Gribblenation

Back to some of the photos I took while in Pennsylvania over the 4 th of July. On Saturday, July 5 th , I headed out on a small road trip in rural Washington and Greene Counties. Mainly to explore parts of both counties that I hadn't seen or been to in years. Route: PA 48, PA 51, I-70, PA 43, PA 88, PA 188, PA 221, PA 231, US 40, Old National Pike, I-70 and various routes to the South Hills and then home. The entire flickr set is here . I found two keystones along the way - Fredericktown and Jefferson. really need to get back to updating the site...I'm still working on West Virginia for what seems like forever - and I have at least three dozen keystones to add. Just beyond Jefferson on PA 221 is the Cox Farm Covered Bridge . The bridge was built in 1940 and is a simple Kingpost Through Truss covered bridge - which is very widely used style of covered bridge in Southwestern PA. Throughout out the trip, there were plenty of great rural barns like this one just a few hun...

In Elementary School or in a college American History class, you may have had an assignment to write a report on the history of highways and transportation of the United States. Or more specifically, you had to write a report or learn about the National Road and its importance to the westward growth of our country. And in that report, you wanted to show how the National Road evolved over time from graded and compacted soil, to crushed limestone, and finally concrete and asphalt. You could explain the different styles of construction and even possibly draw a cross section of road showing the various 'eras' of the highway. But what if you could see a real sample of that cross section, over 200 years of national transportation history all in one piece. That would really tell the story wouldn't it? Well thanks to the construction of the Mon-Fayette Expressway, a real cross-section has been found, and now is on its way to being preserved for various historical groups and even...

It was my turn to head to Wilmington and visit my friend Joe Babyak this past weekend for a phototrip. So Saturday, from Wilmington we headed to Sumter, SC and back. It was a pretty good trip with great photos along the way. Route: US 76, I-20 Business Spur, I-95, US 76, US 401, US 76 Business, US 378, US 401, SC 34, I-95, NC 130, NC 130 Business, NC 130, US 74, NC 214, US 74, US 76 and local streets in Wilmington. For the entire photo set on flickr (over 80 photos) go here ! Ok and yes for the folks that like signs...here's a starter for ya! Which way should we go? How about West on US 76 towards Fair Bluff - where the first stop was. Fair Bluff is a small town that sits on US 76 and along the Lumber River. In Fair Bluff, there was a fruit stand - the first of many we say on Saturday. Fair Bluff sits right on the Lumber River which is a national Wild and Scenic River - and if you have ever crossed the river on some of the backroads in the state you know why. The river has a...

In reviewing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Garden Parkway, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has significant concerns on the environmental impact of the toll road. It also questions in how much consideration various alternative were given. The DEIS was released in May. The EPA's concerns are many: "Very Significant" Impact to nearby waterways, and that mitigation for these impacts have not been thoroughly provided and explained More consideration to other transportation methods - including light rail The time savings for commuters range from 0-5 minutes for more than half the project. They fail to see a benefit to commuters in Gaston County and in the study area. Other socio-economic factors - from minority relocation and the impact on poor residents. The NCTA has received similar responses from the Southern Environmental Law Center, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and N.C. Wildlife Resources C...

Remember how over the past decade how much noise residents near and commuters through Interstate 485 in Southern Mecklenburg County made in the bottleneck that they face on the four lane freeway every day? Well, if those wanting to see the freeway widened to six lanes from I-77 to Johnston Road want the project done - they may have to scream a bit louder. Not only has the project been continuously pushed back because of lack of funds at the NCDOT , MUMPO ( Mecklenburg -Union Metropolitan Planning Organization) , in their Draft 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan Ranking List , has dropped it significantly in their long range priorities. The project which ranked 54 th in the 2030 LRTP , now ranks 114 th . The Monroe Bypass is listed first, followed by two stages of Independence Blvd. upgrades. Four parts of the Independence Blvd upgrade are listed in the top 10. The completion of Interstate 485 ranks slightly better at 93rd. There are over 300 various transportation projects lis...

With all the funding from a variety of sources in place, the North Carolina Turnpike Authority yesterday officially awarded the construction contracts of the 18.8 mile Triangle Expressway. If, and that's a big if, all goes well we will see the entire highway open to traffic in 2012. Wilson, NC based S.T. Wooten Corp will build the 3.4 miles of the Triangle Parkway at a cost of $137.5 million. This will build the toll road from NC 147 in RTP to NC 540 at Davis Drive. The project will also include a toll plaza on NC 540. Two companies - Archer Western Contractors of Atlanta and Granite Construction of Watsonville, CA - combined to create Raleigh/Durham Roadbuilders to extend NC 540 from its current end 12.6 miles south to the NC 55 Bypass in Holly Springs. That contract is worth $446.5 million. 2.8 miles of currently open - and free - NC 540 from Davis Drive to NC 55 near Apex will be incorporated into the toll road. Surveying is to begin this week - and an official ground breaki...

Tonight, Brian LeBlanc will be on the Tom Kearney Show on 680 WPTF from 10 pm - 11 pm. Brian will be discussing North Carolina Highways past and present with Tom. If you are outside of the WPTF listening area and want to hear the show, you can listen online !