Saturday, January 5, 2013

Useless Information


Did you know:

Semi-trucks travel approximately 1.3 trillion miles on U.S. highways each year hauling around 9 trillion dollars’ worth of products.
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20 comments:

legal stranger said...

Here is more worthless info.
Most semi combinations has 18 wheels and all the wheels turn when the truck is moving.

January 5, 2013 at 12:30 AM
kkdither said...

I just saw on the news that the Mississippi is at extremely low levels... to the point where barge traffic may be impeded. They quoted the tonnage of goods that travel the river. I don't recall the exact numbers, but it was astounding.

The physical possibilities to move the same goods via train or semi was nearly impossible, especially due to the cost factor.

The Army Corps of Engineers are dredging shallow areas and the barge owners are hoping they divert some feeder-river waters to keep traffic flowing.

January 5, 2013 at 9:19 AM
lizardmom said...

I was certain I was going to be a trucker when I 'grew up'. This drive continued thru high school, my senior class project was actually starting my own trucking company. I had my truck picked out and the works. Then Rob came along... it's all good. I live vicariously thru my neighbors' grandson who is a cattle hauler.

January 5, 2013 at 9:46 AM
Toad said...

I would like to see Semi's ONLY for local delivery, otherwise ALL Train, and Ship.

January 5, 2013 at 10:48 AM
Sassa said...

There was a time in an Arizona grade school where a class took on a pen pal from Schneider National carriers. They wrote letters to him and he sent postcards to them. One day he said he would be in the area and he said they could all see his semi, inside and out. They were excited. He cleaned out the whole thing and drove it into the school yard. The kids went through the semii front, where he slept and back where the cargo was. Afterwards the boys all wanted to be drivers and the girls wanted to marry the driver. Pretty funny, huh?

January 5, 2013 at 2:34 PM
kkdither said...

I worked briefly as a customer service representative for a major local company who delivered product via OTR tank wagon. One of the companies we contracted with, brought a brand new stainless truck (all in self promotion) for us to inspect. I had the opportunity to sit behind the wheel. Let me tell you... it was deluxe! I would have loved to put it in gear and tool around a bit!

January 5, 2013 at 5:11 PM
OrbsCorbs said...

I'm not surprised by the statistics. The Interstate system changed America forever.

January 5, 2013 at 6:01 PM
Anonymous said...

Not Racine, we are still isolated from the interstate system. Racine is the only city of 80,000 people in the midwest that is 9 miles from the interstate. It is one of the reasons we lead the state in unemployment every year.


"The Interstate system changed America forever."

January 5, 2013 at 8:56 PM
OrbsCorbs said...

The Internet changed America forever, too, but not Racine. Rinse, repeat.

I've heard of a lakeside freeway between Milwaukee and Chicago since I was a kind in the fifties. Is Interstate 794 that freeway? We're not giving up our cars, just our fuel sources. God Bless America!

January 5, 2013 at 9:36 PM
Anonymous said...

794 is indeed it. Caledonia turned it down in 1992, it would have went just south of Rac/Ken county line past the Case High school rr tracks and connected to Hwy 31.

In the 1960's, it was proposed to go to ILL. Waukegan has a lakeside freeway stub a few miles long built in the 1970's called the Amstutz that ends by Great Lakes that could be another potential link to 794. Sometimes it is used for films like a scene from one of the Batman movies.

Waukegan is much like Racine, they are 7 miles from Hwy 41, they have no ecomonic activity either and about the same population as Racine. Definately a cause and effect of the poor access to the I system. Expect to hear more about this issue soon!

January 6, 2013 at 10:36 AM
Anonymous said...

Orbs,
I forgot to mention Milwaukee County just had DOT finish a study proposing to extend 794 south to Ryan Road in Oak Creek. They have to secure funding, people there are pushing for it. It is estimated to be 10 years out.

Last year Caledonia formed a group looking to connect 794 to the north end of Hwy 31. A good idea, but eventually 31 couldnt handle all the traffic, especially by the mall. The other problem is that 31 has too many stop lights and has too low of a speed limit 35, from MM to south of Durand. It's 45 mph even by busy Hwy 50 in Kenosha.

Since the 1960's regional planners have said there needs to be another main arterial east of I-94 in the Milwaukee-Kenosha corridor, they are absolutely right. Most of the population in both Racine and Kenosha Counties live along the lakeshore. Racine needs better interstate access to grow the tax base.

January 6, 2013 at 11:00 AM
kkdither said...

Thank you for the info, anon. I do recall them wanting to connect 794 and local residents were totally against it. I think I remember signs in yards of those who would potentially lose land or felt that their property would lose value.

They even mentioned using Hwy 31 in the past, but that was shot down too. Now 31 is so built up, it couldn't be done. People just drive at speeds comparable to the interstate instead.

It always grinds me to have to drive 20 minutes west to 94, to go north, then have to go swing back east to get to milwaukee.

No doubt that access has an impact on jobs, income and growth.

January 6, 2013 at 11:01 AM
Anonymous said...

"No doubt that access has an impact on jobs, income and growth."

How true. The north side of Racine has the highest median household income in the metro Racine area at over $51,000. By Regency Mall in 53406, the median hh income level is only $47,000. The north side of town does not have one four lane highway out to I-94.

The other problem is that both 32 and 38 are not 4 lanes between Racine and Milwaukee. No wonder there is no growth here, it is not easy to get here from the west or north, only from Kenosha. Any improvements would take 5 years minimum.

Let's get the ball rolling and work to connect Racine to the global economy.

January 6, 2013 at 3:40 PM
kkdither said...

Remember, we have a leader in state government that is shifting revenue from the state taxes we pay onto local government.

We are caught in a catch -22 in southern Wisconsin because the reduction in manufacturing jobs, our high unemployment, and the poverty in this area has reduced our tax base. We're turning out street lights and cutting services, yet the tax burdens to individuals has not lessened.

Unless we get a genius or very inventive leader, or change how our state is funding our fare city, the future looks bleak. The funding of this type of infrastructure can't be footed by our current tax base.

January 6, 2013 at 4:16 PM
Anonymous said...

A county sales tax would pay the bill. Only a few of WI 72 counties dont have a sales tax, Racine County is one of them. Big projects are normally paid 80% state/ federal.

We have paid a ton of money in gas taxes to the state already, it is time for us to get a return on that investment. Otherwise, Racine will become a mini-Detroit.

January 6, 2013 at 5:45 PM
SER said...

I always thought the “first” pass of the project was to go right along the lake front through Racine; actually right over the top of downtown and the same bitches then as now, to big of loss of property. Back then they didn’t have enough on/off ramps in the plan so people bitched about that, in the same turn as bitching about the loss of property. Then on the south side it would follow Hy31 to Kenosha, from there I don’t know what the plan was.

January 6, 2013 at 5:51 PM
SER said...

Sorry...Hy32 to Kenosha......

January 6, 2013 at 5:52 PM
Anonymous said...

Alot of the north shore right of way is still open down to the ILL line.

January 6, 2013 at 6:01 PM
drewzepmeister said...

The thing is, Caledonia would like to keep things rural around there. Ever notice the No Wal-Mart signs? Personally I like the rural view of Caledonia.

January 6, 2013 at 6:05 PM
Anonymous said...

Caledonia has 26.2 square miles of open space, Racine is only about 16square miles. Caledonia saying no to everything and their 1950's era highways which lead to Racine hurt the economy of the entire area.

January 6, 2013 at 6:42 PM

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