Subject: Road blockages

From: muir@churchill (Robert.Muir)
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 1995 15:30:54 GMT

>Subject: Re: Trouble on the Maine Turnpike
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>In article <[email-masked]>, 
>[email-masked] says...
>>
>>(This message is being crossposted to other related forums and 
>>Usenet newsgroups.)  
>>
>>Several bridge construction projects on the Maine Turnpike between 
>>York and South Portland are causing major traffic backups this 
>>summer due to lane closures.  Unfortunately, the pike management is 
>>NOT using any backup alleviation schemes that are common elsewhere, 
>>such as only closing lanes during night work, or such as 
>>constructing temporary bypass lanes to keep all lanes open.  They 
>>are arbitrarily just closing lanes during the day, with no warnings,
>>causing massive backups that extend for miles.  
>>
>>The locations of these backups change from day to day, even from 
>>hour to hour sometimes, so any location report posted here is 
>>useless.  But you should expect on average to hit about two of them 
>>each time you try to traverse this section.  
>>
>>Perhpas the most irritating thing of all, and the thing that is most
>>indicative of the total arrogance of the management, is that when 
>>you finally inch your way through miles of backup and get to the 
>>work site, most of the time you see, to your utter astonishment, 
>>that the lane that is closed is empty!!  Usually, there's nothing in
>>it, no work going on there, and obviously no reason at all that it 
>>has to be closed!!  
>>
>>-- 
>>David G. Hawkins
>
>Maybe the Maine Turnpike authority gets its planning ideas from 
>CALTRANS... :)  That is ever-so-typical of the Los Angeles freeway 
>system... <grin>
>
>Aaron

I was on the Maine Turnpike just 2 weeks ago and did not experience
any delays due to construction.  There were numerious overpasses in
various stages of repair but no lane closures.  Also some resurfacing
through Portland on I295 but no delays.  If you want to see glaring
examples of lanes blocked off and nothing going on you should try
North Carolina.  They seem to wait until summer to bring out the lane
blocks.  I think they just store them on the road.  Great example
now on I40 westbound near TN line.  Also I26 westbound near Hender-
sonville.

Bob