What I like about America. [A politics-free thread]
#61
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Re: What I like about America. [A politics-free thread]
So in your example above, I-405 is a bypass of LA (denoted by the even '4') and connects to and from I-5 (denoted by the '05'). However, highway 522, if it were an interstate, would be a spur of I-22 except that there is no I-522.
#62
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Re: What I like about America. [A politics-free thread]
Portland has terrible public transport compared to almost anywhere in Europe. I cannot compare it to other parts of the US. It also has pretty bad congestion, 12th worse in the US. I guess that does mean there are at least 11 other places which are worse.
Study: Portland ranks 12th in traffic congestion in U.S. - KPTV - FOX 12.
I must just have different experiences of the systems.
The desert , mountains , forests and the coast are quite amazing. They also invented tater tots in Oregon.
Study: Portland ranks 12th in traffic congestion in U.S. - KPTV - FOX 12.
I must just have different experiences of the systems.
The desert , mountains , forests and the coast are quite amazing. They also invented tater tots in Oregon.
#63
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#64
Re: What I like about America. [A politics-free thread]
In Milton Keynes , it took 20 mins to do 12 miles.
I think Reading was worse than London. almost an hour to do 3 miles
I don't have the American attitude of feeling good sitting in traffic.
Last edited by mrken30; Feb 23rd 2017 at 4:39 pm.
#65
Re: What I like about America. [A politics-free thread]
Anyway, I like how easy it is to get around here. Not that it is necessarily easier than anywhere else, but once you learn the convention for numbered US highways and interstates that odd numbers go north-south and even numbers go east-west (with x0 being coast to coast and x5 being longer north-south routes) you can usually find your way back on track after being lost if you can find one of those roads and know your control cities.
#66
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Re: What I like about America. [A politics-free thread]
No, it's an interstate thing. General rule is if an auxiliary highway connects to the main highway once, it's a spur and gets an odd leading number. If it connects in two or more places (loops and bypasses), it gets an even leading number. Sometimes bypasses only connect in one place, but they still get the even leading number as far as I know.
#67
Re: What I like about America. [A politics-free thread]
Yes it is. You have three main interstates running through your end of MA: 90, which is east-west, and 93 & 95, which are north- south.
Then you have 495, which is a bypass, 395, which branches off 95 in CT, 295 which is a bypass in RI, and 290 which is a branch off 90, plus 190 which is a branch off 290.
With the possible exception* of 290, all those numbers conform to the rules which SoS summarized above.
* I believe that deviations from the numbering convention occur when roads are not completed as planned, so I suspect that originally it was intended for 290 to come further east and reconnect with 90 fairly close to downtown Boston.
When I moved to NC, Charlotte had an orphan piece of interstate that was only a spur off 77, but was numbered 485. It had been there, I believe since the mid 1990's, but it wasn't until the late 00's that it finally connected to 85, when it should have been a "1", and a couple of years later before it connected to a second point on 85, which per the numbering convention would have qualified it as a "2". It was only a couple of years ago that the entire loop was completed, thereby meeting the qualifications for being a "4".
Then you have 495, which is a bypass, 395, which branches off 95 in CT, 295 which is a bypass in RI, and 290 which is a branch off 90, plus 190 which is a branch off 290.
With the possible exception* of 290, all those numbers conform to the rules which SoS summarized above.
* I believe that deviations from the numbering convention occur when roads are not completed as planned, so I suspect that originally it was intended for 290 to come further east and reconnect with 90 fairly close to downtown Boston.
When I moved to NC, Charlotte had an orphan piece of interstate that was only a spur off 77, but was numbered 485. It had been there, I believe since the mid 1990's, but it wasn't until the late 00's that it finally connected to 85, when it should have been a "1", and a couple of years later before it connected to a second point on 85, which per the numbering convention would have qualified it as a "2". It was only a couple of years ago that the entire loop was completed, thereby meeting the qualifications for being a "4".
Last edited by Pulaski; Feb 23rd 2017 at 6:27 pm.
#68
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Re: What I like about America. [A politics-free thread]
Unrelated to Bob's post but an interesting thing about the 3 digit highway system is that because they are all contained within one state, it allows for duplication of numbers without confusion.
We also have an I-190 (spur of I-90 into O'Hare) and an I-290, which bypasses the main line of I-90 in downtown Chicago (and does connect to I-90 itself twice as well).
Though, for I-94's auxiliaries, between Michican, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, all possible numbers except for 594 and 994 have been used and each state uses unique numbers, presumably due to their proximity to each other on the main line.
We also have an I-190 (spur of I-90 into O'Hare) and an I-290, which bypasses the main line of I-90 in downtown Chicago (and does connect to I-90 itself twice as well).
Though, for I-94's auxiliaries, between Michican, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, all possible numbers except for 594 and 994 have been used and each state uses unique numbers, presumably due to their proximity to each other on the main line.
#69
Re: What I like about America. [A politics-free thread]
Unrelated to Bob's post but an interesting thing about the 3 digit highway system is that because they are all contained within one state, it allows for duplication of numbers without confusion.
We also have an I-190 (spur of I-90 into O'Hare) and an I-290, which bypasses the main line of I-90 in downtown Chicago (and does connect to I-90 itself twice as well).
Though, for I-94's auxiliaries, between Michican, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, all possible numbers except for 594 and 994 have been used and each state uses unique numbers, presumably due to their proximity to each other on the main line.
We also have an I-190 (spur of I-90 into O'Hare) and an I-290, which bypasses the main line of I-90 in downtown Chicago (and does connect to I-90 itself twice as well).
Though, for I-94's auxiliaries, between Michican, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota, all possible numbers except for 594 and 994 have been used and each state uses unique numbers, presumably due to their proximity to each other on the main line.
#70
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#72
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#73
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Re: What I like about America. [A politics-free thread]
So true, in London it used to take me 90 mins to do 13 miles, here it takes 90 mins to do 19 miles. So definitely less congested, but still not good.
In Milton Keynes , it took 20 mins to do 12 miles.
I think Reading was worse than London. almost an hour to do 3 miles
I don't have the American attitude of feeling good sitting in traffic.
In Milton Keynes , it took 20 mins to do 12 miles.
I think Reading was worse than London. almost an hour to do 3 miles
I don't have the American attitude of feeling good sitting in traffic.
#74
Re: What I like about America. [A politics-free thread]
That's where NJ usually excelled. Construction on major roads normally took place during the night and between 9 am and 3 pm during the day. During rush hours they tried to put the road back to as near normal as possible. The work was also completed fairly quickly. When a fuel tanker overturned on I80 the heat from the fire badly damaged a major overpass and it had to be rebuilt. That was late Thursday...by Monday morning I80 was as good as new again.
Last edited by Jerseygirl; Feb 24th 2017 at 12:27 pm. Reason: Typo
#75
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Re: What I like about America. [A politics-free thread]
That's were NJ usually excelled. Construction on major roads normally took place during the night and between 9 am and 3 pm during the day. During rush hours they tried to put the road back to as near normal as possible. The work was also completed fairly quickly. When a fuel tanker overturned on I80 the heat from the fire badly damaged a major overpass and it had to be rebuilt. That was late Thursday...by Monday morning I80 was as good as new again.
When we lived in Alabama, they re-surfaced a 20-mile stretch of I-65 and I never saw a single worker. It was all done at night. Each day, there would be a couple more miles of fresh black-top.
Sorry for the hint of politics in there.
In contrast, on a visit to the UK a few years ago, we needed to visit the US embassy for visa stamps. It took us 6 hours to get back to Birmingham, largely due to about 30 miles of contraflow on the M1. Not just cones. Solid steel barriers that must have taken weeks to construct before they even started on the actual repair work.