Re: Trip Report IN IL WI MN ONT IA
- From: froggie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: 16 Aug 2005 13:45:18 -0700
> Pete Jenior wrote:
>
> For the first time, I enjoyed a 70 mph speed limit in Indiana. In most
> places 65 mph signs were reused and "65" was just covered up with "70".
Had my first exposure to it last week, myself. A friend of mine who is
a cop in Lafayette, IN doesn't agree with the speed limit increase...
> Some higher speed limits on two lane roads in Wisconsin and Minnesota would
> be nice, though. In the sparsely populated northern parts of the states, 55
> seems kind of slow.
I'm not so sure about a lot of the northern part of Minnesota. True
some of the routes are fairly straight, but many have curves (sometimes
very sharp curves) and other curviture and sight-distance issues that
IMO prevent them from being posted faster. The best candidates for
higher speed limits, IMO, are in western Minnesota, where the roads are
a lot straighter and flatter.
> Instead of hopping on I-35 for a couple of exits and getting to US 53, we
> got onto a surface street (because we needed gas because we had been holding
> out for lower prices in MN). This part of Duluth turned out to be really
> run down. A couple of days later I was telling my cousin about it (he went
> to college in Duluth for a couple of years) and he referred to the area as
> West Duluth.
What is locally known as "West Duluth" is actually further to the
southwest...south of where you left US 2 for the local streets.
Following MN 23 south from I-35/US 2 takes you through "West Duluth".
> North of Virginia, US 53 used to go down to two lanes at the at-grade
> intersection where SR 169 branches off to Ely. Now there is construction
> and the intersection is being converted into an interchange. Also, a low,
> narrow railroad overpass has been eliminated. I think 53 now crosses over
> the tracks, but it may be that the tracks are gone.
The tracks are not gone. IIRC, US 53 will indeed cross over the tracks
on a new location routing.
> 53 drops down to 2 lanes just past the new interchange, but on the trip home
> the next week I read in a newspaper that US 53 is going to be 4 laned up to
> Cook as part of SAFETEA-LU.
4-laning up to Cook has been the plan for at least a few years now (I
have a copy of the EIS)...they simply got funding for it from
SAFETEA...
> MN 72 is one very straight road, and there was hardly anyone on it. Once
> again, a speed limit higher than 55 mph would be nice.
This route falls under my "straighter and flatter" comment from above.
> 169 was fairly busy south of Grand Rapids. Traffic must be terrible on
> summer weekends and other key times.
Mostly summer weekends. The segments with heavier "year-round" and
"weekday" traffic are further south, well into where the route has been
4-laned.
> Around much of Mille Lacs (the lake) there is an old alignment of US 169
> right next to the existing alignment. Often the old road has virtually
> nothing along it but is still in very good shape. It seems like twinning
> 169 and making it 4 lanes would have made sense in this area.
The old routing had some curviture issues...notice that the existing
alignment is a lot straighter. Also, 4-laning from Onamia to Garrison
is a mid-range plan...they're working on finishing the EIS now.
> so it was just a drive by). I mention this because I saw several
> subdivisions going in on some of the back roads. I guess the sprawl of the
> Twin Cities reaches this far north.
And further....people trying to get away from the influence of the
Metropolitan Council (the area MPO and promoter of "Smart Growth"
policies within the original 7-county metro area).
> One of the items included in SAFETEA-LU is (light?) rail service to this area.
Commuter rail, as Monte mentioned...
> The interchange of I-94 and MN 101 is pretty heavily developed.
It's been a major truck stop almost since I-94 was opened in the '70s,
but that development was primarily confined to the NE quadrant of the
interchange. The additional development is mostly Twin Cities
sprawl-driven...
> Parts of I-494 on the west side of the Twin Cities are only two lanes in
> each direction - two lanes! This must be terrible at rush hour - way wasn't
> it widened years ago?
Lack of funding.
> Then again, I do see parallel expressways on a map that might relieve traffic
> on 494... Some parts of 494 on the west side are being widened...
The SW corner, from I-394 to MN 5/US 212, is what's being widened. The
parallel freeways to the east (US 169 and MN 100) DID cut down on the
need to widen I-494 in the past, but 169 is even more jammed than 494
now, and MN 100 (recently widened between I-394 and CSAH 81) doesn't
quite fill the same travelshed.
> There is major construction at the interchange of I-494 and US 61. It looks
> like new ramps are being built - maybe flyovers replacing cloverleaves?
Yes, the interchange will include 2 flyovers.
> There is also work being done on the Mississippi River bridge on 494.
Replacing the old 4-lanes-without-shoulders with a new
10-lanes-with-shoulders.
> US 52 needs to be improved south of St. Paul. The road had a lot of traffic
> on in the metro area and there were some places with at-grades and odd ramps
> that didn't feel safe. Outside of town 52 is a typical rural 4 lane divided
> highway and seems fine...
Heh...it's "outside of town" where US 52 has the most problems. As
Monte mentioned, the long-range goal is to upgrade it to a freeway,
though MnDOT's perpetual lack-of-funding situation will prevent that
from happening anytime soon.
> I-280 is multiplexed with I-74. Is this new?
No. Been that way for years.
> In Peoria, there were signs saying that I-74 was closed over the Illinois
> River and through traffic had to use I-474, so we did. Anyone know what is
> going on?
Reconstruction of I-74 through Peoria.
Froggie | Reporting from Slidell, LA |
http://www.ajfroggie.com/roads/
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