Baltimore Museum of Industry opens new exhibit

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April 13, 3:41 PM

by Bernie Thomas, Baltimore News and Traffic Examiner

 

 

DID YOU KNOW—potholes were invented circa 1806 as a byproduct of the very first interstate highway? You know it as Route 40 and it was part of “The National Road,” commissioned by federal legislation and signed by Thomas Jefferson.    

DID YOU KNOW—the Baltimore Beltway was—and I use the term loosely—“completed” in 1962 as a 6-lane 36-mile-long circumferential freeway? That it had the ability to transform itself into a parking lot everyday around 5 p.m. was an unexpected surprise to its designers, and now the folks down at SHA are working on a new parking lot that can double as a high-speed HOV lane during rush hour.   

 If these facts were unknown to you, then a trip to the Baltimore Museum of Industry is in order. Take a weekend to check out the new exhibit on road engineering and building. If you like The History Channel, then you’ll really enjoy "100 Years of Modern Road Building.” And while you’re there, look for the Suggestion Box and drop in a note about doing road repair at night and lowering toll rates. Yeah.... That’ll happen.  

Some New Blog Stuff:

 Noteworthy Notes:

IF YOU ARE:

One of those folks who distrust the Internet, and still mail your taxes....

Or if you are one of those folks who procrastinate until the very last minute....

Or, if you owe more of YOUR money and want to hold on to it for as long as possible—Tuesday is tax deadline day. The post office downtown (and others) usually stays open way late. The trick is getting there. Leave early enough to beat the traffic, or use a bike. 

 THE STATE HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION will close I-95/I-495 at Branch Avenue (MD 5) from Saturday night April 19^th, to Sunday morning April 20^th. Crews will close the beltway for approximately 17 hours to set new steel for the bridge at the I-95/MD 5 interchange. If you’re familiar with the area, you won’t have a problem. If you’re not, stay home or bring a map. You’ll thank yourself later. I’ve included a link, but it’s useless since it still reflects the old date for the work (4-2-80), and doesn’t list the alternate routes the press release did. I didn’t want to list all of that here. This is a blog, not a novel. Don’t you just love bureaucracy? www.sha.state.md.us/WebProjectLifeCycle/ProjectSchedule.asp

 Interesting But Useless Traffic Trivia –

After its owner died, Delaware license plate #6 sold at auction for $675,000. Some people have more money than brains.

 Pet Peeves –The Cholesterol Clog: It’s the car in the left lane doing 40, while everyone else is doing 80. These people shouldn’t have a driver’s license, let alone a 2-ton weapon. I have a bunch more, but I’m interested in some of yours, so let’s hear ‘em.

 Bernie’s Law – Similar to Murphy’s Law, but for traffic.

Law#1: During times of high congestion stop & go, the fastest lane will be the one you’re not in.

Make The Best of Traffic Jams – We all end up in them. They’re a fact of life, like one-way streets and parking tickets. How do you use that time? I want to know.

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