A shrubbery? On the highway?
I noticed today that either the amazing resilliency of nature, or a gardening-minded construction worker, has caused some native prarie grass to begin growing out of the concrete barriers on the eastbound Northwest Tollway! It is a lovely sight, I must say.
I always lament the wasted space that goes into a lot of our highway design. A lot of our roads, especially in Chicagoland, seems to be dominated by grey concrete - even in places where it is not necessary. I love the idea of planters or native grasses growing on and along our highways. And circular entrance/exit ramps? Why not build gardens there? Or fountains?
I don't know about the ecological impact, but it certainly would look nicer, if nothing else.
Labels: Construction, Politics
IPASS - lovely on the weekends!
Saturday I happened to be in the Burbs doing some shopping, and coming back home, saw the first
REAL WORLD benefit of the IPASS on the Kennedy. The line to get through the cash booths was enormous - backed up way beyond the concrete barrier. But the IPASS lane? Empty! So empty, in fact, that I was able to take it at full speed, and didn't even have to slow down for the merge!
That's what I call progress. Note to self - work weekends!
Labels: traffic
Chicagoland Roads Could be Much, Much Worse
The above picture is that of Russian Federal highway Moscow city - Yakutsk City, named “Lena”, nowadays. The road doesn’t have asfalt surface, though it is a Federal, vital highway.
So, Chicago - remember, no matter how bad your commute may seem, it could always be worse - you could be stuck in mud!
Link!Labels: traffic
What's under that Concrete??
In another of my series of camera phone photos of life on the highway, here is a shot of the white crushed stone that makes up the foundation of the highway. This was taken on the Eastbound Northwest Tollway yesterday afternoon.
Labels: Construction
European Update, and back to Chicago
Hello TRC readers, I am back from vacation! I can report that the Italian Autostrade is in excellent condition, although toll prices are an eye-wateringly steep €2.70 (that's almost $3.50 USD) at each toll booth. Additionally, US drivers should adopt the practice of staying on the right side of the highway except to pass! Although this would never occur in Chicagoland, as we are generally strewn 3 lanes across, all moving at 5mph.
Speaking of which, I am sad to report that no signifigant progress on any of the ORT booths seems to have been made. However, signs tell us on the Kennedy that by the end of september, our patience should pay off (ha!) and we'll have more lanes open. The countdown has begun, we have 11 days left!
An accident this morning destroyed traffic on the Stevenson.
And,
The Dan Ryan Project will cost more than $1 Billion. Amen!
Another Sabbatical
I'll be taking two weeks off from TRC, while I take a holiday to europe. See you back at the end of the construction season! Maybe the Kennedy will be complete when I return!
