[Haljackey]

FAR-tastic work Alex! I don't often see the FARHW-6 used, and you pulled it off quite well! Looks great!

Thanks for the link to the AVE-6 medians. Finally that gap in my wide roads will be filled!

That SPUI looks awesome too.

[Ryan B.]

That's outstanding, Alex!  I see what you did there as well with the SPUI . . . left some room for expansion!  You can definitely fit a RHW-6C under that overpass!

[cmdp123789]

Where did you get the walls? The ones used on the SPUI...

[Tracker]

When I get a chance I will download the tweaked AVE-6 mod. Way overdue! The construction is really nice too, and the map is a real help! Someday I wanna see some of the smaller "suburbs" of Chemeketa — Windsor, Tweedy Junction,  the 99th/107th/Rankine area in rural Marion County, and Minto.

[RickD]

My roadgeek-self is very pleased with this update.

[Battlecat]

A very road geek worthy update!  The construction scenes are always interesting to see!

[jgehrts]

Well, that was pretty much completely awesome. I'm roadgeeking out over here...

[noahclem]

Great job with the new alignment and interchange Alex    An elegant solution and a thorough explanation 

[Will12]

Nice!

[Tarkus]

Hi everyone-

I'm back with another installment of Tarkusian Cities.  We'll be continuing the Highway 215 Chemeketa Parkway project with Phase 3, which will construct a freeway to connect Downtown Chemeketa to Highway 15 to the northeast, through the fast-growing northern suburbs.

Because there were so many images that resulted during the construction of Phase 3, I've actually split Phase 3 into two parts. 

But first, replies:

David (dedgren): Thank you for the kind words--I'm glad I was able to fill your roadgeek fix for the afternoon.   I will have a region shot in just a few more updates--I have a couple more projects to show before the big reveal.

Ryan (Haljackey): Thanks, and I'm really glad you enjoyed the FARHW-6 usage there and the SPUI.  I hadn't used FARHW-6 much beyond testing myself before that, so I was glad to have an excuse to use it there--I think it fit in pretty well.  And you're welcome for the link!

Ryan B.: Thanks for the compliments on the SPUI, and yes, it does look I have room for it.  I have, for a long time, had a tendency to put a 1-tile blank median between my RHW-4s, perhaps as that's kind of the standard deal here in Oregon . . . does definitely leave that possibility, though the capacity doesn't quite merit it.

cmdp123789: That particular SPUI just uses the dirt from the SFBT Construction Set.  The previous SPUI at 39th (Update 83) used Walls Pack 2 by Mas71.

Raymie (Tracker): Thanks for the kind words on the update, and I'm glad the map proved helpful!  So far, it looks like Ganaram's mod is probably going to remain the only one on the market, as I still haven't heard back from jackxu.  And you will get to see a few glimpses of Windsor this update, and in two updates, you'll see the Rankine Lane/99th/107th area.  Tweedy Junction will also be getting quite a bit of construction soon, and I'll see if I can find a way to sneak Minto into an update (there isn't any construction planned in that area right now).

Raphael (RickD): Thanks--I'm glad I satisfied your roadgeek fix, too, and hopefully, this update does more of the same for you.

Gordon (Battlecat): Thanks, my friend--that means a lot coming from someone who also has a knack for roadgeeking out in MDs, too!

jgehrts: Thanks, I'm glad it proved to be "awesome"!  More roadgeekery is forthcoming.

Noah (noahclem): Thanks for the compliments on the alignment/interchange!  I'm glad the explanation was thorough enough, as some of my updates can get pretty convoluted sometimes.

Will12: Thanks!  I'm glad it was to your liking.




Project Map:
http://gmapuploader.com/view/rNw5WI20v0

Phase 3A of the Chemeketa Parkway project will continue the construction of the Chemeketa Parkway (Highway 215), access-controlled freeway, from the Highway 219/71st Avenue SPUI to Bushnell Road NE.  As part of the project, some nearby transportation facilties will also be upgraded, including realignment of the Bushnell Road/Progress Street NE intersection, and improvements to the Windsor Industrial Rail Spur.

This is an overview of the project area (facing north).  The town in the upper left (northwest) corner is Windsor, a rural suburb of Chemeketa with a population of roughly 2000.



This is at the intersection of Bushnell Road NE and Progress Street NE (facing north), two major roadways in this vicinity, which will be realigned in order to accommodate the freeway alignment and improve traffic flow.



This is where the Chemeketa Parkway will meet the rail spur to the industrial area (facing north).  In order to keep the freeway fully access-controlled, it will require the road to become elevated, in addition to realignment of the spur.


Here is where the spur meets the mainline of the railroad (facing north).  This mainline is one of the most important in the entire region, connecting the entire Willamette Valley.



Constructio begins on the spur (facing north).









Here is where the spur meets Highway 219 (facing north) just south of Windsor.  The cross street at the top is Withnall Way NE.



Here is where the spur reaches the heavy industrial area (facing north), near the intersection of 99th Avenue NE and MacFarland Road NE.  As part of the realignment, the spur will be upgraded to two tracks between the industrial park and the mainline.





Here is work on the freeway overpass over the spur (facing north).



This is where the Chemeketa Parkway meets the mainline (facing east), under construction.



This is at the intersection of Bushnell and Progress again (facing east).  As you can see, the curve on Progress is right in the way of the freeway alignment.  To that effect, Progress will instead head north and connect directly into the northern segment of Bushnell.



Paving underway (facing east).



The realignment is open, and traffic from the southern segment of Bushnell can temporarily access Progress and the northern segment sing the temporary connector road.



This is further north along the realignment section that is now completed (facing east), though as you can see, some motorists don't seem to have gotten the message (must be GPS users).



This is the southern part of the realignment (facing east).  The southern segment of Bushnell will directly T into Progress Street, and to mitigate any confusion with navigation and emergency vehicle dispatch, the southern segment will be renamed 82nd Avenue NE between Progress and Ashcroft.



The new 82nd/Progress/Bushnell intersection will be signalized with added turn lane capacity (facing north).



And it's now opened up (facing north).  And apparently, those GPS users still haven't a clue.



The temporary connector is now closed off (facing north), and the remnant of the northern segment of Bushnell has been realigned to end at a cul-de-sac just north of the freeway, to allow access to the local farms.





Work can now commence on building the freeway and the Bushnell Road interchange (facing north)







And here's an image of the interchange, completed (facing west).



That does it for this update.  I'll be back with Phase 3B soon, which will go up to the Ashcroft Street interchange.

-Alex

[threestooges]

Always love the forethought that goes into the construction Alex. Interesting realignment of the rail corridor. Am I right that it's now become a double track spur, or is it still a mainline? I also like that the majority of the track was left in place save for the crossings. will these become abandoned or are they going to be reclaimed by the rail company?
-Matt

[dedgren]

Is there room under that new overpass over the new tracks to run a bike path?  The old spur line, depending on where it fits into the scheme of things, might make a nice rail-to-trail segment.

It would be great to see some BATs that would allow the more realistic creation of trail networks on disused RR roadbeds.  Blank trestles, that sort of thing.  Big culvert ends for getting foot traffic safely across busy roads and highways and under railroad tracks would be pretty nifty.  Sorry for the tangent, Alex.  There's something about reading TC that makes me think of stuff.

Excellent update, my friend.


David

[metarvo]

It's interesting to see a TC update that has at least somewhat of a focus on rails.  You know, I had a crazy idea when I saw the old STR segment next to the new DTR line.  If there were such a thing as STGLR (Single Track Ground Light Rail), then the old STR segment could be re-purposed as a GLR line in anticipation of future growth.  Good work as always, Alex!

 

[bakerton]

I have to agree with Dedgren (David) about rail to trails. It would look great. On another subject, Alex, you have "spur"ed my imagination with the new rail spur and new bridge, highway, and road consruction out in the farms. The farms look lovely and it is a big change from the city scenes and I love them both ways. Looking forward to more soon. JKB

[noahclem]

Great update Alex    The new alignments all make sense and look good. The only suggestion I have is that it would be nice to iron out that extra "S" curve that's left in the STR spur leaving the DTR. The update on the map looks great too--I really need to get around to updating mine!

Looking forward to the next phase 

[Grneyes]

Very nice! I love all the road curves. I tend to forget about those when I'm making roads, I just want to get them done and over with and forget to take the time to be creative.

[apeguy]

Nice update, a bit of a surprise to see some railway development as well as roads, but a great update anyway.

[AcoG000]

gonna have to agree with apeguy, a bit of a suprise to see railway development. but in other words, another fantastic update!

[Tracker]

Awesome as always!

[SimCity V6]

Great MD, Tarkus!!!  I hope you continue making more awesome updates!

P.S. Lucky #1300 coming in 10...9...8...

Double-posting in a 2-minute timeframe to get a -00 post is not acceptable. -Admin