Hi everyone-
Well, I'm back with another installment of Tarkusian Cities . . . the last before it gets moved into the Hall of Fame! I'm still in absolute and utter shock and really feel quite honored that it made it in, as there were a number of very strong MDs up this round, which, imo, were all very deserving. I want to offer my sincere thanks to everyone who voted for Tarkusian Cities in the election--and everyone who voted, period.
Also, for all my fellow Americans here, I hope you all had an excellent Thanksgiving! I ended up visiting my folks for a few days, and just got back from there tonight--overall, it was a pretty enjoyable time.
Now onto replies:
Vince (Blue Lightning): Thanks for wishing me luck on the new region! I'm really quite pleased with how it's coming out thus far. I'm glad you like the industrial area--I haven't shown much industrial stuff previously, so I thought it'd be interesting to try. And we'll see if the rails need widening.
emgmod: Hehe . . . I almost thought about going for even more there.
Thanks for the kind words, and I can guarantee you there will be some interesting NAM stuff coming down the line here.
Battlecat: Thanks for the kind words on the new region, and for the support on the hard drive woes! Fortunately, traffic's not gotten too bad in the new city, but it's gotten to the point of being the largest city I've ever built, so I definitely think I'll have to get "creative" here. I'm always up for a new challenge, though.
Jordan (canyonjumper): Thanks for the support on the computer issues! I have to say, that SATA cable has more than paid for itself. I was dreading Vista but have managed to bend it into submission, and it's actually served me fairly well. And you're welcome for the help on the construction set--I can guarantee you'll be seeing a lot more of it here, along with some new NAM stuff before too long.
JoeST: Thanks for the kind words--it's always tough whenever something breaks down computer-wise, even if you're prepared for it. And I hope you find this latest update to your liking!
TmiguelT: Thanks--I'm thrilled to be back in business as well, and I have a feeling you'll be seeing "the effect" soon.
Bruce (Schulmanator): Thanks for the well wishes, and hope this update is to your liking!
Battlecat: Thanks for the congratulations--I'm still in shock, and I think a congratulations are in order for you as well, with the showing Adara had in the election.
Ethan (ecoba): Thanks, it's good to be back! I'm glad you like the different style--I'm trying to mix things up a little bit, based at least to some extent on the feedback I received on Arboris. And yes, there are a few small new features there--there will be more where that came from before long.
Kevin (BigSlark): Thanks--it always gets a bit nerve-wracking whenever something like that happens. Fortunately, it was only the second hard drive crash I've ever had. The other one wasn't quite as major or urgent as this one, though. I was really quite fortunate with this one, but it's served as a rather important reminder for me as well. I'm glad to hear you're backing up!
And thanks for the compliments on the new region--I wanted to try recreating a typical industrial rail setup there, and I'd definitely be interested in some more feedback/suggestions there, as it's the first time I've tried this. (I have to say, all those switches David (dedgren) and Dave (superhands) have done for the RAM have really come in handy!) Hope you had an excellent Thanksgiving as well!
Joel (joelyboy911): Thanks, I'm glad to hear you're looking forward to the new Tarkusian Cities! I hope they satisfy.
I'm pleased to hear I managed to pull off a diversity of environments--I'm trying to go for a little bit more complete picture with this new region. And the new hard drive has been working out pretty well thus far. It's a Western Digital, which I've had a much better luck with, and it's also 300GB larger than my previous drive (500GB vs. 200GB). And thanks for the Thanksgiving wishes--I did have a good one!
Bobbi: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Geoff (calibanX): Thanks for the condolences on the computer issues--fortunately, I think everything's worked out for the best, and the new region's been a blast to build thus far. And I'm glad you liked the industrial pic--it was a lot of fun making that one.
Adam (Ennedi): I'm just absolutely still in shock that I've made the HoF--I want to offer my most sincere thanks to you and all the other members of the HoF committee for all your hard work on putting together this election/induction, and I still just can't believe it.
Tomas Neto: Thanks for the congratulations--I'm thrilled to be a part of it!
JoeST: Thanks for the kind words, my friend.
darraghf: Thanks--I'm still in disbelief!
Jordan (canyonjumper): Thanks!
TmiguelT: Thank you so much for the kind words!
nerdly_dood: Well, the election's over, but the actual induction takes place on December 1st. And thanks for the kind words!
Ryan B.: Thanks for the kind words, my roadgeek friend! I'm just absolutely stoked.
Vivien (Earth quake): Thanks for the congratulations!
Vince (Blue Lightning): Thanks for the all-too-kind words, my friend!
metarvo: Thanks, I'm just thrilled!
Eric (EDGE4194): Thanks, it's still taking some time to sink in, though. I just can't believe it.
Jon (JBSimio): Thanks for the congratulations, and I think a huge congratulations are in order to you as well. I'm thrilled to have been inducted at the same time as your fine MD, which definitely deserves the HoF status! And thanks for the kind words on the new region! (Which has been aided a great deal by many of your creations, I might add.) And I can guarantee you'll be seeing what's going on with the rails here soon.
Dave (tooheys): Thanks for the kind words, and I hope to live up to the "roadgeek" label . . . though don't worry--I'll try not to overgeek everyone here. Even I have my limits.
And thanks to you as well for all your hard work as part of the HoF committee!
Ethan (ecoba): Thanks--I'm absolutely thrilled!
And now onto the update.
We'll be back in the same region/city I introduced in Update 58, which now sports a proper name: Chemeketa (pronounced cha-mech-it-ta).
Chemeketa was actually the original name of Salem, Oregon when it was initially founded in the early 1840s, taken from the Calapooya word meaning "meeting place". In RL, the name was retained for with Chemeketa Street in downtown Salem, as well as Chemeketa Community College in north Salem.
Just to show a brief overview of how the RL Salem is laid out:
And for a comparison, the map of Chemeketa from the previous update again:
(For a little more context, check
here.)
Downtown Chemeketa is actually located in about the same spot as Downtown Salem, near a bend in the Willamette River, albeit it has a few notable changes. Namely, there's a freeway running through it. On either side of Downtown Salem, OR-22 has a limited access expressway section, but these two segments are disrupted by a somewhat circuitous set of surface streets. Highway 36 is pretty much the Chemeketa-equivalent of OR-22, but runs uninterrupted as an elevated freeway through town. The western portion also runs on the south side of the river rather than the north.
I'll have much more to say on the similarities/differences between Chemeketa and Salem in future updates, as well as the "alternate universe Oregon" in which Chemeketa resides.
Now that I've gone off on a historical tangent, I'll move onto another matter . . . a construction project, which you saw a hint of last update.
[align=center]Ashcroft Street NE and 5th Avenue NE Widening[/align]
This project will widen Ashcroft Street NE and 5th Avenue NE, just east of downtown Chemeketa. Ashcroft is a major north-south arterial that functions as a "boundary" of sorts for the downtown area, while 5th Avenue is a major east-west arterial connecting the industrial areas east of Chemeketa to downtown.
The new roadways will be built to 4 travel lanes, 2 in each direction. Ashcroft will be widened between 3rd Avenue NE and 16th Avenue NE, while 5th Avenue will be widened between Ashcroft to just east of McCabe Street NE.
Here is the intersection of 5th and Ashcroft as construction begins. (facing north)
Parts of the new widened roadway being built along Ashcroft . . . as you can see, it's a bit of a mess. (facing north)
A different angle--facing west. This is near 13th and Ashcroft.
This is near the intersection of 16th and Ashcroft (facing north). As you can see, Circuit City is in the way. Fortunately, Circuit City also happens to be out of business, so the city will be able to condemn the land to make way for the widened roadway without any problems.
Part of the widening has been completed. (facing north)
A different angle. (facing west)
Here's at 5th and Ashcroft again. (facing north) The Ashcroft widening has been complete, and work has begun on widening 5th.
Farther north on Ashcroft, taking a look at the improved roadway (facing west).
Here's the intersection of 16th and Ashcroft after the widening (facing north).
The improved roadway on Ashcroft near 12th and 13th (facing north).
Another angle (facing east).
Here's how work is progressing on the 5th Avenue widening (facing north). This is between Ashcroft and McCabe.
Improvements are underway at 5th and McCabe (facing north). McCabe is next on the list for widening, to provide better access between Highway 36 and this part of town.
Widening has been completed on 5th (facing north).
And that does it for this update--hope you enjoyed this one! I'll see you all in the Hall of Fame come Tuesday, and Update 60 should be forthcoming relatively soon.
-Alex
