For sixty years, and maybe more, there have been those in either the press or politics that claim America's roads and bridges are disintegrating and the end is near. Yet I have lived in multiple regions of the country, in both dense and sparse populations, and if there's any impression I've had is that there is a very sustained, robust, and aggressive effort to maintain roads and bridges. In fact, it's something that…
After 60 Years, I-95 Is Complete
131–140 of 149 posts
Re: After 60 Years, I-95 Is Complete
#132Earlier quoted context omitted.
The defining factor of that state is a willingness to disenfranchise neighbors and obliterate communities for the sake of convenience. Politics are now far too sensitive to local constituents’ rights and opinions to permit the construction of infrastructure nearly as good as the interstate highway system. A system optimized for utility will be less useful than one balancing utility and social justice.
That’s a really interesting point and I’m sure it has a huge impact, but it can’t be the whole story. For example, the DC Metro suffers from this inability to get much done, and absurd costs and timelines when it does, yet most of their projects are underground or use existing rights of way.
Tunneling isn’t cheap. Much simpler to demolish whatever is in the way and make cross traffic wait (traditional rail) or go to one of a few specific overpass/underpass points (freeways). But such options are no longer even taken seriously. It’s just assumed that new transit must not interfere with the status quo. That has a cost, and it comes out of overall effectiveness. Projects built in an era of higher tolerance for political hubris didn’t have that problem.
I agree it’s not the whole story, but it’s something.
Re: After 60 Years, I-95 Is Complete
#133Earlier quoted context omitted.
In the US, true HSR (by which I mean 220mph/350km/h service) is not viable outside of the Northeast (where Acela already exists), California, and maybe Texas. Medium-speed rail, running around 125mph, could probably be viable in a Midwest network centered on Chicago, but the needs of Chicago's commuter rail and freight rail networks likely preclude mixing higher speed intercity trains with generally slower local and…
Texas is an interesting case: it would benefit enormously from high speed rail connecting the major Metros (DFW, Austin, San Antonio and Houston) but the State Government is run by boneheads who keep suing the feds over DACA and working on inane bathroom bills. Seriously this would transform the state. Make all the tech talent in Austin available to energy companies in Houston. Integrate the tech talent market for Au…
The "Texas Central" will provide one leg of the Texas Triangle before long. We'll see how that works out. The later addition of a leg to Austin/San Antonio would make a lot of sense. But there's not good prospects for any broader regional connections, unless HSR proves to be very popular and profitable.
Re: After 60 Years, I-95 Is Complete
#134For sixty years, and maybe more, there have been those in either the press or politics that claim America's roads and bridges are disintegrating and the end is near. Yet I have lived in multiple regions of the country, in both dense and sparse populations, and if there's any impression I've had is that there is a very sustained, robust, and aggressive effort to maintain roads and bridges. In fact, it's something that…
The only statistics I ever see cited are those of the American Society of Civil Engineers, an interest group with a vested interest in increased infrastructure funding. I'm not hostile to the idea that we should spend more on maintenance, but I agree that we need some data from a less obviously compromised source. And that is setting aside the problem that increased funding has self-evidently not resulted in better q…
I can understand your skepticism, but the ASCE is a long-standing, globally respected professional association for credentialed civil engineers - the annual infrastructure report cards they issue are based on the field surveys that not only ASCE member engineers but that various local government and non-government bodies from all around the country take part in and carry out as well.
If you say that you don't want to trust data compiled and reviewed by an association of civil engineers, then you should probably stop using ADA approved toothpaste and cease getting those AMA recommended medical check-ups.
I hope that didn't come across too harshly, but there seems to be a wave of anti-intellectualism that has been spreading across the US. Obviously that sentiment has formed in no small part due to actual abuses that have been carried out by those with vested interests, but we need to be careful that we don't take what would otherwise be a healthy skepticism of the actions and proscriptions of organizations too far and mis-trust all professional organizations or everything that they publish...
Re: After 60 Years, I-95 Is Complete
#135It took about 20 years just to complete the interchange between I5 and I405 at Alderwood. It was constantly being torn down and rebuilt. The cost must have been incredible.
... and it's still a disaster that completely clogs I-5, particularly northbound, to a standstill. Wonderfully done, y'all!
Re: After 60 Years, I-95 Is Complete
#136Earlier quoted context omitted.
Could you go into more detail? I always wondered why public roads would opt for awful toll plaza back-ups over increasing the gas tax.
You don't have to put a toll gate and slow everyone down to 15mph to collect a toll. Open-road tolling, such as in the Chicago region, can easily read a transponder (or a license plate) at 70mph. Some places have gone so far as to move to all-electronic tolling, with no toll booths (e.g., Mass turnpike).
Yep, the tolling in the Seattle area works similarly - no booths, just profit, even if you're hauling ass at 85mph
Re: After 60 Years, I-95 Is Complete
#137Earlier quoted context omitted.
In the US, true HSR (by which I mean 220mph/350km/h service) is not viable outside of the Northeast (where Acela already exists), California, and maybe Texas. Medium-speed rail, running around 125mph, could probably be viable in a Midwest network centered on Chicago, but the needs of Chicago's commuter rail and freight rail networks likely preclude mixing higher speed intercity trains with generally slower local and…
> In the US, true HSR (by which I mean 220mph/350km/h service) is not viable outside of the Northeast (where Acela already exists), California, and maybe Texas What is this based on? Certainly there have been many studies. Also, to be clear, Acela is not HSR by that definition. I can imagine many other places: Florida, then north to Atlanta and west to New Orleans, and then connecting to Texas. DC down to NC, then At…
An Atlanta train could then easily connect to Nashville, too.
Re: After 60 Years, I-95 Is Complete
#138Earlier quoted context omitted.
In the US, true HSR (by which I mean 220mph/350km/h service) is not viable outside of the Northeast (where Acela already exists), California, and maybe Texas. Medium-speed rail, running around 125mph, could probably be viable in a Midwest network centered on Chicago, but the needs of Chicago's commuter rail and freight rail networks likely preclude mixing higher speed intercity trains with generally slower local and…
> In the US, true HSR (by which I mean 220mph/350km/h service) is not viable outside of the Northeast (where Acela already exists), California, and maybe Texas What is this based on? Certainly there have been many studies. Also, to be clear, Acela is not HSR by that definition. I can imagine many other places: Florida, then north to Atlanta and west to New Orleans, and then connecting to Texas. DC down to NC, then At…
Once you hit the 4 hour mark for travel time, ridership craters. That means at around 500-600 miles (just because the top speed is 220mph doesn't mean the train averages that speed), it's infeasible to have service, especially if you don't have the ability to hook multiple cities up on the line. DC to Boston is on the long edge of this line, but the DC-Boston route services every combination of DC, Baltimore, Philly, NYC, Boston at no extra marginal cost, so it's worth it.
You also need to have evidence of strong existing demand between city pairs (this is basically Florida's problem; there's just not enough travel between its major cities), and you also want a decent urban mass transit system (this is where Texas suffers).
Hitting 220mph service needs dedicated track--you can't mix trains of different speed regimes on the same track without very strict schedule reliability, and the US just doesn't have that reliability. 125mph is more doable, if you have ample opportunity to do the passing, although you still need better reliability than the US sees now. The Midwest just doesn't have the demand to justify building dedicated track, so it's not worth 220mph service.
Yes, Acela is not true HSR, and it's a crying shame because the NEC is the best, or very nearly the best, place in the world to put HSR. But outside of the NEC, the US is simply too big, and its major cities simply too far apart from each other, to put HSR in.
Re: After 60 Years, I-95 Is Complete
#139Earlier quoted context omitted.
Far from it, toll roads reduce congestion on non toll roads so non toll payers also benefit from them. If you want an improvement then paying by weight and mileage would be more fair unlike our current system which discounts trucks which do far more damage than their fuel usage accounts for. But, tolls are on net an even worse system than we already have.
>so non toll payers also benefit from them. That's just a glass half full way of saying that tolls keep poor people from taking trips that would involve those roads so the roads are less busy. $5 or $10 isn't much when your lunch is an overpriced $15 bagel at some trendy authentic restaurant. People who are packing PB&J to the job side avoid the toll road even if it takes longer Road tolls are just another regressive…
Your argument applies to congestion charging on existing roads. Using tolls to fund additional capacity that wouldn't otherwise exist is a different thing.
Re: After 60 Years, I-95 Is Complete
#140Earlier quoted context omitted.
It’s actually the combination of both which is a problem. As you say, diversity wouldn’t be a problem if there were no bigots and intolerant people, but conversely, bigots and intolerant people weren’t as much of a problem when there was less diversity.
Sure, in the same way that a shooting murder requires someone to be in the path of the bullet, not just someone to pull the trigger.
Yes, of course, but the bigots and intolerants (i.e. the people shooting bullets) were here first. Introducing diversity into this world full of bigots and intolerants does create problems, and it’s a bit disingenuous to disclaim all responsibility when only pushing for diversity when you know it’s going to cause problems, especially since it’s mostly going to cause problems for the very minorities that diversity is ostensibly meant to help.
To be clear; I’m not blaming the actual victims of bigots and intolerants, nor do I want to remove any blame from the bigots and intolerants. I simply want to add some blame to those blindly pushing diversity without regard to who gets hurt.