Pennsylvania Highways Blog

Route 2.0 Meets Web 2.0

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:24:00 -0400

There is a lot of talk the days about the newest revolution on the Internet: Social Networking. It started with this blog which I use to write not just about the roads across the Commonwealth, but musings about Pennsylvania. However, other means of social networking have come along since blogs were all the rage. I began to think how these new tools could benefit Pennsylvania Highways. So today, the ninth anniversary of when I purchased the pahighways.com domain, I created a couple new avenues of communication.

Twitter
The new cultural buzz-word. Everyone seems to be Twittering, from Oprah to Senator John McCain. I've seen other Twitter pages such as CNN's and the Washington State Department of Transportation's and thought how it could work for my site. PennDOT and the PTC do have a system where people can receive text messages; however, it doesn't have the immediacy of a Twitter post. So using the WSDOT "template" I created an account that will be used for news items pertaining to the highway system from the respective agencies that oversee them.

http://twitter.com/pahighways

Facebook
Another phenomenon that seems to have come out of nowhere and taken the Internet by storm is Facebook. It seems that everyone from 9 to 90 has a Facebook page, even people's pets! So I figured why not create a Pennsylvania Highways presence on this platform as well. The page will be used to share news articles as well announcements of upcoming road enthusiast meets and other events.

http://www.facebook.com/pahighways

YouTube
No doubt you have spent time on this site, probably at work trying not to get caught by the boss while watching a clip of a skateboarding bulldog. YouTube is nothing new to the road enthusiast community as others have been taping their journeys and uploading them to this popular website. So now Pennsylvania Highways has entered the fray, but trying to find its niche will take a little longer than it took to get the page set up. One issue is that PennDOT has saved me the work by going ahead and videotaping all state routes. Another issue is that I need a newer videocamera than my family's circa 1991 Panasonic camcorder that is as big as a half loaf of bread, or just buy the A/V dongle from Hauppauge so I can record the video from it onto my computer's hard drive. Basically this idea is still on the burner.

http://www.youtube.com/pahighways

Route 2.0 Again Meets Web 2.0

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:21:40 -0500

Last April, I created new avenues of communication with three of the most used social networking sites on the Internet today. So far the Twitter account has 678 followers, the Facebook page has 282 fans, and the YouTube channel has 14 subscribers. Today I created a Pennsylvania Highways presence on three more social networking platforms that will hopefully have the same success as the first three.

Vimeo
Everyone knows YouTube, but not everyone has heard of this service. The difference between the two services is that this one provides high bit rates, resolutions, and full HD support. It has gained a reputation for catering to an artistic crowd because of these attributes, so I will use this to showcase special videos. However, I still have the problem as with the YouTube Channel in that I need a new, modern camcorder. Basically this idea is still on the burner as well.

http://www.vimeo.com/pahighways

Delicious
Social networking has been around much longer with such sites as this which has been around since 2003 when it was known as Del.icio.us. Social bookmarking is one facet where people can share items just like on any other platform. Up to now, I had been putting any road-related news articles on the Facebook fan page so this will take over that job and make the Facebook page a lot cleaner.

http://delicious.com/pahighways

Tumblr
A buzzword that has been flying around the Web 2.0 world is microblogging. It is just a short-form version of blogging with content that is shorter. Twitter is an example of microblogging, but it has one drawback: 140 character limit on entries. Twitter is a good service for spreading the word about traffic or construction, but this service allows for entries that are not limited to a specific number of characters. The one drawback of this blog is that it isn't accessible from mobile devices. Tumblr is, which is good for a website whose subject is roads and travel so this will be the mobile blogging platform for Pennsylvania Highways. It will provide a channel for field reporting.

http://pahighways.tumblr.com/

We're Number 1! Yet Again!

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:10:00 -0500

It is that time of the year that is commonly referred to as the holiday let down. That period in the calendar when we go from ushering in a new year to hiding eggs. People start looking forward to the Summer and vacation time it will bring.

It is also that time of the year when the trucking industry magazine, Overdrive, releases the results of their latest "Worst Roads" survey. For most of the 1990s, Pennsylvania held the dubious distinction of "Worst Roads" in the United States. The state's fortunes began to change in the late 1990s when Pennsylvania slid down to second place. For the past decade, the number one slot has been relinquished to newcomers such as Arkansas and Louisiana but Pennsylvania has taken the top, or bottom, billing 13 out of 19 years the survey has been conducted and takes it again in 2009. I find this distinction particularly amusing this year, considering all of the structurally deficient bridges that are being replaced or rehabilitated thanks to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In fact, a Congressional committee named Pennsylvania as the top-ranked large state, third overall, for starting and completing projects funded by the ARRA.

The states are not just judged by the conditions of their highway systems, but other things related to truck traffic. Interstate 80 still retains the title of "Most Improved Road" from last year, but in 2008 it was second under "Best Highway Segment" and forth under "Worst Highway Segment." Pennsylvania still retains third place, but shares it with Maryland this year, for "Toughest on Truck Inspections and Law Enforcement." The strangest change is our truck stops have gone from third best to being tied with California and New York for third worst. Now that's some swing!

You're probably wondering how something like that, or the aforementioned I-80 ranking, or the one year Pennsylvania was second under "Worst Roads" and fifth under "Best Roads" can happen. As I learned from an editor with Overdrive, when the votes are tallied, instead of averaging the good and bad, the good and bad are separated then averaged.

Unfortunately no shout out this year for me or the website, which is just as well since Pennsylvania highways (the ones made of concrete and asphalt) are back on top, or bottom.

The Good, The Bad, The Better - Overdrive

Pittsburgh is Number One! Again!

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Wed, 02 May 2007 21:58:00 -0400

It has been 22 years since the last time Pittsburgh was named the “Most Livable City” by the “Places Rated Almanac.”

Let me put that in some perspective. The last time it was given this designation, a Republican was in the White House, people were talking about competing video formats and wondering which to buy, and MTV played music videos. Well, as Meatloaf said, “two out of three ain’t bad.” Let’s put it another way, the last time Pittsburgh was number one, the mayor was five!

The ranking was devised through several categories: housing affordability (cost of living), transportation, jobs, education, climate, crime, health care, recreation, and ambiance (museums, performing arts, restaurants and historical districts).

I can see housing costs, after all it was only in the past few years that housing crested the $100K mark. Education since there are about 20-30 colleges and universities within a 50 mile radius of the city, crime is relatively low for the size of the city, health care with UPMC and other hospitals in Oakland, recreation with it sitting right next to the Laurel Highlands and the rivers, and ambiance which will increase once Mellon Arena 2 or whatever it’s called, opens will add to that ranking. However, the others I can’t understand. Transportation is limping along especially with the Port Authority hemorrhaging money and job creation is lackluster with the exception of Google that opened at Carnegie Mellon University. Then there is the climate of which we were in the deep freeze for most of April, but basking in 60-degree temperatures in December.

For all the pros and cons it has, Pittsburgh is a decent city. It’s not too big and it’s not too small, like Baby Bear’s bed in “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.”

Pittsburgh Rated "Most Livable" Once Again - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pennsylvania Highways v0.1

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:21:00 -0500

Let me tell you kids about the good ol' days as some folks like to call them. Back in the day, human knowledge was published into "books" which were like Websites. These "books" were similar to a Kindle, iPad, or Slate, but were comprised of "paper" rather than microchips and didn't require being recharged every other day nor a WiFi or cellular connection.

In this simpler time, a simpler "superhighway" comprised of asphalt and concrete rather than fiber optics and routers was being built to accommodate the automobile and to connect the farthest reaches of the country with the other farthest reaches. In the early days of the highway system, there were no signs nor maps and of course GPS devices wouldn't be available at the local Sears, Roebuck and Company for about another eight decades.

Associations formed around the United States to solve the problems that early travelers faced on unmarked and unnumbered trails by marking continuous routes by names such as the Lincoln Highway and the Yellowstone Trail. States saw what these groups were doing and decided to take matters into their own hands and begin marking those routes by numbers rather than names. Pennsylvania was one of the first to number main highways in 1925 and to assign a single designation to cross-state routes. To spread the word amongst the traveling public about these routes and help tourism across the Commonwealth, PennDOT's predecessor the Department of Highways published a booklet in 1927 entitled Pennsylvania Highways.

I didn't know about this publication when I named the Website, which was originally entitled Pennsylvania Highways and Byways. My uncle, who lives in what would have been the path of the North-South Parkway or what was commonly referred to as the "New 48," found this gem on eBay about 80 years after it was printed and gave it to me as a birthday present.

The booklet begins with a message about being the keystone of highway system from Governor John S. Fisher and one about the highway program from Secretary of Highways, James Lyall Stuart. Further articles talked about the Pennsylvania Highway Patrol (State Police), how motorists benefit from maintenance from the Department of Highways Chief Engineer, and even one on the highways of Pennsylvania from the perspective of a woman. One article that stood out was from the President of the Pennsylvania Motor [AAA] Federation Richard C. Haldeman, who proclaimed in the title, "Pennsylvania Has Best Highway System in America."

Much like the modern electronic version, the booklet contains descriptions of the routes under the State's jurisdiction as well as pictures from various points along those routes. The routes that were covered were:

PA 1 - Lincoln Highway
PA 2 - Lackawanna Trail
PA 3 - William Penn Highway
PA 4 - Susquehanna Trail
PA 5 - Lakes to Sea Highway
PA 6 - Old Monument Trail
PA 7 - Roosevelt Highway
PA 8 - William Flinn Highway
PA 9 - Yellowstone Trail
PA 10 - Buffalo-Pittsburgh Highway
PA 11 - National Pike
PA 12 - Baltimore Pike
PA 13 - Harrisburg to Maryland State Line via Carlisle
PA 17 - Benjamin Franklin Highway
PA 19 - Lewistown to Narrowsburg, via Wilkes-Barre and Scranton
PA 24 - Harrisburg to the Maryland Line, through Gettysburg and Emmittsburg
PA 41 - Harrisburg to Lancaster
PA 44 - Buchanan Trail
PA 64 - From State Line, North of Cumberland, Maryland to Susquehanna Trail, South of Lawrenceville
PA 88 - Perry Highway

A map section in the middle shows these primary routes as well as others that were signed. It was noted on the map section for the central part of the state that the gold on blue route shields could be found painted on telephone or telegraph poles.

Since the highway system was still a work in progress, an explanation of "DETOUR" and "TEMPORARY" routes is included. Depictions of various signs that one would find along the roadways of the Commonwealth peppered the booklet to let motorists what they'd find to help them navigate the still burgeoning highway system. It is interesting that signs for things such as speed limits and passing zones were the same shape as the keystone markers that were installed at the entrances to towns.

Of course there were no Interstates or toll roads, or even US routes for that matter. The reason can be found in the map section:

The numbers assigned transcontinental highways by the Joint Board named by the Secretary of Agriculture will not be used on Pennsylvania Highways in 1927. Until a final decision has been made on all routes and the decision is accepted by the Pennsylvania Department of Highways, the markings will not be found on Pennsylvania highways or officially recognized by the Pennsylvania Department of Highways.

I guess that decision came quickly because US routes would appear on the 1928 Department of Highways map.

The tourism component was provided by pieces on the historic sights listed by county with specific historical points such as Lake Erie and President James Buchanan's Birth Place written about in greater depth. Listings of state parks and tourist camp sites were provided for those who wanted to enjoy the great outdoors. Directions between cities were provided by either means of a direct route and one or several alternate routes as well as noting if the routes were improved or not. Even directions to out-of-state destinations such as New England and Florida were also included. The last part of the booklet was written by Benjamin G. Eynon, Registrar of Motor Vehicles who explained its function as well as providing information on titles, plates, required equipment for cars, and rules of the road. The final page has a list, with pictures, of flowers that may be found along Pennsylvania's highways detailing which should not be picked and which may be picked in case anyone wanted to remember their journey via horticulture.

It's always interesting to find gems like this that detail transportation in a long-ago era and to see the more things change, the more they stay the same. Next kids, I'll tell you a fantastic story of when MTV played music videos and The Weather Channel broadcast weather reports!

The Commonwealth of Champions

nospam@example.com (Webmaster) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:47:00 -0400

How appropriate is it that Super Bowl 43 is won by the team from the city where PA Turnpike 43 will end...someday...hopefully. Many will debate whether this was the best Super Bowl of all time, maybe it was and maybe it wasn't. I would say it was, but then again I am partial because my team won. Although, I would have much rather seen that 20-7 score last until the game clock read all zeros instead of the roller coaster ending.

Congratulations goes to the team, staff, and especially Dan Rooney and Art Rooney II, both of whom I have had the chance to meet. Art II was the commencement speaker at my college graduation which is also the summer home of the now six-time Super Bowl Champion Steelers. They were only four-time champions when I attended and lived in the dorm named after the family.

The win gave the team that was the "first to win three" and "first to win four" the title of "first to win six." Not only that, but Mike Tomlin becomes the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl and did it sooner than his predecessors Bill Cowher and the great Chuck Noll who delivered two-thirds of the total.

Unfortunately, we were denied a chance for a "Turnpike Bowl" when the Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. I congratulate them for a great game and also Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt and Assistant Head Coach Russ Grimm (both former Steelers coaches) for what they have done with that organization. I would have rooted for Arizona if they were playing anyone but Pittsburgh.

Only four months removed from that celebration, the Penguins stepped up to the challenge. The 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs saw them take on their rivals from the other end of the Turnpike, the Flyers, then the Washington Capitals, and the Carolina Hurricanes to win the Eastern Conference for the second year in a row. However, it was déjà vu all over again when they went on to face the Detroit Red Wings who knocked them out on home ice to win the Cup in 2008.

No one figured this team to make it into the playoffs, let alone to the Cup Finals, as they manged to fall five points out of the playoff hunt until a little-known coach by the name of Dan Bylsma was hired to right the ship. Some way, some how, he managed to unite the "young bucks" and the "old hands" for a common goal (no pun intended). While this year's series began the same way, with the Wings up 2-0, the end was much different. The Pens became the first visiting team to win a decisive Game 7 in one of the four North American major professional sports leagues since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates. It provided a little payback as the Pens hoisted the Stanley Cup at the Joe Louis Arena.

Pittsburgh became the first city to win a Super Bowl and Stanley Cup in the same calendar year, Dan Bylsma became the second rookie head coach to win a Cup, and the team was the first since the 2004 Tampa Bay Lightning to come from down two games to win the series. While this was playing out in Detroit, the Hershey Bears of the AHL were winning the Calder Cup in Winnipeg. To steal a line from "Badger" Bob Johnson, who led the Pens to their first Cup win, "It's [was] a great day for hockey [in the Commonwealth]!"

So in three-quarters of a year, Pennsylvania can lay claim to the 2008 World Series Champions, the 2008 Super Bowl Champions, and now the 2008-2009 Stanley Cup Champions. Going back a year, the 2008 Arena Bowl Champions in the Philadelphia Soul. So who is next in the Commonwealth?