Winchester

[WillR116 60]

What have I missed? Excellent work as always

[Aaron Graham 4,417]

Great Job! your are very sereous about you work.

[TmiguelT 10]

Great Come back update !!! but i wonder... will we see some updates with the new NAM content?

[sloppy182 2]

Great Update! I like the Old Kings Highway area. I now it's been awhile but I hope to see more!

[Shilka 0]

I'm very happy to see this CJ back in action, since it's one of my old time favorites!

The work on the signs is excellent as usual, and I like the little details you put in the signs, new name being added with a slightly darker green background

, or a few unused mounting brackets sticking above the sign, makes it extra fun for the observant reader.

You'd almost forget there's also some sc4 to be seen in the screenshots, and I like how you ad to the realism by leaving small open of treed stretches inbetween buildings, and leave open space around the main routes. The way you add large parking space where needed only ads to that realism.

Well done, and looking forward to more!

[Mr. Beer 12]

Very good update! Eager to see more soon!

[dfnva 34]

Happy Halloween... I've come to haunt with an update! Though this CJ isn't dead, yet.

@ComputerGuy890100: Thanks... though you spoke too soon about me being back haha.

@Schulmanator / Bruce: Thanks much!

@Benedict: Thanks, glad you liked the update.

@KJ3400: Thank you!

@Newcrusader92: Thanks... there's always stuff going on that we don't see in the updates... you'll just have to look forward to it in the future.

@Wwetom1: Thanks!

@Packerfan386: Thanks and you're welcome.

@Simsamerica: Thanks... you haven't missed much luckily, as I've been terrible about updating.

@Aaron Graham: Thanks!

@TmiguelT: Thanks... yes I have been doing stuff with the new NAM, just not in older gentrified areas of Winchester. Mainly I've been using it in a new region I've been working on. Except when necessarily, I'm doubting that I'll tear out everything that's already built to put in stuff from the new NAM/RHW.

@Sloppy182: Thanks... I always find it interesting when original alignments of highways get by-passed and try to imagine what it looked like before.

@Shilka: Thanks! Glad you liked the signs... a lot of people don't notice when new plates are put on signs but I do haha. Glad you like the open space and parking areas too. I like having a lot of trees, I hate in real life when trees are just torn down in development leaving a barren wasteland.

@Mr. Beer: Thanks!

And now...

We're going to start where we left off, some time ago, on I-79/US-27 northbound. We're currently in South Winchester, bound for downtown. There's a region map 2 or 3 pages back if you want to orient yourself.

In the late 1970's, this highway was built as a US-27 bypass of S. Union Ave. I-79 upgrades happened 2-3 years ago.

We begin to see signs for the next two interchanges which have one diversion into a collector-distributor system.

Continuing along...

Exit 146 can only be accessed from the southbound lanes.

After the merge from Exit 146, we see this gigantic diagrammatic sign:

Here is the divergance for Exits 147 and 148 onto the collector-distributor lanes. We're going to exit here so we get go into downtown.

Here's a zoomed-out picture of Exit 147, we're about to cross the Wanata River.

Here's a better view of South Wanata Park.

And thus, we cross the Wanata River in the collector-distributor lanes. With that included, there are 10 lanes of traffic crossing the river here.

Here is Exit 148...

....... the first ramp goes to Front St. and to get back on I-79/US 27 North.

We're going to keep going straight onto US 27 Bus / S. Union Ave. The exit to the right here is for W. Moore St. which we cross at-grade immediately after.

Notice that we can't turn left, though, at that at-grade intersection with W. Moore St, to keep traffic moving better.

Now in downtown Winchester, we continue north on US 27 Bus./S. Union Ave.

We will turn left onto US 84 / W. Cumberland St. and continue our trip next time.

I'll leave you with some zoomed-out pictures of downtown Winchester.

We'll head west on US-84 and pass through Patrick Henry University and head toward Salem next time...

Thanks for your continued support!

-Dan

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Wonderful! Your presence has been missed. and though it has been a while since you updated, you certainly have not lost your touch. Looks great- still the gold standard of roadgeekery

[wwetom1 831]

Very nice work on the downtown. Welcome back too!

[DCMetro34 576]

They always say the resurrection is the best part.

DC

[packersfan 666]

Excellent as always. Can't wait until I can start getting some serious roadgeekery in my city.

[lucky7 73]

Again, a very nice update!

Looking forward to more,

lucky7

[kj3400 178]

That certainly settled my roadgeek itch. Awesome update!

[Benedict 3,119]

Fantastic - one of my favorites returns!

[Nardo69 51]

Aaah, railway geek as I am I always do love some nice geekery of any kind! 

Great work with all these exits, if I find a way to easily create these signs in German style I may steal copy try to do such an update too, someday. 

Just one question: Exit 147, the fframp between the bridge and the road underpass, do you think it's necessary? Because no onramp on this side and no on/offramp on the other side of the bridge, too, so I would lead all the non-through traffic through the collector lanes. 

Just my 0.02 simoleons. 

Take care and don't forget to make backups! 

Bernhard 

[Mayorm 14]

very nice drive, I like your use of one way streets as exit ramps. Your Downtown is also quite unique, with a mix of old and new buildings

[Mr. Beer 12]

Great update!!! Nice to see how you've made the approach of downtown Winchester with the Interstate!

Take care!

David

[antsel 841]

It's nice to see the CJ back in action, it's always been one of my favourites. I love the route you've been taking us on. That interchange after the bridge is most impressive, I like how you split the downtown traffic from the through traffic prior to the bridges. Amazing road geekery as always. Keep it up!

[Benedict 3,119]

Congratulations on reaching 1000 comments - that's quite the milestone!

[packersfan 666]

I definitely have to pace myself with my roadgeekery...I just can't do it as well as you, at least not yet, I haven't figured out how to make all the signs yet!!

[Raysfan16 5]

Phew, what an update!

What I especially like about this update is how the signs get so chaotic when downtown comes up. No simple stack interchanges (Exit 148 is quite a MONSTER), just signs that confuse drivers going 70mph. The downtown looks majestic as always.

I know this journal isn't much into storylines, but I see an improvement project around the road and rail to the right of where Dalton and Union meet. I'd love to ride Amtrak through that, as long as I had a seatbelt on.

Anyways, I really hope you get back to updating, but as we all know, real life is a killer. Maybe I'll get to the Moraine mayoral election....one of these days.

[dfnva 34]

@Schulmanator / Bruce: Thanks! I appreciate it!
@Wwetom1: Thanks!
@DCMetro34: Haha, especially on Halloween.
@Packersfan: Thanks... I love the roadgeekery in your latest District of Wenzel update.
@Lucky7: Thank you!
@KJ3400: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the roadgeekery.
@Benedict: Thanks!
@Nardo69: Thanks! I see your point about through traffic and Exit 147. I feel Exit is needed as it accesses South Wanata Park (a large and popular park) and various residential developments, though the collector-distributor system doesn't let you back on to the main highway until after the Wanata River bridge because of lack of room at Exit 148, they same going south.
@MayorM: Thanks... I would've switched to RHW, though I like how it is this way, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
@Mr. Beer: Thanks!
@Selles: THANKS FOR BEING POST #1000! Thanks, glad you like Exits 147 and 148, they're an improvement over the original cloverleafs.
@Benedict: Thanks!! I'm amazed I've made it this far!
@Packersfan x2: I think you did a great job!
@Raysfan16: Thanks, It is interesting how the signage always gets cluttered and chaotic as one approaches a downtown area. I have been working on trying to have the railroad go underneath major roads in the downtown area, though there is lack of room to do much of that. I have been thinking about making some of it into GLR. I'd love to see a Moraine update sometime.

And now...


Today we're going to head west on US-84 / W. Cumberland St. and pass by Patrick Henry University and head toward Salem.


Here's a signage gaffe... SR-620 doesn't exist within the city limits of Winchester, and at that, it's using a state-route shield not a secondary route shield.


Here we start to pass by the campus of Patrick Henry University (PHU). You can see where the original campus began and how academic and dormitory buildings have been built around it.


MP-130 begins here as Patrick Henry Drive, the main road through campus.


The colors of PHU are green and yellow, so the new poles of this traffic signal (after a widening project on MP-130) were painted green.


Here is the southern side of campus... several of the sports arenas and posh dorms with a view of the Wanata River.


Thus, we continue west down US-84, passing through mostly residential areas.


US-84 was recently widened through here so this signal is fairly new.


Continuing on...


This signal is older since US-84's approach to Anderson Ln was already 4-lanes.






Here is an overview of the residential areas we've passed through as we are poised to leave Winchester and enter Piedmont County.


We concurrantly enter Salem corporate limits, though it is not an independent city from Piedmont County in the way that Winchester is.


Continuing on... US-84 is now known as Fortlick Rd.




We cross SR-637 here. While MP-130 now goes into Winchester and ends at the PHU campus, it originally ended here.










Here's an older span-wire signal. It's not often that three signals are clustered together like this anymore, though ironically they're the newest signals on the span wire.


And finally one last picture as US-84 splits into one-ways to go through downtown Salem, which we'll explore next time.


Thanks for your support and visiting!

-Dan

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Awesome! It's roadgeek heaven in here once more. It's always much better to drive around Winchester than it is here at home. Rock on!

[Raysfan16 5]

Nice update again...I really liked the last pic.

Back on the topic of rail, does Winchester have a train station? That might be a cool route once this is done-a rail route.

[packersfan 666]

Another great update and inspiration.

[Benedict 3,119]

I like the one-way splitting of the road in the last pic.

[dfnva 34]

@Schulmanator: Thanks, Bruce. I agree, if only real-world DOT's could be more proactive than reactive.

@Raysfan16: Thanks. I am in the process of upgrading rail-related stuff in Winchester. While I have industrial train stations, I'm going to be putting in some more rail yards and a big passenger train depot.

@Packersfan: Thanks, I'm honored to be of inspiration. I love what you're doing with The District of Wenzel.

@Benedict: Thanks... I'm trying to recreate what happens in a lot of real-world downtowns.

And now...

 

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving. We're continuing west on US-84 which splits into one-way streets through downtown Salem. Westbound traffic utilizes Walnut St while eastbound traffic uses Fortlick Rd/St.

Some of these houses downtown actually have offices for doctors, lawyers, etc., instead of residences.

With the 2008 construction project which separated US-84 to one-ways, new signage, lighting, and other work was done with a new-antique style, to go with Salem's theme as a historic city (it is actually older than Winchester).

We're going to turn right here onto Jordan Ave. to head back east on MP-165. Numerous craft / antique stores, trendy bars, and ethnic restaurants line these corridors as well as historic hotels and churches.

Here's a zoomed out view of downtown.

Here we turn right to head back east on MP-165/Deltown Rd.

MP-165 winds eastward through this residential area.

Here's an older 60s/70s-era signal assembly, though not with the original signals (these were probably mounted in the 80s).

 

Here's a zoomed-out view as MP-165 comes back out into less-developed area.

There are proposals to widen MP-165 between here and Piedmont Heights as well as to route MP-165 around Salem to end at MP-319 north of town. We'll see if any of them come to fruition with the budget crisis at the state level, though with prime land for development of houses, apartments, offices, and more shopping centers, proffers could pay for some of these road projects...

Alas MP-165 continues as a 2-lane rural road for now...

We'll continue east on MP-165 through somewhat more rural environs toward Piedmont Heights next time.

-Dan

[mightygoose 92]

your cj continues to intrigue me.

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Nicely done! I see the new style white outline on the green street sign in one pic. As always, cooler than a bucket of ice cream to see an update

(Speaking of which... now I am hungry!)

[packersfan 666]

Nice update! I definitely need to introduce some split one ways for my main highways through downtown. I really look forward to your feed back on my update tomorrow. As always, interesting signage, and a good historical story.