Gribblenation

The early days of the Interstate Highway System were marked by significant changes and political maneuvering .  The short history of Interstate 82S (and 82N) is an overlooked example.  Born in 1957 during the original Interstate numbering plans, Interstates 82N and S, as well as their parent Interstate 82, were to run from Interstate 15 in Idaho (I-82N) and Utah (I-82S), respectively, to Interstate 5 in Portland, Oregon. The original (August 1957) approved Interstate system numbering.  These 'paper' designations would last less than a year as new corridors and some politicking would make changes, specifically to the Western I-82 and its two branches I-82N and I-82S.  There was an eastern I-82 proposed via a Scranton to New York City Corridor. Interstate 82 would split east of Heyburn, Idaho, with the north branch, I-82N, running to I-15 in Pocatello.  The southern branch (I-82S) would run southeast to I-15 near Tremonton, UT.  Yet, almost a year later, I-8...

Hartford, Connecticut. Insurance capital of America. Last long term stop in Gordie Howe's illustrious professional ice hockey career when he played for the Whalers. But did you know that the Bulkeley Bridge, which I-84 uses to cross the Connecticut River into downtown Hartford is one of the oldest bridges in the Interstate Highway System and is named for a man who has his own storied place in the history of insurance, professional sports and Connecticut politics? Each and every day, over 140,000 drivers pass directly over one of New England’s most important architectural and engineering treasures. Most are daily commuters who see only red taillights, tandem trailers and merging traffic. From the roadway level, drivers on I-84 can’t see the nine graceful granite arches they pass over as they cross the Connecticut River on the Bulkeley Bridge. In fact, due to a series of levees and the location of other highways, the most dramatic views of Connecticut’s most unique bridge have ...

I took a few hours this past Saturday (2/27) to check out the progress on several projects that will help shape the future of driving in Massachusetts and beyond. Most notably, wider roads, electronic tolling, and milepost-based exit numbers. 1. Wider Roads The longest construction project going on in the Metro Boston area is the '128-Add-A-Lane' Project, to create a fourth travel lane on I-93 and I-95 from MA 24 in Randolph to MA 9 in Wellesley. The work is now concentrated on the last section north of Great Plain Avenue in Needham. The work includes adding a fourth lane to the median: Replacing bridges over the highway, such as this one for Kendrick Street, now completed: Building a new off-ramp from Kendrick Street, in progress: And, revising the interchange with MA 9: The whole project is due to be completed by 2019. 2. Electronic Tolling MassDOT having instituted electronic tolls on the Tobin Bridge in 2014, is now in the process of doing the same for...

On September 12, 2015 MassDOT posted an advertisement calling for bids on a contract (Project No. 608024) that will convert the state's interstates an other US and State Route expressways to the Geographic Reference Location or Milepost Exit Numbering System starting in 2016. The winning bidder is to be chosen on November 17, 2015. This ends a process started with the 2009 Massachusetts Supplement to the federal MUTCD, section 2E.31 stating: "Massachusetts will be changing all its interchange exit signs statewide to the reference location numbering system, with the entire state highway system to be converted to the new numbers over the next five to ten years." According to a MassDOT source, a chief sign engineer, however, when the state approached the FHWA about funding an ongoing conversion project, they insisted the only way Massachusetts could get 90% federal funding was if they did the project all at once, in what is termed a blanket contract. According to ...