New Travels and Stats Discussion

[Markkos1992]

While I tried hard to avoid bad weather in the Midwest, I overlooked the torrential rains and thunderstorms awaiting me back home late yesterday evening. That made the last 30 miles of my trip really slow and unpleasant.

Yeah, that affected me and the other road enthusiasts that met up with corco and his wife at the Nats game yesterday.  Thankfully no weather issues during the game itself.  However, it literally started raining on me the moment I walked out of the Shady Grove Metro Station around 8 PM so I sheltered at the Royal Farms on Watkins Mill Rd (eventually should be signed as MD 114).

[kjslaughter]

When the roads were first numbered, 101 years ago, the counties/boroughs maintained everything and classification was about how much money they'd get from the national government to look after them (Class I 'A' roads getting more per mile than Class II 'B' roads which in turn get more than other roads - and it's still somewhat the case, though isn't quite the case anymore). As such a very large and dense network formed across the country*, and continued to do so after a limited amount were 'trunked' (ie national government took over the maintenance and improvement of).

Thanks!  That was quite informative.  I know next to nothing about road networks in Europe as cut my teeth looking at Rand McNally Road Atlas of North America growing up.  I just use site to map where I've been and sometimes surprised to find more roads than I expected.