(03-30-2017 07:04 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:00 PM)bullet Wrote:  http://www.ajc.com/news/traffic/breaking...2WZfyN6jI/

A fire caused part of I-85 to collapse. Atlanta has few alternative routes, so it will be a major traffic disaster for the next couple of years.

It collapsed at Monroe Road, just a little before southbound 85 merges with I-75.

Atlanta has 75 and 85 running together for 7.4 miles in one of the bigger bad traffic decisions in the country's history. We're just lucky it didn't happen a couple miles south.

The anti-car people have taken over Atlanta area governments, so it isn't likely the situation gets improved.

It will be bad, but it won't probably last that long. Unless Georgia does road construction on the Texas model, which is to hire 2 people to work on an intersection for 10 years, instead of 100 people to work on it for 6 months. I live near the 290/610 interchange in Houston. Its been under construction for 8 years now. Not close to being done and usually there's 2 or 3 people working on it.

When one of these overpasses collapsed in California, Caltrans had it fixed in a couple of months.

You're not kidding. We were near that area when I was in Houston a couple of months ago... I was warned it was bad, but I had no idea how bad. I used to drive through there for the better part of the 10 years I lived in Houston and never had a significant problem until they started working on it. But, Houston has changed a lot in the 20+ years since I lived there, and in ways I didn't think that it could.

(03-30-2017 07:33 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:24 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:05 PM)Ohio Poly Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:00 PM)bullet Wrote:  http://www.ajc.com/news/traffic/breaking...2WZfyN6jI/

The anti-car people have taken over Atlanta area governments

So the news is not all bad...

If you're in Ohio! The jobs will move out of Atlanta.

To be honest, I can't deal with Atlanta traffic. And I live in Houston. Its nuts there. I remember leaving my client on the 400 at 2pm for a 6pm flight and barely making it. Its worse than LA. Its worse than Houston.

Atlanta has zero margin for error. If they lost a major thoroughfare, they are screwed.

(03-30-2017 07:33 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:23 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:04 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:00 PM)bullet Wrote:  http://www.ajc.com/news/traffic/breaking...2WZfyN6jI/

A fire caused part of I-85 to collapse. Atlanta has few alternative routes, so it will be a major traffic disaster for the next couple of years.

It collapsed at Monroe Road, just a little before southbound 85 merges with I-75.

Atlanta has 75 and 85 running together for 7.4 miles in one of the bigger bad traffic decisions in the country's history. We're just lucky it didn't happen a couple miles south.

The anti-car people have taken over Atlanta area governments, so it isn't likely the situation gets improved.

It will be bad, but it won't probably last that long. Unless Georgia does road construction on the Texas model, which is to hire 2 people to work on an intersection for 10 years, instead of 100 people to work on it for 6 months. I live near the 290/610 interchange in Houston. Its been under construction for 8 years now. Not close to being done and usually there's 2 or 3 people working on it.

When one of these overpasses collapsed in California, Caltrans had it fixed in a couple of months.

One of my friends knows someone who spent his entire career at TXDOT working on the Gulf Freeway!

You could have made a career working on 485 in Cahrlotte too. Took like 35 years to build.

Houston is actually the best city in the state with regards to construction, IMHO. When I first moved to central Texas (moderately small town), it seemed apparent to me that there was something about the way that road contractors were paid that made it in there interest to start a project to the point that they had torn up the roads and allow it to sit idle until just before they were obligated to deliver. It's as if they get paid by the number of man-hours that people are stuck in traffic because of the project.

(03-30-2017 10:28 PM)I45owl Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:33 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:23 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:04 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:00 PM)bullet Wrote:  http://www.ajc.com/news/traffic/breaking...2WZfyN6jI/

A fire caused part of I-85 to collapse. Atlanta has few alternative routes, so it will be a major traffic disaster for the next couple of years.

It collapsed at Monroe Road, just a little before southbound 85 merges with I-75.

Atlanta has 75 and 85 running together for 7.4 miles in one of the bigger bad traffic decisions in the country's history. We're just lucky it didn't happen a couple miles south.

The anti-car people have taken over Atlanta area governments, so it isn't likely the situation gets improved.

It will be bad, but it won't probably last that long. Unless Georgia does road construction on the Texas model, which is to hire 2 people to work on an intersection for 10 years, instead of 100 people to work on it for 6 months. I live near the 290/610 interchange in Houston. Its been under construction for 8 years now. Not close to being done and usually there's 2 or 3 people working on it.

When one of these overpasses collapsed in California, Caltrans had it fixed in a couple of months.

One of my friends knows someone who spent his entire career at TXDOT working on the Gulf Freeway!

You could have made a career working on 485 in Cahrlotte too. Took like 35 years to build.

Houston is actually the best city in the state with regards to construction, IMHO. When I first moved to central Texas (moderately small town), it seemed apparent to me that there was something about the way that road contractors were paid that made it in there interest to start a project to the point that they had torn up the roads and allow it to sit idle until just before they were obligated to deliver. It's as if they get paid by the number of man-hours that people are stuck in traffic because of the project.

Used to be. Houston now specializes in 30 year road construction projects. Just announced a new one yesterday. An 8 year rework of I-45 downtown. Its supposed to take 8 years. It will take 30. And even after all that...it will feature LEFT exits so that Trucks will still have to be allowed in the left lanes.

That is the end of Atlanta.

(03-30-2017 10:43 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  Used to be. Houston now specializes in 30 year road construction projects. Just announced a new one yesterday. An 8 year rework of I-45 downtown. Its supposed to take 8 years. It will take 30. And even after all that...it will feature LEFT exits so that Trucks will still have to be allowed in the left lanes.

Case in point. The 290 project. How not to build a road. And, oh, by the way, not nice to block existing drainage during construction so that you flood the area every time it rains. I'm guessing you weren't flooded, but plenty of people not far from you were.

(03-30-2017 09:19 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  What was the cause of the fire? I can't find that part in the story I just read on it.

They don't know yet. There was some fiber optic cable and PVC pipe and possibly other stuff stored underneath an elevated section of I-85. Those caught fire and apparently generate a lot of heat. Enough to cause the bridge to collapse. They have ruled out terrorism.

(03-30-2017 10:28 PM)I45owl Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:33 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:23 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:04 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:00 PM)bullet Wrote:  http://www.ajc.com/news/traffic/breaking...2WZfyN6jI/

A fire caused part of I-85 to collapse. Atlanta has few alternative routes, so it will be a major traffic disaster for the next couple of years.

It collapsed at Monroe Road, just a little before southbound 85 merges with I-75.

Atlanta has 75 and 85 running together for 7.4 miles in one of the bigger bad traffic decisions in the country's history. We're just lucky it didn't happen a couple miles south.

The anti-car people have taken over Atlanta area governments, so it isn't likely the situation gets improved.

It will be bad, but it won't probably last that long. Unless Georgia does road construction on the Texas model, which is to hire 2 people to work on an intersection for 10 years, instead of 100 people to work on it for 6 months. I live near the 290/610 interchange in Houston. Its been under construction for 8 years now. Not close to being done and usually there's 2 or 3 people working on it.

When one of these overpasses collapsed in California, Caltrans had it fixed in a couple of months.

One of my friends knows someone who spent his entire career at TXDOT working on the Gulf Freeway!

You could have made a career working on 485 in Cahrlotte too. Took like 35 years to build.

Houston is actually the best city in the state with regards to construction, IMHO. When I first moved to central Texas (moderately small town), it seemed apparent to me that there was something about the way that road contractors were paid that made it in there interest to start a project to the point that they had torn up the roads and allow it to sit idle until just before they were obligated to deliver. It's as if they get paid by the number of man-hours that people are stuck in traffic because of the project.

Williams Bros. (who seems to get about half the highway contracts) is notorious for that. They had to change the late penalties because the way the system was set up, firms got the contract, started getting paid and then used that money to finance other projects. They changed that about 20 years ago, but you still have that to some extent.

(03-30-2017 10:43 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 10:28 PM)I45owl Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:33 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:23 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:04 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  It will be bad, but it won't probably last that long. Unless Georgia does road construction on the Texas model, which is to hire 2 people to work on an intersection for 10 years, instead of 100 people to work on it for 6 months. I live near the 290/610 interchange in Houston. Its been under construction for 8 years now. Not close to being done and usually there's 2 or 3 people working on it.

When one of these overpasses collapsed in California, Caltrans had it fixed in a couple of months.

One of my friends knows someone who spent his entire career at TXDOT working on the Gulf Freeway!

You could have made a career working on 485 in Cahrlotte too. Took like 35 years to build.

Houston is actually the best city in the state with regards to construction, IMHO. When I first moved to central Texas (moderately small town), it seemed apparent to me that there was something about the way that road contractors were paid that made it in there interest to start a project to the point that they had torn up the roads and allow it to sit idle until just before they were obligated to deliver. It's as if they get paid by the number of man-hours that people are stuck in traffic because of the project.

Used to be. Houston now specializes in 30 year road construction projects. Just announced a new one yesterday. An 8 year rework of I-45 downtown. Its supposed to take 8 years. It will take 30. And even after all that...it will feature LEFT exits so that Trucks will still have to be allowed in the left lanes.

What's going to happen to the current I-45 downtown section? I assume eventually townhomes? The new plan could work if they want to use some of the old railroad storage area east of downtown. Driving through some of those streets you feel like you stepped into a time warp into the 1940's.

Still not the biggest collapse in Atlanta this year.

(03-31-2017 07:13 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 10:43 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 10:28 PM)I45owl Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:33 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:23 PM)bullet Wrote:  One of my friends knows someone who spent his entire career at TXDOT working on the Gulf Freeway!

You could have made a career working on 485 in Cahrlotte too. Took like 35 years to build.

Houston is actually the best city in the state with regards to construction, IMHO. When I first moved to central Texas (moderately small town), it seemed apparent to me that there was something about the way that road contractors were paid that made it in there interest to start a project to the point that they had torn up the roads and allow it to sit idle until just before they were obligated to deliver. It's as if they get paid by the number of man-hours that people are stuck in traffic because of the project.

Used to be. Houston now specializes in 30 year road construction projects. Just announced a new one yesterday. An 8 year rework of I-45 downtown. Its supposed to take 8 years. It will take 30. And even after all that...it will feature LEFT exits so that Trucks will still have to be allowed in the left lanes.

What's going to happen to the current I-45 downtown section? I assume eventually townhomes? The new plan could work if they want to use some of the old railroad storage area east of downtown. Driving through some of those streets you feel like you stepped into a time warp into the 1940's.

They haven't made up their minds. Some people want to keep it as a hike/bike trail like the "High line" railroad line they kept up in the west end of NYC. The purple haired people think it needs to come down to "connect" downtown with midtown and the westside (when all the current streets to midtown do that and the bayous separate the westside).

http://blog.chron.com/opportunityurbanist/

Tony Gattis has a lot of good articles on transportation, especially for Houston.

(03-31-2017 07:28 AM)fsquid Wrote:  Still not the biggest collapse in Atlanta this year.

Definitely not!

The infrastructure improvement models:

Boston's Big Dig
California's Bullet Train

(03-30-2017 07:00 PM)bullet Wrote:  http://www.ajc.com/news/traffic/breaking...2WZfyN6jI/

A fire caused part of I-85 to collapse. Atlanta has few alternative routes, so it will be a major traffic disaster for the next couple of years.

It collapsed at Monroe Road, just a little before southbound 85 merges with I-75.

Atlanta has 75 and 85 running together for 7.4 miles in one of the bigger bad traffic decisions in the country's history. We're just lucky it didn't happen a couple miles south.

The anti-car people have taken over Atlanta area governments, so it isn't likely the situation gets improved.

Guessing that fire could collapse a concrete bridge then an airliner full of jet fuel that slams into an office building, well that fire is hot enough to burn the steel joists (or whatever you call them) so floor loads can collapse. Just for the conspiracy people.

One WTC, like all modern office high rises, was built with minimal concrete columns in the middle of the building. Large % of the floor load is held up near the exterior.

COLUMN-FREE, CORE-TO-WINDOW

DEPTH RANGES FROM 35 TO 45 FT

13' 4" SLAB-TO-SLAB HEIGHTS

9' OF FLOOR-TO-CEILING GLASS

DOUBLE-HEIGHT SKY LOBBY FOR ACCESS TO UPPER FLOORS




https://www.onewtc.com/leasing

(03-30-2017 08:20 PM)nomad2u2001 Wrote:  This is why I love my area. 10 miles away is around 10 minutes away at any time.

The worst traffic I've ever faced was DC. It seemed like I was stuck in the same jam for 3 hours.

Same here. I turned down 4 different jobs over the last 30 years...simply because I like coming home for lunch and taking a 20 minute nap. It is awesome to live within 3 minutes of the job.

3 people arrested in connection with the fire. Doesn't sound like terrorism - just sounds like out of control stupidity.

Who plans to go through Atlanta?

http://www.ajc.com/news/local/warrant-br...Qnmf3JmYM/

Quote:The man accused of setting the fire that wrecked part of I-85 in Atlanta this week was smoking crack cocaine at the time of the blaze, newly obtained documents showed on Saturday.

Quote:Wearing a navy jumpsuit, flip-flops and handcuffs, Basil Eleby reluctantly shuffled into a courtroom at the Fulton County jail for his first appearance hearing Saturday morning. After she was denied a request for her client to skip the hearing altogether, Eleby’s public defender used a green folder to try to hide Eleby’s face from the gathered media.

Quote:

Judge James Altman, meanwhile, announced that a new charge of first-degree arson had been filed against Eleby. He’d previously been charged only with first-degree criminal damage to property.

Altman set bond at $200,000, but said he’d considered an amount more “commensurate” with the damage inflicted.

“But in this case,” the judge said, “that would amount to hundreds of millions of dollars.”

Quote:

Eleby, 39, shook his head vigorously when Altman mentioned the possibility of pleading guilty at a future court proceeding. But the suspect said nothing during the brief hearing.

Eleby and two others, Barry Thomas and Sophia Bruner, were charged Friday in connection with the fire.

But Thomas and Bruner were only cited for criminal trespass. Eleby — who has been arrested 19 times since 1995, mostly on drug offenses, according to jail records — is facing far more serious charges.

(03-31-2017 07:39 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(03-31-2017 07:13 AM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 10:43 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 10:28 PM)I45owl Wrote:  

(03-30-2017 07:33 PM)Niner National Wrote:  You could have made a career working on 485 in Cahrlotte too. Took like 35 years to build.

Houston is actually the best city in the state with regards to construction, IMHO. When I first moved to central Texas (moderately small town), it seemed apparent to me that there was something about the way that road contractors were paid that made it in there interest to start a project to the point that they had torn up the roads and allow it to sit idle until just before they were obligated to deliver. It's as if they get paid by the number of man-hours that people are stuck in traffic because of the project.

Used to be. Houston now specializes in 30 year road construction projects. Just announced a new one yesterday. An 8 year rework of I-45 downtown. Its supposed to take 8 years. It will take 30. And even after all that...it will feature LEFT exits so that Trucks will still have to be allowed in the left lanes.

What's going to happen to the current I-45 downtown section? I assume eventually townhomes? The new plan could work if they want to use some of the old railroad storage area east of downtown. Driving through some of those streets you feel like you stepped into a time warp into the 1940's.

They haven't made up their minds. Some people want to keep it as a hike/bike trail like the "High line" railroad line they kept up in the west end of NYC. The purple haired people think it needs to come down to "connect" downtown with midtown and the westside (when all the current streets to midtown do that and the bayous separate the westside).

The current plan is to keep the lanes and have them end at Brazos (feed into Webster/Gray)

They'll probably turn it into a friggin' bike lane...And the bike folks still won't use those trails either. They'll just ride up and down Washington (Douchington) Ave in front of the bars instead in packs of 50 gumming up traffic every weekend night violating every traffic rule imaginable with zero correction by the cops, to the massive disruption of people who need to drive through the area.

----

Either way, this won't help traffic. Because ANY solution that has left exits is a waste of time. Because then you have to allow trucks into the left lane and cars going 40 mph are in the fast lanes.