Officials surprised that people take most direct route
WATE:
Motorists who use I-40 west as a shortcut between Broadway and the James White Parkway should prepare to find an alternate route.
In the next four to six weeks, the state Department of Transportation will start posting signs informing motorists that driving this shortcut will be illegal.
Once the signs are up, police will begin issuing tickets.
Motorists could be cited for up to $50 and face court costs of nearly $100.
So, if I understand this correctly, if you use a public road and take the shortest (i.e., most convenient) route then that is illegal. Then what exactly are roads for?
June 10th, 2004 at 12:47 pm
Not only that but an Interstate Highway?!? WTF? Is there a big sign that says, “Not a Through Road” on an Interstate?!? Someone needs to yank the Federal funding.
Actually, we need to end Federal funding, but that’s just me.
June 10th, 2004 at 12:54 pm
That’s bizarre.
I’m not familiar with that stretch.. how would they even know?
June 10th, 2004 at 1:43 pm
Is it one of those things where you’d have to cross several lanes of interstate traffic to get to the exit? I’ve seen several cities that have that forbidden, where you can’t get off at the immediate next exit after you get on, because you’d have to cross several lanes of traffic in a relatively short distance.
Milwaukee has a couple of those, and people would of course do it anyway. They finally had to put a curb in to prevent such crossings.
June 10th, 2004 at 1:54 pm
It is in fact. Of course, every civil engineer involved in designing that whole section of I40 should be shot. It’s been dubbed the ‘wall of death’ and includes such features as:
An exit ramp immediately following an entrance ramp.
5 lanes headed east turn into two lanes in a period of about 1 mile. 4 lanes headed west turn into two in about 1 mile.
Two entrance ramps within about 100 yards of each other (one which has a merging lane that is about 20 feet long).
But they can’t really fix it without relocating some local businesses.
June 10th, 2004 at 3:02 pm
Uncle:
But they can’t really fix it without relocating some local businesses.
Or closing some onramps and/or exits.
June 10th, 2004 at 3:03 pm
In any case it seems like this:
…is a bit unfair, since there’s an overriding safety concern.
June 10th, 2004 at 3:18 pm
Sounds like kinda how the 24/40/440 interchange in Nashville used to be.