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

[darraghf]

Great Update!

[bakerton]

Awesome update Alex. It looks great. JKB

[Jmouse]

Glad to see there's no shortage of construction jobs about town! I always enjoy the way you present these projects, showing the work in progress as opposed to a simple before-and-after approach. And this update is so straightforward, there are few questions left unanswered. I did wonder if any structures on the east side of 50th had to be demolished to make way for the widening project, though (first two photos).

The next set of pics made me smile - the circuitous detours devised by project engineers sometimes leave drivers feeling like lab rats in a maze! The resulting intersection - and improvement in traffic flow - appears to be worth the temporary inconvenience, though. And the Jan Haskins overpass and interchange is perfect as is the intersection with Los Endos.

Those were elements of special interest, in part because of the need for crossovers on avenues. My own first experience in that area was a disaster! And is one at-grade intersection enough or are there more to come?

Always looking forward to more construction - especially when I don't have to drive through it!
Joan

[Haljackey]

Nice map.
Nice buildings.
Nice construction.
Nice roads.
Nice highways.
Nice update.

As you can tell, I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this update.  Well done and I look forward to the next!

Best,
-Haljackey

[EDGE4194]

alex- great update (of course!), nice terraces btw. now if you can just get those sanitation workers back on the job 

[Nexis4Jersey]

Great update  , except one thing what would happen if a car had bad brakes @ the Los Endos Boulevard/Jan Haskins Parkway intersection? 

[jgehrts]

"Gehrts Way"...  Now there's a strange-sounding street name. 

By the way, who made the school and athletic field that you showed in that update?  They both look pretty slick.

[j-dub]

Alex, why do you have trash all over the place!? Is it that McDonald's doing it?

[LE0]

In next update you should build a landfill


PS Where to download the trash piles?

[nerdly_dood]

There are ploppable trash piles available for download on the STEX i think, but those aren't what Tarkus has there - what he has is a shortage of garbage-processing facilities! Tsk tsk Alex I thought you could do better!

[Tarkus]

Hi everyone-

Back with more Tarkusian Cities here.  We'll be looking at TDOT's plans to further upgrade Highway 94 to freeway status this update.

But first, replies:

Jan (Swamper77):  Thanks!  Hehe . . . fortunately, Los Endos has a fairly warm climate.  Very conducive to a long construction season.   As far as relocation goes, TDOT in most cases is able to offer displaced residents/businesses a fair market price in exchange for the right-of-way, with which the owners can easily buy into a new development somewhere.  The Tartan Corridor project only involved removing about 4 or 5 houses, so it was relatively easy to work out a deal. 

And yes, the trash does appear to be a bit of a problem up there at 57th and Los Endos . . . fortunately, the local public utility district is committed to building a new, sustainable Waste-to-Energy facility off NE Midland Road.

David (dedgren): Thanks for the kind words!  I can't get enough of SAM Set 7 myself, and hope to sneak some of those great new SAM curves you made in.   Hope you enjoy this latest project here!

Arthur (art128): Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the update and that intersection and stadium in particular.  It was a bit tricky to build that interchange into the side of that hill there, but I'm pleased with how it came out.

TmiguelT:  Thanks, and you're 100% correct, it's never too late.   I'm glad to hear it was inspiring!  Hopefully, more lurkers will come out of the shadows as well--I don't bite.

carkid1998:  Thanks--and yes, there are some TLA-5s in those pics.  However, it's still not ready for primetime.  I've actually been using my very rudimentary "not safe for public consumption" Alpha Build for a couple years now.

Battlecat:  Yes, the city does have a bit of a garbage problem there.  Those Los Endites are quite the litterbugs.   Thanks for the compliments on the school as well--I'm very pleased with how that came out!

Pat:  Thanks for the kind words on the projects--I'm happy to hear you're enjoying them!  If you are going to phone the EPA, the jurisdiction you'd want to complain about would be the City of Los Endos.    TDOT has joint jurisdiction over Los Endos Blvd with Los Endos.  Though that particular lot will be getting something built on it soon.

Darragh (darraghf):  Thanks!

Jon (bakerton):  Thanks--glad you enjoyed it!

Joan (Jmouse):  Thank you very much for the compliments--and for the great questions as well!  I'm particularly glad to hear that I was able to present everything clearly, too.  As far as the 50th Avenue widening project, fortunately, when the city allowed residential development in the Tartan area, they required a fairly wide easement along that arterial, just in case.  I'll have to show a little more of 50th in one of the next few updates--I like how it turned out.

Those detours do indeed get interesting, and are usually the one thing that keep me from routinely driving through construction zones.   (Though I usually still take a peek or two . . .) 

As far as the intersections on the Jan Haskins Parkway, the Foothill Terrace intersection will probably be the only one in that section.  TDOT and the city want to keep traffic flow as unrestricted as possible, and if the topography didn't prohibit it, that would probably be an overpass or interchange itself.  Albeit the Parkway will get extended a good 4 miles to the north in a future update, and the extension will have some more intersections.

Haljackey:  Nice comment.   Thanks--I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it, and hope this one was worth the wait!

EDGE4194:  Thanks!  I'm particularly glad you noticed the terraces--that's probably my favorite feature of that intersection.  And the sanitation workers will be given a good "what for".

Corey (Nexis4Jersey):  Thanks, and that's a good question.  Fortunately, there's a guardrail there at the intersection to prevent folks from plunging into Lake Hammerhead.

jgehrts:  Hehe . . . I'm glad you caught that--consider it your reward for being the 20,000th viewer of Tarkusian Cities.  (n.b.: We're just about to hit 40,000 views right now, too.   Thanks to all the commenters and lurkers!)  I'm glad you liked the school and athletic field setup there--the school is one of SimGoober's, and the athletic fields are from Chrisadams3997 on the LEX.

j-dub:  Not sure who's causing the trash there--it could also be the Chick-Fil-A next door as well, or just Los Endites being careless.  We'll get down to the bottom of it.  

LE0:  Well, you'll probably see the trash facilities in a future update--they're right in the vicinity of one road project that I'll be featuring soon.  And those are just Maxis trash piles there. 

nerdly_dood:  You're exactly right--Los Endos' population has quickly outgrown its waste processing facilities.  Don't worry, though, that will be rectified soon.  

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Ardent Road/31st Street Interchange

This project will replace the current at-grade intersection between Highway 94 (the Desert Lakes Highway) and NE 31st Street/NE Ardent Road in Los Endos, as part of the larger TDOT project to bring the highway up to Primary Route standards.  31st Street and Ardent Road are major arterials that lie about 2 miles east of Downtown Los Endos, and they provide access for much of the region to the Milvedo District, home to many Hi-Tech companies.  The current at-grade intersection is among the most dangerous in TDOT's jurisdiction, and the Level of Service is at Level F for 10 hours per day as a result. 

The first phase of the project will involve the construction of all but the eastbound entrance ramp, which will be built at a later date.  TDOT has preliminary plans to upgrade this interchange as needed during the Highway 94 projects.

In addition, Ardent Road will be re-aligned north of the freeway, and Ardent and 31st will be widened to 4 lanes between Richland Lane and Los Endos Boulevard.

Here is a look at the existing at-grade intersection. (facing north)


Work starting on the new Ardent alignment. (facing north)


The westbound ramps are being build. (facing north)


The existing at-grade intersection has been demolished.  31st and Ardent will be closed until the overpass is built, with motorists using 18th Street (Highway 33) as a detour (facing north)


The new overpass being built over Highway 94 (facing north)


The overpass has been connected into the new Ardent alignment (facing north)


The westbound ramps, which tunnel under Ardent, have been opened (facing north)


The eastbound off-ramp from Highway 94 to 31st has been built. (facing north)


Construction has begun on the eastbound on-ramp from 31st to Highway 94 (facing west)


A map showing the new interchange . . . the city's mapmakers have gotten ahead of themselves and shown the as-of-yet unconstructed eastbound on-ramp.



That does it for this installment of Tarkusian Cities.  More construction ahead.

-Alex

[mightygoose]

fantastic update my friend, but pray tell me, that you demolished the motel and not the school for the road widening

[Ryan B.]

A very creative interchagne - but I'd expect nothing less from one of the best!

So when are you gonna start using your spiffy new highway shields on your maps?   

[bat]

Nice work on that intersection of that nice highway!

[Battlecat]

Nicely done!  I like how you fit the wide angle avenue curve in there, it really fits the area. 

[rdrdrdrd]

I love your style, any tips on making highways?

[Ryan B.]

Here's a tip:  Leave yourself as much space as you can, in case you mess up.

Another:  Find a good slope mod and don't try to stuff elevated items (like ramps) into unrealistic spaces & angles.

Good luck!

[Pat]

hehehe Alex well if City of Los Endos hasn't cleaned up that mess yet there will be a call but knowing you I hope you gotten it addressed so it should be no problem right? Anywho I really enjoyed the widening here in this update and I cant wait to see more construction!!!

[nerdly_dood]

It occurs to me that with your MD concentrating on highway construction, rather than a profusion of the completed product, it takes a lot more time and effort to put in the various things to simulate a road construction zone and I commend you for the the extra effort.

[io_bg]

Nice work! Very creative!