Aetrea (Roadgeekery ahead) - Montages galore!

[JJ]

That interchange looks really good, it flows so well.

[Floydian]

Hey everyone. I've got a picture! This is my first map not made with Paint *Holds for applause*

Yes! Thats right! I decided that Gimp produces some decent sharp results and so I fiddled and made this.

As you can see, this map also shows my current progress on the region. I've only worked on 8 of the 144 quads, and most are only partially done.


(Click for larger)

[BarbarossaS]

Very nice looking map! 
The realism of the road network is just incredible, can't even imagine how long it must have taken you so far! (And how much time it'll take you to complete the first 8 and the other 136!!!)

-Stijn-

[Feroxx]

Wow, road infrastructure looks superb. Rural areas looks gorgeous too.

[Sciurus]

Oh, excellent region overveiw, very nice. But did you do this region, or did you download it?

Guillaume

[Floydian]

@Barbarossa: I've been working on it for about 2 months or so now. So, if we extrapolate that - 136 divided by 8 is 17, times two is 34.'
34 more months to complete!

@Sciurus: Making it myself as I go from a flat blank region.

I must say though, I wasn't aware Northern California was humid. To think, I thought it was dry all these years . . .

Shhhhhh... I've never been there. Austin Powers sums up my stance on this subject:
"I was just thinking how the English countryside looks nothing like Southern California"

btw, I will update this map over the next couple days as I highlight the roads and switch the background from transportation to normal overview. The blue lines are city/township bounderies, which I'll label one day.

[CommodoreTech]

ooh, 144 quads?

I commend you! lol I wish I had your patience.

Is the big lake going to be at the end or beginning the river linked to it?

[Floydian]

Is the big lake going to be at the end or beginning the river linked to it?

It's the beginning. The lake is an artesian well and is the source. All the rivers in the map so far flow southward. I expect I'll put a sea towards the bottom of the map (Which is another 4 or 5 tiles below what I'm showing).

I updated the picture. It is now basically the normal view with the transportation map overlayed. The city bounderies are removed for now (One day I'll make a flash file that lets you show or hide the various layers and zoom in and out.)

[Floydian]

'sup folks?  Apologies for the late delay... I'm not able to churn out updates nearly as quickly as I wish I could.
Today, like most days, is construction day in Aetrea. Today we will explore the expansion of highways and roads. First though, I'd like to present a new map! This map will aid in locating some of the places being visited!


Click for larger (1500 x 1150)
4.01: Roadses are red
Rivers are blue
This new map will hopefully
Make some sense to you

As mentioned before, Aetrea's highway network is designed to provide access to all areas of the region. This was outlined in the 1937 Aetrean Freeway Proposal Bill 37.06. This act set forth the construction of all the current dual carriage freeways in the region, as well as many that have yet to be built, or that are under construction.

The first construction under the act began in 1938, when the two-laned Riverside Highway (Which by todays standards would be considered a rural route) which follows the Chron River from Valbrea to the ocean was twinned with a second two-lane grade-seperated roadway. Over the next three years, as the freeway was constructed from south to north, the initialization of several other projects took place, including the northward extension of the future freeway into the highlands, and four new freeways (H-80, H-27, H-87, and H-287). Unfortunately, the fifteen year contract was handed to one company (High All Ways) that only had enough resources and capacity to construct two freeways at a time. As such, construction was completed in phases:



H-101 was also constructed beginning in 1952. However, it was constructed as a two lane rural road and not as a freeway. Its designation was granted in 2002 with the announcement of its expansion to a dual carriageway freeway with grade-seperated interchanges (Which we will look in-depth at further down)

When the contract with High All Ways in 1953, the highway system resembled most of its current self;  The lone project undertaken by the government at that time - connecting H-87 from Aetrea ravine to Heart Lake - was only partially completed one and a half kilometres north by 1953. An anti-urban movement in the early fifties halted further progress on the system, and expansion was put on hold for over 40 years beginning in 1954. An abandoned proposal to extend H-287 - newly designated as a spur of the expanding H-87 - north east from Industrial Avenue on the northern border of Upper-Aetrea to north of H-80 (A distance of about 2.5 km) led to the signage of Heart Lake route 287 as H-287 through its length, though the extension was never actually built.


No progress on the system was made between 1954 and 1994. In 1994 though, a bill was announced to extend H-87 north by one and a half kilometres to meet H-80 north-east of the town of Heart Lake along a new right-of-way. The mob-like mentality of the fifties had long since subsided, and little opposition to the project was made. In 1999, H-87 began to snail north towards H-80, completing a much needed loop around Aetrea in 2008.

Beginning in 2001, several new companies have been contracted to construct the unbuilt freeways proposed in 1938.



4.02


4.03: H-70 - a new addition to the highway network - begins by scaling the eastern mountains of the Central Aetrean Valley. The construction of this ascent meant carving out several hills in order to smooth the highway's rise. Construction began in 2002, with this section being completed as of 2006.

Construction of these began in 2002 and continues today, and will for some time into the future. Freeways such as H-70 and H-50 however, are already in operation for most of their constructed route



Click for larger image (1346 x 768)
4.04: The intersection of H-87 and H-50 was completed in 1952, but H-50 was not constructed beyond the crossing of the Heart River - immediately to the east of the interchange - until 2003.



4.05


4.06: The former terminus of H-87 between 1954 and 2008 was eyed as a possible starting point to the then proposed H-70. Construction of H-70 began in 2002 at the heart river, but this interchange with H-87 has remained unchanged due to the roadway being in the hands of the city of Upper Aetrea. Plans to expand it to a freeway interchange are nearing fruition.

A major project under way now is the construction of H-84, which will travel west from H-1 and incorporate much of the current route of H-101. This involves the twinning of H-101 (Eventually along its enire length), and the construction of a new freeway interchange where H-101 and the H-84 currently meet. This is 1km due west of the tiny village of Dmitria



4.07: Dmitria is a tiny hamlet carved into the western mountain range. It lies 1 km north-west of the intersections of H-1 and H-80.



4.08: H-101 as a two lane highway as it curves through the Mountain Pass, just north of Dmitria. This section is currently being twinned. (2002)


In 2000, two years before H-101 even existed, this railway crossed H-101 at grade. While no accidents had occurred, it may only have been a matter of time. Unfortunately, the constructed grade seperation would prove a nuisance when H-101 was twinned, and the bridge over was removed and replaced with a tunnel.

4.09


4.10: Construction of this crossing took place in 2001. H-101 was realigned slightly to the East for the bridge, which only remained in place between 2002 and 2008 before being dismantled, despite being designed to accommodate the eventual expansion of what was then known simply as the Western Mountain Pass.

The current interchange of H-101 and H-84 is a three way stop with unhindered right turn lanes. The following is the areas transformation from a two lane rural route to a fully functioning 4 lane freeway with a grade seperated interchange.

4.11: H-101 and H-84 junction in 2003. Prior to construction, H-101 was the throughfare and continued southward. In an attempt to avoid spurs from sprawling excessively, the reconstructed interchange makes H-84 the throughfare, with H-101 coming to an end.


4.12: H-101 south of the intersection. (2003)


4.13: H-101 twinned in the same location. The former route can be seen to the right, now disconnected from the new roadway. (2006)


4.14: The same location after completion. H-101's previous route has since been incorporated as an offramp. (2009)


4.15: Here we see the new 90 degree bend for H-84 that spins it from west to south. The freeway's former route can still be seen carved into the forest. This photo was taking prior to tunneling the off/on ramps under the bend. (2004)


4.16: A tunnel provides access from East/South bound H-84 to Eastbound H-101. The ramp from the eastbound highway to the tunnel has yet to be built. (2005)


4.17: With the tunneling completed, work on the ramps (Which for now have temporary roads constructed to provide access) begins between the twinned H-84 and untwinned H-101. (2006)


4.18: The through route of H-101 will bring westbound traffic into northbound H-84. Here we see the second ramp (Which will connect to southbound H-84) nearing completion, thus beginning the twinning of the mountain pass. (2007)


4.19: The old H-101 runs side by side the new H-101. Due to the rugged terrain of the pass, new alignments had to be made in many places. Throughout the length of the pass, the unincorporated sections of the former H-101 still litter the forest, slowly decaying to nature. (2007)


4.20: Slightly northward, we can see that this construction is nearing the rail bridge built in 2001. (2007)


4.21: Temporary roads must be demolished...


4.22: ...To make way for permanent ones! (2007)


4.23: However, due to the gentler slopes, the westbound lanes are 30 feet higher than the eastbound lanes. With plenty of room to spare, the railway tracks will be burrowed underneath the highway once the eastbound lanes are constructed. (2008)


4.24: Completed westbound lanes entering the interchange. The split goes south, while the through lanes take drivers west. In either case, the driver ends up on H-84. (2008)


4.25: And with that, construction of the eastbound lanes from the interchange begins. Note the ramp still spurring from these lanes which remains even after 5 years of construction. (2008)


4.26: Grading and deforestation mark the eventual path of the westbound lanes... (2007)


4.27: ...Which are quickly constructed on the prepared ground in a matter of weeks. (2007)


4.28: Taken from the same location as 4.22, here we see the eastbound lanes completed up to the rail crossing. (2008)


4.29: Spinning the view and zooming out, we can see a bigger picture. Both lanes of H-101 are completed north of the railway, and construction on its tunnel begins. (2008)


4.30: The rail line is tunneled under the highway as construction wraps up (2009). H-101 is now twinned halfway to the Dmitria intersection. The remaining half is under a seperate contract and has been under construction for the past several years. We'll look into it next update!


4.31: Construction wraps up on the interchange. The eastbound lanes now connect with both directions of H-84, as well as incorporating traffic from the terminus of nearby Chron road.

Last but not least, Here are a few miscellaneous pictures that are pretty but really don't have a story behind them.



4.32

4.33: The eastern half of Aetrea ravine is significantly shorter than the western section. However, when the whole ravine was protected, Riverside was empty. As such, the ravine remains an untouched (Besides a single crossing and culvert) marsh, filled with vegetation and wildlife.


Click for larger (2211 x 768)
4.34: Plaines: Aetrea's most exclusive neighborhoods!

*Deep breath*
And that is all for today! : )


If you would like a picture of anywhere in Aetrea, just circle a place on the map and I'll snap a shot for you!

[darraghf]

Whoa. That is some serious roadgeekery. I'm lovin it.

[thundercrack83]

Hello, Floydian!

"Exuberant" is one way to describe your latest update, though a better adjective that I would use is "Extraordinary!"

I love how you showed the thumbnail from the larger map to show where you are in the game--I'll be keeping that idea in mind for future projects, that's for sure! And of course, the highways themselves that you've created are just wonderful!

I'll be looking forward to more, my friend!

Take care!

Dustin

[Nexis4Jersey]

OMG , that looks simply Stunning! 

[Battlecat]

Great set of pictures and maps!  That's quite the round of highway and freeway construction your region is going through.  The end results are looking great! 

[straha]

The roads and highway transformation is nicely documented here!  I really like it.  One question...where did you get the guard rails for the highways?

[Floydian]

@Thundercrack: What about exuberantly extraordinary?
I think the maps help the readers visualize the region as a whole. They can't ever have it on their computer, so you gotta bring it as close to them as possible.

@Battlecat: 134 more quads to go... Lots of highways to come

@Straha: It's a set off simtropolis I believe. Guardrails, exit signs. They act strangely sometimes on the corners but they look nice most of the time. Do a search for 'rural highway' or 'rhw' and it should come up on the first page

[Haljackey]

Talk about a huge update!  Glad I looked through the inactive section to see it!

[Floydian]

I'm back, and here is a hint at things to come. I've built a lot up since 6 months ago, so I have plenty to show.


All you need is a montage

Cheers.

[Jonathan]

Wow I thought your last update was pretty impressive, but that's just massive. And practically perfect, I just wish I could make cities like that.
You need at least one K-point
wow....

[Haljackey]

Very cool, I like your use of curved networks and FAR.

[Battlecat]

Welcome back!  That's quite the bold looking montage for your return, it looks great!  Nice mix of highways winding through the area there.