mirofoss

Hello; I did not want to build the ramp lanes so long but I ran into a glitch with 8 lane separated highway and the monorail pieces. When the highway passes under the monorail, it changes the pieces from one four lane piece into two double lane pieces. I do not know how to get around this issue other than to move the rail line a couple tiles down. I might just remove that partial interchange all together unless there is a way to get the highway tile to stop glitching under the monorail.

Hello; I have noticed that although the game engine has no problems using the highway with the ramps so close together, it is not very realistic. Where I live, outside of Toronto Canada, there are very few circumstances where an off and on ramp are placed so close together. I may change the layout of the highway or leave these as is and just space them further apart in future highway extensions. I also am not too satisfied with using diamond interchanges... I would have been happy using a parclo instead.... Maybe a major rebuild is in store :)

Hello; I am relatively new to mods so as I get comments and suggestions from people, I add them into my game... I will be downloading a slope mod as soon as possible and putting it into the plugins folder... Do you know which one gives the best results?

************ Expressway Bulletin ************ The Markland Valley Parkway has officially opened for commuters and already the highway is being moderately used. The Markland Valley Parkway (MVP) was built in a former creek bed that has drained due to lowering water levels in the region. The parkway was built as a grade separated controlled access freeway and was built to allow access into the downtown core of Markland Woods. The parkway currently has the following statistics: Morning Commute -2778 Car -1892 Bus Evening Commute -2911 Car -2005 Bus The MVP connects to the Golden Coast Expressway where a full interchange has been constructed. Commuters can access the MVP from both the Eastbound and Westbound collector lanes, as well as the Eastbound and Westbound express lanes. When leaving the MVP commuters can use both the express and collector lanes in both the Eastbound and Westbound directions. The MVP also has a full interchange with the Port Authority Ferry docks and a direct connection to the West Mall. The MVP was built to high standards with longer than required acceleration lanes, high mast lighting, overhead gantry signs, and lane markings. This is a complete exit list for the entire section of the MVP *Note: exchanges with one dash (-) are considered full interchanges, exchanges with four dashes (----) have only Northbound on ramps and Southbound off ramps. -Golden Coast Expressway ----Temple Ave ----Cityside Dr Oceanside Drive (Flyover Only) -Port Authority Ferry Docks ----Breakwall Access Road -The West Mall

When Markland Woods was chosen as the new capitol of the Dynamo Dukedom, planners knew that they had to keep an area clear for industrial development in the region. This is where the borough of Markland Port is key. Markland Port was formed as a semi-independent borough of Markland Woods that could be used for industrial development and border services. Markland Port is directly connected to the Continental Kingdom of Mintakous and a proper border has been built to control access between the two independent governments. Markland Port is mainly an industrial area with three major regions. The Portlands is where raw materials, as well as finished products, can be shipped by cargo to many markets around the world. The Portlands also contains the Eastern Terminus of the Dynamo Amalgamated Rapid Transit System’s 'Speed Link' rail system. The Portlands also contain a commuter rail station as well as a ferry dock. Border Watch is the eastern most area of Markland Port, as well as the Dynamo Dukedom. Border watch is one of the few road and rail crossings from the Dynamo Dukedom to the Continental Kingdom of Mintakous. The border is patrolled, day and night, by the Dynamo Border Patrol to ensure that the dukedom has control over who enters the area, as well as ensuring the proper taxes are paid and contraband is not brought into the dukedom. The Industrial Sector of Markland Port is where large amounts of raw industrial processes take place so refined materials can be transported throughout the dukedom to be used at other facilities, or exported to other nations. The largest area in the Industrial Sector is the Occidental Waste Management Corporation, Waste Remediation Complex. This huge facility is where OWMC receives solid waste, as well as toxic liquid waste and processes and recycles the waste. Glass, plastic, and metals are melted down while cardboard and paper are shredded. Organic waste is composted in an indoor composting facility and the remaining waste is incinerated and the heat is used for electrical generation.

************ Expressway Bulletin ************ The Golden Coast Expressway has offically been completed between Milliken Mills and the Markland Port. Since construction of the highway was completed, the following traffic has been observed using the highway to commute between Markland Woods and Milliken Mills: Morning Commute -3519 Car -2111 Bus -0109 Frieght Truck Evening Commute -2058 Car -2663 Bus The Golden Coast Expressway will continue East with a partial exchange with The West Mall as well as a full exchange with the future Epsilon Expressway and a full exchange with the future Airport Loop. Right now construction is continuing on the Markland Valley Parkway with the parkway continuing south into the new downtown core with a direct connection to the ferry docks. A close-up image of the Markland Valley / Gold Coast Exchange will be posted in a future entry. Including the exit list from the last entry, this is a complete exit list for the entire western section of the Golden Coast Expressway that travels through Markland Woods. *Note: exchanges with one dash (-) exit from the express, exchanges with four dashes (----) exit from the collectors. Francis St. (Fly Over Only) -Exit to Collector ----Fairfax Ave ----Stone Temple Ave ----Donahue Ave ----Oceanview Ave (Eastbound Only) ----Markland Valley Pkwy ----Exit to Express -Markland Valley Pkwy ----West Mall (Eastbound Only) -Epsilon Expressway -Industrial St (Proposed) -Airport Loop -Eastern Avenue (Fly Over Only)

  I had a few streets with light rail that were not connected properly so that commute times were way higher than they should be. After fixing the broken paths, most of the abandoned and destressed buildings have gone away,,,

******* Intercity Highway Update ******* The city of Markland Woods, in conjunction with the unincorporated area of Millikan Mills, has completed the first western leg of the Golden Coast Expressway (Formally Business Spur A.) The expressway is configured in the express/collector system and currently has three exits in Markland Woods and two exits in Millikan Mills. The expressway will continue West into Millikan Mills and will continue East into Markland Port after a full interchange with the proposed Markland Valley Parkway. The exits in order, from top to bottom are: -Francis Street (Flyover Only) -Fairfax Avenue -Stone Temple Avenue -Donahue Avenue Exits were built in a simple diamond style interchange to save on space on construction costs. Within the collector lanes, the on-ramp and off-ramp lanes have been joined to together as a 'third lane' to allow more space for merging in and out of traffic. The noise barriers that have been completed were built using resin core block in 'utilitarian beige.' Construction still continues along the open sections of the expressway with work being done to complete the grass centre median as well as other detailed work such as installation of lighting as well as landscaping.

********** Transportation Update ********** The Dynamo Dukedom has been looking at various ways to get people moving through-out the pennisula and the city of Markland Woods has made a drastic proposal. The city suggests that the Dukedom build a network of intercity highways that would link the various urban areas, being built and planned, for easy transportation of goods and services. At the current time there is no road access that spans the entire length or width of the peninsula and this makes population growth and expansion very difficult. The dukedom has stated that it will review all transportation options before making a decision but this has not stopped Markland Woods, as well as the unincorporated area of Millikan Mills, from beginning construction of their own highway. The two areas have decided to build an expressway between Markland Woods and Millikan Mills to help commuters move quickly between where they live and work. Markland Woods has stated that this expressway can become part of an intercity highway network, if the dukedom provides funding. At the current time, this highway has not been officially named and has been given the designation “Business Spur A” The connection point between Markland Woods and Millikan Mills is an eight lane divided expressway. The highway is currently being expanded in an easterly and westerly direction. The highway makes use of the latest technology in high mast lighting, overhead gantry signage, noise barriers, and long acceleration and deceleration lanes. Citizens in Markland Woods lobbied for an express/collector system to be built along the highway right from the beginning of construction. The reason for this is because citizens wanted every major roadway to have an interchange with the expressway; but still wanted a clear flow of traffic along the expressway. Highway users can use the collector lanes to reach local streets alongside the highway, while long distance commuters can stay in the express lanes and enjoy a faster commute. A special streetcar underpass was required for the Markland Woods LRT network to safely traverse the highway. This streetcar underpass has portals on each side of the expressway and was one of the most expensive aspects of construction. Although the highway is not completed all the way to the Epsilon River; sections are being opened as they are completed. This requires highway traffic to travel in the finished westbound express lanes while the other lanes are completed. Construction continues eastbound along the highway route with temporary at-grade intersections until proper overpasses are built. This image shows the former end of the stretch of highway running through Markland Woods. This termination point has since been expanded 2km further East.

    I will download those water mods and see how I can improve my image quality on th water Thanks :)

********* State Of The City ******** Markland Woods just celebrated its fiftieth birthday and has grown from a quiet group of villages to a city of 86,000 people. Growth has been mostly in the Pimento Beach area as most of the residents living in Pimento Beach commute to nearby Milliken Mills, the unincorporated township to the West, to work. As with any growing city; certain types of growing pains begin to show through and need to be corrected. Markland Woods is suffering from a capacity issue with its roads and streets. There have been proposals to build a highway between Markland Woods and Millikan Mills. However, these proposals are stalled as the Dukedom government is deciding on plans for a unified national highway system to move people and goods throughout the area. Markland Woods has seen steady growth of both low income and high income residents over the last ten years. The only unfortunate aspect of the growth of Markland Woods is the city seems to take on the appearance of a 'Grid Iron' city as farmlands are annexed for urban growth. Markland Woods was asked by residents to build a unified cemetery for the citizens of the Dynamo Dukedom. Land was set aside at the intersection of Stone Temple Avenue and Pilots Street. This cemetery should provide ample space for the departed to rest. Construction has begun on a new rail viaduct on Stone Temple Avenue. This rail viaduct will allow uninterrupted travel for motorists along the busy street. Construction of the viaduct should be completed in the next two years. With a Commitment to reduce waste and pollution in Markland Woods, city council agreed to use the 'Can't someone else do it' strategy for management of solid waste. The city has decided to contract the Occidental Waste Management Corporation to remove and process all solid waste from Markland Woods. Waste is transported, by rail, to a waste incinerator located in the unincorporated village of Markland Port. This strategy removes solid waste from Markland Woods as well as pollution and odors from the city. Dan Leckie Memorial Hospital was expanded to meet the growing demands of the city. The hospital can support up to 6,000 patients and has specialized marine health services for people injured on the beach or out in the open water. Streetcar service has also officially started along two of the busy streets in Markland Woods. The Fairfax LRT and Beachside LRT provide frequent service along their respective routes. Both routes use the streetcar loop that was built on the former DEC gas fired generator facility ‘Denki-Electrics One.’ The LRT provides seamless connections with the Markland Woods Bus Service as well as connections into Millikan Mills. There is discussion of the possibility of merging the bus service and streetcar service into one transportation commission.

******* DEC Update ******* Dynamo Energy Concerns, the government organization responsible for the generation and distribution of electricity in the Dynamo Dukedom, has completed construction of the 10,000 MWh solar generating station known as 'Helios One'. DEC went with the decision to use solar energy because creates virtually zero pollution and the system can be modified for growth in the future. When the site for Helios One was chosen, four new sets of high tension power lines were built. After everything was completed, DEC officially shut down the two gas fired generating stations known as 'Denki-Electrics One' and 'Denki-Electrics Two.' DEC plans to shut down the coal Fired station in Markland Port known as 'Jolly Burner' as well as the oil powered station known as 'The T. Ellen Oil Plant' located on the Crimson Coast when those facilities near the end of their expected lifespan. Helios One was built approximately 10km away from the ever expanding community of Pimento Beach. Much of the farm land around the station has been reserved for future electrical facilities growth. The facility can generate up to 10,000 MWh; although it is currently being used at less than 20% of its full capacity. Due to the Fact that Helios One was built further away from the urban center of Pimento Beach; Two 500kV lines were built from Helios One to a smaller sub station within the city. Although these lines are not very visually pleasing, citizens prefer the site of power lines over the pollution caused by located generating facilities. When Denki-Electrics Two was being decommissioned near the beach. DEC did not want to redesign the entire local electrical grid. A smaller 50kV line was installed from the main substation and connected to a new terminal substation on the form generating facility land. After the land passed environment protocols, it was redeveloped into a housing complex.

********* State Of The City ******** Well it has been a very quiet five years since Markland Woods was chosen to be the capitol of the Dynamo Dukedom. New development in the city has been rather sluggish compared to other cities around the globe. This may be partly caused by higher than average taxes and a lack of infrastructure. The Dynamo Dukedom has requested stimulus money from the world bank to attempt to get it's cities up to par with other leading urban centers. The current population of Markland Woods is 16,000. Some improvements have been made though with traffic congestion and new roadways: Many of the citizens of Markland Woods were complaining that they suffered major delays when trying to use Fairfax Avenue (Formally Pimento Beach Highway) when a train was coming through. Although many people were happy to see the busy road widened to a four lane avenue, the constant rail delays caused the road to still grind to a halt. Markland Woods installed a rail viaduct to allow traffic, both vehicle and streetcar, to move without delay. Markland Woods is planning for future development by building Elizabeth Avenue as a grand boulevard now instead of later. Town council agreed that spending a little more money now, will save more money, and congestion, in the future. At the time the rail corridor was shut-down for the Fairfax Avenue viaduct; Construction crews also completed the installation of a pedestrian bridge for the Pimento Beach rail station. Citizens were complaining that they had to walk all the way to Fairfax Avenue to cross the railroad tracks and if a pedestrian bridge was built, more people would use the commuter train rather than drive. Black Horse Corners has seen a slight amount of growth with a small residential development which was built when Chase Acres Dairy Farm went out of business. Black Horse Corners Public School was also built for the expected influx of young children. The village of Shalebridge is still being used as the interim Dynamo Dukedom capitol until a proper capitol building is constructed. Slight growth took place in Shalebridge with two new neighborhoods being developed along the village's borders. Residents have begun complaining about the air pollution being generated by natural gas electrical facility. Dynamo Electrical Concerns (DEC) has stated that they will look into alternative forms of electricity and will decommission "Denki-Electrics ONE" when an alternative power source is built. The Hamlet of Warrington Station has seen the least amount of growth in all of Markland Woods. This is being caused by a lack of jobs and a lack of municipal services in the area. A study has been commissioned to attempt to find solutions to this ongoing issue.

********* Dukedom Bulletin ********* It has been one year since the Dynamo Dukedom has been granted sovereignty from the Continental Kingdom of Mintakous. After much study, it has been decided that Markland Woods will be chosen as the site to build the new Dukedom Capitol. Markland Woods is a large tract of land which has been used in the past for agriculture, and logging. Markland Woods also has the largest population of all incorporated areas of the dukedom as well as large areas of former crown land which now belongs to the Dukedom National Forest Concerns. Markland Woods is mostly a farming area with a few small settlements as well as some projects that the Continental Kingdom of Mintakous was working on before the dukedom was formed. The small hamlet called "Pimento Beach" is an area where local farmers and residents can come to supplies. A very small are that has a fire house as well as a Dynamo constabulary building. The main, and only, rail station is found in the settlement called "Warrington Station." This area is where farmers can bring their goods for transport across the dukedom; as well as for export to the Continental Kingdom and beyond. Black Horse Corners is a recent development at the major intersection of Kings Road 5 and Pimento Road. A place for travelers to rest as well as local residents to buy supplies. The village of Shalebridge started as a shanty town when the Kingdom of Mintakous began construction of the Markland Canal. The shanty town has developed into the largest settlement which can be found in Markland Woods. The Markland Canal was built by The Kingdom of Mintakous to allow a better corridor for ships to enter Long Lake from the Epsilon River. Before the canal was built, ships used a small fork from the Epsilon River to traverse into Long Lake. However, with receding river levels and dangerous bends to navigate, the canal was built. The King Roland Break wall was built in an attempt to stop the waves and high tides from coastal storms from destroying the banks of the lower Epsilon River. The Epsilon Rail Bridge, when completed will also a continuous rail link from the Mintakian Peninsula to the main continent. We will keep you informed of new developments as they take place.

*********** Welcome *********** Today marks the day when the Dynamo Dukedom has officially declared sovereignty over the Continental Kingdom of Mintakous. After many days of negotiation the Kingdom of Mintakous agreed to divest itself of the entire Mintakian Peninsula; including the Isles of Las Minas. The Kingdom of Mintakous has left the peninsula "as is" and has stipulated the following conditions to the Dynamo Dukedom: -The Mintakous Royal Military can traverse the peninsula -The Dynamo Dukedom will connect to the Kingdom of Mintakous by road and rail in the next twenty years -The Dynamo Dukedom will allow free trade with the Kingdom of Mintakous At this time, the majority of the land now ruled by the Dynamo Dukedom is made up of small farms, forested land, large mountains, and a network of small rivers and lakes which criss-cross the peninsula. The peninsula is under developed with very few roads and rail links. The Dynamo Dukedom will work to develop this new sovereign state, and allow its residents, commerce, and industry to flourish. This journal will allow the dukedom to keep its citizens, and potential citizens, informed on what is going on.