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Tarkusian Cities (Update 107-08/23/2020-West Chemeketa Reconfig, Part 1)

Started by Tarkus, June 17, 2007, 08:31:07 PM

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Jmouse

Well, some smart investors really padded their wallets by snapping up land north of 16th Ave. NE. Chances are they saw the new development coming several years ago what with a perfect tie-in just waiting to be extended. I don't see that existing split in 16th St. between Ashcroft and McCabe on the map, though (fourth and fifth photos). Hope I'm looking in the right place and didn't miss a step. &mmm

I've seen other players allow roads to intersect busy avenues, and I have to question the practicality of it. From time to time, a rushed driver is going to try and scoot across in front of oncoming traffic and end up as a hood ornament!

j-dub mentioned traffic lights,
but I was already thinking about both sides of the argument (last two pix). Do you really want to stop traffic on a busy avenue at every cross street – or even every third or fourth? Seems like the latter would draw a bunch of protests from angry residents, too, and possibly redefine the old adage, "What will the neighbors think?" The lack of adequate traffic control is likely to have deadly consequences, though.

I'd really like to hear
your views on this question and those of other experienced Road meisters. :)

Later...

Joan


Ryan B.

Quote from: Jmouse on May 06, 2010, 08:55:56 PM
Well, some smart investors really padded their wallets by snapping up land north of 16th Ave. NE. Chances are they saw the new development coming several years ago what with a perfect tie-in just waiting to be extended. I don't see that existing split in 16th St. between Ashcroft and McCabe on the map, though (fourth and fifth photos). Hope I'm looking in the right place and didn't miss a step. &mmm

I've seen other players allow roads to intersect busy avenues, and I have to question the practicality of it. From time to time, a rushed driver is going to try and scoot across in front of oncoming traffic and end up as a hood ornament!

j-dub mentioned traffic lights,
but I was already thinking about both sides of the argument (last two pix). Do you really want to stop traffic on a busy avenue at every cross street – or even every third or fourth? Seems like the latter would draw a bunch of protests from angry residents, too, and possibly redefine the old adage, "What will the neighbors think?" The lack of adequate traffic control is likely to have deadly consequences, though.

I'd really like to hear
your views on this question and those of other experienced Road meisters. :)

Later...

Joan


In the real world, progressive timing would be used on the arterial road to ensure the best-possible traffic flow.  Where it gets really difficult is incorporating all the left-turn movements.

TmiguelT

Great come back update !! You didn't only brought a magnificent update, but you and the NAM team released the new NAM and RHW!!  &apls &apls &apls &apls &apls &apls &apls

bakerton

nice comeback Alex. I have always enjoyed your work and with the new NAM and RHW out, maybe TarkusianCities will be even more enjoyable. I do wonder what the TDOT has instore for us readers for the future. JKB
beam me up.... please!
I am the lurker that hides in all the corners and you can't get me out. You may try, but you can't.Please call me Jon or Jonathan.

marsh

Great update! Love the road... expanding... story. Or whatever you want to call it... &mmm... yea

&apls &apls &apls

,marsh

Tarkus

Hi everyone-

Well, I'm back with another update--we'll be going back to Chemeketa and taking a look at the end of the 16th Avenue project.

But first, some replies:

Jordan (canyonjumper): Thanks for the kind words and the welcome back!  It's good to be back at it, and hopefully, I'll be able to keep it up a little bit more regularly.  I'm shooting for about every 2 weeks or so.

Ethan (ecoba): Thanks for the compliments--I'm glad to hear that it was worth the wait!  I'm hoping to try to incorporate more of those little details like property values, land use and the like in coming updates, and I'm also looking to revisit the advance roadway planning like I did with the earlier Argentum Revisited updates.

Robin (rooker1):  Thanks for the welcome back and the insightful thoughts!  It really is hard not to glean some ideas from all the other MDs around here--there's really been some great ones over the years.  It's also hard not to get some from RL cities and regions as well--a game like SimCity really is a context-driven one in many ways.

And I'm glad to hear you've enjoyed the construction projects as well--I find there's really no limit to the amount of things I can find to tweak on my cities, particularly on the transportation end.  That's the nice thing about an open-ended game like this, and what has kept me and I'd presume most others here playing it for so long after its release.

Haljackey:  Thanks for the kind words!  It's really good to be back at long last, and there really is no end to all these construction projects.  Being a bulldozer operator in one of my regions is a surefire way to have job security. :D

Raphael (RickD): Thanks for the welcome back, and I'm glad to have it back in business as well.  I was worried as well, but fortunately, I think you'll be seeing Tarkusian Cities continue for some time to come. :)

j-dub: Hehe . . . you caught me.  I had been playing around with some T21s, but had pulled them out and hadn't rebuilt the roadways since that time.  The big intersection at Ashcroft/16th has been all TuLEPified now, though (looking east):



citybuilderx: Thanks for the kind words--it's good to be back. :)

Eric (EDGE4194):  Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the return and the latest update! :thumbsup:

Ryan B.:  Nice cover. ::) :D  Coincidentally, I did actually recently increase the detail settings in-game, as my new laptop can handle it.  And yes, your old ATL textures have been a standby here for a long time--they're a true classic. :thumbsup:  And without the rest of that mod, there would've probably never been an NWM.  I'd imagine you'll still see them make a cameo every once and awhile even now in the age of TuLEPs. :)

Joan (Jmouse): Thanks for the kind words, and the interesting questions. :)  The developers were indeed thinking ahead there--16th is going to prove a pretty "hopping" spot, so to speak.  As far as McCabe Street goes, I could see the confusion as I didn't actually show the 16th/McCabe intersection--it's actually even further east than I showed in the construction project. 

As far as the signals go, the 16th/Ashcroft intersection is now fully signalized--the traffic volumes certainly warrant it.  The only other signals in the immediate vicinity on Ashcroft north of Highway 36 are at 5th, 13th and Jones . . . there's also been some development farther north since that last map, and a signal's at Ashcroft/24th now as well.  So far, it seems to have the proper balance, though we'll be looking at an example that doesn't have the proper balance relatively soon.  Chemeketa's actually grown a great deal since that map, and you'll soon get to see the full extent of it.

citymax: Thanks, I appreciate it. :thumbsup:

Ryan B.: Yes, indeed--traffic signal control systems are rather complicated beasts.  Modern systems have some rather neat software involved, and there's really an art to using it.  To an extent, it's too bad SC4 doesn't really have that sort of control, but to properly do it, it'd probably require quite a chunk of code.

TmiguelT:  Thanks for the welcome back, and the congratulations on the new releases.  I'm really thrilled to finally have the NWM out to the public in particular, after a lengthy 3.5 year development process.  You can sure bet you'll be seeing a lot of NWM stuff (both existing and in development for Version 2) here in the near future.

Jon (bakerton):  Thanks for the kind words, and I'm almost positive there will be some rather cool stuff showing up here now that the new NAM content is out.  Next update, I'll probably show off the Highway 9/36 interchange--it's a beast.  And as you'll soon find out, TDOT is technically no more, being replaced with another highway authority . . .

marsh: Thanks, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it!





15th Avenue NE/16th Avenue NE Couplet Project


Last update, you may have noticed the 16th Avenue NE widening project hit a bit of a "dead end" just east of Progress Street--some businesses and residences that weren't particularly keen on getting plowed under.  While there will still inevitably be some structures removed, Public Works has found a solution that should allow for the proper improvements between Progress and Division without too much difficulty.

This project will extend 15th Avenue NE and connect it to 16th, and convert the sections of 15th and 16th between that junction and Division Street into a one-way couplet.

Here's where we left off last time (facing east):


The bulldozers have already come out . . . OfficeWorks and a few houses had to be taken out, but the disruption is otherwise minimal (facing west):


The start of the new 15th alignment has been built, and eastbound traffic on 16th has been re-routed onto it at Progress Street (facing west);


Here's the existing section of 16th west of Progress (facing west)--that one-way street toward the top of the image is Commerce Street NE (Highway 219 northbound).  You can see 15th currently ends before the railroad tracks.


Work on the new 15th Ave crossing begins (facing west)--a couple buildings will have to be demolished here on this end as well:


Demolition complete (facing east)--you can see the new alignment of 15th going in here, and a new building has sprung up at 16th and Commerce.


And the new one-way section of 15th is now paved and in place (facing east), with the existing section of 16th converted to one-way traffic.


This is back near Progress Street (facing west), now that the couplet is open.


A new park was built in the "triangle" where the couplet splits (facing west).


And here's an updated map of the city tile.


We'll take a look around various other places in the Chemeketa region next update.  Hope you enjoyed this one--construction season begins again. :)

-Alex




noahclem

Looks great Alex! I like your less destructive solution to the rising traffic volume in that area. Reminds me of older, but not CBD, parts of mid-western cities (4th Ave and University Ave in Minneapolis spring to mind). Look forward to more :thumbsup:

marsh

I love the soulution you came up with for upgrading that road  :thumbsup:

,marsh

metarvo

I can't believe TDot's gone!  :o  Did they go broke or something?

Anyway, I'm glad to see that you've made another update.  It's too bad that some buildings had to be torn down, but that's part of construction, I guess.  MattB's houses really seem to shine in this update, providing that good old suburban feel.  Keep up the good work, Alex.

:thumbsup:
Find my power line BAT thread here.
Check out the Noro Cooperative.  What are you waiting for?  It even has electricity.
Want more? Try here.  For even more electrical goodies, look here.
Here are some rural power lines.


bakerton

I held a (mock) funeral for TDOT. I am sad that it is gone, but I do hope the new agency will keep up just as TDOT as done. Anyhow, nice work with 15th Street realinment. Alex, keep up with this "constructive" work. JKB
beam me up.... please!
I am the lurker that hides in all the corners and you can't get me out. You may try, but you can't.Please call me Jon or Jonathan.

Haljackey

Hey, nice job with the road realignments. The new OWR system looks like it can handle more traffic, and make it more efficient.

Also, what's with that weird looking turquoise building? Looks a little out of place where it is.

TmiguelT

Excellent way of solving that little pesky problem  :thumbsup: .
You are a genius in solving this kind of problems  &apls

Ps. I didn't see Office works go Kaboom this time.. i guess i'll see another big building goes kaboom  &hlp 

canyonjumper

Great update Alex! I like your fences you used. Do you still have a link to them?

               Your friend, 
                              Jordan :thumbsup:
I'm the one who jumped across the Grand Canyon... and lived.

JBSimio

Nice update, Alex!  The one way road solution is one that I've seen many times in more densely built areas when simply widening the road would cause far too much disruption.  I also enjoyed watching you "break through" with the new route at the railroad crossing.  It all seemed very realistic and well done.  If only all progress could be done so cleanly!  ;)

JB


Never trust a god who grins all the time and wears a top hat, that's my motto.  -Terry Pratchett

It's from JBSimio.  Need we say more?  -BadgerBoy of SC4 Devotion

Jmouse

My but you do take realism in road construction seriously, don't you! :) Looks like you've weighed costs and benefits vs. destruction of property very carefully.

I was concerned about an unacceptable increase in vehicular traffic in the neighborhood bordered by 16th Ave. NE, Ashcroft St. NE, 5th Ave. NE and Progress St. NE during morning and afternoon rush hours. Based on the newest map, it looks like residents can either go east to Progress or west to Ashcroft, which is fully signaled, and enter the 16th Ave. thoroughfare pretty easily now, though. I'd like to know how well this new arrangement works out after a suitable length of time.

The amenities you've added – like the park  - are a nice touch. Glad to see there's still an interest in the area among commercial developers, too. The two modern buildings in the sixth and seventh photos look a bit out of place against the vintage structures, but that's just personal taste showing through. &mmm In many areas, it's called progress!

I've always enjoyed your blow-by-blow description of what you're doing and why. I still do!

Later...
Joan

City Builder

As usual, another beautiful update to a great MD.

Thanks for continuing to share.
When your tired of games of destruction, come to CityBuilderGames.com to discuss games of Construction!
Oh!  Thanks for the negative rep, I love you too!

Tarkus

Hi everyone-

Well, after a bit of RL, Tarkusian Cities returns . . . I've got some stuff this update that's a little bit different--a relatively large update exploring more of Chemeketa and vicinity, the "reveal" of TDOT's "successor", and plenty of big maps.

But first, replies:

noahclem: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it.  It does have kind of a bit of a Midwest-y feel there, come to think of it.  The real Salem, Oregon has some sections along those lines as well near downtown, too.  I'm glad you liked the less destructive solution there, too . . . it seemed like the One-Ways were a good fit there, and fortunately, the way Chemeketa's set up, many of the construction projects will probably generally be less . . . drastic :D . . . than those in my older regions.

marsh: Thanks for the kind words on the alignment!  I really like how that one come out, too.

metarvo: Nope, TDOT didn't go broke . . . technically, they kinda got renamed/relocated, as you'll see this update.  Thanks for compliments on the update--'twas good to return and good to be back updating again today. :)  I've really become a big fan of MattB's stuff since doing this region, too.  Before my HD crash in November, I had hardly any of his stuff in my Plugins, but when I rebuilt them, I downloaded just about everything he made, and now, I don't know how I ever really lived without it.  His content really fits into the "Tarkusian style" very well.

976: Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Jon (bakerton): I'm sure TDOT appreciates the sentiment. :)  Of course, I think you'll find its successor every bit as good (if not better, since they've got new NAM stuff to play around with ;D).  Thanks for the kind words on the realignment, too--this update will be a bit more "overview-ish" in nature, but it's definitely construction season here, so you can be sure the bulldozers (and cranes) will be out in force.

Haljackey: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the update and like the One-Way couplet solution there!  And yes, the turquoise building does stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.  The zoning committee took a fair bit of flack over it, to say the least.

TmiguelT: Thanks for the all-too-kind words!  Yeah, there ended up being no kaboom this time.  The Office Works demolition there wasn't really all that spectacular to see--just a little backhoe action.  May be awhile before there's another big kaboom, as many of the upcoming projects will probably take place on largely undeveloped land, since Chemeketa had a bit more foresight on their transport planning than places like . . . oh . . . Argentum. :D

Jordan (canyonjumper): Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the update!  The fences being used are out of the BSC Park Walls set, which can be found here.  I've been addicted to using them in this region. :thumbsup:

Jon (JBSimio): Thanks for the kind words--I've seen that solution used before around here a bit (Philomath, Oregon, about 30 miles northwest of here, recently did that downtown a few years ago) and it does tend to work well.  That railroad crossing breakthrough was probably my favorite part, too. :)

Joan (Jmouse): Thanks for the all-to-kind words!  Fortunately, the new arrangement seems to be working out rather well, though progress is ironically something commuters are having somewhat of a hard time doing on Progress Street just a bit north of the project area.  The immediate vicinity to the north (which will be unveiled this update) is going to be quite the challenge.  I'm glad you liked the park, too, and I agree on the architectural aesthetics there.  Makes navigation a bit easier, though, I suppose ("turn right at the giant weird turquoise building!").  :D  Though this update will be a little bit more "exploratory" than construction-oriented, I am planning to have some more long-range road/highway planning mixed into the construction coming up, which I hope you'll enjoy.

City Builder:  Thanks for the compliments, and the pleasure is all mine. :)




Well, this update is going to be a little bit different . . . we'll mostly be taking a look around parts of Chemeketa I haven't shown yet.  Additionally, some of you are probably wondering what's this business about"TDOT's successor" . . . well, folks, say hello to ORDOT:


You may notice the full name is "Oregon Republic Department of Transportation" . . . well, in the alternate universe that Chemeketa exists in, it's part of a larger alternate universe Oregon that is its own country.  The alternate universe "Republic" actually consists of all of the area originally contained in the Oregon Territory as it was defined in 1848, consisting of all of the modern US state of Oregon, plus all of Washington and Idaho, and pieces of Montana and Wyoming.  Additionally, the republic gradually acquired (through peaceful means) all of what we know as California and Nevada north of 39'N by the mid-1850s--perfect timing when the Comstock Lode was found, which was a particular boon to the nation's early economy and international stature.  The republic consists of 8 states: Olympus, Willamette, Columbia, Wasco, Kootenai, Bonneville, Siskiyou and Lahontan.



Chemeketa, as you might guess, is located in Willamette state.  Here it is roughly pinpointed:




Now for that tour I promised . . . and first, here's a larger map of Chemeketa . . . this still isn't the full region, and I've still got a lot of roads to name, but it covers pretty much all of Chemeketa proper, as well as the nearby smaller cities of Vivien Heights (named after our good friend and 1000th poster Earth quake) and Windsor, as well as parts of unincorporated Marion County.




A night shot of downtown




Work is already beginning on a rebuild of the Hebo Highway (currently Highway 36) through downtown, facing west.  The interchange at the bottom is with Division Street--that's the southern terminus of Highway 219 there, which goes all the way up to Hillsboro, some 45 miles away.




South Chemeketa's Radio Hill neighborhood--this is at Halvorson Road SE and 35th Street SE, looking south.




The smaller industrial area immediately east of downtown--this is at 5th Avenue NE and McCabe Street, just north of the interchange with the highway.




This is in the heart of the larger industrial area that is located southwest of the Highway 15/36 interchange, right along Sorenson Street SE, facing north.




The interchange with Highway 36 and Sorenson Street, facing west.  Sorenson Street is a major north-south arterial through town, but much like this interchange, it's wildly substandard in most parts and in need of major improvement, as you'll soon see.




A much less substandard interchange--this is where Highway 36 connects Downtown Chemeketa up with Highway 15, the West Oregon Freeway, looking north.  Highway 15 is basically the "alternate universe Oregon" equivalent of the real world Interstate 5 (15 even kinda looks like "I5"), and essentially the lifeblood for Willamette, Olympus, and Siskiyou Provinces, connecting them into British Columbia and the Republic of California.  The interchange is still getting a little tweaking from ORDOT, though.




This is along Halpert Road NE facing west, near East Chemeketa High School, home of the fightin' Albacore! (Odd mascot, I know).  Halpert Road is a major arterial east of Highway 15 and serves as a sort of "main drag" for East Chemeketa.




Here we are along Highway 15 again (facing north), at the fast-growing high-tech industrial area in the northeast part of Chemeketa.  The overpass you see is 64th Avenue NE.




This is at 52nd Avenue NE and Halpert (facing north), a major intersection in this part of town, right in the heart of the high-tech area.  There's also a small commercial "strip" of sorts along 52nd, largely catering to the tech crowd.




The curve along Halpert Road (facing east)--you may recognize this image . . . it's one of the two used on the NWM upload.  (The other one with the MAVE-4 and the Street, in case you're wondering, is along Ashcroft Street, also in Chemeketa.)




Here's what Sorenson Street looks like in this part of town (facing north), as it crosses the fittingly named Sorenson Creek (which isn't yet shown on the map). 




Here's 52nd crossing Sorenson Creek (facing west).  52nd between Ashcroft and Highway 15 is an example of the City of Chemeketa's so-called "Surfways"--a portmanteau of "surface" and "expressway", schemed up by a planner with a penchant for silly puns.  Unfortunately, as congested as 52nd is most of the time, it's rare you actually get to "ride the wave" at the rather pleasant 50mph posted speed limit.




This is the intersection of 52nd and Sorenson . . . which, just like the rest of Sorenson Street, is wildly substandard.  This particular intersection is ranked #3 right now as one of the most dangerous in the city.  We'll see #1 in a moment.




Now we're back to Ashcroft Street (facing north), which is still a major arterial this far north--it was actually part of a prior alignment of Highway 15 before the West Oregon Freeway was completed.  You can see part of that "old" alignment there on the left. Ashcroft was transferred to city control in 1970, and the city eventually re-aligned Ashcroft a few years later when it was widened to 4 lanes.  The cross street there is 59th Avenue NE.




This is 59th/Erickson Way and Ashcroft again (facing south). . . the city's already made some improvements by adding right turn lanes to decrease right turn queueing, though Erickson east of Ashcroft is increasingly starting to become burdened with traffic and will likely need some improvement.




Here's a rather mondo intersection . . . 71st Avenue NE and Ashcroft (facing north).  71st is another "Surfway", also between Ashcroft and Highway 15.  It ties in to the northern end of the high tech area we looked at earlier, and until recently, had formed the northern city limits for Chemeketa.  While 71st also needs to be beefed up, this intersection isn't the #1 on the list.  In fact, it's doing a pretty darn good job despite the very high volumes, thanks to those dual left turn lanes.





This here is the #1 most dangerous intersection in the Chemeketa area--52nd Avenue and Highway 219, also known as Hillsboro Highway NE (facing south).
 



You may remember 219 along the Division/Commerce couplet downtown . . . it becomes a 2-lane expressway just north of 24th Avenue NE (with a couple 4-lane spots).  52nd takes on the Highway 221 designation west of this intersection as it crosses over the Willamette, into Eola County and skirts the north edge of the City of Vivien Heights.  ORDOT, as well as both Marion and Eola Counties, and the Cities of Chemeketa and Vivien Heights are already formulating a plan to fix this problem spot, which will be integrated as part of a series of long-term projects to improve 52nd.

52nd Avenue NW in Eola County, just across the bridge (facing south).  It has a rather elaborate little interchange with Wallace Road NW, a major arterial through Vivien Heights, which you can see a glimpse of on the right.  The city had planned to open up the land north of 52nd for development, which it recently annexed, but with the current traffic issues on 52nd, it has temporarily put a moratorium on construction in the area until the necessary improvements have been made--a rather risky move from an economic standpoint as Vivien Heights is trying to emerge as more than a simple "bedroom community" of Chemeketa.




So, that does it for this update.  We'll be looking at some construction again this next update, and there's a good chance you'll see ORDOT in action for the first time.

-Alex

Haljackey

Well, Alex...
I have to say that this is your best update yet!  &apls Excellent job I must say! :thumbsup:

That night pic is great, and I did not expect seeing something like that at all. Your construction shots are always good, so not much more to say there. However, that RHW-RHW interchange connecting Highway 36 with Highway 15 is simply something else! Excellent use of MIS pieces!

Such detail, such realism! This is truly one of those updates that proves Tarkusian Cities belongs in the MD Hall of Fame.