Posted on 02/16/2018 7:45:24 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Atlanta's traffic is legendary and the Georgia DOT says the increase in truck traffic needs to be addressed. Because the Port of Savannah and the Panama Canal have been deepened, more freight is coming in which translates to more semi-trucks traveling in and out of the Atlanta hub. GDOT estimates trucks carry 75 percent of the freight in Georgia and expects truck traffic to double by 2040.
GDOT is in the early stages of planning the I-75 Commercial Vehicle Lanes project. The interstate will stretch from metro Atlanta 40 miles south to Macon. GDOT Operations Director John Hibbard says it would be the first roadway in the U.S. designated for commercial vehicle traffic only. “Not simply identifying lanes saying that this right lane is for trucks, it is its own separate roadway.”
The idea is to redirect north-bound truck traffic that currently shares space with cars on I-75 to two designated barrier-separated lanes for commercial vehicles only on Interstate 75 between McDonough and Macon, complete with its own entrances and exits. Truck-only lanes are usually reserved for short distances
The project is estimated to cost about $1.8 billion and GDOT says it should reduce northbound traffic delays by 40 percent.
The department says another benefit to the commercial vehicle only lanes is lower maintenance costs on the general purpose lanes because without the heavier truck traffic the auto lanes will see less wear.
As truck platooning and autonomous vehicles become more possible, GDOT says the new truck-only lanes will be potential testing grounds.
The state is waiting for a response from the federal government regarding funding for the $1.8 billion project, but say that, regardless of federal funding, Governor Nathan Deal says GDOT will be moving forward with the project using funds gathered by the state’s Transportation Funding Act, which raised fuel prices back in 2015.
Georgia transportation officials are expected to select a general engineering consultant by the end of the year. Construction is slated to begin in 2025 and to be completed by 2029 . The truck-only project is one of 11 new projects under what the state calls the Major Mobility Investment Program.
Yes, the sports thing is just way, way, out of hand. And it’s because the sports industry and media have made athletes into heroes. Heroic for doing what? Between them, my two sons won 3 state high school football titles. It was fun for them, and us, but they got injuries that they will feel for the rest of their lives. It’s really not worth it.
And this obsession with having high school sports facilities that rival big universities and the pros is ridiculous.
Overnight in the midwest is a see of thousands of trucks making a long haul. And the trucks include mexico and canada.
You’ve always had to offload hopper cars, tankers, or cargo to trucks.
Should we also have floating trucks since ports are distant from consumers?
Thought we had that system now called a ‘railroad’, no cars allowed.
and what the hell do you call fair share,in 94 iquit driving was paying 20k a year in road tax.
You are the only one to see the truth of the matter.
When Eisenhower proposed the Interstate Road System it was for the purposes of COMMERCE AND DEFENSE. Not so someone could get to work quicker or have a nicer vacation.
IIRC the federal gov can declare a state of emergency and close all interstate highways to all but commerce and defense traffic.
Maritime shipping is an even more obvious example of this. It probably costs less to move a ton of cargo 5,000 miles across the ocean than truck it 50 miles up the road. It's all about the economies of scale of the transport mode.
Good to know you’re one of the safe ones!! Keep it between the lines FR friend!!
“Trains should haul, trucks should deliver.”
So basically you want to triple the rail hubs now in operation?
Talk to the people who live near those rail hubs before you wish.
They hate the increased truck traffic, bobtails waiting for the RR to FINALLY get the trailer to the hub, every trucking company needing a nearby storage yard and so forth and so on.
And when gas taxes go up because truck taxes by mile have been reduced, along with the price of everything hauled by train, you can thank the railroads because they WILL be subsidised by your tax dollars.
Its much more complicated than you think.
If rail was the most effective method of transporting goods trucks would never have gotten a foothold.
Considering that the average MPG of a tractor trailer is approx. 6 MPG and state taxes on gasoline are usually earmarked for highway maintenance, I think it's safe to say that the trucking industry is paying at least 4 times more taxes than you.
And since a typical long haul trucker will drive upwards of 100,000 miles per year compared to the annual average of 12,000 miles for a typical car, that's approx. 32 times the amount of taxes a trucker pays on an annual basis than a typical commuter...........
That's hardly getting a free ride...
IIRC the federal gov can declare a state of emergency and close all interstate highways to all but commerce and defense traffic.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = =
I remember going through Connecticut when all this I construction was going on and they were doing extensive work on what is now 95 .... Their posted signs said ‘Road OFFICIALLY Closed’ proceed at your own risk, pay attention etc...or words to that effect)...Good idea, guess it somewhat relieves them of liability in certain cases.
I dont care what you call it as long as you get the damn semi-trucks and poorly (if at all) maintained trailers off the roads where I drive my car!
Make a 3rd or 4th lane for semis only at the far right. Semi trucks mingling with automobile traffic at 75 mph needs to be stopped. More “Truck only” and “Car Only” lanes.
“The truck I drive now is set at 75. A Cat C15, 6NZ version (probably the best combination of power, fuel economy, and reliability that Cat ever made, and is turning close to 600hp as set.)”
HAHAHA!
That made me flash back to the first truck I drove.
A cabover Jimmy with a 120 hp engine and 13 speed tranny.
It got all of 3 mpg.
Ain’t those Nebraska headwinds a hoot?
——Once in the local area it does however need to be distributed.——
Seemingly that point is being missed by many posters....
Being distributed is normally done by truck. Point to point delivery in the long haul is faster, cheaper and easier...
In this world of just now inventory the choo choo is just too slow...
——They will be constantly repairing the truck lanes all the time.——
Not if built with right specs..
“Good idea, guess it somewhat relieves them of liability in certain cases.”
Officially Closed means STAY OFF.
Damage your car......your problem
Die on the road......your problem
The government is completely without risk.
Is it complicated? Hell yes! Toss air freight into the mix and it gets even worse.
“I think it’s safe to say that the trucking industry is paying at least 4 times more taxes than you.”
But it still does not cover the damage trucks do to our roadways. I was stopped on the side of I-680 the other day checking the tie-downs on a small load in my 5x8 utility trailer in an area where the shoulder pavement was so narrow that I had to walk two and from the driver’s seat on the edge of the concrete roadway. I was shocked when an 18 wheeler went by, that the section of the roadway slab I was on jumped perceptibly. I might add that this section of roadway has had some “pavement restoration” recently. So now, i just imagine the when it rains, these individual slabs get water under them, and the truck traffic “pumps the base” causing the slab to ultimately fail. My only point is that all users of the nation’s roadways should pay in proportion to the amount of damage their use causes.
And I am really pi$$ed off here that the State gives EV’s and Hybrids, stickers to allow them free use of HOV lanes and that in the case of the EV’s pay no fuel taxes at all.
So some guy gets a subsidy to buy a Tesla (a luxury vehicle by any standard) and then he gets to drive in on the roadways on electricity on which he pays no road use tax because he doesn’t buy and gasoline where these taxes are imposed. And the real irony is that since most of our electricity comes from burning fossil fuels, these cars are in the net, greater polluters than ordinary IC engined vehicles.
The worst continuous headwind I had to deal with was going from Davenport, IA, to Worthington, MN, back in January 2004. It was strong out of the NW. The gusts were really buffeting the rig, even though I was pulling a feed hopper, and grossing over 79k#. I actually preferred the direct headwinds. It was the times it was hitting me at an angle that made it job to drive. Horrible mileage on that trip.
What made that run even more memorable was the fact that after I unloaded at Worthington, I was turning into the Pilot at Sioux Fall, when the engine ran out of fuel. I coasted to fuel island. Yanked the old filter off. Filled the spare, and put it on. The engine started right up, thank God.
“Is it complicated? Hell yes! Toss air freight into the mix and it gets even worse.”
At least you see the whole spectrum of shipping. Most people just knee jerk scream Get Rid Of Trucks because they inconvenience their vacation or daily commute.
The modern Just In Time inventory system used by most businesses would also have to be revamped to accommodate the truck reduction most people want.
As a former truck driver I wish there had been truck only routes the last few years. Hell, I would have paid reasonable tolls to drive on truck only highways.
Each segment of the transportation bidness has it’s role to play.
On loads that are less time sensitive and are non-perishable rail has a strong hand to play.
On time sensitive and perishable loads trucks rule.
On the few times I picked up a load at a rail yard I found the rail workers arrogant union a@@holes that did a minimum of work.
I’ve pulled meat from the Midwest, produce from the west and south, cheese from Wisconsin, chocolate from PA, you name it and I’ve hauled it.
Even shoes out of Florida.
I’ve hauled government loads where the only thing I knew was the time and place of pick up.
The military escort would give me the route and fuel stops after loading.
It was a hoot and I still miss it.
Yup. Trucks get things from a railhead to a place not along a railway much better than trains. For shipping freight long distaces trains are orders of magnitude more efficient especially when you look at the cost of maintaining a rail line versus an asphalt road for the same weight of freight being carried
Here is a thought.
You try actually researching history and learn about the punitive taxation and regulation heaped upon the rail industry during FDR’s administration designed to make trucks competitive.
Vast ignorance on your part does not in any way invalidate the point I made.
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