WKRC-AM 550 in Cincinnati has been reporting today that the ramp
meters on I-74 have been activated today.

--- In greatlakesroads@yahoogroups.com, Jason Ilyes <jpi17403@...> wrote:
>
> Some cool pics of the Hoover Dam By-Pass construction.


I know this one is kind of off-topic for the GLR group, but I was glad to see
the post as I didn't know about this project.

Cool as the view from the new bridge's pedestrian walkway may be, I think a
drive and a view from the existing road over the dam is a must.  The Wikipedia
article says that road will be closed "for security purposes" once the new
bridge opens.  I mentioned this to Mrs. G. and she immediately announced our May
vacation will be to do some roadtripping out of Las Vegas so we can drive the
old road.  Okay with me, as I've wanted to drive a couple loop routes around
Nevada, including a long stretch of the US-50 "Loneliest Road" (yeah, no doubt a
roadgeek cliche, but I haven't done it) and this will be my chance.  I must be
the only person (present company excluded) interested in flying to Las Vegas
only to rent a car and get the heck out of town ASAP.

Wiki article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_O%27Callaghan-Pat_Tillman_Memorial_Bridge


Howard I. Goldman

To my knowledge, the current alignment will be a turnoff, much like a business
route, and will solely be for the people who wish to tour the dam, visit the
visitor center, etc. Larger vehicles will be forbidden from doing so and
therefore must use the bypass. As for the road being closed on the damn itself,
I hadn't heard that it would be but on the plus, it'd let pedestrians free roam
of the dam. On the minus, one would have to drive all the way around to get from
one side to the other because as of right now, most of the amenities are to the
west of the dam. Either way, the bypass is a sorely needed project and I'm glad
I got to see it in the infancy stage nearly 3 years ago and can't wait to see
what the impact will be.

BT14
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Hey All,

I was going through my collection of Kent County road maps last night
and I found some interesting ancillary material on the 1938 edition.
Part of it concerned "Kent County Road Signs" and has a short blurb
about the "County Trunk Line Numbering System." It's the first place
I've ever seen any verbiage about said system. Sure, I've seen the
routes marked on a lot of maps over the years, but nothing that spe-
cifically made mention of them nor referred to them by the title of
"County Trunk Line Numbering System."

Here's the panel from that 1938 map regarding the road signs:

http://www.michiganhighways.org/etc/kent_countyroutesigns3.jpg

Just thought I'd share...

Later,
Chris

--
Chris Bessert
chris.bessert -at- gmail -dot- com
http://www.michiganhighways.org
http://www.wisconsinhighways.org
http://www.ontariohighways.org

Conversion of US 15 to Interstate 99 took another step yesterday when PennDOT
opened the rebuilt southbound lanes on Steam Valley Mountain in Lycoming County.
Work will not be complete on that entire section of US 15 until Fall 2010.

http://tinyurl.com/yez3n4d
http://www.wnep.com/wnep-lyc-route-15--south-improvements-open,0,2641411.story

Jeff Kitsko
Webmaster
Pennsylvania Highways:  http://www.pahighways.com/

Just within the past week, there is a plethora of new signage in Grayling on the
I-75 Business Loop. I will be getting photos in the very near future.

David

Alrighty, it was such a nice day I decided to go into town and take these
photos.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/nds76/Grayling%20November%202009/IMG_0350-1\
.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/nds76/Grayling%20November%202009/IMG_0360-1\
.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/nds76/Grayling%20November%202009/IMG_0365-1\
.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/nds76/Grayling%20November%202009/IMG_0373-1\
.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/nds76/Grayling%20November%202009/IMG_0378-1\
.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/nds76/Grayling%20November%202009/IMG_0383-1\
.jpg

--- In greatlakesroads@yahoogroups.com, "up_north76" <up_north76@...> wrote:
>
> Just within the past week, there is a plethora of new signage in Grayling on
the I-75 Business Loop. I will be getting photos in the very near future.
>
> David
>

--- In greatlakesroads@yahoogroups.com, "up_north76" <up_north76@...> wrote:
>
> Just within the past week, there is a plethora of new signage in Grayling on
the I-75 Business Loop. I will be getting photos in the very near future.


Well, I've got some time off from work to burn before the end of the year. 
Looks like a trip to Grayling will have to be one of my roadtrips!  I've only
got a couple photos from there and I'm not real happy with them, and now I've
got an extra excuse to get more.

The "TO I-75" assemblies on the business route are unusual; you don't see that a
lot in Michigan.  It bears some similarity to how interstate business routes are
signed in the state of Wyoming -- the first half of the route in each direction
is signed with the usual white-on-green business shields, and the second half is
signed with only red-white-blue "TO I-xx" assemblies.  In other words, the
business route gets you into town and the TO I-xx route leads you out.


Howard I. Goldman

As always, some great videos, H.B.  Keep up the excellent work!

-Dan

--- In greatlakesroads@yahoogroups.com, "H.B. Elkins" <hbelkins@...> wrote:
>
> By 12:15 a.m. EST, the last of my latest batch of videos should be
> finished uploading. When Cyberduck is finished with its work, there
> will be nine (9) new Millennium Highway videos available for viewing.
>
> States represented are Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, West
> Virginia and Virginia. Featured are I-469 in Indiana, the Mackinac
> Bridge in Michigan, and all of I-64 between Beckley, WV and Staunton,
> Va., a beautiful ride through the mountains.
>
> Videos can be accessed at http://www.millenniumhwy.net/videos.html
> and QuickTime Player is required to view them.
>
> Enjoy, everyone! This is just the first round of several videos that
> will be rolled out between now and the first of the year.
>

--- In greatlakesroads@yahoogroups.com, "wanderer2575" <goldmanhi@...> wrote:
> The "TO I-75" assemblies on the business route are unusual; you
> don't see that a lot in Michigan.

Yeah, this setup is a pretty rare occurrence. But Grayling has been notorious
for being unclear to motorists in how to navigate back to NBD I-75 after taking
the partial exit at exit 254.

Yes, the business loop signs are not sufficient in this case - the business loop
has been there forever and the confusion remains.

David, do the "TO NORTH I-75" assemblies direct people to North Down River Rd,
or direct them to remain on the business loop?

The downtown redo of Bus I-75 and M-72 looks great, BTW. I don't see why anyone
would want to go back to the old 4-lane layout. The 44' road width is too
cramped to comfortably accommodate 4 lanes, and the center turn lane was sorely
needed.

>As always, some great videos, H.B.  Keep up the excellent work!


Some have reported problems viewing them. I myself just tried viewing
them from the home page (http://www.milenniumhwy.net/videos.html) in
Safari for Mac, which should play them directly in the browser and
had in the past. Instead I got a stream of code, as if the browser
was trying to render the .mp4 file as an .html file.

So for now, it might be best to download the files to your local
machine and view them in QuickTime Player, then delete if they are
taking up too much space.

Thanks, Dan, for the kind words. Much appreciated!

The bickering between MDOT and Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun goes on. 
Maroun apparently went to court today to force MDOT to open the new ramps that
connect I-75 and I-96 directly with the bridge in downtown Detroit.  MDOT
counters that the ramps will stay shut until Maroun builds local truck bypass
lanes that he promised.

http://www.freep.com/article/20091124/BUSINESS06/91124048/1318/Bridge-owner-sues\
-state-to-open-Ambassador-ramps

My comment:  I know it's a privately-owned bridge, but I can't believe that no
agency on the federal level is intervening to get this
playground-spat-between-two-third-graders resolved quick.  Isn't this supposed
to be *the* major border crossing on the NAFTA highway between Canada and
Mexico?

Also:  Even if Maroun agrees to abide by the terms of the agreement he
supposedly signed, it's now the end of November and ain't nothin' gettin' built
until the middle of next year at the earliest.  Do the freeway ramps stay shut
until then?


Howard I. Goldman

"thezoomer69" <zoomer69@...> wrote:
>
> Yeah, this setup is a pretty rare occurrence. But Grayling has been
> notorious for being unclear to motorists in how to navigate back to
> NBD I-75 after taking the partial exit at exit 254.
>
> Yes, the business loop signs are not sufficient in this case - the
> business loop has been there forever and the confusion remains.

In reality I'm sure you're correct, but there's still a part of me
that worries about the future of the human race if we have to continue
"reiterating" everything so much... By that, I mean at one time we
didn't need to have stop or yield signs at every intersection...
people just knew how to yield to other vehicles already at the inter-
section or to ones on the more major thoroughfare. There used to be
so much less signage on roadways and people seemed to get where they
were going just fine and relatively safely.

Mind you, I'm NOT against weeding out signage that is useful and
makes our roadways safer and I'm sure there's no way to going back
to a time when we didn't need to post "Bridge May Be Icy" signs at
EVERY state trunkline bridge in the state (are there ANY bridges which
are NEVER, EVER icy EVER?). But at one time people who got off at
a Business LOOP for gas, food or lodging just KNEW that, at a minimum,
if they continued along that Business LOOP, they'd get back to the
Interstate from which they originated. Sure, they may have been a more
efficient or shorter route back, but if they didn't want to look at
a map (or ask for directions), they just followed the green route
markers with the word "LOOP" on it and, voila, they're back in busi-
ness.

Now, we're having to supplement these Business Loop signs we've had
for a half-century with additional signs which basically say, "No, we
ain't lyin' to ya! You really CAN get back to Nbd I-75 this way!" We
had to make our yellow warning signs brighter yellow... we had to
make our orange construction signs brighter orange... we had to make
our school crossing signs a fluorescent shade of... um... something...
It just seems like this is yet another example of where we have to
say the same thing two or three times before people will either
believe or comprehend it.

> David, do the "TO NORTH I-75" assemblies direct people to North Down
> River Rd, or direct them to remain on the business loop?

If MDOT directed through traffic down North Down River Rd (F-32), I'd
soil my britches. It's a very rare occurrence where MDOT will direct
people off of a Business Loop back to the parent Interstate like that
and I have to assume those instances were based in history or some
other esoteric reasoning.

Later,
Chris

--
Chris Bessert
chris.bessert -at- gmail -dot- com
http://www.michiganhighways.org
http://www.wisconsinhighways.org
http://www.ontariohighways.org

It's part of a larger fight between MDOT, Canada, and Moroun about where a new
bridge and border crossing will be placed. MDOT and Canada have already made
plans to locate a bridge 2 miles south of the Ambassador Bridge, while Moroun
wants to build a replacement bridge immediately adjacent to the existing
Ambassador Bridge.

The theory is that the area couldn't support two brand new crossings - thus
spats like this one. Besides the new crossing and the existing bridge, there is
also the ancient Windsor Tunnel connecting downtown Detroit to downtown Windsor.
This tunnel can't accommodate freight traffic.

The city of Windsor, in particular, wants nothing to do with a new Ambassador
Bridge, as there is no direct freeway connection present. All traffic would have
to be directed down Huron Church Road, which is already overwhelmed with border
crossing traffic. The new Ambassador Bridge would be wider and require taking
properties to build, something the city vehemently opposes.

Moroun's plan would supposedly be to close off the old bridge once the new one
is completed, but leave the old standing in case of emergencies and such. Anyone
with a brain finds this theory laughable at best - what business sense is there
to have that asset sitting there doing nothing, requiring maintenance. But both
bridges operating at the same time does not sit well with the city of Windsor.

--- In greatlakesroads@yahoogroups.com, "bessertc" <bessert1@...> wrote:
> In reality I'm sure you're correct, but there's still a part
> of me that worries about the future of the human race if we
> have to continue "reiterating" everything so much... By that,
> I mean at one time we didn't need to have stop or yield signs
> at every intersection... people just knew how to yield to
> other vehicles already at the intersection or to ones on the
> more major thoroughfare. There used to be so much less signage
> on roadways and people seemed to get where they were going just
> fine and relatively safely.

I couldn't agree with you more. I learned pretty quickly how to get back on the
freeway after a stop in Grayling - for a while, that was the cheapest gas you
could get closest to the Mackinac Bridge.

As for other drivers, ummmm... I don't know what to tell you.

This was likely done as much to placate businesses in Grayling as it is to
attempt to educate drivers of the obvious. The longer MDOT can stave off having
to add new ramps at exit 254 or at M-72 on the east side of Grayling, the better
for them financially.

Also, Moroun has taken heat in the Detroit Free Press recently for hiding
neglect of maintenance on the Ambassador Bridge.

Moroun took Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) to court recently to prevent Dingell from
releasing results of a inspection performed in 2007. A federal judge denied
Moroun's request, and the report was recently released.

The Detroit Free Press highlighted a list of problems the report revealed, which
the International Bridge Co. contends has been subsequently resolved.

http://www.freep.com/article/20091015/NEWS05/91015032/Report--Ambassador-Bridge-\
safe-but-corroding

I don't recall but I can say that there is no new signage beyond the
construction area of the business loop.

David


> David, do the "TO NORTH I-75" assemblies direct people to North Down River Rd,
or direct them to remain on the business loop?
>

More about the Ambassador Bridge saga:
http://freep.com/article/20091125/BUSINESS04/911250344/1322/Bridge-owner-ramps-u\
p-fight-with-state

--- In greatlakesroads@yahoogroups.com, "thezoomer69" <zoomer69@...> wrote:
>
> It's part of a larger fight between MDOT, Canada, and Moroun about where a new
bridge and border crossing will be placed. MDOT and Canada have already made
plans to locate a bridge 2 miles south of the Ambassador Bridge, while Moroun
wants to build a replacement bridge immediately adjacent to the existing
Ambassador Bridge.
>
> The theory is that the area couldn't support two brand new crossings - thus
spats like this one. Besides the new crossing and the existing bridge, there is
also the ancient Windsor Tunnel connecting downtown Detroit to downtown Windsor.
This tunnel can't accommodate freight traffic.
>
> The city of Windsor, in particular, wants nothing to do with a new Ambassador
Bridge, as there is no direct freeway connection present. All traffic would have
to be directed down Huron Church Road, which is already overwhelmed with border
crossing traffic. The new Ambassador Bridge would be wider and require taking
properties to build, something the city vehemently opposes.
>
> Moroun's plan would supposedly be to close off the old bridge once the new one
is completed, but leave the old standing in case of emergencies and such. Anyone
with a brain finds this theory laughable at best - what business sense is there
to have that asset sitting there doing nothing, requiring maintenance. But both
bridges operating at the same time does not sit well with the city of Windsor.
>


I know the issue of where to place a second bridge is a larger one that probably
won't be resolved anytime soon.  I was referring to the specific ridiculousness
of the state having spent $200+ million on a new interchange and half of it
remains unopened because of a spat over construction on some local side streets.
Get the feds or someone in here who will resolve that problem NOW.


Howard I. Goldman

I've been debating carrying on the tradition of our annual holiday roads meet-up
in Michigan this year, and wanted to get an idea of interest.  It would be a
smaller-scale meet, getting together for lunch, then doing a little tour of the
now-mostly-complete project, excepting those ramps to/from the Bridge.  (The new
SB ramp from I-75 to Vernor Hwy. will be open by then, though.)  Though that
would be the centerpiece, if we meet up in Livonia area, I was also thinking of
incorporating the back-to-back SPUIs on I-96 at Beck & Wixom Rds., and also
Hines Drive (as long as it's not flooded out that day).  The date I had in mind
was Saturday, 1/02/2010.  If you would be interested in this meet-up, please
post here if that day may work, and also if you have any additional suggestions
for the tour.  Thanks!

Dan