I posted about the Hessler Court in Cleveland in 2022 https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2022/08/there-is-one-wood-street-left-in.html
Showing posts with label road and highway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label road and highway. Show all posts
Monday, August 10, 2026
I just learned of another street paved with wood, Passage Saint Maur in Paris
I posted about the Hessler Court in Cleveland in 2022 https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2022/08/there-is-one-wood-street-left-in.html
Thursday, August 06, 2026
New research shows that mountain lion/cougar/puma often steer deer populations away from human roads.
“On the Olympic Peninsula of Washington, deer alter their use of both space and time where pumas are present, overlapping less with roads and reducing activity at night, when some of the most dangerous collisions occur,” Suraci said.
Their findings, published Thursday in Current Biology, also provide some insight into how exactly pumas are causing less car accidents.
Tuesday, August 04, 2026
it's heat wave time again, and the Joe Ramsey Boulevard in Greenville, Texas, has a small section that essentially turned itself into a ramp due to extreme heat
it's been a couple of years since I've come a cross a heat buckled highway... That was Michigan if I recall correctly... this is Texas? How has this highway not had higher heat in the past?
Monday, July 20, 2026
Sunday, May 10, 2026
the "Old Brick Road", found deep in the scrub forest of Flagler County.
This nine-mile stretch of brick road that looks like it belongs in another century...because it does! Locally known as the "Old Brick Road," this bumpy, red-brick path was part of the original Dixie Highway, a massive 1915 project meant to connect Chicago all the way to Miami.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has rolled out what it calls India’s first “table top red marking” on a highway as part of a 3 pronged method to reduce vehicles colliding with animals
At the heart of the idea is a 0.2 -inch thermoplastic red surface layer placed across a 2.0-kilometer danger zone. Officials say the bright red color and the slightly raised feel are meant to alert drivers and “naturally” bring speeds down without harsh braking.
A change in pavement texture can make you lift your foot off the gas before you consciously decide to.
NHAI is leaning into that psychology. It says the raised red surfacing provides mild tactile and audible feedback, with lower noise than conventional rumble strips
NHAI is leaning into that psychology. It says the raised red surfacing provides mild tactile and audible feedback, with lower noise than conventional rumble strips
The press release also describes continuous chain-link fencing along both sides of the highway, designed to prevent animals from entering the roadway and to guide them toward the underpasses.
https://www.ecoticias.com/en/india-is-inaugurating-its-first-red-road-to-save-wildlife-and-the-trick-is-not-fences-or-speed-cameras-but-a-surface-that-forces-drivers-to-slow-down-almost-without-realizing-it/30825/
Wednesday, April 01, 2026
a court has concluded the 15-year legal battle over a Caltrans project that aims to modify a stretch of Highway 101 through Richardson Grove State Park.
a three-judge panel in California’s First District Court of Appeal affirmed a lower court’s decision to reject the latest lawsuit from conservation groups that challenged the project’s compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
The Richardson Grove Improvement Project, as Caltrans has dubbed it, will modify an approximately one-mile stretch of Highway 101 as it wends through the state park’s massive coast redwoods, some of which are more than 200 feet tall and hundreds of years old.
Caltrans describes the work as “minor adjustments” that are necessary to improve traffic safety and accommodate industry-standard-sized semi trucks that are currently prohibited from passing through this narrow stretch of 101.
Project opponents, on the other hand, argued that both the construction activity and the resulting road realignment could harm the ancient trees — not by removing any of them down but by cutting into their root systems.
Project opponents, on the other hand, argued that both the construction activity and the resulting road realignment could harm the ancient trees — not by removing any of them down but by cutting into their root systems.
A simpler solution? Make the one mile stretch a one lane, one way, and the road is already big enough, in the video they had a cop doing escort duty with lights on to make both lanes clear for the trucker... so, they are used to the idea of it being single vehicle use already, just like narrow country bridges. Put a stop light on either end of the one mile, one way, one lane section, for shifting the direction of traffic flow
Skip the first 40 seconds and it's over at 3:10. The rest of the video is open highway like any other, no cool redwood trunks inches away from the road
Saturday, January 24, 2026
Incredibly rare type of Roman road discovered in Worcester, its only comparatives are in Rome and Pompeii.
The road is believed to have been hidden for nearly 2000 years.
Archaeologists were brought in to establish the authenticity of the cobbled path. The road is constructed with large stones laid in bands, a well-known Roman building technique.
Tuesday, January 06, 2026
The Michigan Pike is a historic tourist road, developed in 1911, leading beachgoers from all over the nation to unique and scenic towns along the lakeshore.
it was likely (and I'm not going to research into it right now) the results of the Tourism Board led by Hugh J Gray, https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2025/01/an-unusual-roadside-attraction-near.html as he was instrumental in highway 31
Monday, January 05, 2026
Sunday, January 04, 2026
Sam Cooke sang about the Highways and Byways in the hit song Chain Gang, but I never wondered what a byway was until now
"Byways," the roads that are part of the National Scenic Byways Program, stunning and storied routes, the roads most-traveled including famous ones like the Blue Ridge Parkway, Route 66, Seward Highway, Big Sur Coast Highway, and Florida Keys Overseas Highway, offer unique scenic, historic, or recreational travel experiences across various states.
To be designated as a National Scenic Byway, a byway must meet the criteria for at least one of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The features contributing to the distinctive characteristics of the corridor’s intrinsic quality are recognized throughout the region and are considered regionally significant.
To be designated as an All-American Road, a byway must meet criteria for at least two intrinsic qualities that are nationally significant and have one-of-a-kind features that do not exist elsewhere. The road or highway must also be considered a "destination unto itself." That is, the road must provide an exceptional traveling experience so recognized by travelers that they would make a drive along the highway a primary reason for their trip.
If you're looking to make some road trip memories of your own, these scenic byways are among the oldest in the US.
the Historic National Road Scenic Byway
Dates to between 1811 and 1834 when Thomas Jefferson was in office, and authorized the construction of the road back in 1806. Originally called the Cumberland Road, the highway spanned 620 miles, connecting Cumberland, Maryland, to St. Louis, Missouri, and serving as the main route for settlers moving westward across the US.
the Historic Columbia River Highway in Oregon with emerald forests, snow-capped mountains, crystal clear lakes, and majestic waterfalls, and some of the country's most enchanting outdoor wonders thrive in the northwestern corner of the US.
Built between 1913 and 1922, the 74-mile stretch of highway is the oldest in the US, and is still drivable today. Traveling from just outside of Troutdale, it's the gateway to the Columbia River Gorge, whose quaint downtown boasts shops, brews, and eateries – and ends in the state's best-kept secret sun-drenched town, The Dalles. You can drive the whole thing in about an hour
Sunday, December 07, 2025
a road in Motherwell, Scotland made with EcoFlakes, a new asphalt additive made of recycled plastic, will be monitored for the next five years
To roll out a new layer of road, construction crews make asphalt by combining things like gravel and sand with a crude-oil byproduct called bitumen. Intense heat is applied to bind the materials together, and planet-heating gases are released along the way.
In fact, the creation and upkeep of roads accounts for over 12% of those harmful gases globally, according to the World Resources Institute.
However, adding EcoFlakes into the asphalt mixture can cut up to 20% of the related pollution and make the resulting road last longer, the council reported.
That means using the recycled plastic product is a double win. It can enhance the road's quality for drivers while also replacing some of its dirtier oil-based ingredients with a cleaner option.
In fact, the creation and upkeep of roads accounts for over 12% of those harmful gases globally, according to the World Resources Institute.
However, adding EcoFlakes into the asphalt mixture can cut up to 20% of the related pollution and make the resulting road last longer, the council reported.
That means using the recycled plastic product is a double win. It can enhance the road's quality for drivers while also replacing some of its dirtier oil-based ingredients with a cleaner option.
Saturday, November 29, 2025
Sunday, November 23, 2025
I have finally got around to looking up why the roads in my hometown were purplish, not typical gray
The one place in the world that has Kona Dolomite, which, is in the Kona Hills near Marquette, Michigan.
That's about 60 miles from where I grew up
The asphalt in the Yoop used to use the reddish hue crushed rock called Kona Dolomite as aggregate in asphalt.
Most dolomite found throughout the world is gray or white. Kona dolomite is quite colorful and is found nowhere else. Dolomite is a calcium limestone with magnesium added.
Kona Dolomite pink and reddish tones come from iron oxide absorbed during its formation around 2.1 to 2.2 billion years ago.
The use of local stone is common because shipping aggregate is expensive, road color varies depending on the local geology, such as the red roads in Arizona from iron, and copper-rich stone, or the pinkish/reddish roads in parts of Michigan that used Kona Dolomite
Sunday, November 16, 2025
the 66-mile Angeles Crest Highway was built between 1929 and 1956 with the use of prison laborers using 1,000 pounds of dynamite a day
The occasionally deadly highway as a whole is a favorite for motorcycles and speeding sports cars
the highway’s highest point around 7,900 feet, Dawson Saddle, opens up to views of Palmdale and Lancaster to the north and nearly the entirety of the San Gabriel Mountains to the south.
Saturday, November 15, 2025
An elevated border highway under construction in Tijuana to link the city’s coastal neighborhoods to Tijuana’s airport, allowing drivers to bypass the San Ysidro Port of Entry and busy downtown areas, is now partly open but not 1/2 way completed
Construction began 2 years ago, and it was supposed to be done by now, but the Mexico govt reports it will open in stages
Delays are attributed to issues such as land-ownership disputes, the need to relocate underground utilities, and difficult terrain.
The project is currently targeting a completion date of late 2026.
brilliant researchers have used pragmatism and digital tools to study how Bronze Age engineers shaped routes through difficult terrain, and trace how ancient travelers moved across Greece, on the Mycenaean road network.
Across most cases, the strongest match came from the function designed for wheeled vehicles. This model accounts for “critical slope,” the point at which carts or wagons struggle to climb, forcing routes to curve or zigzag. The study found that Mycenaean roads in Messenia and the Berbati Valley aligned most closely with the simulated paths designed for wheeled transport.
The findings were revealing. For the Messenia road and for the M1 road from Mycenae in one of its possible routes, the function that produced paths most closely matching the real remains was, overwhelmingly, the critical slope cost function for wheeled vehicles (WCS).
This implies that Mycenaean builders prioritized the design of roads suitable for wheeled traffic — possibly war chariots or carts for transporting goods. The critical slopes that worked best in the model (between 3% and 9%) are consistent with the needs of a loaded wheeled vehicle.
Researchers say this suggests Mycenaean engineers planned their routes with carts in mind, likely to move goods, agricultural products, or military equipment across regions.
This implies that Mycenaean builders prioritized the design of roads suitable for wheeled traffic — possibly war chariots or carts for transporting goods. The critical slopes that worked best in the model (between 3% and 9%) are consistent with the needs of a loaded wheeled vehicle.
Researchers say this suggests Mycenaean engineers planned their routes with carts in mind, likely to move goods, agricultural products, or military equipment across regions.
They based their work on three segments of real Mycenaean roads, whose remains are still visible in the Greek landscape, serving as a perfect “testing ground” to calibrate the accuracy of the digital models.
Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Freeway builders had their sights set on building freeways along Lady Bird Lake in Austin, through Georgetown in Washington, along the beach in Santa Monica, through the French Quarter in New Orleans, and bisecting Cambridge between Harvard and MIT.
They would’ve had their way, too, if not for the meddling protesters who foiled their schemes.
Other places that were saved were Beverly Hills, Brookline, Haight-Ashbury, Greenwich Village, Baltimore
In low-income urban neighborhoods unable to halt the freeway, properties that could have become nest eggs for generations were razed when they were worth pennies on the dollar of their current value.
In Washington DC, the construction of I-695 and I-395 resulted in the loss of nearly half a million dollars in home equity for each of the 1,400 homes that were destroyed.
In St. Paul, the home equity lost to the construction of I-94 resulted in a $160 million loss in value by 2018.
In Portland’s Lower Albina district, the construction of I-5 and other urban renewal projects wiped out an estimated $1.4 billion in home equity.
Thursday, October 16, 2025
the village of Lustleigh, (pop 600) which is blighted by potholes, is celebrating long-awaited repairs thanks to the new Harry Potter television series - and the town council is getting the proper criticism for not doing their job
Announcing news of the repair, the parish council said on Facebook: “Good news! The filming company have been given permission by the DCC [Devon county council] highways to proceed with repairs on Wreyland Path, using an approved contractor.
The contractor will fill all large potholes manually and will then assess if further work needs to be carried out. The path will not be shut so can be used as normal.”
Villagers welcomed the repairs but questioned why it took the arrival of a fictional wizard to begin sorting out the problem. One grumpily replied to the parish council on Facebook: “Can fix potholes for filming but not for everyday use.”
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