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

[bat]

Welcome to page 27!!

Great new city there! The update is great and the pictures, too! And looking forward to more of it...

[Quesh]

Very good job 
It's very well done construction on these valleys 

[EDGE4194]

As usual Alex, I am awed by your fantastic map (love the railroad indicator). I am looking forward to see what TDOT has in store for this area!

[art128]

Hello Tarkus, i see all your MD and it's very beautiful  i realy like the last update very realistic 
I'm looking foward to a new update 
Arthur

[bakerton]

I like the town Alex. It looks like a great place to live. I look forward to more. JKB

[allan_kuan1992]

The second sharp curve, off Essex onto 15th Street, by the water tower agglomeration and the elementary school (facing west).  As you can probably guess, this isn't exactly the safest roadway . . . the speed limit here only ranges between a paltry 25-30mph (40-50 km/h, for you metric folks)

A road roundabout will do i think? or maybe a one-way roundabout with a road shift on the 15th street?

- Allan Kuan

[Shadow Assassin]

Very nice work, Alex.

By the way, it'd be a good idea to fix the right-hand approaches to the RHW bridge, there seems to be a rather abrupt (and dangerous) slope change right before going onto the bridge. Will that be fixed as part of the works that the DoT has planned?

[Pat]

Alex love the new RHW texture there and the stop signs and SPM signage I see!!! Hmmm what else did I see here?? Ohh FARR work too lol... Looking very good here Alex and I cant wait to see the improvements that DOT has instore here...

[dmscopio]

nice suburban area there, keep it up my friend!

[Tarkus]

Hi everyone-

I'm back with another installment of Tarkusian Cities.  We'll be back in Los Endos, where TDOT is straightening out Highway 33, and building an interchange at Highway 94.

But first, (long belated) replies for the last two updates:

UPDATE 34--Parallel/Peninsula Corridor Realignment

David (Simpson): Thanks, I'm glad you liked the avenue there!

JoeST: Mission accomplished, then.   Thanks!

sebes: I'm in the same boat--new laptop myself.  Runs SC4 great, too!  Hope you're enjoying your new PC, too.

Nexis: Thanks, I do have a bit of a tendency to just keep going on one city--Argentum is up around 600 game years now.  I always just keep finding things to improve.  And I'm glad you liked the streets there.

bat: I'm glad you enjoyed the update--thanks! 

rushman5: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the construction site and liked the terrain mod.  Technically, it's supposed to be a desert mod (of my own creation), but I could see how it could be good for beaches, too.

Haljackey: Thanks for the kind words, my friend.  There's more realignment to come, and the RIRO coincidence is too funny.   Great transit minds think alike, I guess.

deathtopumpkins: Thanks, if I've inspired just one person to go and realign roads, that's mission accomplished!   I actually got the post-style wrong, though--he tends to put the dots in the ellipses together, without space.  I have a bit of a tendency to study people's posting styles, I guess.

Joan (Jmouse): Thanks for the congratulations, Joan!  I'm glad it was easy to follow, and I'll definitely start doing in-game aerials--that's a fantastic suggestion.

Unassigned: I'm glad you enjoyed the whole construction process, and thanks for making the big #500.  If you didn't catch the last update, you've now got a road named in your honor.  And you're right on the Wakeman origins--that whole town (as well as all the other regions I've shown) are laced with prog references.  Latin element names and prog . . . who would have thought?  

Quesh: Merci, my friend.  Glad you enjoyed it.

JoeST: Hey, if I can get people playing the game, um . . . mission accomplished (for some reason I keep saying that tonight). 

Matt (threestooges): Thanks, I'm glad you like the realignment there.  The area will be pretty much unrecognizable once it's done.  As far as the police station, it's right across the street from the site of the old one.  They didn't have to go too far, fortunately.

Dustin (thundercrack83): Thank you for the kind words, my friend.  I'm thrilled to be here.

David (dedgren): Prediction correct.    There's only a few houses along it, though. 

And thank you so much for the compliments, David.  I feel much the same way about RL transportation projects, and this MD is helping me fill that void for myself as well.  A large part of the reason I play SC4 is as an outlet to express my "inner engineer".  That has never gotten old in the 4 years I've had SC4.  It's almost heriditary--my dad is actually an electrical engineer for a small municipal power company and has a highway engineering degree. 

And I'm thrilled to be in Classics now, too. 

Eric (EDGE4194): Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the latest construction projects, and don't worry TDOT has a lot of big things in the works.

Jon (bakerton): Thanks! That's just about the greatest compliment I can think of. 

Dustin (thundercrack83): You are too kind, Dustin.   Again, that's just about the greatest compliment. 

Paul (paroch): Thanks, and I'm thrilled being on the same page as you and West End now (which I need to pop into), as well as all the other great MDs here.  I hope you enjoy this latest update, too!

Allan (allan_kuan1992): Hehe . . . well, they know the value of investing in good transportation infrastructure.   It's product of Tarkusian education.  Grin No Thanks for stopping by!

UPDATE 35--Introducing the City of Los Endos

deathtopumpkins: Yes, I've got a couple new regions I've started on, actually.  All these great NHP maps floating around.  Can't.  Stop.  Building.  New Regions.  (Los Endos is built on NHP Hephaestus by blade2k5 and beskhu3epnm)

And as far as 33 goes, you'll be seeing what happens to it this time around--I think you'll like it.

And those are indeed T21'd stop signs (and stop lines) there at the 33/94 intersection.  I've added a few here and there as I've had the chance.

David (Simpson): Thanks, my friend.  I'm glad you like the new city.  I'll be showing lots more fields and RHWs, too, in the next couple updates--hope you enjoy this one.

Maarten (mrtnrln): I'm glad it was worth the wait.  And I can't wait to release that stuff, either.    Thanks for the compliments on the city layout, too!

Allan (allan_kuan): Indeed.  And it crosses 0th Street, too.  Well, fortunately, the way Los Endos has been planned, TDOT won't have to demolish quite so much . . . only 2 buildings were demolished this entire update, actually.

Haljackey: Thanks for the kind words!  And I'm glad you enjoyed the new mod usage--there will be quite a bit more in this update (*cough* TLA-5 *cough*).  Hope you enjoy it!

Joan (Jmouse): Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!  I plan on showing more Ag in this region, too--I haven't really done a big Agriculture update, and it's high time I did.  I've finally gotten around to playing around with some of Chrisadams' stuff, too--I absolutely love the new flora. 

And I'm completely with you on the open space thing, too.  I always try to keep at least some around. 

As far as an at-grade intersection, it's basically an intersection in which all the participating networks are on the same level, as opposed to a grade-separated interchange.

Kevin (BigSlark): Hey, great to see you back around!  Thanks for the kind words, and I'll certainly try.

Casper (caspervg): I'm away for two weeks and you show off another beautiful city. It's always fun to see the new developments for the NAM, some wonderful teaser (and do I see T21'ed stop signs on the road-RHW at-grade intersection...?)  Roll Eyes

Welcome back, and thanks for the kind words!  Those are indeed T21-ed stop signs there, too.

bat: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it, and there will definitely be some more here.

Quesh: Thanks for the compliments!  Hope you enjoy this update.

Eric (EDGE4194): I finally figured out how to do that railroad indicator as well--it hit me while I was making RHW textures awhile ago.  Thanks for the kind words--I'm glad you enjoyed the map, and rest assured, TDOT's at the ready.

Arthur (art128): Thanks for the kind words!  I hope you enjoy the new update!

Jon (bakerton): Thanks--I appreciate the compliments!    I wouldn't mind living there myself, either, but I'm probably biased.  

Allan (allan_kuan1992): That's an interesting suggestion--I hadn't actually thought of that, and I kinda like it.  Of course, there will actually be a nother road coming in on the other side, too, as you'll see on this update.

Daniel (Shadow Assassin): Thanks!  And I agree about the bridge.  It hasn't been fixed as of yet, but they're still going to be messing around with Highway 94 for some time to come.

Pat: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the new mod usage there--and an accurate guess on which ones, too!   Hope you like what TDOT has planned.

David (dmscopio): Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the suburbs there--there will be plenty more of them, too.

________________________________________________________________



Highway 33 Realignment, Indus Way to Richland Lane, Los Endos

This project will realign Highway 33 in the City of Los Endos between Indus Way and Richland Lane on a perfectly straight alignment, eliminating many sharp corners.  In addition, the junction of Highway 33 with the Desert Lakes Highway, Highway 94, will be upgraded from an at-grade intersection to a grade-separated diamond/parclo hybrid interchange.

When finished, Highway 33 will be routed down a newly constructed extension of East 18th Street, with five travel lanes.  Essex Drive, part of the existing Highway 33 alignment, will be extended to meet with the new 18th Street alignment at a four-way intersection, meeting up with Waverly Drive.

Map of Los Endos before the realignment


Los Endos Boulevard at the future 18th Street intersection (looking west)


The south end of the project, the intersection of 18th, University and Indus. (looking west)


The north end of the project, where 33 becomes the Crater Highway, near Richland Lane. (looking west)


The start of work on the Essex Drive extension at 15th Street (looking west).  TDOT and Los Endos value the idea of having walkways throughout the city, so a new trail is being built just west of the new 18th Street extension.  In order to improve pedestrian safety and minimize any traffic congestion caused by having an at-grade pedestrian crosswalk, pedestrian bridges are being built over important routes, like Essex, Milvedo Drive and Los Endos Boulevard. (looking west)


Waverly Drive at the site of the Essex extension and future new intersection.  This segment of Waverly will be renamed Essex Drive, to aid in emergency response. (looking west)


The north portion of 18th Street has been built and connected into Crater Highway at Richland, and a new overpass has been built over Highway 94.  The old alignment is still in use, however, to allow for access between Highways 33 and 94 while the new interchange is being built. (both looking west)





The new ramps to and from the new alignment are built, and connect into the Richland Lane intersection.  We'll be looking at more of the interchange and improvements to Highway 94 next time. (looking west)



The new 18th/Los Endos intersection (looking west)



The extended Essex Drive and new 18th/Essex intersection (looking west)



A section of 18th south of Los Endos Boulevard (looking west)



And finally, a map showing the new alignment.



I'll be back with more pics of the 94/33 interchange next time.  Much more construction to come . . .

-Alex (Tarkus)

[art128]

very nice update of the development 

[Sheep49]

Nice city you have there!
It's very well planned, I have to say.

I'll definitely keep an eye on this one 
Piotr

[CasperVg]

Looks very nice, this update actually reminded me of the existence of pedestrian overpasses in the NAM. The working crew has some work to do, it seems  

[JoeST]

its still looking good, nnot surprising :p

tho the pedestrian bridges look a bit out of place, they are too tall imo

Joe

[bat]

Like always - Great work on your newest update! And wonderful pictures of your city... Also the map looks nice...

[Jmouse]

When I looked at the first map, I tried to figure out how the realignment could be done and saw two possibilities. I guessed the wrong one! Not surprising, though - among friends I'm known for pursuing the most difficult approach to any project. Your way was by far the more efficient, and at least I can follow along now with some understanding of how and why things are done.

The pedestrian bridges are a great idea. We used to have one near the community college where students had to cross a busy highway. I can think of many other situations where one would be warranted, but with RL budgets being what they are, a ped bridge is likely to be considered an expensive luxury.

I wonder about the intersection by the water tower in the next-to-last photo. Wouldn't it be better if the two streets lined up to form a straight cross street? Doing so would beg the question of whether to tear down some pretty houses or move the water tower, though. Once again, just curious.

Very interesting and well-done update, Alex. Again!

Later...
Joan

[j-dub]

Great idea building a bridge by that university, funny though, I approached the university by doing that as well, except over the avenue too. Good thing you left the land there for when widening calls.
Just this year, they finally build a ped bridge on the side of the city where I live, I always dreamed there would be one there, but when it came true, I thought it was expensive, and out of place, but it got a lot of bike traffic, so kids can cross a 5 lane  50mph road without worring about getting hit by a freight truck. There is a lot of traffic there, I don't know whats wrong with the state, they refuse to use stoplights over that part of the highway. The existing ped bridge in my city, on the far side connects a juvenile correctional facility to a fun center across the street. Thats something that this game should be capable of. Don't get any ideas. Where there are other ped bridges spread across the surrounding communities, its always long ramps and no elevators up those. Which brings me to the question, would you possibly use a 3 tile ramp to cross networks?

[deathtopumpkins]

Close enough... 

I've been messing around with some of the NHP maps lately too... they're really good!
I did.
v.21 I assume?

Are you seriously not using the road turning lanes? Wow. I thought surely you would be.

Some more nice realignment shots. As usual, have to like how you stage it all for the pictures.
And nice use of the NAM Pedestrian bridges.

The RHW2 texture looks really good there, but one question: Would it be possible to adjust the splitter's texture to have the two yellow lines meet, instead of looking like they transition to a regular road? I just think that might look better, but if it's done in RL, by all means do it.

What's up with the TLA-5/Road intersection textures? They look like the actual intersection texture hasn't been completed yet for the TLA-5, and the road doesn't seem to connect properly. I assume it's just a work-in-progress?

Waiting for more on the interchange...

[allan_kuan1992]

you didn't show us the whole new interchange

nice work anyways

- Allan Kuan

[jplumbley]

Close enough... 

I've been messing around with some of the NHP maps lately too... they're really good!
I did.
v.21 I assume?

Thanks...  We tried as a team hehe.

Are you seriously not using the road turning lanes? Wow. I thought surely you would be.

I am pretty sure Alex is using one of the alpha versions of my newly rewritten Turning Lanes Plugin.  TLA-5 is not compatible with the existing one and it will not be made compatible due to the way the two mods were created.  The new Turning Lanes Plugin I have written is much more flexible and will be fully compatible with the TLA-5 due to the fact that they are being worked on together with much better implementation than had been used before.

What's up with the TLA-5/Road intersection textures? They look like the actual intersection texture hasn't been completed yet for the TLA-5, and the road doesn't seem to connect properly. I assume it's just a work-in-progress?

You would be correct.  The TLA-5 is still underdevelopement, not just from the RULs, pathing etc, but also the textures.  That specific texture came from an earlier version where there were now left turn lanes and were just used for testing purposes.  The texture now is required to be updated to fit the new turn lanes.  Since, Alex is one of those lucky special people he has access to test files that the public community doesnt have access to and as you can see the state of these files is not at a release candidate stage.  If they were released, many people would complain about sloppy textures, sloppy modding, etc, so the goal is to release something that is complete rather than partially complete.




YAY for Alex playing with his toys!  Looking good.  Still Im amazed that you used the SAM Dirt textures in that fashion to highlight construction, I never would have thought of that.