What's up with the service road thing? (Arlington, Seagoville: gated, move)

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Yellow pool of piddle

I'm not going to argue with you. I just recommend that you get off the freeway any time the military needs to use it. When two men get in a serious life and death fight in a bar, they won't have the time to think whether any babies are in the way.

I went to listen to a Jewish man talk about being a kid and surviving the end of the war. Walking out from the concentration camp led him to a brand spanking new autobaun.

The idea of having service roads isn't insane. They have to have them.

You won't argue with me because you are totally wrong.

[biscuit_head]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

But they don't usually run right through the middle of the city. They usually bypass the main part of the city.

Imagine how much worse I-95 would be if it ran right through the middle of DC, NYC, and Boston.

DC/NYC/Boston are largely exceptions because those cities were developed long before the interstates went through them and freeway revolts took place. 95 runs through the middle of Miami, Interstate 20 passes right by Downtown Atlanta and the 75/85 Combination goes right through the heart of downtown Atlanta. 90/94 runs right in the heart of Chicago and is a well-known traffic nightmare.

Interstate 5 runs right by Downtown Los Angeles, and more or less in the middle of Seattle.

There are plenty of freeways that run right through the middle of cities, major cities at that.

I could go on, but freeways actually run right through the middle of cities in many places

[turf3]

Actually, if you look at the Kessler plan and the locations of the original Dallas freeways, the Dallas rail lines were relocated to largely skirt the city center, and the freeways also largely skirted the city center. It's just that the city center is now enormously larger than it was in the 1910s (when the rail lines and the river were relocated), the 1920s/30s (when Central Ave. and Coit Road's replacement by Central Expressway (yes, most people don't realize that Coit Road used to run at least as far south as Mockingbird Ln.) was planned), and the 1940s (when Stemmons Freeway was planned).

I would agree that even given the smaller-at-the-time size of the city center, Stemmons and Central Expressway should have been offset further than they were. But Stemmons' location, I assume, was governed by the location of the river (they would have wanted it on the east side of the river, which is where it is) and Central Expressway's location, I suspect, was largely governed by the availability of the railway right-of-way.

Interstate 30 also runs to the South of downtown but it could have been offset further to the south.

[TheOverdog]

Interstate 5 runs right by Downtown Los Angeles, and more or less in the middle of Seattle.

Just like in Dallas, these freeways bulldozed neighborhoods in the 1950s and 1960s to be built.

[DTXman34]

Originally Posted by TheOverdog

Just like in Dallas, these freeways bulldozed neighborhoods in the 1950s and 1960s to be built.

This is true and it's also true that many major cities made this terrible mistake. The inner city freeway is a symbol of economic segregation.

[lepoisson]

Originally Posted by DTXman34

This is true and it's also true that many major cities made this terrible mistake. The inner city freeway is a symbol of economic segregation.

US-71 is the racial dividing line for Kansas City. In an attempt to combat this, the city installed stoplights and cross streets at several points. It hasn't made much of a difference.

[biscuit_head]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

US-71 is the racial dividing line for Kansas City. In an attempt to combat this, the city installed stoplights and cross streets at several points. It hasn't made much of a difference.

This is an interesting story of how that stretch of 71 came to be:

Road Rage | Kansas City Pitch

I'm no conservative, but I can definitely see how government intervention for the "greater good" caused more harm in this instance. And as you said, did nothing to stop the dividing line in that part of KCMO. Even the neighborhood that sued and protested want that section of 71 to be converted into a freeway.

Not only that, it's a serious traffic hazard and accidents have increased exponentially at those stoplights because a freeway isn't meant to have stoplights along the stretch.

[Walter Benjamin]

I love the Texas U Turn. Never seen it anywhere else.

And, just leaving this here in case any readers haven't seen it:

* A New Dallas

[lepoisson]

Originally Posted by biscuit_head

This is an interesting story of how that stretch of 71 came to be:

Road Rage | Kansas City Pitch

I'm no conservative, but I can definitely see how government intervention for the "greater good" caused more harm in this instance. And as you said, did nothing to stop the dividing line in that part of KCMO. Even the neighborhood that sued and protested want that section of 71 to be converted into a freeway.

Not only that, it's a serious traffic hazard and accidents have increased exponentially at those stoplights because a freeway isn't meant to have stoplights along the stretch.

Very interesting article!

The first time I drove on that highway was the weirdest experience. There are regular exits like you'd have on a highway, but there are also cross streets and stoplights at certain places.

Near downtown, it's just like a normal freeway. Then it turns into something like Lemmon Ave in Dallas, except there isn't much on the side of the road. When you get south enough, it turns back into a highway again.

[Colt .45]

Originally Posted by lepoisson

They have multiple names. Just depends on where you are from. I've always called it a service road.

As I was researching it, I found that TXDOT was considering dropping frontage roads. Not sure if it actually went through.

They are functional, but I think highways look better without.

This looks better



Than this

I actually think the bottom pic looks better, Id rather see urban sprawl than a bunch of the same damn boring trees......