Hi everyone-
Having a small bit of downtime at the moment, I'm going to sneak out a few updates of Tarkusian Cities for the first time in over a year. In this update, at long last, we will see the completion of the northern segment of the Chemeketa Red Line Light Rail, up to its terminus in the Lila Engel/Starpoint neighborhood.
First off, long overdue replies:
It's nice seeing this active again. It was 109 in Phoenix yesterday ... I dunno how anyone from the northwest wont melt in those temperatures 
Thanks, and it's good to be active yet again after another hiatus. And not surprisingly, Phoenix is still hot.
It's 102°F there per my phone at the moment (yes, I have it programmed in there), with what appears to be some residual monsoon-related humidity. Haven't moved down there (yet), but we've been up in the 90s the past few days here in Oregon, and I've enjoyed it.
It's only going to get worse...
Seems to also be true a year later--the forecast I'm seeing shows 115°F at the start of next week.
It's great to read you again!! 
But it's unfair that you use the FTL before the release. 
Thanks, Vincenzo, and now that the FTLs are out, I hope you're enjoying them!
I like your mass transit system. It's awesome how this grow!
Thanks for the kind words--hope you enjoy seeing the latest phase, too!
Very good work Alex 
I love the construction phase of your CJ and can't wait for more 
It looks like the stuff I see when driving to/from Bendigo or Melbourne. So much activity in terms of fixing up the Rails and Roads in my location.
Keen to see what goodies are around the corner 
-eggman121
Thanks--and at long last, there is more! Glad this here MD was able to provide a little bit of a slice of home for you.
Should be some interesting transportation construction to watch
A real delight to see a legend pop in here at Tarkusian Cities--thank you so much for the kind words!
Looking good! I've been playing around in my region simply because of the new RRW FAR options. I'm still getting the hang of all the dragable patterns, but I'm able to use it now without having to reference the cheat pics every time
That's a total coincidence, because both Phoenix and Boise where the two places I went to Coug games last fall. Even though they lost, I had a really great time in Boise. It felt very much like a small college town. Phoenix was just too big, but Tempe was a nice neighborhood. I guess I'm becoming less of a big city guy as I get older 
If you end of visiting Boise, check out the Boise Fry Company - they have a crazy variety of fried potatoes (yay idaho).
Thanks, SimCoug! Having a bit of a hand in development/testing helped quite a bit in handling the RRW FAR stuff, though I'm probably a bit rusty at the moment, since most of my SC4 time the past year has been testing RHW and FTL items in development.
Also, thanks for the input on Boise and Phoenix! I still haven't made it out to Boise yet, but I've definitely grown quite fond of Tempe. I did actually make a second trip down to Arizona last September--drove down from Oregon in a rented F-150 and had a blast. (I also caught the ASU vs. Oregon game while I was there, with insanely good seats--it was amongst a mix of Sun Devils and Ducks, and we had a great time joking around.) Haven't moved as of yet, but I'm still toying with the idea. It'll kind of depend on how things go the next couple months.
Another great update! like those construction sequences!
Well although I find the transit line next to the rail is kinda awkward (if the rail also used as transit line), it kinda works IMO. I mean for example in real life city where I live, there is a plan for east-west metro line literally right next to the existing rail that has commuter/local service technically in same corridor.
Thanks, Nanami--glad you enjoyed the construction sequences! I ended up taking that particular routing for the light rail line as it seemed to be the most cost-effective/least "destructive" route.
And without further ado, here's Update 105.
First off, here's a map of the area around which this project is centered.
The red line with the squares is the routing that the light rail line will take through the area. After following the existing heavy rail line north of downtown Chemeketa, the Red Line will curve onto 33rd Avenue NE running down the median until just before the 5-leg roundabout, where 33rd meets McCabe Street, Creek Drive, and Starpoint Drive.
The most challenging bit of this project will be the stretch where the Red Line crosses the rail line and begins its median running portion on 33rd. Here's the existing conditions at this part of the project (facing west). (Also, the rail crossing here looks a little funny--this image actually dates back to a very, very early prototype of the RRW plugin.)
In order to facilitate through traffic to the residential neighborhood to the west, abutting the Chemeketa Parkway (Highway 215), as well as future work on 33rd, an extension of 34th Avenue was built to the north, connecting up with Bobcat Drive NE. The project study determined that the most effective method of handling the rail crossover was to trench it below, allowing the Red Line and 33rd Avenue to cross overhead (facing west).
A little further along with construction (facing west).
The stretch of 33rd east of Bobcat has now been closed off for reconstruction (facing west).
This is part way through the reconstruction of the segment from Bobcat to Progress (facing west).
The stretch up to and beyond Progress Street is now completed, along with some re-development and the construction of a new park-and-ride garage (facing west).
Preparations are underway for the northern terminus of the Red Line. The road coming in from the top of this image is 33rd Avenue, and the line will terminate in the graded area behind the office buildings, making a northward jog before the roundabout (facing west).
Here is the completed terminal station for the Red Line. A looping roadway and park-and-ride garage were constructed to facilitate access (facing west).
This is a stretch of 33rd with the median running complete, through the industrial area between Progress and Ashcroft (facing west).
And finally, here's the stretch right at the Ashcroft and 33rd intersection, just before the terminus (facing east).
That does it for this update of Tarkusian Cities, and for the current work on Chemeketa's first major transit project--hope you enjoyed it. Next up will be some new road work in Chemeketa, and perhaps even a few "lost" updates from other regions, rescued from the "Tarkives".
-Alex
