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

Started by Tarkus, June 17, 2007, 08:31:07 PM

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thundercrack83

Wow, Alex!

I'm having trouble find the words, my friend! The planning you put into the construction alone is more planning that most people put into the highways themselves! And by "most people," I mean State Departments of Transportation!

If you worked for PennDOT, the interstates here in PA wouldn't have moon-sized craters in them!

Take care, my friend!

Dustin

cowcorn

This is really great! &apls Seeing that makes me very eager to play the new RHW...  :) Just a dumb question while I'm at it: Where did you get the smooth curves for road? I had them before I went on rebuilding my plugins but I can't remember where i got them.

sim_link

Hey Tarkus,

Awesome contructoin pictures! :thumbsup: The finished highway looks great. :o
The road map looks amazing too, very creative. :)

Awesome job,
-sim_link

TheTeaCat

Wonderful demonstration of your skills.
just how long does it take to lay all the construction lots, demolish them and then lay the highway.
You must have more patient than a saint :D :D

As for the road map  &apls

Please continue to amaze me ;D
:satisfied:
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Tarkus

Well, Tarkusian Cities is finally back with the first update of 2009.  We're going to visit Los Endos again this update, to see the construction on Los Endos Boulevard in the fast-growing Foothill area east of downtown. 

But first . . . some replies.

Larry (debutterfly):  Thanks for the kind words on the map, and for the great suggestion as well!  I used to mark the overpasses awhile ago, but never found a format I quite liked.  I'll have to mess around with it some more, but I'll phase in some sort of marking here soon.  Hope you enjoyed your break as well!

bat:  Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

Haljackey:  Hehe . . . I've wanted to show off that RHW-6C for awhile now . . . that stretch of highway was actually a big inspiration behind many of the features that eventually went into the mod.  Had to get rid of that Maxis Highway. :D  Thanks for the compliments on the map as well!

deathtopumpkins:  Thanks--I'm glad you enjoyed the update, and I hope you're enjoying the RHW-6C!  I may have to include more mosaics, too, in future updates.  ;)

nerdly_dood:  Thanks for the all too kind words--I've always just been fascinated with road and highway construction for ages.  May be residual environmental effect of being born in a hospital next to an interchange that was being redesigned at the time.  :D 

Joan (Jmouse):  Thanks, I'm glad to see others enjoy the nitty-gritty end of transport projects as well!  Hopefully I'll be able to spend a little more time here on Tarkusian Cites now that the RHW is out, too. 

Pat:  Yes, so far so good--the new highway's proven to be quite safe, though that Tarentum Lane at-grade intersection worries me.  ;)  And TDOT, too.  Thanks for the compliments on the revamp--I'm quite pleased with how it came out, too. 

And those construction crews are actually rather relieved to be working on that project--many of them are veterans of the "drunken engineer" era. :D

Eric (EDGE4194):  Thanks, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the overview of Highway 340--you'll be seeing a fair amount more of it soon as well.  And hopefully, I'll be able to make this more than a sporadic thing here soon.  :)

David (Simpson):  I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it--thanks!

Dustin (thundercrack83):  Thank you so much for the all-too-kind words, my friend.  I can't help it with the planning end--heck, I'm sure you'll see me tearing it up again in a future update, though.  I always find something to improve somewhere. 

And the City of Eugene Public Works isn't much better than PennDOT--I've just about tripped a few times crossing the street because of giant potholes.  Of course, TDOT gets a pretty large share of its government's budget . . . whatever government that happens to be.  Where TDOT's jurisdiction actually is has remained a mystery, kind of like Springfield on "The Simpsons" (which, I maintain, is just across the Willamette River in Springfield, Oregon)--one of these days, I might have to actually reveal that.

cowcorn:  Thanks--I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you're enjoying the new RHW now!  The Road Curves are now under the Road Curves/Fractional Angle Road button in the new January 2009 NAM.

sim_link:  Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the construction and the maps!  Plenty more of both to come this update. :)

Derry (TheTeaCat):  Thank you for the kind words, and that's a good question with the construction lots. It used to take me awhile at first, but I've gotten so used to it now that it goes by quickly--or at least, it seems to go by quickly. :D 

I'm glad you enjoyed the map, and hopefully, this update will be at least somewhat amazing. :D

____________________________________________________________________________________
CITY OF LOS ENDOS PUBLIC WORKS
Los Endos Boulevard Widening Project--65th to Leonard

This project will widen Los Endos Boulevard from 2 to 4 lanes between NE 65th Street and SE Leonard Lane in the Foothill area on the east side of the city.  Foothill is one of the fastest growing areas in the Los Endos area and will soon be home to many new residential construction projects.  Los Endos Boulevard, being the only east-west arterial in the area, aside from the Desert Lakes Highway (Highway 94), is expected to be subjected to a heavy load of traffic, and motorists are already experiencing significant congestion.

Map of vicinity:


This is the existing intersection of NE 65th Street and E Los Endos Blvd.  Part of the roadway here has already been widened to 4 lanes from a previous project. (looking east)



Existing intersection of SE Los Endos Blvd at SE Radio Terrace (looking east)



Existing 90-degree bend on Los Endos, just east of 65th (looking east)



Existing intersection of SE Los Endos Blvd at SE Leonard Lane, the project's southern boundary (looking east) (Also note the name of the road to the north of Leonard on the map . . . ::))



A temporary alignment is constructed while the wider curve is being constructed (looking east)





More work being done near Leonard Lane (looking east):




The finished product at the 65th Street intersection (looking east):



The new 90-degree bend, with the detour route still faintly visible (looking east):



The finished Leonard Lane intersection.  The city decided to get a little jump start and widened a short stretch south of Leonard:



You may have also noticed a "Jan Haskins Parkway" on the map . . . you'll be seeing that in one of the next couple updates as well.  TDOT and the City of Los Endos are trying to get a jumpstart on the massive influx of new Foothill residents.

-Alex (Tarkus)




Haljackey

Whoa nice work on that road construction Alex!

May I suggest to you a texture for the avenue curves?  I think that 90 degree avenue curve would look better if you had a base for it.  sithlrd98 has made a lot of them on the STEX.  You can find his work HERE.

Best,
-Haljackey

metarvo

I was beginning to wonder if TDOT had run out of money.  :D  The update and its accompanying map look great as always, Alex.  It looks like Los Endos Blvd. really needed the widening, but that is the reason that TDOT did it, isn't it?  This is the work of a true transit legend.

&apls
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JoeST

AWESOME is the only word I can think of this early in the morning, to how truly amazing your city looks :)

Thanks for sharing

Joe
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bat


deathtopumpkins

Nice widening project, I can tell it needed it, and the finished product looks great!

And I can't wait to see that new highway...  :thumbsup:
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Jmouse

Glad to see the construction signs up again, Alex! Also pleased to find I haven't forgotten how to follow a project on the map, and you haven't forgotten how to make them happen! :D

The new avenue looks great
and will surely serve the motorists well. In that photo of the finished Leonard Lane widening project, it looks like the terrain was flattened a bit, but it's hard to tell. Just wondering.

One of these days when I finally get a proper region started I hope I'll be able to apply some of the things I've learned here. Hoping to see some of the new elements show up too!

Later...
Joan

bakerton

Tis the season for more construction projects. I do like this project as it relieves traffic so you won't spend hours waiting in traffic. Awesome job on everything Alex. JKB
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art128

What a nice development there Alex, I'm always in love with t-your road network ! &apls &apls
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warconstruct

Splendid work on your networks of road transport! I congratulate you  &apls
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Tarkus

Hi everyone-

Back with another installment here, following further construction in the Foothill area of Los Endos. 

But first, replies:

Haljackey:  Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the construction and thanks for the suggestion as well.  I've been meaning to check out Jayson's (sithlrd98) for some time now--he's done an excellent job.

metarvo:  LOL--good one.  All those Argentum projects did take a toll on TDOT's ability to spend money in other areas, though.  Thanks for the kind words on the map, and the citizens of that area are quite happy about the widening, too--though as you'll soon see, it still won't be enough to contain all the traffic.

Joe (JoeST):  Thanks--I'm glad you enjoyed it!  And I can completely sympathize with the morning thing--I'm useless until I get caffeine.

bat:  Thanks for the kind words!

deathtopumpkins:  Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, and yes, it definitely did need it.  Right now with further development I've done on it, it's kind of looking like a good TLA-7 candidate.  :D 

Joan (Jmouse):  Thanks for the welcome back--it's good to have TDOT back up and running here.  And my Inkscape skills are still in pretty good shape, since I also use very similar techniques to what I do with the maps on my RHW textures.  Good eye on the texture flattening, too--I'm fairly certain it did get leveled a little there.  Not nearly as much leveling as needed to be done with some of the stuff you'll see in the next couple updates, though.

And I'll be very curious to see what you come up with for your new region, too.  Judging by what you did with Wildcat Junction, I'm sure it will be amazing!

Jon (bakerton):  'Tis indeed!  We have a saying here in Western Oregon that there's only two seasons--Rainy Season and Road Construction Season.  :D  (Though actually, right now, it's the former, though it's been clear for most of the past week.)  Thanks for the kind words!

Arthur (art128):  Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

warconstruct:  Thanks for the kind words--plenty more road construction to come, too! :)

_______________________________________________________________________________________



Northeast 65th Street Interchange Improvement

This project will construct a conventional diamond interchange along Highway 94 at Northeast 65th Street in Los Endos, in addition to making improvements to 65th Street between Highway 94 and Los Endos Boulevard.

Highway 94, the Desert Lakes Highway, is a major east-west highway through the Los Endos area and is in the process of being upgraded to freeway standard, to help accommodate the massive population growth in the region.  At the time of this project, however, only the Highway 33/18th Street and 50th Street crossings have been grade-separated.  65th Street currently meets Highway 94 with an at-grade intersection, which has become extremely dangerous with recent residential and commercial expansion in East Los Endos.  The project will also aid the City of Los Endos' transportation plan, which proposes making 65th Street a major north-south arterial.

Existing 65th Street/Los Endos Boulevard intersection (facing north).  As you can see in this pic, 65th is appears to be a rather inconsequential road with a mere 25mph speed limit.



The at-grade crossing with Highway 94 has already been demolished on the south side, and a temporary alignment to access the north side has been built, to allow access while the overpass is being built (facing east).



Work on the overpass.  65th is being widened from 2 to 4 lanes between the new interchange and Los Endos to accommodate the anticipated traffic load upon opening.  (facing east)



To prevent further traffic congestion, and to allow for a nice smooth grade up to the overpass, 65th is being elevated over Still Street, eliminating the intersection.  Motorists will use Waverly Street to the south to access Still from 65th (facing east).



The overpass is now completed across Highway 94 and ready to be connected to the northern section of 65th (facing east).



The connection completed (facing east).



The ramps from the highway are being built (facing east).



The ramps are now completed and the interchange is effectively open (facing east).



Landscaping has been finished, and the land on the north side of the intersection has already attracted commercial development.  In the second pic, you'll notice a small retention pond (both facing east).





65th Street just south of the interchange with the improvements in place (facing east).



A map of the finished product:


That does it for this installment of Tarkusian Cities.  Next update, we'll be looking at some other improvement projects in East Los Endos, including the start of the new Jan Haskins Parkway (named after our 600th poster, Swamper77).

-Alex (Tarkus)


Ryan B.

Such realistic interchange design . . . . . . and the realistic aspect of ripping it up when it doesn't work right.  :P

Nice work, Alex . . . . . you're one of the grand masters at this highway stuff.

pilotdaryl


deathtopumpkins

Wow, I'm liking these back-to-back updates.  ;D

Nice interchange there! And that retention pond is a great idea! I'll have to try that out on one.

I don't really like the walls in the last pic though. I would have either left the tiles empty or filled it in with zoning.
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Sciurus

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sim_link

Well Tarkusian Cities sure is living up to it's name as the "MD that's always under construction" :P

Great job, both updates are awesome. :thumbsup: The construction process seems very realistic. :)