http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR167/HOTLanes/Default.htm
It will be interesting to see if this project helps congestion any. If it does, perhaps these can be added to the I-405 corridor where they would make a MAJOR difference.
Ben
Sorry there have been no posts lately. I was out of town again in London this time. Photos and a description of the UK’s motorway system to follow.
Ben
http://www.kirotv.com/news/15691015/detail.html
So, a driver was riding solo in the carpool lane on North I-405 early this AM. This is not advisable, either here, on that freeway or at that time of day. WSP does *not* screw around with carpool violators.
They attempt to pull her over. She runs. Well I-405 between Renton and Bellevue is the narrowest and most congested freeway in the state. So her 80 mile an hour run takes place on the shoulder.
North of the I-90 interchange she hits a parked car. She is ok; supposedly there is nobody in the car. However, this turned an exceptionally light traffic day into an exceptionally heavy one.
Proving once again: the Washington transportation system works IF there is nothing out of the ordinary going on.
Ben
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/275624.html
More on the possible reopening of the Murray Morgan Bridge.
Ben
First, an intoxicated woman let her 14 year old daughter, also intoxicated, drive. She rolled their minivan near the summit of Tiger Mountain on Highway 18:
http://www.kirotv.com/news/15563481/detail.html
Secondly, there was a MAJOR pileup on Northbound I-5 in Tacoma near 56th street this AM:
http://www.thenewstribune.com/front/topphoto/story/306234.html
Did I mention it has been raining heavy off and on? My commute this AM took almost 2 hours (normallly 1:15-1:30, should be about 1).
Not a good day in Washington.
Ben
http://www.soundtransit.org/x7425.xml
Tunnel Boring Machine breaks through Beacon Hill. This finishes the drilling portion of the Link tunnel.
Ben
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/295433.html
“A preliminary report from David Evans and Associates concludes that the bridge can be rehabilitated for approximately $80 million. That’s far less than the $135 million estimate for replacing the bridge, and not far from a 2004 estimate of $80 million for rehabilitation.”
“The new consultant’s report is good news, because city officials had feared that the bridge was too far gone to save and might require an expensive replacement. They also assumed that if the bridge could be rehabilitated, the cost would have risen far beyond the 2004 estimate because of skyrocketing construction materials prices.”
This is excellent news. That bridge is a symbol of Tacoma and an important link between downtown and the tideflats.
Ben
From the article:
“A hearing is scheduled today in the state House Committee on Transportation on a bill that would allow Tacoma to tap into sales tax revenue to raise money for fixing the bridge. The bill introduced last month by state Rep. Dennis Flannigan, D-Tacoma, would allow the City of Tacoma to create a transportation improvement district to impose an additional 0.2 percent sales tax for maintenance and operation of the bridge.”
Also, there is a lecture Monday evening at 7 at the main librbary about the bridge.
Ben
After flying into Frankfurt we drove on the Autobahn to Saarbrucken where we are staying. Some thoughts so far:
Acceleration and deceleration tapers are very short on the Autobahn. In most places, no more than a couple hundred feet. Keep in mind too that this is on a highway that has no limit for great distances.
The ramp radiuses are very tight. In fact, most cloverleafs have long straightaways followed up by very tight turns. Again, this is amazing considering the short tapers AND the high speeds involved.
ALL of the Autobahn is seperated by a double metal beam rail. No open medians here. Or cable barriers. Or concrete barriers.
Signage is very good. The signs for upcoming exits are 2-3 times the size of equivelant US signs. They also show clearly what side of the road the upcoming exits are on and where they go. Exit ramps actually show the upcoming exit with 3 signs: 3, 2 and 1 white stripes going down to the exit.
There is still more…the toll gantries, the noise walls…the windmills. More later.
Ben