Celebrate What is Good

According to Sen. Tom Coburn, Harry Reid's Senate (the greatest deliberative body in the world!) passed some 94% of its legislation without debate or even a roll call.

http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=33079

ziggy wrote:

You aren't interested in making it more difficult for Sherm and his buddies to make a living are you?

Transportation of goods by railroad costs far less per ton mile than by trucks and highways. Let Sherm and his buddies load and unload more railroad cars- and make more short hauls from RR terminals to distribution warehouses and stores, and fewer expensive "long hauls".

So what distance does it become profitable to put a trailer on a rail car and move it for more local deliveries?

ziggy wrote:Did you know that the FHA is looking at building a new I-81, parellel to the existing one- to be designated just for truck traffic?

I-81 or I-95?

ohio county wrote:According to Sen. Tom Coburn, Harry Reid's Senate (the greatest deliberative body in the world!) passed some 94% of its legislation without debate or even a roll call.

http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=33079

I think Ron Paul proposed legislation that would require every single bill be read into the minutes before it could be voted on. I would support something like that in both houses. I would also support doing away with amendments and force a yes or no vote on every one of them.

I would, too, Aaron. I would think that Bob Byrd would, too. Maybe he's been too sick...

Also, I was wrong about Tom Coburn. He delivers babies for free but is still under attack:

http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2008/07/tom-coburn-shame-of-the-senate.html

Dingy Harry's getting pretty desparate.

Aaron wrote:That's fine and dandy Sherm and I agree. But it shouldn't be done on the taxpayers tab. If that service is warranted and there is a market for it, it will pay for itself. The government needs to stay out.

But the Government didn't stay out. That's why they killed/are killing public transit....so we could all have a love affair with the automobile and the oil industry.

Aaron wrote:

ohio county wrote:According to Sen. Tom Coburn, Harry Reid's Senate (the greatest deliberative body in the world!) passed some 94% of its legislation without debate or even a roll call.

http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=33079

I think Ron Paul proposed legislation that would require every single bill be read into the minutes before it could be voted on. I would support something like that in both houses.

He did.

Aaron wrote:

ziggy wrote:Did you know that the FHA is looking at building a new I-81, parellel to the existing one- to be designated just for truck traffic?

I-81 or I-95?

I thought it was I-81. But it could be I-95, or maybe both.

Aaron wrote:

ziggy wrote:

You aren't interested in making it more difficult for Sherm and his buddies to make a living are you?

Transportation of goods by railroad costs far less per ton mile than by trucks and highways. Let Sherm and his buddies load and unload more railroad cars- and make more short hauls from RR terminals to distribution warehouses and stores, and fewer expensive "long hauls".

So what distance does it become profitable to put a trailer on a rail car and move it for more local deliveries?

To the trucking company, with the cost of truck fuel approaching a dollar a mile, that distance is becoming shorter and shorter.

But in the larger scheme of things, including government subsidies to the trucking industry via roads and bridges, and gunboat diplomacy to keep oil flowing, that point has already been passed.

Trains don't run on water Frank.

The distance is most loads over 400 miles, or anything that takes longer then a day to deliver.

And it's 95, which runs from Maine to Miami, right through the heart of Boston, NYC, Philly, DC, Richmond, Jacksonville and into Miami and is the most heavily traveled highway in the US.

81 runs from Knoxville to way up state NY with Syracuse one of the larger cities and has less truck traffic then RT 35 in Putnam and Mason County.

81 runs from Knoxville to way up state NY with Syracuse one of the larger cities and has less truck traffic then RT 35 in Putnam and Mason County.

Oh really?

I don't know diddly about I-81, but I can tell you I am in awe at the number of trucks I see on RT 35! It's a never ending flow of big rigs.

Yes, RT 35 is in top 10 of truck routes in the US. Most freight moving from the mid west into VA, and the Carolina's comes up 77, up 35 and into OH.

I should clarify because that route encompasses 11 miles of 81 (along with 77 just east of Fort Chiswell to Wythville) so overall, 35 may not have more trucks on it then 81 does, but that corridor carries more traffic then the 81 corridor does.

81 runs from Knoxville to way up state NY with Syracuse one of the larger cities and has less truck traffic then RT 35 in Putnam and Mason County.

RT 35 is amazing in the sheer number of trucks that use it.

That being said, parts of I-81 can beat it. You may not know it, but the bit through the E. Panhandle has some HIGH truck traffic and is also a main corridor for passenger vehicles around Martinsburg.

BTW, I-81 goes THROUGH upstate NY, all the way to the Ontario border. The two bridges into Canada are pretty awesome.

I've been, Terry, and you are quite correct. I really miss that part of the country. A 16 hour car ride fits neither my budget nor my kids' attention spans.

81 has more vehicles but that because it encompases about 900 miles of roadway vs. the 100 of RT 35 that I am referring to (Winfield to Chillocothe) which, per mile, carries much more truck traffic.

Routing corridors, 35 belongs to one of the top 10 corridors in the counrty. 11 miles of 81 does as well, but the rest of it doesn't.

Going back to Frank's statement, there have been calls for truck only interstates that run along 95.

ziggy wrote:

Aaron wrote:

ziggy wrote:Did you know that the FHA is looking at building a new I-81, parellel to the existing one- to be designated just for truck traffic?

I-81 or I-95?

I thought it was I-81. But it could be I-95, or maybe both.

I assume that was a typo error, ...... but anyway, ....... that would be a "magic trick" for sure, ....... no matter what Agency was thinking about doing it.


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Aaron wrote:81 has more vehicles but that because it encompases about 900 miles of roadway vs. the 100 of RT 35 that I am referring to (Winfield to Chillocothe) which, per mile, carries much more truck traffic.

Aaron, is that based on ..... truck counts per hour, ..... per day, ..... per week, ... or what?

Maybe that 100 miles of Rt 35 is just a "bottleneck" due to all the private vehicles that slow down the truck traffic.

By the way Aaron, have you ever traveled that 100 miles of I-40 between Winston-Salem and Raleigh-Durham?


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I think it's per day Sam but I couldn't swear to it.

I know what a bottleneck is but I'm not sure what you mean by it in regard to a truck count. Counts are done electronically.

And yes, I've traveled I-40. Most of that truck traffic is either heading to or coming from the mid-west and traveled Rt. 35.

Well Aaron, if all those other routes, ..... I-40, I-81, I-95, .... are feeding into and out from I-77, ....... and I-77 is feeding into or out from RT 35, ....... then RT 35 can't be carrying very much more truck traffic than I-77, ...... can it?

Especially I-77 in the Beckley area prior to the RT 19 junction .... which funnels a boatload of truck traffic toward the I-79 Intersection at Coon Knob.

When ya get a traffic "bottleneck" you don't increase the flow, ...... ya just increase the pressure.

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I-77 is part of the 'corridor' that I'm referring to Sam.

81 has more vehicles but that because it encompases about 900 miles of roadway vs. the 100 of RT 35 that I am referring to (Winfield to Chillocothe) which, per mile, carries much more truck traffic.

Except I was only talking about 40 miles of it [I-81] around Martinsburg.

Sure not all of the traffic is local, but you said yourself that trucks headed to the mid-west use Rt. 35.

Regardless, part of the Rt. 35 problem should improve. Aren't they putting in some kind of four-lane cut-off?

I see them working on it when I go to Winfield.

Yes, WV is finally working on getting our section of Rt 35 up to 4 lanes. That won't reduce the number of trucks though and the 95 mile section of 35 from I-64 will carry more truck traffic then the 41 mile stretch of 81 around Martinsburg.

If I'm not mistaken, the most traveled part of 81 is the 11 miles from Fort Chiswell to Wytheville which is part of two traffic corridors and that is why over those 11 miles there are 4 exits and at least 12 truck stops.

Aaron wrote:If I'm not mistaken, the most traveled part of 81 is the 11 miles from Fort Chiswell to Wytheville which is part of two traffic corridors and that is why over those 11 miles there are 4 exits and at least 12 truck stops.

And my favorite is the "Iron Skillet" restaurant.



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