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

[Ryan B.]

I admire the attention to detail throughout this construction project, Alex.  It's just great.

So, what's first . . . work zone speed limit signs?

[Nego]

The Northern Crossing Project has come a long way since the most dangerous intersection that it was in the beginning. Watching the construction process has been very enjoyable and I can't wait to see what you have in store for your other upcoming projects. Can't wait to see more!

[Haljackey]

Update update update!

I like the use of MAVE-2 in the construction images. The finishing touch adding a slip ramp to the diamond gives the interchange character. Nice work! 

[Battlecat]

Great stuff in the last two updates.  I never get tired of your realistic approach to road and highway improvements.  Reminds me of the chaos here in in my area (22 km of highway, overpasses and interchanges being upgraded and expanded along with a major bridge replacement). 

[Tarkus]

Hi everyone-

Well, I'm back with another update . . . we'll be mostly finishing up the Northern Crossing Project this update, taking a look at the construction improvements on the west side of the river.  But first, replies:

Ciuu96: Thank you for the very kind words!  It's great to have another lurker pop out of the shadows, and I'm glad you found the construction aspects realistic.

Noah (noahclem): Thanks, I'm very pleased to hear that you like the new interchange, and you don't have too much longer to wait until the big "mosaic-fest" arrives.

Samerton: Thank you for the kind words on the interchange, and I'm glad you found everything detailed enough!

Raymie (Tracker): Thanks!  I'm always happy to hear that my readers are enjoying things here, and I hope you find this update to be interesting!

Ryan B.: Thanks, my friend!  A compliment like that means a lot to me coming from a fellow purveyor of roadway realism.  I've actually got some nice Oregon-spec signs in place for work zones . . . I'm probably mainly in need of some good ol' orange signs.

Nego: Thanks, I'm very pleased to hear that you're enjoying things, and looking back over the past few updates, it is interesting seeing just how much things have changed.  Hope you enjoy this latest episode in the construction saga!

Ryan (Haljackey)): That means a lot coming from an interchange guru such as yourself--thank you for the kind words!  The AVE-2 bit there was something I kind of randomly thought of when building that construction scene . . . it seemed an appropriate "transitional" state for the upgrade.

Battlecat: Thank you for the very kind compliments, my friend--I'm pleased to hear that I've managed to keep things interesting on the construction side of things.  That sounds like quite the extensive project in your area . . . and a bit similar to some of the stuff going on with US-97 around Bend, Oregon. That road's been undergoing some pretty substantial upgrades over the past 10-12 years or so with the boom in population there.  They just upgraded a pretty substantial stretch of RHW-2 south of town to an RHW-4 with full interchanges . . . had the chance to drive it after they opened up the new northbound lanes back in October.  

Now onto the update:







This update will mostly bring the Northern Crossing Project to a close, before we head back over to the east side of the river to look at the remaining Chemeketa Parkway work along Highway 219.  As you've seen from the previous updates, the bridge over the Willamette River on 52nd Avenue (Highway 221) was twinned into a expressway-grade structure.  However, between the interchange with Wallace Road and the bridges, there lies one "holdover"--the intersection of 52nd and Greenwich Avenue.  This final phase of the project will upgrade the remainder of 52nd Avenue NW from the bridge to Wallace Road to a full, 4-lane, mostly elevated expressway, replacing the intersection at Greenwich with an interchange.

Here's the current end of the expressway segment, with the temporary alignment of 52nd from a prior phase of the project still partially in place below (facing west).



The old temporary alignment has now been kind of torn out to make way for cranes.  The eastbound lanes will actually be shifted 50 feet to the south, to eliminate a "jog" in the existing alignment (facing west).



Here's the aforementioned 52nd/Greenwich intersection (facing west).  Both are just 2-lane roads right now here, and with the development to the south along Greenwich, the traffic coming from Wallace Road and the rest of Vivien Heights, and the long-term plans to develop land north of 52nd, it just doesn't cut it anymore.  You can see the cranes, ready to put the elevated expressway in place.





Work continuing on the shift of the shift of the eastbound lanes (facing west).



The ramp from Greenwich to 52nd eastbound is going in place (facing west).  The stretch of 52nd/Highway 221 west of Greenwich has temporarily been closed off to allow the elevated portion to be connected into the Wallace Road interchange.  The old ground alignment is being "sandwiched" between the new elevated roadways to maintain access.



More alignment shifting (facing west).  The westbound lanes are temporarily being shifted to allow access to Greenwich while the rest of the elevated structure is extended over Greenwich.



Here's the temporary westbound alignment connecting into Greenwich, with work on the ramp from westbound Highway 221/52nd to Greenwich.





The shifting between the bridge and Greenwich is now largely complete (facing west).  The temporary shifted westbound lanes have been disconnected from and the new alignment opened, as it now has a ramp to access Greenwich.



The Wallace Road interchange has now been connected into the eastbound lanes of the new elevated section (facing west).  There will be no direct access from eastbound 52nd/Hwy 221 to Greenwich, at least for the time being, due to the close proximity of the Wallace Road interchange.



Here is the process of connecting the westbound lanes to the Wallace Road interchange (facing west).









The partial diamond interchange with Greenwich is now largely completed (facing west).  The westbound ramp from Greenwich actually bypasses the Wallace Road interchange entirely and joins Highway 221 just west of the interchange.



In order to better handle the existing traffic volumes and to prepare for the eventual extension of Greenwich north of Hwy 221/52nd Ave, Greenwich is being widened to 4 lanes in the vicinity of the interchange (facing west).









A final image here . . . the old temporary alignment has been temporary reconstituted as a gravel roadway to provide access to CPUD's (Chemeketa Public Utility District) new Greenwich Substation.



Hope you enjoyed this update!  We'll be heading east of the river again to look at the Chemeketa Parkway upgrades to the Highway 219/39th Avenue intersection, following with the anticipated "mosaicfest" that will show all the improvements of the Northern Crossing and Chemeketa Parkway Phase I projects.

-Alex

[Haljackey]

Great work. I always find elevated RHWs are hard to work with in terms of making them ascetically pleasing, but you pulled it off brilliantly.

Nice map too!

[jdenm8]

Ah... Sensible design... Around here they would have just made a sharp turn from the (extremely shortened, they would have ended it straight after Greenwich) viaduct to the existing road into the intersection.

this has given me the inspiration to do a proper construction piece in my own CJ... but it has to wait (You've seen the picture)

[noahclem]

Great update Alex! I like the way you're allowing partial access at Greenwich without creating trouble spots for weaving. I'm hoping to do more stuff like that as I develop the central tile of Siilijoki. The detailed, realistic, and visually-appealing presentation methodology is one of the main things that makes Tarkusian Cities great but I think I enjoy your well-thought-out network planning even more. Between those traits and your maps I somehow walk away from here remembering names like Wallace Rd or 52nd St as well as their routes and some of the neighborhoods they serve.

Looking forward to more 

[Ramona Brie]

Very nice indeed. I really like the way the temporary road is connected in and then out.

[canyonjumper]

The style you've constructed to detail the construction keeps it interesting and enjoyable Great job Alex!

                Your friend,
                               Jordan

[bat]

Two really great new updates!
Your pictures are always really nice.
Great work on it.

[Nexis4Jersey]

Drools....foams....another great update...

[penguin007]

Nice update love all the construction pics!!

Will

[kj3400]

Nothing like a little road construction to make my day.

I might be coming out of lurk mode a little more often

[samerton]

Wow! Great road construction and upgrading!     Very realistic, too!   

[RickD]

Did someone say "mosaicfest"? ... Yay! 


It was fascinating to follow the development of the Northern Crossing Project.

[Nego]

Great update! It's really nice to see the rest of 221 coming along quite nicely. I am wondering, though, why did you choose to have the ramp from Greenwich Ave to 221 West bypass the Wallace Rd interchange all together? Couldn't you have added a small connector from the ramp from Greenwich Ave to the ramp to Wallace Rd?

Overall great update an I can't wait for the next!

[Tarkus]

Hi everyone-

Well, I'm back with another update, where we'll be back on the east side of the river to look at the upgrades underway on Highway 219.

But first, replies:

Ryan (Haljackey): Thanks for the kind words!  The ERHWs can indeed be a little bit tricky in that regard, but as I've not used a Maxis Highway in nearly 4 years except for testing (gave 'em up cold turkey ), I guess I've become acclimated to them.

jdenm8: Thanks, I'm very glad to hear that you found the design sensible!  I'm trying to picture the "alternative" you mentioned your local road authorities would probably do, and it's not a pretty sight.   I'll be looking forward to seeing your construction here soon as well.

Noah (noahclem): Thanks, I'm glad you like the interchange design there . . . the partial access made even more sense with how the surface streets are laid out, too, so it's not really a functional loss.  And I'm really flattered by the notion that folks are remembering the road and geographic names and layouts outside of here--trying to create a "place MD", as David (dedgren) would call it is something for which I've always strived here.

Raymie (Tracker): Thanks!  I'm glad you enjoyed the construction and the little temporary road bit--I find that it serves not only as a little bit of eyecandy here for MDing purposes, but actually serves a functional purpose in the game as well, allowing me a bit more flexibility when tearing things apart.

Jordan (canyonjumper): Thank you for the very kind compliments on the "style" of updates here--I'm glad to hear I've managed to keep things interesting.

bat: Thanks, my friend, for the kind words on the updates--it's always great to see you here!

Corey (Nexis4Jersey):  Just be careful you don't short out the keyboard.   Thanks for the compliments--I'm glad you enjoyed the update.

Will (penguin007): Thanks for the kind words on the construction--there's more where that came from this update!

kj3400: Always glad to make someone's day!  Thanks for the kind words, and I'm always thrilled when I can entice someone out of lurk mode here.   

Sam (samerton): Thanks for the compliments on the construction--I'm glad to hear I managed to make things realistic!

Raphael (RickD): Yes, someone did say "mosaicfest" . . . only a couple more updates (it appears it'll be Update 73).   Thanks for the kind words--I'm glad you enjoyed the Northern Crossing Project, and I hope you enjoy these next couple updates before the mosaic fest.

Nego: Thanks for the kind words and for the interesting suggestion--I have looked over the area around the ramps and it looks like your idea is very much feasible.  I'm glad you enjoyed the update.








The long term transportation plans for North Chemeketa and northern Marion County include goals for improving connectivity and capacity along the major arterials in the region, including the construction of new arterial roadways to facilitate travel in and out of the Chemeketa city center, and to the larger national highway system.

One such project is the Chemeketa Parkway project, which, in its initial phase, will convert the existing alignment of Highway 219 from just north of the city center up to just north of the junction with Highway 221 and 52nd Avenue Northeast.  Some initial work on this project was accomplished as part of the Northern Crossing Project, which converted the Highway 221/52nd Avenue NE junction from a signalized intersection to a full grade-separated interchange. 

The main components of Phase 1 include:

• Widening Highway 219 from 2 to 4 lanes, to match the width of both the brief stretch of upgraded road built for the Northern Crossing Project, as well as the surface alignment of Highway 219 through Chemeketa's city center along Division Street North.
• Converting the dangerous unsignalized intersection at Highway 219 and 39th Avenue Northeast to a grade-separated interchange.
• Restricting access to/from Highway 219 at 33rd Avenue Northeast to RIRO (Right-In/Right-Out) and building a new connector roadway from 33rd to 39th to recover lost access.
• Widen part of 39th Avenue Northeast to handle the existing traffic volumes, which currently exceed the capacity of the facility.

Here is the beginning of the project, at the existing Hwy 219/39th Ave NE intersection, facing north.  Some work has started already in preparation for widening.



Here are a couple representative segments of 39th Avenue just east of Highway 219 (facing north).  It is currently a 2-lane facility with a landscaped median until the vicinity of Ashcroft St NE, where it becomes a 4-lane roadway.  The project will widen the entire stretch of 39th to 4 lanes, with a center turn lane where appropriate.





This is the existing intersection of 33rd Ave NE and Highway 219 (facing north).  It's in a similar situation to the 39th Ave intersection, and because of its close proximity to 33rd and the geometry of the roadway here, it will be converted to a RIRO configuration with a connector road to 39th to ease lost access.



The CPUD electrical substation that sits at the corner of 39th and Highway 219 is in the right-of-way needed for the widening and interchange.  To this effect, it will need to be moved to the other side of the railroad.  Ground clearing on the new site of the substation has begun (facing north).



The substation has been moved, and grading work has begun in preparation for the interchange (facing north).



Work beginning in preparation for the 39th Avenue overpass over Highway 219 (facing north).



The widening of Highway 219 will affect Sorenson Creek, which crosses between 33rd and 39th (facing west).  A temporary culvert will have to be constructed to maintain flow while construction is underway.



Temporary overpass structure work underway (facing west).  The interchange will be a hybrid diamond/trumpet, with access to and from northbound 219 being handled by the diamond half, and access to and from southbound 219 handled by the trumpet half.



The westbound half of the 39th Avenue overpass has been built to connect into the trumpet half (facing west).  The existing alignment of 39th has been temporarily maintained to provide access from the other approaches, but will need to be closed for construction.  You can also see the southbound onramp coming out of the trumpet half connected into Highway 219.



The northbound onramp has been connected in (facing west).



Eastbound 39th has now been closed down, and 39th cannot be directly accessed from Hwy 219 (facing west).  Motorists must use 33rd and Progress Street to access 39th.



The widening on Highway 219 is underway (facing south), and the northbound onramp has been connected into the new northbound lanes on 219, meaning the only direct access from 39th is from 39th westbound to 219 southbound.



All direct access from 39th to Hwy 219 has been closed off to finish the connection to the widened highway and the overpass itself (facing west).  You can see the temporary overpass structure in place.



That does it for this installment of Tarkusian Cities--I hope you enjoyed it!  We'll see the completion of the 39th Avenue Interchange and widening next update, and then, it'll be onto mosaicfest and a preview of upcoming projects and long-term plans for road improvement projects in Chemeketa and vicinity.

-Alex

[Ramona Brie]

So it's a trumpet with an intersection on the ending street? Kinda cool.

And what do you mean by saying that these are "temporary" overpass structures? Is the avenue overpass being redone?

[noahclem]

Development and improvement along the parkway is looking great! I'm curious to see the end result of the new interchange. Speaking of parkway, what do you plan on doing with the area between the river and the construction? I'd be interested to see a Tarkusian green space