Welcome To Case's Column
Let me say a big welcome to all of you for joining me here. I'm going to call these blog meetings Case's Column. I wanted to use "Corner", but that was already taken.
Since 2008, it's been a real privilege to come on here and share some of my life with you, and it's a big world where we live.
In these blogs, I'll just speak whatever is on my mind, but we will be playing within the rules here. I may pick a particular topic, point out an event, or shoot the breeze. I'm a little bit of an essayist at times, so I'll just speak what's on my mind, and I might tell a story or two. Or, I might spew out an opinion or three. There will be some serious moments, some tender, some poignant, but there will also be those moments that you'll just bust out laughing. But, hopefully, everything will be in good fun here. And, of course, there's a place below for your comments and thoughts as we go along here. So feel free to join me for the ride -- I sure as heck hope I'm doing this right and not making any mistakes.
Thanks for taking your time in reading Case's Column. Hopefully, you'll enjoy being entertained by it as much as I've enjoyed putting these writings together. And thanks for the time you spend in City-Data.com, where it's great to be alive!
Regards,
case44
Let me say a big welcome to all of you for joining me here. I'm going to call these blog meetings Case's Column. I wanted to use "Corner", but that was already taken.
Since 2008, it's been a real privilege to come on here and share some of my life with you, and it's a big world where we live.In these blogs, I'll just speak whatever is on my mind, but we will be playing within the rules here. I may pick a particular topic, point out an event, or shoot the breeze. I'm a little bit of an essayist at times, so I'll just speak what's on my mind, and I might tell a story or two. Or, I might spew out an opinion or three. There will be some serious moments, some tender, some poignant, but there will also be those moments that you'll just bust out laughing. But, hopefully, everything will be in good fun here. And, of course, there's a place below for your comments and thoughts as we go along here. So feel free to join me for the ride -- I sure as heck hope I'm doing this right and not making any mistakes.
Thanks for taking your time in reading Case's Column. Hopefully, you'll enjoy being entertained by it as much as I've enjoyed putting these writings together. And thanks for the time you spend in City-Data.com, where it's great to be alive!
Regards,
case44
I-69 Update: Signs Slow To Come Up In The Valley
It's been well-documented that the Texas Department of Transportation is out of money. I've also heard that, after this year, they'll have some funds to take care of the most urgent needs, be it construction or maintenance.
That said, all it's taken is a Google Map visit, and the folks at Googleville have finally made some updates to the picture frames in their Street View section. Since I'll be traveling down to the Rio Grande Valley in two weeks for R & R, my mission is to check out the progress of the new signage for Interstate 69E, Interstate 2, and Interstate 69C. Here's what I've seen so far: The latter two have the new interstate shield assurance markers put up, but the former still hasn't as of June. Now, since then, it's possible that that may have changed a little, but as of June, nope. It tends to be agonizing when you wait for today's interstates to get fully completed.
Now, here's the funny thing about Valley area freeways: Along the freeways, there are very few assurance markers on the side.
Compared to other places, there just happen to be fewer than what you'd usually find (I-2 and I-69C have very few compared to a few more on I-69E). On the feeder roads, you will find the signs used to guide travelers onto the highways, but you'll also see a standard assurance marker, just like one you'd expect on the freeway, on the service road right after the intersection! That is one unique feature in that area compared to other parts of Texas. Now, after all the signs get installed by TXDOT, they'll reassess signage at certain locations and see what they need to do.
You will, however, see the shields emblazoned on overhead control signs on those roads (the few that they have, and I-2 desperately needs more such signs in both directions). The approaches on the side streets are mostly taken care of in the western half of the area, but east of Mercedes, the shields still are not up. I've been in touch with the Pharr District folks and await their response to the I-69E situation.
In addition, Wikipedia gives references to assigned exit numbers to the exits on said highways. So far, Google Maps expose no changes to that as of yet. Guess we'll have to just wait a little longer, shall we? After all, it's only been three years since the interstate designations have become law down there.
That said, all it's taken is a Google Map visit, and the folks at Googleville
have finally made some updates to the picture frames in their Street View section. Since I'll be traveling down to the Rio Grande Valley in two weeks for R & R, my mission is to check out the progress of the new signage for Interstate 69E, Interstate 2, and Interstate 69C. Here's what I've seen so far: The latter two have the new interstate shield assurance markers put up, but the former still hasn't as of June. Now, since then, it's possible that that may have changed a little, but as of June, nope. It tends to be agonizing when you wait for today's interstates to get fully completed.Now, here's the funny thing about Valley area freeways: Along the freeways, there are very few assurance markers on the side.
Compared to other places, there just happen to be fewer than what you'd usually find (I-2 and I-69C have very few compared to a few more on I-69E). On the feeder roads, you will find the signs used to guide travelers onto the highways, but you'll also see a standard assurance marker, just like one you'd expect on the freeway, on the service road right after the intersection! That is one unique feature in that area compared to other parts of Texas. Now, after all the signs get installed by TXDOT, they'll reassess signage at certain locations and see what they need to do.You will, however, see the shields emblazoned on overhead control signs on those roads (the few that they have, and I-2 desperately needs more such signs in both directions). The approaches on the side streets are mostly taken care of in the western half of the area, but east of Mercedes, the shields still are not up. I've been in touch with the Pharr District folks and await their response to the I-69E situation.
In addition, Wikipedia gives references to assigned exit numbers to the exits on said highways. So far, Google Maps expose no changes to that as of yet. Guess we'll have to just wait a little longer, shall we? After all, it's only been three years since the interstate designations have become law down there.
Total Comments 5
Comments
-
By the way, I did spot some mile markers on I-2. They are not on the right-hand side of the road, but on the left in the median.Posted 09-18-2015 at 07:08 AM by case44
-
^^^ The above was via Google Map Street View search. Also spotted mile markers on I-69C and I-69E. Good trend.Posted 09-25-2015 at 08:19 PM by case44
-
I've tapped the shoulders of folks at TXDOT's Pharr office. New guide signs will eventually go up, along with new gore signs, so exit numbers will start appearing. Different projects to bring them in will be fully completed by February. It's not known if that same project will include some new sign bridges for control city markers, but progress is nonetheless being made.Posted 09-25-2015 at 08:26 PM by case44
-
Having made my trip there, most of the assurance markers are up. I-2 is covered, as is I-69C. As of October, signs were up on I-69E from Raymondville to the I-2 interchange. Brownsville and Harlingen are expected to be covered by the end of this month.
Work is beginning on the exit numbers for the concerning roadways.Posted 11-28-2015 at 08:03 PM by case44
-
I am planning (tentatively) a five-day trip to Corpus Christi this fall. During that time, I plan to take a full day and head down to the Valley to check on the new signage not previously up on my last trip. We've got a while before that, but if all goes according to plan, I'll be heading there.Posted 01-22-2016 at 06:27 PM by case44
