I-10 to be widened

[reednavy]

Well, finally, someone at FDOT must have heard the complaints. I-10 will be widened from 4 to 6 lanes from Halsema RD overpass to I-295. This should've been done at the same time the new interchange is being built if you ask me, two birds with one stone. Unfortunately, this will not be done until 2012! Way to plan ahead.

[Ocklawaha]

This is good news to west-siders Reed Navy. I grew up over there when the roar of power from the local air bases was BEARCAT FIGHTERS warming up their huge piston engines over at Cecil or NAS.

I even got to watch one with engine trouble barely make it over the fence at NAS JAX. He was a few hundred feet south of the runway, coming in over Yukon. He got my attention both by the popping sound in his aircraft and the weird position he was in rather then the runway line-up. As I recall his big wheels cleared that top barb wire by mere inches. His rate of decent was very close to that of a rock. As we drove up, we saw him being lifted out of the cockpit not more then 200 feet inside the fence --- kind of obvious the "roll out" must have been a real SOB!

Speaking of bad roll outs and short runways, Jacksonville Transportation Authority continues to plan and build highways "AS IF" each and every project was a nation unto itself. No connectivity, no planning - through the projects.
The way I see my old West Side stomping grounds, (ALL ON I-10): from the BIG I interchange with I-95 to the Roosevelt Cut-Off 12 lanes. From Roosevelt Cut off to I-295 10 lanes, from I-295 to Brannon Chaffee Expressway 8 lanes, from Brannon Chaffee (I-795)  to 301 in Baldwin, 6 lanes. Beyond Baldwin? How about a ramp and exit to an Amtrak Station with a large Park and Ride lot?

Dream on! Maybe if they'll hire me as a consultant - but no, then I couldn't call them like I see them. We always seem to just clear the top wire on the fence. BARELY!

OCKLAWAHA

[tufsu1]

its not like they just magically figured it out...the project has been progressing for over a decade....but it got delayed in 2007 because cost estimates went up and not all of the $ was available.

[thelakelander]

Ock, the Outer Beltway will not be I-795.  9B is/was intended to be 795.  The Outer Beltway is a separate project.

[tufsu1]

and there's also the fact that JTA has nothing to do with the planning of I-10, I-295, or the Outer Beltwayt (Branan Field/Chaffe)....that's all FDOT

[heights unknown]

I was also wondering, years ago, when this would happen; it's about time being that they are adding more exits, interchanges, etc. at the I-10 and I-95 convergence.

Heights Unknown

[heights unknown]

Bearcat Fighters?  How old are you Ock?  I came along (stationed at Cecil) when there was A-7's and S-2's there.  When I retired Cecil had A-18's and S-3's.

Heights Unknown

[Charles Hunter]

Ock was at Kitty Hawk. 



Not the aircraft carrier.

[Ocklawaha]

Ock, the Outer Beltway will not be I-795.  9B is/was intended to be 795.  The Outer Beltway is a separate project.

Yeah, I didn't carry that thought through. The I-795 portion is South of 9-A/295 --- However the Brannon Chaffee West Side Beltway is also connected to the interstate highway system. In fact there is another whole new tier of Interstates planned to further distroy the rural roads, farmland and railroad... OH I'm Sorry, I mean to further help our economic situation soar.

Keep a CLOSE watch on



Click on:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&t=h&msid=102188346828886018742.000460b9d47d430114ca3&ll=35.924645,-83.759766&spn=11.307715,28.432617&z=5

OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

Bearcat Fighters?  How old are you Ock?  I came along (stationed at Cecil) when there was A-7's and S-2's there.  When I retired Cecil had A-18's and S-3's.

Heights Unknown

One last BEARCAT for these kids that don't know what the hell we're talking about... Then moving to more recent memories.

Old enough I guess... Though I am blessed with many "snap shot" memories which are said to be from a VERY young age, the roar I heard was probably the Bearcats. I remember them droning - a sort of super powered distant roar heard in Ortega's bedrooms. I was probably about 2 when the last of them went off into storage in the summer of 56. Then of course there were the Kingfishers and Skyraiders.


The Skyraiders hung around until the end of Vietnam... Early 1970's. The Navy and Marines then transfered them to the Air Force! Odd because they were so well suited to close ground support, with lower overall speeds. Jet's are great for smart bombs - hit hard and run like hell missions, but the old props could stay on station making tight circles like a swarm of angry wasps - and stinging the hell out of anything stupid enough to be seen. In the end it wasn't speed of "antique" that did them in, it was: "power to weight to fuel ratios" Props just can't beat the economics of jets.


These sweet babys lasted until 1962. The fact that they were on the design boards in their first version just prior to WWII and lasted THAT long, makes them the worlds longest production military aircraft. I have NEVER met a veteran of any war fought with these grand old birds that didn't love them. In fact, even the Japanese High Command at the end of the war wanted to tour the Corsair as it had gained their respect as the "Most deadly aircraft you ever flew against us."
Even today, a large number of corsairs are still airworthy all over the world.


How could anyone hate a plane called an OSU? Oop's my bad, I mean an OS-2-U, Kingfisher. These long lived birds went under lots of incarnations including for the Coast Guard. But for long range - long time on station patrol, my money is still on the blimps. BRING THEM BACK OBAMA!

Here's why:

Let's say a Soviet October Class Sub, sold to Iran (they have a few) has a problem off the US coast a few hundred miles. They can't dive, so they putter along at top surface speed. While it's true the "eye in the sky" can watch from a long distance. If you REALLY want to know what their up to, you send in the planes. A few passes and it's time to return to base. Did you know some high tech interceptors only have a flight-fuel time of 20 minutes? TRUE! So you send out the helicopters, cool but within a few hours they too are back for more fuel. 400+ miles out to station, and 400+ miles back and God knows where these nuts in their sub have gone??? GOT BLIMP? She goes up and sits on their heads, minutes on station - hours on station - days on station - weeks on station... You can't get rid of the damn things. Ask any submariners how many ships were lost to submarines in ALL OF THE WARS, on ALL SIDES, when protected by blimps? Answer? ZERO!

In case anyone thinks I'm dreaming check out this RECENT photo - Uh... What flag is the ship flying?



So yep, old enough to remember the good old prop planes - and when Delta Airlines had a slogan that they were the Airlines with "The Big Jets".

OCKLAWAHA

[Charles Hunter]

Ock, what is the source information for the "I-22" map you drew in Googlemaps?  There are some online sources about I-22, but only from Memphis to Birmingham.
http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-022.html

I remember seeing something like that about the whole Kansan City (or St. Louis) to Jacksonville some 20 years ago, but have seen nothing recently.  My creaky memory seems to tell me this was to be a multi-modal corridor - with High Speed Rail, pipelines, telecommunication lines, etc.

[Ocklawaha]

Ock, what is the source information for the "I-22" map you drew in Googlemaps?  There are some online sources about I-22, but only from Memphis to Birmingham.
http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-022.html

I remember seeing something like that about the whole Kansan City (or St. Louis) to Jacksonville some 20 years ago, but have seen nothing recently.  My creaky memory seems to tell me this was to be a multi-modal corridor - with High Speed Rail, pipelines, telecommunication lines, etc.

You are right Charles. This was the "INTERSTATE THAT NEVER WAS". A good idea from a Market to Port point of view. Springfield - Kansas City are within a days drive of about 80% of the entire worlds grain crops. Jacksonville on the other hand is on the East Coast, Atlantic Ocean but so far west that we are under CLEVELAND not New York. The rail corridor is served by the Norfolk Southern - Burlington Northern Santa Fe, pipelines from across the nation meet at Cushing Oklahoma, about 1/2 way between Tulsa and OKC so it's easy to imagine a link to the corridor. This wouldn't have to be a grand highway that eats all - in fact most of the route would do great with 4 lanes. Maybe 6 from Jax-Birmingham or at least Valdosta.

Your memory is correct, I first heard of this in a huge Times Union Spread on the new corridor to the port. Then NOTHING for years and years. But I recall it being a pact done by the states themselves, typical Dixie stuff like "Ifin y'all ain't gonna build it, then by golly we will!" My family farm land is around West Plains Missouri and Northeast Arkansas, so I REALLY noticed about 20 years ago when old US62 started getting blasted into a full blown freeway. Arkansas started work around Jonesboro, and Tennessee and Mississippi around Memphis. Suddenly Alabama was talking about routes to Columbus and ways THROUGH Birmingham. HUM? The latest I've heard is Savannah has been picked by Georgia as a terminus, yet Albany-Moultree-Valdosta are about to bust soil on their segment of the Columbus - Jax route.

This thing has been VERY HUSHED but I'd bet a carload of PEYTONS that everything from the sudden "highway Interests" North and West of the port, to the Western Beltway, Brannon Chaffee, as well as little Billion Dollar investments like WESTLAKE are all connected to a future I-22. Like 9-A it won't be named until the last spade of soil is tamped in place. That's why I said WATCH I-22.

OCKLAWAHA

[tufsu1]

I can tell you that I've never seen anything like the I-22 alignment shown by Ock....now there is a Georgia DOT study currently udnerway to evaluate a potential interstate facility in SW Georgia.

[thelakelander]

I've driven on the stretch between Birmingham and Memphis, but I've never seen or heard of an extension to Jax.  However, if a major highway had to be built, I'd favor something like that over the Outer Beltway. 

[Charles Hunter]

Well, if the private sector sees a potential profit in it, there will be an "I-22" - but it will be a tollway, just like the local outer beltway.