Quote:
Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright
Guys the lanes are for autonomous freight vehicles. Apparently they will be receiving lots of parts directly from the airport and want to have a ROW for driverless freight vehicles which I don't believe are driving on US roads at this time. If they are going to have that kind of traffic and are trying out autonomous techology, I don't see why it wouldn't make sense. Hell, even once this tech is ready for the masses, it will still make sense to build autonomous Lanes on highways to separate slower human traffic so the autonomous ones can go at high speeds in tight convoys. You can't have a human try to jump in with robots tailgating each other at 100MPH.
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Exactly! They will need five lanes to accommodate this plus the regular expansion, the fifth lane being separate and therefore wider. Plus special on/off ramps at the airport and at KR so the AVs can get to and from their points without affecting normal traffic. I really hope this is being taken seriously by the planners. No half measures. It will take longer than they are saying and cost more, but it can be done.
This is the 21st century I've been waiting for and right in my own backyard!
Still, there is a rail line that runs even more directly between the two. You would think it might be more efficient to add a dedicated set of tracks along that to do this. But that would involve The Canadian Pacific and their unions as well as the FRA and all the government.
But that's Amtrak's line too, so maybe they could do both. High-speed commuter and freight rail and AV highway.
I'm just tripping now!
Mitchell's freight operations are going to have to expand and Amazon is going to want some of that. I can even see Kenosha Regional getting some freight business. Revive that plan from 25 years ago.
Since the freeway reconstruction stopped just north of S/142 in Kenosha, which is right at both Amazon and the north side of the airport, and Uline, they can do that AV lane right to there as well. Trainlines too. Wow!
For all that Mitchell has been trying to lure northern Chicago and Lake County for passengers, the freight operations might be the real key to growth. O'Hare has substantial freight obviously, but they are seriously approaching maximum capacity. If the two states can build out a combination of rail and highway infrastructure along this combined ROW at least up to Rondout/the Edens spur, that can do so much for the regional economy.
If Amazon doesn't choose Milwaukee, I know it's very unlikely, I really hope they pick Chicago. That will benefit the region. Milwaukee will get a piece of that action too.