Winchester

[jacqulina 162]

hi my friend,i think perhaps everyones idea of rural is different,and i suppose every country has a different look too,so saying that yours is wonderfull and very nicely layed out and planned,and very beautifull too,keep up the great work.

[PhilsCafe 8]

Very interesting information about road designation in Massopax. I'm gonna pay more attention now, when I get to the naming of major roads (I'll have to check out the numbering system for Vermont state routes...).

As for the rural areas, I like them a lot... there sure are more rural CJs around now than there used to be, but there's also a great deal of Midwestern cities around now... and seeing rural areas still is very refreshing.

[kj3400 178]

Wonderful update. But I probably woudn't take MP-427... seems kind of dangerous with cars barreling down the road at 60+ MPH with no median or road guards. Also in the last pic, I think the traffic light on the far left should point to the right because the road is ending, right? Otherwise you did a great job.

[SCDawg 0]

Cool Update! You're right about the progression, US-1 is nothing but developement south of Ashland, but once you pass Ashland, it's nothing but hills (and big ones at that).

Even though I-79 is being routed along US-27, I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to make some improvements to MP-427, maybe adding two more lanes all the way through?

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing Salem.

Travis

[Haljackey 17,319]

Wow, I should check this CJ more often! It has just a classic rural setting. Great work with your interchanges too!

Best,

-Haljackey

[dfnva 34]

Edmonton_Stinks: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the rural update. Lately I haven't been as busy so I've updated more to make up for lack of updates when I get bogged down with stuff.

Equilibria: I thought about changing the interchange to RHW, but I liked the set up where MP-427 and one of the ramps go over the railroad tracks, so some big reconfiguring would've needed to be done. 

Simtastico: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the rural areas and route system explanation.

Jacqulina: Thanks! I'm glad you like how my rural areas look, though I really enjoy yours a lot.

Phil: I don't know much about Vermont's route numbering methods but glad that I inspired you to do that in your CJ. I've noticed a lot more rural CJ's as well, I like seeing how people do rural areas. I've even noticed how in your CJ, you don't have farms go right up to the road, which causes the funny textures along the roads, which is something I'm going to work on in my CJ.

KJ3400: Ha! Glad you noticed that error that the Massopax DOT made, surprised you didn't notice the other one (which I failed to notice until today). On the MP-427 mileage sign it lists mileage to US-27. That should've read US-84! Woops.

Travis (SCDawg): It's on the drawing board to widen parts of MP-427 to four lanes. As Salem's sprawl inches further west, closer to MP-427, it will be a necessity. Right now, the traffic and lack of intersections along makes MP-427 safe in it's current incarnation.

Haljackey: Thanks, glad you like the rural areas and interchanges. 

And now....

After a good night's rest at the Holiday Inn Express of Salem, it's time to continue our drive eastbound along US-84 toward Salem. 

The first intersection we come to is with Haleston Rd. Haleston Rd serves some industrial areas. As you can see, we have the familiar commerical sprawl beginning with some car dealerships.

Here is a picture of the signal at Haleston Rd, a fairly new one.

Next, we come up on SR 777 / Miner's Farm Rd. To the right are some residential areas and a new library while to the left is Miner's Farm Plaza.

Another fairly non-descript signal assembly for Miner's Farm Rd, though this one was installed in the late 1990s.

Mort's Market, the anchor of Miner's Farm Plaza, is a locally-owned supermarket chain with locations around Winchester-Salem as well as other parts of the state of Massopax. This Mort's Market was built in the 1980s and has an older logo and design. Along with Kroger and various incarnations of Food Lion, Mort's is the dominant grocery store of the region.

Further down Miner's Farm Rd are some newer apartments (so new the complex isn't done yet) and a brand new library.

Continuing along US-84, we see more shopping centers and restaurants.

Here we come upon the intersection with SR 1550 (Sycolin Rd and Senaca Hill Rd). Here we see more shopping centers with S-Mart and Denny's.

This signal assembly has a melange of older and newer signals.

Here we pass Salem Heights Plaza, Salem's Largest Shopping Center with such stores and eateries as Kroger, CompUSA, Circuit City, Ruby Tuesday, and TGI Fridays.

Here we come upon SR 1551/Landis Rd and SR 638/Rolling Valley Rd. Remember, we drove along SR 638 in the town of Graham and that it used to be part of MP-165. Here would've begun a multiplex for US-84 and MP-165 into the town of Salem.

Another fairly new signal assembly replaced only a year or two ago.

Next, we cross SR 1525/ Salem Heights Drive. Of note here are the riverfront Salem Crowne Plaza Hotel and the Salem General Hospital. 

At this point US 84 goes down to three lanes, contrary to the screenshot. Basically there is one lane going each direction with a reversable lane in the middle.

Here's another older span-wire signal assembly but the signals themselves date back only to about 2001 or 2002, replacing older ones. 

Here's a look at the Salem Crowne Plaza Hotel with it's views of the Smith River.

Finally here's an overview shot of what we've seen today. Next time we'll cross the Smith River and check out downtown Salem.

Thanks for visiting,

Dan

[bbfan02 23]

Wow, excellent work! Great commerical stores and road systems! I really like the Crown Plaza too! Keep it up!

-bbfan02-

[Benedict 3,119]

Your overview shot is great - excellent snapshot of suburbia!

[PhilsCafe 8]

I think it adds a lot of depth when you can refer to a realistic road names/numbers in an update... as for the farms, the textures are one thing... but my thought also was that in real life farms hardly ever connect directly to main routes or highways.

Now to your update: I like the commercial areas a lot, nicely layed out the way they all connect to U.S. 84. Great location for the hotel.

[jacqulina 162]

hiya dan thanks,great commercial there very nicely done my friend,very nice transport system too.

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Nice work. I am impressed with the effort you go to to include the intersection signage and signals. You have some great details here. I will be back to take my tour of Salem.

[kj3400 178]

I thought there was something wrong with that sign...

Anyway, nice job with Salem's suburbs, you seem to have a knack for shopping plazas like that. It really gives your region a nice touch. Can't wait to see Salem.

[edmonton_stinks 5]

Great suburban sprawl. How do you create such great strip malls? I've known them to make up the bulk of suburban retail but there aren't enough good strip malls on the STEX. How did you do yours?

[Haljackey 17,319]

Nice job with the Holiday Inn Express! I always liked that building, but the addition of more parking made it even better!

Also nice job with your sloping and curves. They look really nice now

Best,

-Haljackey

[ky72x 13]

Good update, Dan! The additional parking that you've added to most of the shopping centers is great, since most of them don't really have enough already. They make for nice filler lots for roads the wind a lot. I like the apartment complex too - the playground, trails, and the library make it even more realistic.

- Kyle

[SCDawg 0]

Awesome update Dan! I'm going to miss those rural updates, but this one was great too. Reminds me of West Broad (US-250) west of Richmond. US-29 north of Charlottesville also comes to mind.

Keep it up!

Travis

[asturianu 4]

Dan! Wow, gorgeous job here in that region! Amazing. Salem is perfectly located. I like the rural feeling mixing with soft urban hmmm it is so interesting and I enjoy the interchanges and the lighpoles-signal pictures you made. Really, the rural feeling is so realistic, and I like those small commercial buildings by the road.

Cool work, my friend,

Cristian

[Need4Camaro 50]

Incredible tour you have. I really enjoy how you show the traffic signal structures. I would vouture to say that the road shown here could use a bit more consistancy as far as traffic signals go but nice! ESPECIALLY your shopping malls! I could only dream to make strip centers like that. I would cave and just biuld everywere... ...I'm not very environmentally friendly...

[suplado! 23]

wow -- another nice tour in the area...lots of cool buildings and shops as well!!! really like the hotel near the river...

[packersfan 666]

Are there any transportation maps that show RHW??? I love this region, keeps me inspired for roadgeekery.

[Mike the Mayor 51]

Lovely pictures, very nice indeed. I like how you label every picture, very informative of your city.

[Equilibria 16]

Am I alone in wondering how stunning Downingsford would have been if Oroen had had the RHW to play with (sigh...)? Great work, as usual.

[dfnva 34]

Wow, it's been a busy week, so I haven't had time to do a full update yet, but I thought I would reply to everyone and post this high-resolution night picture of Salem:

Bbfan02: Thanks, glad you enjoyed the update.

Benedict: Thanks!

Phil's Cafe: Thanks, one of my favorite things to do is to create suburban areas and shopping center-lined roads.

Jacqulina: Thanks, glad you liked the update.

Schulmanator: Glad you like the signs and such, I enjoy making them.

KJ3400: Thanks, glad you like how the shopping centers look.

Edmonton_Stinks: I actaully found most of these shopping centers and stores on the STEX, if you search Simgoober, you'll find a lot of them. I like mixing and matching stores and centers with parking lots and outparcels such as restaurants. 

Haljackey: Thanks, this area isn't too hilly, it's a bit harder to do things on hillier terrain. I like using the new SAM to create parking lots like the additional ones in the Holiday Inn Express.

Kyle (Ky72x): Thanks, I'm lucky those particular apartments sprouted up in that complex. 

Travis (SCDawg): Thanks, those areas you mentioned are definitely places that come to mind. I also like thinking about the progression (from west to east particularly) on US-250 and US-60 from more affluent areas and newer shopping centers to more run-down areas and vacant shopping centers (like Cloverleaf Mall). There's even a difference in the traffic signals as they're older and more rusted as you go east (spanwire with the big backplates VDOT used in the '80s). That all didn't really come to play here but it did when I made US-27 through Piedmont Heights.

Cristian (Asturianu): You're right, Salem is basically the border of suburbia and rural areas. Glad you enjoyed the update.

Need4Camaro: It's interesting how different states do traffic signals. The inconsistency in traffic signal styles is common here in Virginia and also in Maryland, Pennsylvania and other places. Even in Illinois, there's the older truss style signal poles and the newer mast-arm poles. But glad you like the signal assemblies.

Suplado: Thanks! The Salem Crowne Plaza definitely benefits from being on a river as it's nice to be outside there on warmer days.

Packersfan: Not sure if there are any maps that show RHW, I just kind of guess and draw in what is missing, which is easier than I thought it would be, if I present a region map. Glad you liked the update, hope to see an update from Sesquenna soon.

Mike the Mayor: Thanks for being reply number 200!! Glad you like the labling of the pictures.

Equilibria: I definitely wish Oroen would do another CJ, that would be great... then again I'm also waiting for you to do another one too!

======

I hope to have a full update on Salem in the next few days. Thanks for visiting.

Dan

[bbfan02 23]

Excellent overview! Just one suggestion: That downtown looks all Maxis. Maybe you can get some nice custom mid-rise buildings off the STEX or SC4 devotion.

-bbfan02-

[Equilibria 16]

I have a current region, and I'm plugging away with a distant view to maybe showing some of it off. Thing is, I don't like to start CJ's until the region is a good deal completed, and no region ever holds my interest that long anymore. New Boston was a good year in the making before that thread even began, and I neglected it for a while as I got Isle Royale ready. My attention span seems to have shortened considerably.

[kj3400 178]

Nice shot. Can't wait to ride through Salem in the next update!

[ky72x 13]

That's a great overview picture of Salem! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think a nice passenger train station along that rail line in downtown would be a nifty addition. Also, I think downtown could use a bit more CC. However, the ones you are currently using look really good! Keep it up, Dan.

- Kyle

[dfnva 34]

BbFan: Thanks for the suggestion, some of the taller buildings are Maxis buildings, but much of Salem's downtown features the Smalltown USA bats (I forget who made them).

Equilibria: I think my attention span for SC4 is so good because I went without playing SC4 for about a year while I didn't have a computer that could handle it. 

KJ3400: Thanks. Hope you enjoy this drive-through of Salem.

Kyle (Ky72x): That's a good idea (about a train station), at this point I don't have any passenger rail in my region, but that's something maybe that could be added in the future. Thanks for the suggestion. 

And now....

Here's a shot of where we left off, crossing the Smith River along US-84. Keep in mind that this section is actually three lanes wide with one lane in each direction and a reversable lane in the middle.

Lane-use signals are used to reverse the middle lane. Usually such signals are on large square panels, but these use regular traffic signal heads. Such a set-up was used a long time ago (like back in the 1980s) on real-life US 1 crossing the Occoquan River in Woodbridge, Virginia.

In addition, we see these small, aging button-copy overhead signs for MP-319 and MP-165. Except this sign dates back to when MP-319 was actually US-319 (in the 1970s) and was never corrected.

Downtown Salem is filled with churches; stores that sell artsy stuff, crafts, and antiques; and trendy restaurants, bars, and coffeehouses that cater to the Patrick Henry University crowd just mere miles east on US-84.

Here is the aging signal assembly where US-84 crosses the terminus of MP-165.

US-84 through downtown Salem often backs up with heavy traffic since a major route is squeeze into two lanes through here. There are some proposals to separate US-84 onto dual one-way roads. Our driving route turns left here onto Jordan Ave (SR 1005) passing by the recently renovated Wilford Hotel.

This signal is even older!

Jordan Ave. winds its way out of the newer, taller, office buildings in downtown Salem.

When Jordan Ave. crosses MP-165/Deltown Rd, it becomes MP-319/Mountain Pike. There are several churches at this intersection.

Turning right on MP-165/Deltown Rd would take you to Piedmont Heights while turning left here would take us back to US-84. We're going to continue straight ahead en route for Smith Lake.

Leaving downtown Salem, we pass numerous residential developments. We also pass Salem High School (Home of the Cougars) which is part of the Piedmont County Public School system.

Here's a reassurance and mileage sign. Williamsport is a long way away past a long ascent and descent of some mountains, and in another state to boot.

More residential development and an ad-hoc bike racing field.

North of here MP-319 enters a more rural setting. Emerging from the residential areas, we pass the Salem campus of Western Massopax Community College. I love making parking lots with the SAM. As you can see the roads and parking lots within the grounds of the community college are numbered as MP-522 for state maintanance logs. Route numbers of this sort are posted extremly rarely...

... or are they?

The next update will consist of a proposed urban renewal for Salem including road improvements and other cosmetic adjustments. After that we'll continue north along MP-319 and check out Smith Lake eventually. 

Thanks for visiting!

Dan

[packersfan 666]

Another good update. I keep checking out this journal to inspire my own, alas, I just don't have the time to do a much needed update for my own journal, but I did play SimCity yesterday so that is a change of pace. School is busy

[Equilibria 16]

I like how deliberate and well-conceived this downtown is. May I make a suggestion: find a non-Maxis building for City Hall. That one looks a little out-of-place there, something about the setbacks and massing in context with the other buildings.