Heading South? Deadly Routes ID’d, More $$ for Truck Parking

NEW YORK, NY and WICHITA, KS — If you are going to be doing a little or a lot of trucking south of the border, there is bad news when it comes to traffic and your safety, while there is better news when it comes to finding places to rest your weary head.

Thrillist.com recently published its list of “The Worst Damn Freeways in America.”

And if you think this is nothing more than a sophomoric attempt at humor it isn’t, despite some biting remarks in the story. In fact, the factors going into this list just aren’t based on how much you needlessly waste your time in traffic, but it also includes road conditions and the chances you’ll meet the Grim Reaper in your travels.

All this was boiled down into what Thrillist calles the Total Horribleness Index. The data that used wasn’t just something their writers dreamed up, rather, is mainly based on U.S. government figures.

Among this ranking of the worst 12 freeways you will find sections of routes in the East, such as Interstate 95, all the way to those in the West, such as I-405.

Here’s what the story had to say about in the middle of the U.S., the heavily traveled I-35 in Austin, TX:

“Worst aspect: All you need to know about the horrors of I-35 as it goes through Austin is this: it’s so bad that America’s fastest highway — the State Highway 130 toll road, with speed limits up to 85mph — was built purely so people could fly past Austin’s traffic nightmare as quickly as possible.

“What people are saying: “Heading south into Downtown Austin, the 200 yards before the split between the lower and upper deck, is one of the single worst places in the state of Texas. You will invariably become stuck between two semis, an oversized pick-up truck, and a Corolla that is defying science by continuing to run, even though its oil hasn’t been changed since the Bush administration. You will invariably fail to Frogger your way out of the upper-deck lanes, which are the equivalent of entering a 20-minute holding cell, where you’ll have ample opportunity to ponder just how weird Chick-fil-A’s advertising campaign is and how much longer its creative team will be able to milk those two cows for new concepts.” Dan Gentile, an Austin, TX-based writer and photographer.

See the entire rundown and the reasons why each route is rated one of the worst from Thrillist.com. It might even make you want to change your travel plans.

More Truck Parking Info on the Way

Meantime, on a more positive note for truckers, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx recently announced that the Department of Transportation will provide US$25 million for the Regional Truck Parking Information and Management System across eight states, including Kansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

“The project will help improve trucker safety and help make the U.S. transportation system the safest in the world,” FHWA Administrator Gregory Nadeau, who was in Wichita, KS for the announcement. “Through innovative technology, this multi-state project will help truckers find up-to-date information on available parking so they can rest safely.”

The money will go toward implementing a regional truck parking information and management system with existing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology on major freight routes in these  Midwestern states. The information will be disseminated through smartphone applications, dynamic road signage, websites and parking facilities, according to the department.

 


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