General Large City Advice regarding urban highways

[Thetford 22]

I've been playing SimCity 4 for quite a few years now, and I can grapple most of the features, I've even learnt how to encourage my sims to use my peasant wagons as opposed to their own car.

Well, there is still enough cars in my region's capital to warrent the transport advisor to scream at me. Well anyway, the central avenue has become congested to the point of highways being advised. Now as I recall, highways don't count as lot access, so rezoning and replacing will have to go on.

Well my question is, should I replace the central avenue (an avenue which travels from the North to the South of the city) with a highway? And if so, with ground or elevated? And I'm guessing it should be done section by section. Or will building a highway going around the city as opposed to through it?

Also, if I do replace, how much would it cost the treasury to replace an avenue with a highway from the north to the south of a large square city?

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I would use an MAVE-6 instead of a highway. The current version of NWM has a few warts, but if you do it correctly, it will help a lot.

If you don't have the Network Addon Mod, you will need it along with the Network Widening Mod. You can have intersections with a MAVE but you need interchanges with a highway, so there would be less destruction. One thing about the current MAVE-6 is be careful about transit enabled lots facing it. Also, be sure for T intersections that you carry the T all the way across.

A MAVE-6 is the same width as a Maxis Avenue (AVE-4).

The textures are the same as for roads and avenues, so you won't need an ugly gray highway running through your city. The other thing about the current MAVE-6 is that there are still a few pathng glitches, but they can be avoided, once you learn what happens. Be sure to use the correct transition pieces and the neighbor piece if you run off the edge.

Look for all the details here.

  Edited June 18, 2011 by A Nonny Moose  

[Lucario Boricua 7,028]

In case you were going with the Maxis highway, you'd have to demolish a lot--I would recommend you to keep the avenue and place the highway, preferably elevated, somewhere immediately near to it (say, demolish the buildings on the city blocks on one side of the avenue), then place it. Make sure to include abundant entrance and exit ramps and interchanges (the interchanges might need some extra demolition). You may also be wondering how to connect the ends of the highway with the rest of the network--you can use elevated highway/ground highway transitions (drag a short strip of ground highway towards the end of the elevated highway, until you get the graphics for the newly formed ramp), then connect an avenue or two one-way stubs at the end of the ground highway and into other roads.

Even if the Maxis highways are available, the in-game traffic simulator won't help much making them useful--the Sims will probably still drive directly through the avenue unless the highway replaces it and the buildings adjacent to it. You may probably then need the Network Addon Mod Moose just mentioned.

[Rady 94]

Well, what I have learned after some years of SC4 gameplay is that you cannot avoid massive restructuring of your city once you need to upgrade your traffic network. I initially tried to tinker in my new highways, avenues, etc. into the space available, but the result isn't what your traffic will need.

So basically you should have a thorough look at the traffic flow (using the route analyzing tool) and then put you new network into place. And this inevitabely will result in destroying a lot of buildings along the way, rezoning certain areas, and so on.

However the result will be a network that solves the traffic problem.

And as a side note - i would refrain from using the maxis highway, since it's utterly unrealistic in terms of proportions (and pretty ugly compared to that custom stuff, too). Meanwhile I'm only using the NAM components like the RHW, GLR and the new NWM.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

To amplify my preference for NWM over RHW.

RHW has the same problem that any highway system has, namely limited access. You need to construct ramps with RHW, and unless you've practiced a lot with this package, it is no mean feat. For truly long hauls in the countryside I think RHW is the way to go, but in town you just need wider roads and streets, hence NWM.

In both cases you need to use correct transition pieces to preserve your path detection by the simulator.

[Cob92 360]

Highways aren't all that expensive to build, and they're even cheaper if you use RHW over the default highways. While you will have to demolish some buildings and streets to add the highway, the highway does have the advantages of higher capacity than any surface road, a higher speed limit that cuts down on commute times, and no intersections to slow traffic down on the main lanes. Personally, I would build a highway going through the city that passes near or through downtown and one that circles around the outskirts of the city.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Highways aren't all that expensive to build, and they're even cheaper if you use RHW over the default highways. While you will have to demolish some buildings and streets to add the highway, the highway does have the advantages of higher capacity than any surface road, a higher speed limit that cuts down on commute times, and no intersections to slow traffic down on the main lanes. Personally, I would build a highway going through the city that passes near or through downtown and one that circles around the outskirts of the city.

I think you just made my point.

If you are going to replace a busy avenue, the best thing is with NWM, because RHW is limited access and needs ramps. Also, if your terrain is at all irregular, you have to level it for RHW. This can wreck a lot of buildings, so it is a matter of choice.

[Cob92 360]

Highways aren't all that expensive to build, and they're even cheaper if you use RHW over the default highways. While you will have to demolish some buildings and streets to add the highway, the highway does have the advantages of higher capacity than any surface road, a higher speed limit that cuts down on commute times, and no intersections to slow traffic down on the main lanes. Personally, I would build a highway going through the city that passes near or through downtown and one that circles around the outskirts of the city.

I think you just made my point.

If you are going to replace a busy avenue, the best thing is with NWM, because RHW is limited access and needs ramps. Also, if your terrain is at all irregular, you have to level it for RHW. This can wreck a lot of buildings, so it is a matter of choice.

True. I'm just saying that there are times that you want limited access and ramps because at grade intersections create congestion when you have thousands of car routes going down the same road. But you are right that to replace a main street, particularly one with a lot of development along it, it's best to use a NWM network. The highway will handle traffic better, but it should have a route that parallels or bypasses surface streets rather than trying to fit into the same exact space as a major avenue.

[poshbakerloo 186]

Your build a subway line under the avenue...

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Your build a subway line under the avenue...

That does cut down on pedestrians. Now you could mark your avenue "buses only" and lay some parking garages at the ends next to bus/subway stations as well. You could also consider running GLR (Trams) down the middle of the avenue and placing parking garages at the end loops.

With both subway and GLR, you can set yourself up a very fancy downtown people mover. You could also consider a highway or NWM avenue for an alternate route for through traffic.

Another way to handle this is to end the avenue abruptly at one end of the CTD with a plaza. This would force through traffic on to alternate streets. This may have the effect of killing your downtown, though.

  Edited June 20, 2011 by A Nonny Moose