbolloschmidt/fotos/gr05102111.jpg
That three-block section of surface street in Jersey City, NJ is one of the anomalies of the USA's interstate system. Even though it has those traffic-signal intersections, it is still marked as 'I-78', as is the Holland Tunnel.

NEAT image, BTW.

:cheers1:

Mike

I can imagine that NY's interstates are one of the busiest and therefor one of the most run down. I dont have any statistics to back that up, but 18 million peeps living in the tri-state area doesnt do your roads any good :)

Even the highways in New York State (outside NYC area) suck. :ohno:

I suggest that similarly to the Chinese thread, the title of this thread be changed :)

^^

I disagree since Interstates do whoop ass. From ugly Interstates like 710 Long Beach freeway to beautiful 80 in the Sierra Nevada's, it's the world's greatest highway system.


Where else in the world can you drive straight for 2000+ miles without running into a stop sign or traffic signal?

^^ I agree that they whoop ass. But that has nothing to do with the title of this thread, which in fact hides the fact that it is about the USA. But it's up to you :)

Can someone please change the title of this thread (like the title of the Chinese thread was changed)?

EDIT: Already requested, I see. :)

^^

agreed

Yep, done. I have a job you know ;) Can't do it all on the same time :)

pics of the massive I-90 Wisconsin pileup (http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/08/wi.pileup.irpt/index.html)

New bridge under construction next to the Bay Bridge near Oakland, California. Interstate 80.

http://i2.tinypic.com/6ugkvv9.jpg

^^^

Thanks for the picture Chriszwolle. It looks much sturdier than the older bridge.

Here are some pictures I took of North Interstate 91 from New Haven to Hartford Connecticut in October 2005. It's a very beautiful parklike stretch of Interstate in my opinion. Hope you guys enjoy. Pictures resized to 1024x768 for your convenience.

http://i19.tinypic.com/6sq4qaq.jpg
http://i10.tinypic.com/6ylqdfr.jpg
http://i10.tinypic.com/6lnje3p.jpg
http://i7.tinypic.com/82to5ed.jpg
http://i17.tinypic.com/6q2v8xs.jpg
http://i12.tinypic.com/6tfaz53.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/6ufwtfo.jpg
http://i2.tinypic.com/8g402lu.jpg
http://i2.tinypic.com/6jw19q9.jpg
http://i17.tinypic.com/85uylj7.jpg
http://i5.tinypic.com/712me6p.jpg
http://i18.tinypic.com/715pm9t.jpg
http://i7.tinypic.com/6u9skk2.jpg

Haha... when I was up Northeast, whenever the blue food advisories came up with the Friendly's logo, I kept thinking it was Chick-Fil-A... all that did was make me miss being at home more!

Great photos, FM 2258. Beautiful nature. :cheers:

Yeah, great pics, FM2258...nice to see some from my neck of the woods. :D

I-91 is a pretty good stretch of road, possibly the best in CT (with I-84 east of Hartford being second).

^ Hehe, right, it's where you live. :)

I heard some of a North American Super Highway that would start in Mexico extend through America, and go into Canada. Does anyone know anything about this?

I don't know about this but what is a Super Highway? I keep hearing the term and have seen the term for Interstates but when the speed limit is 70 just like a rural Farm Road, it doesn't seem so super to me.

sounds a huge project, 7000KM totally long?

don't they already have one from Alaska to Brazil called the Pan-American highway?

I heard some of a North American Super Highway that would start in Mexico extend through America, and go into Canada. Does anyone know anything about this?

Are you talking about that North American Union conspiracy stuff? :lol:

I don't know about this but what is a Super Highway? I keep hearing the term and have seen the term for Interstates but when the speed limit is 70 just like a rural Farm Road, it doesn't seem so super to me.

Gotta love those West Texas RM roads that have a speed limit of 75 mph (120 km/h).

don't they already have one from Alaska to Brazil called the Pan-American highway?
what are you talking about?

I believe you might be referring to a proposal for a massive new transportation corridor roughly following I-35 that would incorporate rail lines and truck carrigeways, primarily as a way to facilitate the movement of huge amounts of goods between Mexico and the central US, where intermodal freight terminals would be set up around St Louis or KC or something.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Texas_Corridor

Gotta love those West Texas RM roads that have a speed limit of 75 mph (120 km/h).

They are so fun to drive on. Rural Farm Roads and Ranch Roads are one of the best ways to see Texas. :cheers:

don't they already have one from Alaska to Brazil called the Pan-American highway?

shouldn't it go from alaska to Tierra del Fuego in that case? :lol: :okay:

Wouldn't this "Super Highway" simply exploit already existing stretches of highways in these countries thus being a newly named international road corridor?

I guess, my question is, are they building it or was it canceled?

I can see why they think this would be a good idea..

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Texas_freight_traffic.gif


Is this an accurate representation of freight traffic in the US? It looks very centralised, almost like Texas is a heart with arteries spreading out from it.. Or is it a "Texas-centered" view of things?

maybe there is a super-port near there. I heard that the high way would be connected to a super-port

That map looks like a Texas point of view.

Sounds very silly. Canada's already enough of a resource based country.