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

[jdenm8]

Hm... I wonder what you're going to use... It looks a considerably too heavily congested for a Diamond... Though the overpass placement is strange...
I wonder...

EDIT: I'm 1100! Woo! Congrats on 1100 Tarkusian Cities Posts!

[bat]

Congrats on 1100+ replies.
And this newest update is great!
Very good work.

[Nego]

Great update, Tarkus! And congratulations on over 1100 replies! Construction on the new parkway and the new bridges looks great! Can't wait to see what's going to happen next!

[Battlecat]

Another great post although it sure looks like traffic is out of control in the area!  Although I suppose that's expected during construction.

Congratulations on 1100+! 

[art128]

1100 replies... already ! Congratulations, Alex ! This update was really nice, can't wait to see more of the road expansion... 

[Ryan B.]

Great update, Alex!  Question:  In studying possible solutions to this traffic crisis, did any of the citizens mention installing dual left-turn lanes at all?  I feel that the addition of dual left turn lanes would possibly help make the intersection a bit safer to navigate - but only as a temporary measure, because I feel that something's up your sleeve.

I really should make you some construction signs, by the way.  Lord knows you'd use 'em.

[Tarkus]

Hi everyone-

Back with even more construction from Chemeketa . . . but first, some replies:

Raymie (Tracker): Thanks, and yes, you're on the right track as to what the upgrade entails . . . this update will kind of spill it.  And I concur on the texture front . . . I'm a lot happier with the V5-Spec ones that'll be in the next RHW release.

Noah (noahclem): Thanks for the kind words--and yes, you spotted the aforementioned "dovetailing" there . . . choco's ERHW-4 bridges.

David (dedgren): Yeah, there was a bit of extra funding coming ORDOT's way . . . they needed a little kickstart beyond their normal gas tax and general fund revenue, as the moratorium on residential construction west of the river there basically ate up any Traffic Impact Fees they'd otherwise get.  The residents seem reasonably happy, especially as the bulldozers are generally trained away from their homes for once.   Thanks for stopping by!

jdenm8: Thanks, and congrats to you as well on hitting a double-zero!  You'll be honored "on the map" in some fashion in a coming update.  The overpass side of things will be revealed this update . . . it might surprise you a bit.

bat: Thanks for the compliments--I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Nego: Thanks for the congratulations and the kind words on the parkway--hope this update satisfies your curiosity.

Battlecat: Thanks!  And yes, the traffic is quite unbearable around that area . . . and will get to be a little bit more unbearable during construction, but the temporary transportational ickiness will hopefully pay dividends in the long run.

Arthur (art128): Thanks for the congratulations and kind words--you'll definitely be seeing more of the road expansion these next few updates.

Ryan B.: Thanks for the compliments on the update and for the feedback!  A dual-left setup did get a glancing mention--the studies showed it'd improve things slightly on Hwy 219 northbound in the evening peak hour, but the rest of the intersection would still be failing on the whole, and it was deemed cheaper just to go all-out with the existing ROW eventually being used for the Chemeketa Parkway anyway.  And thanks for the offer of construction signs--I most definitely would be putting them to good use!  (Not to mention they'd work great with SCoPE--the re-named Signage Piece Mod, which is slowly working its way out of its waylaid development purgatory.)







Here's where we left off last time . . . the new twin bridges on 52nd Avenue over the Willamette River are in place, and now work's about to get going on the infamous intersection with Highway 219 (facing east):



You can probably tell that there's going to be some grade separation here.  ORDOT has determined that because of the railroad that parallels Highway 219, it would be advisable to elevate 52nd Avenue to eliminate the level crossing.  In order to do so, 52nd will be closed off between Progress Street and Highway 219, for construction of the new overpass. (facing east)



Before construction, 52nd Avenue had an intersection with Liberty Street, a local residential route just past the railroad crossing (and now, just at the end of the elevated segment of 52nd).  As you can see here, the intersection is closed off, and will in fact be permanently closed, for purposes of access control.  Motorists from the south can use either Justice Street or Progress Street to access 52nd, while those from the north will have to use Progress Street (facing east).  The overpass structure is only being built to an interim standard here, and will be beefed up a bit more toward the end of the project (facing east).  



Ramps are being constructed to eventually allow access between Highway 219 Northbound and 52nd Avenue. (facing east)



This is just south of the 52nd Avenue intersection along Highway 219 (facing east).  Aside from the brief 5-lane stretch near the 52nd Avenue intersection, it is a 2-lane expressway beginning just south of 33rd Avenue.  In order to accommodate increased traffic, it is being converted into a predominantly 4-lane freeway as per the Chemeketa Parkway design specifications.  This phase of the project will upgrade the roadway from the start of the existing 2-lane expressway segment, up to just south of 59th Avenue.



Grading continues (facing east)



Pavement has been laid on what will become the northbound lanes (facing east)





This is the intersection of 39th and Highway 219 (facing east).  This intersection is also having substantial difficulties stemming from the high volume of traffic, and is failing almost as badly as the 52nd Avenue intersection--#2 on the most dangerous list.  39th is an arterial roadway which, for much of its length, forms a border between residential and high-tech industrial areas, and has a "surfway" segment east of Ashcroft Street.  It was only built as a landscaped 2-lane facility west of Ashcroft Street--adequate at the time, but not so much anymore.  We'll see more of it in Update 70.



This is the intersection of 33rd and Highway 219 (facing east), the south end of existing 2-lane expressway section of Highway 219 (you can see where the RHW-2 converts to a Road in the lower right corner).  South of 33rd, Highway 219 takes on the Division Street name as it approaches downtown.  33rd is a collector roadway which runs right through the middle of one of the aforementioned high-tech areas.  As you can see, it's also getting quite a lot of traffic and is failing to meet standards.  Much of the strain on it will be reduced with the improvements to the 39th Avenue intersection.



Now, back to 52nd and Highway 219 (facing east).  The existing intersection has been demolished to allow for further construction on the new overpass, while the western segment of 52nd has been diverted onto another temporary roadway.



In order to make way for resurfacing and widening along Highway 219, 2 lanes have been closed, restricting traffic to 1 lane in each direction (facing east).  It's creating quite the backup, but it'll all be worth it when the improved roadway is opened.





A look at Highway 219 north of 52nd while construction continues (facing north), with the narrowed form of the existing alignment side-by-side with the incomplete new roadway, which will have auxiliary lanes on and off the interchange with 52nd.  You may also spot something else here--a standard issue ORDOT highway shield.



Next up will be Part 3 of the Northern Crossing Project, and after that, we'll continue to spend some time in the general vicinity of 52nd and Highway 219--there's still a lot of construction to show there--culminating in a "mosaicfest" showing off the finished product, and a look at the Chemeketa Metro Area Regional Transport Plan.

-Alex

[jdenm8]

Hm...
Maybe you are going with a Diamond...

Thanks for the honour (And it is one ). Not bad for a first post in here. 

[bat]

Another superb update of the construction of these roads!
Great images. 

[metarvo]

There's nothing quite like the sound of construction equipment in the morning.  Things appear to be going quite nicely in Chemeketa.  I'm looking forward to see how these overpasses turn out.  Keep up the good work!

[Haljackey]

Geesh Alex you are an update machine! I need to visit your MD way more often just to stay caught up!

Always great to see some road construction shots, it's what your MD is known for! I think they keep getting better and better as this MD has progressed. Excellent attention to detail!

[Nego]

Great update, as always! Nice work on your ORDOT sign! I'm lucky if I can get my signs to look half as good as yours, even in HD. Nice job! It's nice to see things moving along here again. Can't wait for your next update.

Edit: Reply #1111 (look at all those ones! )

[kj3400]

I'm usually the type to lurk here, but let's just say I was inspired to come out today.  Love the shields, and the constuction is superb as always.
You might see me again, but for now I'm probably going to go back in lurk mode.

[samerton]

Amazing as always! 

[Ramona Brie]

Dude, you keep outdoing yourself.

I have a problem...I want to have a traffic challenge to deal with in my cities, but I have notoriously high rates of pedestrian traffic. Any advice?

(BTW...you're still using public release textures then instead of V5-Spec?)

[Tarkus]

Hi everyone-

Back with another update . . . we'll be continuing work on the Highway 219/52nd Avenue interchange.  But first, replies:

jdenm8: Yes, it is going to be a diamond . . . but with some additional channelization and some other enhancements to increase capacity.  And I'll be revealing the "on the map" honor here relatively soon . . . just picking the most fitting spot.   Thanks for stopping by!

bat: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the construction!

metarvo: Most definitely . . . some interesting harmonies can arise from the machinery and a backing-up backhoe can add some nice higher register to the timbral mix.     (Sorry, my music geek side is coming out. )  Thanks for the kind words, and I hope you like the result of the overpass project!

Ryan (Haljackey): Hey, no worries.   It's nice getting a rhythm again at this MD side of things.  Thanks for the very kind compliments on the construction imagery--I'm glad to hear that it's improving . . . one of these days, I'd like to take it even a step further, and may set out on that once my upcoming dose of RL and the next NAM release cycle is out of the way. 

Nego: Thanks for the kind words--I'm glad you enjoyed the update and liked the highway shield!  That was really the first time I managed to make one to my satisfaction . . . alpha images can really come in handy for things like that, I've found.  Hope you enjoy this update as well!

kj3400:  Welcome out of the shadows!  Thanks for the kind words on the shields and the construction, and I hope to see you (and the other lurkers who pop by here semi-regularly) again here at Tarkusian Cities!

samerton: Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Raymie (Tracker): Thank you for the kind words!  As far as the public release textures, I'm not using them anymore, but I was still at the time when these projects were constructed.  Upon the completion of this project, it'll be just about all V5-Spec from here on out.  As far as getting really high pedestrian traffic, there's quite a number of things that can cause it.  It might be a traffic simulator settings issue (I'd make sure the most recent NAM one is loading properly to be safe), and it could also be the result of development patterns or network layout.  I've also sometimes noticed that neighbor connections can accumulate quite a bit of ped traffic.  Making sure the roads are beefed up and are the quickest routes helps, too.







We're now onto Part 3 of the Northern Crossing Project, which will mark a milestone in the project--the opening of the 52nd Avenue interchange.

As we left off last time, 52nd east of Highway 219 was closed off for overpass construction, and both Highway 219 and the open section of 52nd to the west were on temporary, narrowed alignments for construction staging.  As you can see here, the overpass is nearly complete now, as well as the on and off ramps from 219 northbound to 52nd (facing north).  The southbound onramp is also partially in place.



A short stretch of the new freeway-grade 219 is getting in place (facing north).  For reference purposes, in case you're wondering, that road ending just before the railroad tracks is 44th Avenue NE.  The stretch from here down to 33rd will continue to be 2 lanes until ORDOT begins work on the 39th Avenue intersection.



Here is the north end of the freeway-grade 219 (facing north).  The cross street here is 59th Avenue NE, which is the northern bounds of the project.  Construction on the freeway section north of here will not begin until funding has been acquired, and an alignment has been chosen.



Cranes are in place for work on the southbound offramp from 219 to 52nd (facing north).  219 has been "twinned" now through this segment, and the temporary alignment of 52nd is still in place while the overpass is completed.





The overpass and southbound onramp have been completed (facing north).  Next up, the new overpass will be connected up to the bridges, temporarily using a ground-level alignment until much later in the project.



Eastbound 52nd has now been connected to the overpass (facing north).  Westbound traffic still needs to use the access road.



The section of 52nd to the east is now open, with the Liberty Street intersection closed off (facing north).



The overpass has now been fully connected to the western portion of 52nd (facing north).  The access road is still in place for the time being, though it will need to be removed to make way for the actual southbound offramp from 219 to 52nd. 



The access road has been removed (facing north).  This will temporarily leave no access from southbound 219 to 52nd until the proper offramp is constructed.



The offramp structure is now in place, and simply needs to be connected into 219 (facing north).



A look at 219 just south of the interchange (facing north).  The ramps here have been given auxiliary lanes, though the actual configuration of the southbound side will be getting a bit more redesign before the project is complete.



The interchange is now officially open, though it is not complete yet (facing south).



To allow for fully-controlled access from 52nd eastbound to 219 southbound, a slip ramp is being constructed (facing north).  The slip ramp will be reconfigured later in the project.






The southbound connection into 219 has been modified slightly with the completion of the slip ramp (facing north).



The full interchange with the slip ramp now in place (facing north).



Next up will be the fourth and final part of the Northern Crossing Project, which will complete the rest of the improvements west of the Willamette River, along 52nd up to Wallace Road.  Then, we'll go back to the east side of the river to see the remainder of the first segment of the Chemeketa Parkway Project, with the improvements at 39th Avenue.

Hope you enjoyed this latest installment!

-Alex

[Ciuu96]

I've been lurking here, and gotta say that your MD is awesome! I just love the realistic construction and the detail you put in to your road system. Very nice!

[noahclem]

Great looking new interchange!    I look forward to the "mosaic-fest" 

[samerton]

Great interchange! Great detail, too! 

[Ramona Brie]

I'm very much enjoying what I see and the thought going into it. Update 70 should be really interesting.