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Old 07-10-2011, 06:00 AM   #45 (permalink)
Galane
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: idaho
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On the part of US 95 I regularly drive on, it's 65 MPH. About half the time I'll get stuck behind somebody going 50 or slower. Sometimes there's 15 or 20 cars in a train behind some *bleep* going 45, there's too much traffic to pass. Even worse is when there's a cop stuck in the train and he won't put on the lights and go ticket the jerk in the front of the line.

What makes it even more annoying is that long stretches of 95 have been completely rebuilt, fences and poles moved back, curves straightened, roadbed leveled to reduce ups and downs, all the prep work to make room to widen to four lanes - then they repaved it with only two lanes. On the part I regularly use, that was done about 25 years ago, before that rebuild there were no shoulders at all.

New Year's Day 1997 there was a big flood that washed away big pieces of 95. Much major upgrading of the road was done but NOT WIDENING to four lanes.

This past year they've been doing some more work on this section and yup, not widening it again. Think of the money that would have been saved if a policy of widening to 4 lanes whenever any major work was done had been adopted 30+ years back.

Also think of how many head on collisions would not have happened. I've tried to find out how many such there have been in the past 20~25 years and how many deaths. Deaths which could have been prevented by a 4-lane Highway 95.

I don't care what you do when hypermiling, as long as it doesn't involve being a slowpoke on a high traffic 2-lane road. Save that for 4 or more lanes so people who want to drive the posted limit can safely get past you.
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