How to build a transit network just above the tunnel entrance?

[Ennedi]

Note: this tutorial is a part of a larger project. It's goal is to make tutorials for a group of problems associated with building transit networks in urban and mountainous terrain. You can find the complete list of problems here.

Part 1
Let's say you have a sunken avenue with tunnel 4 tiles long, and you want to place a road, avenue or other transit network just above the tunnel entrance.
Your first step is to level the terrain above the tunnel.
We often use street tiles to level the terrain, but you can't do it in this case:



But you can use something else - anything wchich flatten the terrain and can be plopped at the tunnel entrance. Some parks are good in this case (not only parks  ). I used the water tile from Oppie's canal set.

1. Plop the water tile at the tunnel entrance:





2. Attention - sometimes you can't flatten all the terrain using these tiles. But if you succesfully plopped 1 water tile at each tunnel entrance, you can make the rest of work using street pieces:





3. Attention again! You can place the street piece at the tunnel entrance, if the terrain is partially flatten yet. But you can put next street tiles only if they have at least two corners free (sometimes it isn't enough) - see below:







Sometimes you must make some experiments, if you have a trouble you can replace some street tiles by water tiles (they can touch the tunnel entrance, but they sometimes can't level the terrain effectively)

4. But usually you can finish your work 



As you see, if you started from a given level, now you have the terrain lower around your tunnel. You must remember about it.



5. ...And now you can do what you want





The custom tunnel entrance from the Buddybud Sunken Highway Set also works well here



Part 2 - Transit network above the highway tunnel

6. Highway tunnel is only 12 m deep (Avenue tunnel - 16 m). Unfortunately it is important - levelling is more difficult in this case.
But if you can put only one water tile and replace it by street tile, you can expect a success:











7. Sometimes it is very difficult to level the terrain over the highway tunnel. You can do two things in this case:

  a) You can build an avenue tunnel, bulldoze it and drag a highway in it's place. Now you have 16 m deep tunnel and it is much easier to level the terrain (to be honest, I don't know why - SC4 is a very strange game  )
  b) You can use Marrast MTEL - transit enabled, 10 tiles long pieces of road/one way road, designed specifically to use just above the tunnel entrance:

OWR version (look at road signs)



Road version



You can also make something like this



8. (Update 1) Levelling the terrain - other examples
  8.1. I have one side of the tunnel ready. But I have problem with the other side:



I try to drag a road to the ready side:

[Gradonacelnik]

You didn't mention if you had success with Rail and Monorail tunnels? Great Discovery 

Also does it matter how far back the MTEL is from the tunnel face?

[RippleJet]

As I've said before, an excellent and very useful tutorial!

[Ennedi]

You didn't mention if you had success with Rail and Monorail tunnels?

You are right   I didn't check it yet, but of course I will and then update this tutorial. I try to be precise  

Also does it matter how far back the MTEL is from the tunnel face?

I'm afraid I don't know what do you mean - I showed the MTEL can be just above the tunnel face, and of course a few tiles away - in any place you want. But you must look where the MTEL ends, you should connect it with the road/OWR and it must be the right place to do it.

Edit: @RippleJet - thank you very much, but I will try to make it more useful. There is much more to research here 

[Gradonacelnik]

You are right   I didn't check it yet, but of course I will and then update this tutorial. I try to be precise  

I'm afraid I don't know what do you mean - I showed the MTEL can be just above the tunnel face, and of course a few tiles away - in any place you want. But you must look where the MTEL ends, you should connect it with the road/OWR and it must be the right place to do it.

Edit: @RippleJet - thank you very much, but I will try to make it more useful. There is much more to research here 

Sorry, what I meant was the example did not show an intersection above the tunnel crossing the MTEL's, I was concerned that the MTEL lots somehow made the tiles above the tunnel face unbuildable (RED). Your other examples show transit networks crossing perpendicular, the MTEL examples were only parallel.

You mentioned being picky about being thorough so, I guess you might be compeled to redo the MTEL example.

[RippleJet]

Since the MTELs are transit enabled lots, you cannot cross them with roads in any way.
You can only drag the road (or OWR) to each end of the MTEL.

[Ennedi]

Sorry, what I meant was the example did not show an intersection above the tunnel crossing the MTEL's

RippleJet answered for this question and I think it is adequate.

I was concerned that the MTEL lots somehow made the tiles above the tunnel face unbuildable (RED).

I showed two OWR-version MTELs running just above the tunnel entrance with space 2 tiles wide between them. I didn't fill this space, but of course I can do it if it will be more clear. So, if you build MTEL this way, wchich tiles can be unbuildable? Could you show any example?

If I still can't understand you in any point, maybe the reason is my poor English  . If you are still not satisfied, tell me please. Also, if you want to see any specific example, make a request  - I will try to do it

[Gradonacelnik]

Don't worry you answered my question.
From the replies, I understand that if I leave a 2 or 4 tile gap between the 10 tile long MTELS, I can place an intersection above the flattened tunnel.
Thanks for taking the time to explain.

[Ennedi]

From the replies, I understand that if I leave a 2 or 4 tile gap between the 10 tile long MTELS, I can place an intersection above the flattened tunnel.

Yes of course, and I think I will add some examples of using MTELs to this tutorial 

[Jonathan]

I noticed that some puzzle pieces can be made to plop on tile above the tunnel, so if a straight puzzle piece could be made it would be made easier and some puzzle pices flattern land.

Also what is a MTEL?

[RippleJet]

Marrast Transport Enabled Lots

[rooker1]

Very cool tutorial.  I'm gonna try this tonight.  Thanks again

Robin   

[Ennedi]

I noticed that some puzzle pieces can be made to plop on tile above the tunnel, so if a straight puzzle piece could be made it would be made easier and some puzzle pices flattern land.

I don't know if I understand you at all, but I think your proposition is to make a puzzle piece to effectively flatten the terrain, also in difficult situations (such as above the tunnel). It would be very good, but to do it we should know wchich parameters decide about effects showed in this tutorial. I think it is not easy and need a good specialist 
I must say I checked the PEG CDK Leveller (1x4 and 4x4 pieces) and it is not 100% effective in this case, I noticed also some strange effects: one of them is you can have exactly the same height of all the terrain above the tunnel (it can be checked using TerrainQuery command) and you are still unable to put road next to the tunnel entrance.
Today i haven't time to prepare the example, but I will do it next few days.
And maybe it would be good to make a request for such "puzzle piece leveller"?

[Jonathan]

I can make the puzzle piece and muck around with it until it gives the right result?
Should the puzzle piece,have a network, so I would make 1 for each network, or just be a leveller wich you have to delete before drawing the network?

[Filasimo]

warrior: im sure ur talking about that highway under highway and road underbridge eyecandy lot where u cover up the tunnel with a road overhanging lot .....btw another way of making of approaching this transit network above tunnel entrance is using the hole digger lots by smoncrie. i use that alot in my cities and it works like a charm also to level the top u use the level terrain in the mayor mode terrain tools and adjust the area the circle is covering.....

[Ennedi]

I can make the puzzle piece and muck around with it until it gives the right result?

Very good!  

Should the puzzle piece,have a network, so I would make 1 for each network, or just be a leveller wich you have to delete before drawing the network?

Now I understand you better   these are two different things:
1. Puzzle pieces - for road, avenue etc. - something as existing puzzle pieces, but lying on the ground
2. A leveller.

In my opinion, the leveller is a better solution.
- Making puzzle pieces you can make them "tunnel tolerant"   (as Marrast MTELs), but as you said you should make them for each network (straight pieces plus transition pieces), and you will not be able to make a junction over the tunnel (or you should make next piece, for example "T" intersection). In addition, these puzzle pieces will be useful only in this specific situation.
- having a leveller enables you to use all existing networks as you want, in every configuration (I have done an avenue roundabout over the tunnel 4 tiles long  ). You should do only one thing, in addition it can be useful in other difficult situations (for example on very steep slope, when you can't put a street/road tile).

warrior: im sure ur talking about that highway under highway and road underbridge eyecandy lot where u cover up the tunnel with a road overhanging lot .....btw another way of making of approaching this transit network above tunnel entrance is using the hole digger lots by smoncrie. i use that alot in my cities and it works like a charm also to level the top u use the level terrain in the mayor mode terrain tools and adjust the area the circle is covering.....

Filasimo, if you know another way to make a road just above the tunnel entrance (not 1 tile away  ), show it please, it can be interesting! I twould be good to have an easier method to do it 

[Jonathan]

Filasimo: I'm not really sure I know what you mean.

If you plop an avenue Roundabout on a slope it will level that is what I'm taling about.

[Filasimo]

sorry warrior i quickly read what u were saying and misread it and ennedi ill go back in game and it over i may be wrong bc one of the methods i used is make the sunken highway deeper and usually ur able to place a road over it

[threestooges]

Masterfully done, well described, and highly useful. I can't think of a better way to describe this tutorial.

[flame1396]

Holy crap. Most useful technique I've learned in a long while