Jimmy
2011-08-15 21:55:55 UTC
I recently drove the length of the Everett Turnpike in southern New
Hampshire for the first time in a few years. It's only two miles
shorter than I-93 for traffic heading to 95/128 south, and has lower
speed limits and that extra toll. But the 93 weekend bridge
replacement project in Medford, MA convinced me to take the turnpike
instead.
I had no idea there was such a big construction project near the
Bedford Tolls. (Nobody tells me anything.) I see it's for the
Manchester Airport Access Road. Looking at the plans, I have a few
questions.
Why will the road have 3 traffic lights? For the hundreds of millions
they're spending on it, why couldn't they build a few more overpasses,
for a freeway all the way to the airport?
Not only will airport traffic not pay a toll, but it looks like
through traffic will also be able to bypass the mainline barrier by
exiting and re-entering. Is that correct? That stretch of the
turnpike has so many ramp tolls that I'm surprised they'd open up a
big loophole for through traffic.
Further south, there was some inconsistent signage at exits 8 and 7.
Before exit 8, signs labeled exit 8 as NH 101A west, and exit 7 just
as Amherst Street. But after exit 8, the sign for exit 7 said *it*
was 101A. I thought exit 8 was Bypass 101A, a road which was built to
avoid all the sprawl-related traffic lights on 101A.
The "exit only" sign at exit 3 (Daniel Webster Highway) is wrong.
When a new lane opens up and becomes an exit ramp 5 dash lines later,
it's not an exit only lane. Being forced out of the fast lane for no
reason is no fun.
Over the line in Massachusetts, I couldn't believe there weren't any
exit signs on US 3 which mentioned Lowell. While Lowell is listed on
the a sign for 110's exit off the collector/distributor, that's too
late, since Lowell isn't mentioned before the mainline-C/D split.
There's also nothing mentioning the Lowell Connector, which you'd
never guess is accessible from the 495 North exit, although it's out
of the way if you're coming from the north. Lowell is the biggest
city in the area, with more than 100,000 people, and is also a major
tourist attraction. What was MassDOT thinking?
Exit 29 (MA 129) has the opposite exit only problem. The previous
entrance ramp has an auxiliary lane-add which continues for half a
mile, when it becomes an exit lane. In this case, the sign really
*should* say "exit only".
Jimmy
Hampshire for the first time in a few years. It's only two miles
shorter than I-93 for traffic heading to 95/128 south, and has lower
speed limits and that extra toll. But the 93 weekend bridge
replacement project in Medford, MA convinced me to take the turnpike
instead.
I had no idea there was such a big construction project near the
Bedford Tolls. (Nobody tells me anything.) I see it's for the
Manchester Airport Access Road. Looking at the plans, I have a few
questions.
Why will the road have 3 traffic lights? For the hundreds of millions
they're spending on it, why couldn't they build a few more overpasses,
for a freeway all the way to the airport?
Not only will airport traffic not pay a toll, but it looks like
through traffic will also be able to bypass the mainline barrier by
exiting and re-entering. Is that correct? That stretch of the
turnpike has so many ramp tolls that I'm surprised they'd open up a
big loophole for through traffic.
Further south, there was some inconsistent signage at exits 8 and 7.
Before exit 8, signs labeled exit 8 as NH 101A west, and exit 7 just
as Amherst Street. But after exit 8, the sign for exit 7 said *it*
was 101A. I thought exit 8 was Bypass 101A, a road which was built to
avoid all the sprawl-related traffic lights on 101A.
The "exit only" sign at exit 3 (Daniel Webster Highway) is wrong.
When a new lane opens up and becomes an exit ramp 5 dash lines later,
it's not an exit only lane. Being forced out of the fast lane for no
reason is no fun.
Over the line in Massachusetts, I couldn't believe there weren't any
exit signs on US 3 which mentioned Lowell. While Lowell is listed on
the a sign for 110's exit off the collector/distributor, that's too
late, since Lowell isn't mentioned before the mainline-C/D split.
There's also nothing mentioning the Lowell Connector, which you'd
never guess is accessible from the 495 North exit, although it's out
of the way if you're coming from the north. Lowell is the biggest
city in the area, with more than 100,000 people, and is also a major
tourist attraction. What was MassDOT thinking?
Exit 29 (MA 129) has the opposite exit only problem. The previous
entrance ramp has an auxiliary lane-add which continues for half a
mile, when it becomes an exit lane. In this case, the sign really
*should* say "exit only".
Jimmy