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

[Shadow Assassin]

Not a bad update at all. Shame there isn't much traffic on that freeway there... wouldn't it have been better as a RHW-4? That would've provided you with quite a few nice updates for widening that freeway.

And like other Alex said, that's a smashing new highway texture, but don't go too fast with the RHW, or SA won't be able to keep up with Euro Textures.

Don't worry... I'm not having problems with textures. In fact, right now, I'm focusing on making new puzzle pieces.


(and this is comment #900. Welcome to the next page, too.)

[EDGE4194]

alex- nice update! i think this is the most developed area we've seen from you. Very realistic (even the abandoned buildings  ). parking garages seem to be rare though. parking must be hard to find in the city center!

[Ryan B.]

Good job!

1. Love the new hghway texture.
2. Love the Avenue Turn lane new texture!
3. Keep up the good work!

It's not exactly new - I recognize it as mine from '06 or '07. 

Looks great, Alex!

[Battlecat]

Great update!  That's a very nice looking town with a diverse variety of neighborhoods! 

That symbol that shows grade separation for the one viaduct works pretty nicely.  At the very least it gets the point across!

[TmiguelT]

what a magnificent update you brought us there Alex  .

I love Everything and i would like to see construction going on there  ...

[Ramona Brie]

Really pretty. You paint masterpieces, except your paintbrush is a paving tool and your palette the RHW.

[City Builder]

Really nice update.  Thanks once more for sharing.  Everytime that I see an update here it makes me want to immediately start up SC4 and see if I can make anything near as nice as what you've created.  To date I've not, but I love to keep trying.

Looking forward to your next updated.

[threestooges]

Very nice as usual Alex. You have a knack for the urban planning thing, and pictures like the 13th you showed really show it off. The pathways flanking the avenue with the suburbs on either side reminds me of some of the developments around here. What really caught my eye, and something that reminds me of something else around here (around my old undergrad): The Tube! Those LAX tubes are always an interesting site to drive by, especially at night (for those who don't know what I'm talking about: they have a bunch of tubes at LAX that change colors at night. They were built for the 2000 Democratic National Convention.). I had originally thought you were talking about the sparse bushes and such until I saw that. Nice touch. Overall, the whole update looks great. Amazingly city-like. My only critique might be about the windmills and their spacing. Laterally there seems to be plenty, but having them stacked behind each other so close seems like it might obstruct the air flow. I know there seems to be greater spacing along I-10 out toward Palm Desert/Palm Springs for the ones out there. Looking forward to what's to come as always.
-Matt

[City Builder]

Yes on the windmill farm near to Palm Springs they are spaced much futher apart.  I live just about 10 minutes away from the wind farm.

[u.mueller]

Yeah, as I work for a company which does wind farms, I can tell you they need to be spaced at least 4 times the rotor diameter apart, otherwise the turbulence from the rotors will tear your wind turbines apart and also you will not earn any money with the rear turbines.

Apart from that, GREAT WORK as usual!

[JBSimio]

Alex,

Wind turbines aside... I really enjoyed this update!   

The downtown area looks great.  I tried to figure out the California reference near the one-way split... but I gave up eventually.    I especially like the corner of Pacific and 17th.  The residential surrounded by sound walls was a very nice (and realistic) touch!   

I'll be waiting to see what's next...
JB

[hooha47]

I just had to pop in and tell you how much I've enjoyed reading your MD.  As a fellow Northwesterner, I can say that you've captured the essence of the Columbia River Gorge perfectly.  I've also been following your progress with TuLEPs and am a big fan of the RHW, which you're obviously putting to good use here.

Keep up the great work, and thanks for all your contributions.

[bakerton]

Awesome update Alex. Everything is turning out great and I do hope that the snow doesn't fall so the construction projects get done faster that stop and wait for spring. Looking out for more down the road. JKB

[Tarkus]

Well, Tarkusian Cities is finally lurching slowly forward again, and we'll finally take a look at the City of Lenox's efforts to improve traffic flow in the North Lenox area we looked at in Update 54.

First off, I'll get to some long-overdue replies.

Alex (Driftmaster07): Thanks!  I'm glad to hear you liked the new highway texture--those will be the default in RHW Version 4.0.  And as far as the Avenue Turn Lane texture used there, it's actually Ryan B.'s.  I made a mod using part of his old TWLTL (Two-Way Left Turn Lane mod--the inspiration for the NWM's TLA-5).

Ethan (ecoba): Thanks for the kind words!  And don't worry, I won't overload Daniel (Shadow Assassin).    I'm glad to hear you liked Arboris as well, and I can guarantee it's only a matter of time before the construction equipment comes out in force . . .

Daniel (Shadow Assassin):  Thanks--glad you liked it, and I concur about that freeway . . . it is a bit sparse right now.  TDOT perhaps jumped the gun there.   I think part of it is that it's suffering from "Seattle syndrome" . . . not enough access out of downtown to the freeway.  I think there's still quite a bit to reconstruct there, though--a couple more interchanges, namely.

And thanks for making reply #900!  You'll get to see Shadow Mountain Boulevard next update.

Eric (EDGE4194): I'm glad you enjoyed it--thanks!  And I was going for exactly what you mentioned--a bit more built-up area.  Thanks for the suggestion on parking garages as well--I think that could be a good addition.

Ryan B.: Thanks!  And thanks for the Avenue Turn Lane texture--I've been using it for years.

Battlecat:  Thanks for the kind words, and I'm glad you like the diversity of neighborhoods.  I thought I'd kind of mix things up with Arboris, and I'm pleased to hear it came across.  And thanks for the feedback on the grade separation symbol . . . I think I'll make it a regular feature in future maps!

TmiguelT: Thanks, my friend--and it's not a matter of "if" but "when" as far as construction goes.

Tracker:  Thanks, and nice metaphor!

City Builder:  Thank you for the very kind words--I'm always just absolutely stoked when I can inspire someone to fire up the game.  Hope you enjoy this latest update!  And thanks for the feedback on the turbines as well

Matt (threestooges): Thank you for the all-too-kind words!  And I'm glad you caught the LAX tubes there as well.  I've always thought those tubes were pretty cool since the first time I traveled to LA in 2001, and found them up on the STEX years ago and have wanted to use them somewhere down the line.  Thanks for sharing the history behind them as well--I learned something!   And thanks for the suggestion on the turbines, too! 

u.mueller: Thanks for the compliments, and for the detailed feedback on the turbine spacing--it's great to get advice from someone who actually works with turbines and wind farms for a living!  I'll certainly put it to use, and will be sure to show off the "improved" wind farm in a future update.

Jon (JBSimio):  Thanks--I appreciate the kind words, and I'm very pleased to hear you liked the Pacific/17th intersection.  That's probably my favorite part of the last update--I've always enjoyed building suburbs.

hooha47:  Alright, a fellow northwesterner!   Thanks for the all-too-kind words, and I'm really quite flattered for the Columbia Gorge comparison--that's one of my favorite parts of the region and I'm always excited when I get to drive through it.  And speaking of TuLEPs, you'll get to see some this update . . .

Jon (bakerton): Thanks!  And don't worry, snow doesn't fall too often around the Lenox area, so the crews will at least be able to do some work there.  Albeit we got a freakish ton of snow in Western Oregon last year . . . 2 feet at some spots in the valley . . .

__________________________________________________________________-
And now, onto the update.

CITY OF LENOX Department of Public Works
Brinstar Road Project, Phase I

The purpose of this project is to improve Brinstar Road between the Lenox River to just south of Hidden valley Road (Highway 231, former Highway 151).  Brinstar is a major north-south arterial connecting many northeastern suburban neighborhoods and hi-tech parks to downtown Lenox, and increased growth in the area has rendered the existing 2-lane roadway obsolete.

Phase I of the project will widen the segment between Maridia Way and Nerdly Lane to 4 travel lanes, with intersection improvements at Maridia and Nerdly.

Now, a look at Phase I construction:

First off, here's the map of Lenox again.


This is at the intersection of Brinstar Road and Maridia Way, looking east from Maridia.  As you can see, this intersection is quite antiquated given the development in the area, and the first bulldozer is already in place.


Grading on the new right of way has begun along Brinstar.  (looking east)


This is the bridge over Maridia Creek along Brinstar, facing south from the golf course.  It's horribly substandard and was built when Brinstar Road was still a rural collector route.  The bridge will be replaced with a modern 4-lane structure.


This is north of the Maridia Way intersection (facing south), where part of the new right-of-way (ROW) has been paved, and traffic switched over to it.


A temporary alignment is being built on the far reaches of the ROW (facing east), so that Brinstar and Maridia can remain interconnected while the intersection is reconstructed.


This is where the temporary alignment starts north of the intersection (facing east).


Work is commencing on the intersection (facing north).  A small section of the old Brinstar roadway has been retained to provide access to the golf course from Maridia, albeit converted to gravel until the new 4-lane roadway has been built and paved.


A temporary bridge has been built over Maridia Creek (facing north).


The old bridge has been torn out to make way for the new bridge (facing north).


Part of the new, widened Brinstar Road has been built north of the intersection (facing north)


The new 4-lane roadway has been temporarily connected up to the construction bridge.  (facing north)


The new bridge has opened, and the old one has come down. (facing north)


The improvements to the Brinstar/Maridia intersection have been completed (facing east).  Left turn lanes have been built along Brinstar, and since most of the traffic eastbound on Maridia turns right at this intersection, right turn lanes have been constructed on the west approach.  The new intersection has not yet been signalized.


This is the south end of the Brinstar Road widening project (facing south), at the improved intersection with Nerdly Lane.  Eventually, Brinstar will be widened down to Hidden Valley Road (Highway 231) and up a couple miles through the northern suburbs as well.


And a sneak preview of one of the city's next project.  In order to further improve connectivity in northeast Lenox, a new north-south route will be built with a second bridge across Maridia Creek.  It will connect Maple Drive on the south side up to Wheatstone Terrace.


That does it for Update 56 . . . I'll be back at some point with another installment soon, though RL will likely flare up for me again here in a bit next month.  Thank you again for all your continued support!

-Alex

[superhands]

Another great update once again Alex

those traffic lights are to die for..

-dave

[TmiguelT]

Magnificent update you have there Alex 

Your construction pictures are always awesome and the whole process looks very realistic. i kinda miss the Ka-boom Effect though 

[Shadow Assassin]

Very nice work! I'm likin' what you're building here.

[Battlecat]

Great to see the Tarkusian Cities rolling once again!  As always, I'm impressed by the amount of time and preparation you put into illustrating the realistic expansion of a transportation network!  Based on the amount of traffic on that corridor, it looks like a highly necessary project!  Looking forward to seeing the next bridge on your list!

[j-dub]

As soon as I saw it, I just had to redo Alex's one intersection and evenly distribute both sides so there were a total of four lanes on the road on one tile.



http://img7.imageshack.us/i/tarkusianturnstyles.jpg/

Concept imagery ONLY

[dragonshardz]

Good to see another update, Alex. Can't wait for more, and finding out about that old "Mystery Project" wouldn't hurt either.