Winchester

[deathtopumpkins 43]

Hmmm... you are aware you have the old ploppable water, right? Not the newer, transparent stuff.

Ahh... RRP. I remember first downloading that when it was just some files at a file-sharing site...

As for the bridge, no I don't believe there is anything you can do about the water under the bridge.

Looking forward to the next drive! And some options...

Oh, and Schulmanator, SR-666's already taken! It's the road to the meat-packing plant around here...

[dedgren 830]

Dan, Happy New Year from Alaska. It's still 2008 here for a while, but we'll catch up. Winchester continues to evoke my VA days, although I live down in the Southside, in Petersburg. Anyway, best wishes for a great year ahead.

David

[PhilsCafe 8]

Great updates, Dan. I liked the rural scenes a lot, also the signs. It was interesting to see different types of signs, such as the vintage ones. I think they fit in perfectly with the surroundings. Oh, and I thought the road to Perdition was a nice idea .

Happy New Year!

- Phil

[dfnva 34]

Petrovar Ambassador: Thanks! Happy New Year to you as well.

Bruce (Schulmanator): Thanks, sadly despite the lake's magical powers its not the fountain of youth. And sadly, in a strange twist of fate, SR-666 was used already for a minor road near Deltown.

SimsAmerica: I got all the RRP stuff on SC4 Devotion. Possibly if you do an agricultural search. I forget how I found it all.

Raysfan16: Thanks, I saw the fences in one of your Skagit County updates, they looked nice. Sadly, that's what I've figured out with the creek. 

Phoenix7: Thanks. Glad you liked the update.

Suplado: Thanks. I was afraid I plopped too many cows haha!

Death to Pumpkins: I actually did not realize there was a newer transparent ploppable water, though I don't mind the lack of transparancy. The more I work the ploppable water and associated goodies, the more I like it, with the exception of the bridge issue.

David (Dedgren): Thanks, Happy New Year to you too. Hope you're staying warm in Alaska. 

Phil's Cafe: Thanks. Glad you liked the rural scenes and signs. It's fun to make the older signs.

=============================================

Our next update will begin with a new drive through the region! However, it is up to you to choose what that drive will be! 

The choice that gets the most votes will be our next drive.

Choice 1: I-34 from West to East

Choice 2: MP-427 from South to North

Choice 3: Southeast to Northwest through the Region (along MP-39 and SR-620).

To help you decide, here is the first COMPLETE region road atlas. 

Just click the thumbnail to see the high-resolution picture. 

Map Key:

And here is a review of my method of madness for road classifications:

Interstate and Federal (U.S.) Highways

Run as they do in the rest of United States. (i.e. even numbers go E-W, odd numbers go N-S, etc.) 

Massopax State Primary Routes

 

 

Numbered 1-599, State Primary Routes are funded by the state and are used for roads deemed by the state to have a significant intrastate or intercounty function.

 

Rtes. 1 – 99: Used primarily for significant roads that connect long distances.

Rtes. 100 – 399: Used primarily for major roads within a region.

Rtes. 400 – 499: Used primarily for urban roads within an independent city’s limits, often become a secondary route outside the city limits.

Rtes. 500 – 599: Used primarily for state institutions such as colleges, government complexes, prisons, seaports, etc., often not posted, but numbered for record keeping purposes.

 

Massopax Secondary Routes

 

Numbered 600 and above, these routes are funded with a partnership between the county and state, secondary routes encompass most of the roads in the state from arterial roads within a county to farm roads to neighborhood streets. Usually the lower the number is indicative of an older route. Four-digit secondary routes are used, more or less, for shorter streets within a neighborhood or unicorportated town, or newer arterial roads when all the three-digit routes have been used up.

 

Each county has its own set of secondary routes, though, often roads retain their route number when crossing county lines.

 

Secondary Routes are posted either with shields or little white signs (see below) at intersections. Many counties post SR numbers on street signs, as well. 

 

Independent incorporated towns and cities (such as Alexandria) do not have secondary routes as all non-primary routes are maintained exclusively by the city. Primary routes in the 400-range are often used in this function on arterial streets within the city. 

Thanks for visiting and don't forget to vote for what our next drive through the region should be!!

-Dan

[SCDawg 0]

Yeah another drive! Hmm I'm gonna vote for choice number 3, I don't think we've seen south Winchester in a while.

Keep It Up Dan!

Travis

[Raysfan16 5]

Holy crap that is detailed!

I choose Choice 3, I'd like to see what you've done with Winchester since we've been gone (I know you've been working on it...big cities are irresistible to be away from for that long)

[phoenix7 3]

Yay more driving. BTW I love the map, and I choose option 2.

[deathtopumpkins 43]

hmmm... The construction on MP-427 is appealing, but we've already seen most of it's interchanges on other drives. Thus I vote for I-34. My love of highways has won out. Though I think you should do all 3 just let the poll determine the order they're done in.

Oh, and nice map.

[chrissc94 1]

Nice Update and map! I vote for option 3 because I would like to see how your urban part of Winchester has progressed.

[Hawkeye9 0]

WOW, great job with that atlas!!!

I choose choice 3... looking forward to more!!!

[remanh 1]

My love of highways inclines me to vote for option 2, but we haven't seen much of Winchester lately, so I'm going with number 3.

[suplado! 23]

wow -- massive road map, very nice!! anyway -- ill go for option 3

[Schulmanator 5,787]

That region map is google-rifically realistic. Very nice work. I shall put that one in my atlas.

As for the next drive, I say a trip down the interstate would be fine.

[PhilsCafe 8]

I'm gonna say option 3 also. Great road atlas, it's amazing... how do you keep track of every road you're doing? I know in my region, I only have a few numbered roads to memorize, but still I'm always mixing them up... I'm probably better with names or something.

I'm looking forward to the new ride!

- Phil

[Benedict 3,119]

great map... I choose number 3

[Haljackey 17,303]

I'd say #3 too. Looks like it will head through the city, and junctions with some highways.

Nice map too!

[Equilibria 16]

I vote option 1. I'm a sucker for highways.

On the creek and lake updates... can a culvert actually curve like that? Also, I think you can fix the creek by just plopping water under the puzzle piece after it's placed. Those things are often used as bridges over rivers and such, so it's definitely possible.

[dfnva 34]

Happy Inauguration Day! What an amazing day for the United States. 

Travis (SCDawg): Thanks! 

Raysfan16: Haha! Sometimes I think I'm too detailed when planning roads in my region. 

Phoenix7: Thanks, glad you liked the map.

Death to Pumpkins: That's a good idea, to do all three of the drives. Glad you liked the map.

Chrissc94: Thanks!

Hawkeye9: Thanks, it's fun making the regional road maps.

Remanh: Thanks for your vote.

Suplado: Thanks! Happy you liked the map.

Bruce (Schulmanator): Thanks, I'm happy you enjoyed the map.

Phil's Cafe: For the most part, I remember the major roads, but I have to refresh my memory often on the other ones. I'm anal about labling the roads consistently. The hard part is trying to remember which road is which sometimes when crossing into a new city tile. 

Benedict: Thanks!

Haljackey: Thanks!

Equilibria: Presumably a culvert can curve if one puts a diagonal tube underground... I've got to try more with the ploppable water, apparantly it is possible.

And the votes are in....

We will be driving option 3, which is MP-39 from southeast, northwest through Winchester, to SR-620 northwest. Thanks for the votes everyone!

As for today's update, I thought I'd share some work I've done with the new RHW.

We start with I-34 Exit 39 (US-27 Business/Kings Hwy) in Piedmont Heights. 

Before changing I-34's Maxis Highway to RHW-6S:

Here's the new and improved Junction. I had to do quite a bit of bulldozing so some things are not exactly as they were. However, I used this as a springboard to do some urban renewal in my Piedmont Heights tile, something I had not done in a while.

A mile east, Exit 40 has been improved. This is also I-79's (formerly I-134) northern terminus. The el-RHW and el-MIS are great though there are some limitations such as inability to diagonally cross bridges, like is able to be done with one-ways. Despite that, it looks much more credible and realistic.

We're jumping 300 miles eastward! I tested out an idea in one of my Tidewater region tiles. Here I-34 has a local-express setup with 2 local lanes and 4 express lanes in each direction. One of the express lanes in each direction serves presumably as an HOV-3 lane during the morning and afternoon rushes, respectively. 

I like the new left on-off ramp capilities of the RHW which come in handy for a dedicated HOV-lane ramp like this:

Finally, here's a zoomed-out view:

Hope you enjoyed the update... hopefully we'll get started up MP-39 next time.

-Dan

[Haljackey 17,303]

Wow, great update! Looks like you're enjoying the new RHW

The last few pics 300 miles out are massive! Nice job with the new left exits too!

Best,

-Haljackey

[deathtopumpkins 43]

Wow, great work with the RHW!

Is that Mechanicsville supposed to be like the one along I-64 east of Richmond?

And that HOV exit looks great! Very realistic.

The new interchanges in Winchester look great too...

[SCDawg 0]

Dang dude that's some cool stuff. And yeah Mechanicsville! 'Bout time something from Hanover has shown up in here!

Keep it up dude!

Travis

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Great stuff! The new roadwork is great! Too bad the construction projects around here can't get done that well that fast... and on budget! Now, to unleash my 1.8 liter engine on that highway and fly!!!

[WillR116 60]

This CJ is wierding me out now with the amount of names that are based off of real life places, mechanicsville is the town i used to live in, as for the update, except for wierding me out its awesome especially that massive highway.

[dfnva 34]

Haljackey: Thanks. It was fun working on the bigger highway for the Tidewater area since such a highway would not be necessary or appropriate for Winchester.

Death to Pumpkins: Thanks. I used the name Mechanicsville because it just sounds like a good name for a suburb (Richmond has Mechanicsville, Harrisburg, PA has Mechanicsburg), kind of like anything with the name Heights after it. 

Travis (SCDawg): Thanks. For some reason I always think that Mechanicsville is in Henrico County, but Henrico and Hanover's borders are kind of gerrymandered in a wacky way out east of Richmond.

Bruce (Schulmanator): Thanks. Amen to that about construction projects. In this economy, it will be even worse. As far as flying down I-34 in Tidewater, the design speed for the express lanes is 65-70MPH, so fly you will!

SimsAmerica: Thanks... I do use a lot of names from Virginia, haha.

And now...

We're going to start the drive that was voted upon going from southeast to northwest through the region. Below, we enter Piedmont County from the south on MP-39.

A melange of signs greet us upon entering the county.

A close-up of the above screenshot focuses on the intersection with SR-699/Piney Branch Rd.

Barely a mile after entering Piedmont County, we approach the town of Denton. Here we pass Denton Circle, which is a road which oddly enough, doesn't encircle the town, but rather snakes through the town.

A traditional-style street sign customarily used at intersections in Denton.

Continuing on, we approach SR-630, which is a major north-south road through the eastern portion of the region. We've passed it before in the towns of Scarborough and Deltown.

Here is the intersection with SR-630. There have been some proposals to upgrade SR-630 to a primary route and even to a 4-lane parkway, especially with its routing just to the east of Mountain View Regional Airport which is several miles to the north of here.

A fairly new traffic signal sits at this intersection:

Travelling a little further north, we come to downtown Denton with its mix of antique stores, craft shops, and quaint restaurants. 

Some older signals are still up at the junction above with SR-632. Notice the new signals waiting to be unveiled, though.

Continuing on, we approach the north end of Denton.

And thus, we're back out in the country.

Some signs at the SR-634 intersection. Typical of Virginia rural signposts, various shields/signs for different directions are loaded on the same pole.

Further north, MP-39's alignment was recently straightened out leaving behind some weeds and recently planted flowers.

And thus, I leave you with a zoomed-out view of today's update.

Hope you enjoyed the update. Next time, we will likely tour some of the area around Mountain View Regional Airport.

-Dan

[WillR116 60]

nice, still wierding me out with those names though. lol anyway I like that Peg Corner thing in there.

[Raysfan16 5]

Hey, another great update! It's always nice to see your drives.

[deathtopumpkins 43]

Whoo! Another drive.

Denton looks like a nice little town, and as for that old stoplight being replaced, that's very realistic.

Nice rural roads, farms, and of course, signage!

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Always a pleasure. That 630 intersection looks supiciously like many we have around here.

[Hawkeye9 0]

Wow, awsome update!!!

I really like that overview of Denton, it looks very nice!!!

As always lookin forward to more!!!

[Haljackey 17,303]

Awesome drive! Looks like you're getting good use of FAR! The town of Denton looks nice too!

Best,

-Haljackey