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US Highways: From US 1 to US 830
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NCRoads.com
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Pasquotank County GIS Dept
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NC DOT website
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Topographic maps are 2-D, but portray areas in 3-D with the addition of elevation markers. Other neat surprises were the inclusion of various natural and man-made landmarks on the maps. My Dad used to bring some home occasionally from his work as a geology and environmental science professor. Even cooler were the aerial photos with topographic overlays. Though I enjoyed these maps in my earlier years, I knew that most were obsolete, having last been updated in the 70s or 80s. Nowadays, I get my fun viewing the latest GIS maps and composites, which house many times more information than the old paper maps. Another plus lies in the fact that they are updated at least once a year.
Maps are my hobby and I could never imagine going through life without one. Over the years, I have collected many maps from many states and locales. Being that I study maps a lot, it is no surprise that I also collect them. Whenever I go out-of-state, I make it a point to visit the rest areas and pick up that respective state's map. What do I do? I take it home, study it and then plop it into a bin filled with what else? Naturally, though, I spend a considerable chunk of my time examining the map of my homestate. I keep an archive of these maps, having some from every year since 1993 plus two from 1982-83 and 1988-89 that my parents had kept. Having been involved with these maps for so long has caused me to memorize many of the state's routes, and in doing so, I am also ever vigilant for typos. For the past several years, I have sent letters to the NC DOT alerting them not only to errors, but also to suggestions. Most of my requests were granted. Yes, looking at maps can be boring for most people, but I find it enjoyable! Who knew (on a side note) that my hometown of Elizabeth City, NC hosts four distinct branches of US 17?
I find it interesting that when a new ten mile US 17 Bypass was completed in 1999 west of town, that the original bypass of Hughes Boulevard was not redesignated as an alternate or business route, becoming, in effect, a plain, mainline US 17.
The original US 17 Business route of Ehringhaus and Road Streets, which was by the way, the original US 17 alignment, is still the business route, winding its way through town for about three and a half miles.
This past February of 2006, NC DOT added a new designation where the Elizabeth Street segment of US 158 was multiplexed with a US 17 Alternate Business route which runs for about two miles total west on 158 from the Pasquotank River, up US 17 and ending where US 17 Business merges with the mainline.
Call me a 'mapaholic'. I've kept a trusty Rand McNally North American atlas at my side since 1993. In order that I keep the info fairly up-to-date, I replace them every three years. Hence, I am looking forward to replacing the one in my dorm next in 2008. I use maps to explore distant locales without ever leaving the home, a hobby and an escape from everyday life, if you will. And of course, if I should decide to go for on a roadtrip, well, my extensive studies have always paid off. If you ever need directions to somewhere, consider calling me first! If I don't know off the top of my head, I can consult my atlas and/or my many maps to give you an answer!
*First correction - 2001: This was the year that the state map was finally digitized (albeit still in the same basic format from the 1960s) and as so, in the enormous effort to revamp the map, DOT evidently mislabeled some areas. I made a few observations...
*US 17-158 north of Elizabeth City was 2-lane
*ECSU and US Coast Guard Air Station were not on map
*Lake Drummond in VA was labeled, but not on map
Link to 1st edition 2001 map.
The state took care of the mistakes right away and released a new map under the new governor, Mike Easley.
Link to 2nd edition 2001 map.
*In 2002 no new problems were spotted and I was pleased to see that the state had made some new minor modifications including a mottling fill of the coastal national wildlife preserves and a solid fill of the once outlined national forests.
Link to 2002 map.
*Second correction - 2003: NCDOT goofed again. When the new US 17 Bypass was finally placed on the map, it was not labeled as such. Instead, it was labeled as the mainline US 17 while the mainline US 17 was stripped of its designation and apparently used as US 17 Alt or Bus (as a black-colored route). If it had been kept as the mainline US 17, it would have remained red and the bypass labeled a bypass. Meanwhile, the road north of town was labeled solely as US 158, when it should have been multiplexed as US 17-158.
Link to 2003 map.
*2004 passed without a hitch, except that I suggested eliminating the "Regional Beach Access" captions that so cluttered the beach areas of the map in favor of a more distinct and less space-consuming symbol. And what do you know? They added it to the 2005 map!
Link to 2005 map.
*2005 was the year of reform. (Verbatim below)
March 20, 2005
NC DOT Geographic Information Systems Unit
1587 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1587
To whom it may concern:
I have been viewing every transportation map that the state has
released annually since 1994, and I would like to note an prominent error in
the new 2005 State Transportation Map as well as certain ideas for map
revision.
This year’s map lacks a boundary for the Great Smoky Mountains National
Park. Although the park name is labeled, I am sure that a boundary would help
to call attention to that particular part of the state, especially by out-of-
state travelers who may be attempting to locate it. On previous maps, only a
boundary was present around GSMNP. For the future, I would like to point out
that since national and state forests, state parks and federal wildlife
refuges are currently shaded in, why not our only national park?
On a positive note, though, I would like to say that the insertion of a
Regional Beach Access symbol is a wonderful solution in clearing up the text
clutter along the coast. Since they were in the same font and color as points
of interest, it made singling out a particular point of interest harder. Kudos
for the change!
As for suggested map revisions, the map model has existed in very much
the same form since the 1960s, the only difference being that the map was
digitized in 2001. I am not suggesting a complete overhaul of the format, but
rather, a few scattered improvements that may make the map easier to read and
less cluttered.
Currently, all routes except multilane controlled-access highways are
approximately 1 mm in width. Granted, different colors segregate the highway
classes into importance, but many other maps segregate highway classes not
only by color, but also by width. By decreasing the width of two-lane US
routes to 3/4 mm, two-lane state highways to ½ mm and smaller state routes
to around 1/3 to 1/4 mm while keeping multilane and interstate highways at
their current widths, the primary routes can easily be singled out and a
recognizable route ‘hierarchy’ established. Colors can remain the same.
Decreasing route widths would improve the appearance of the map, making it
appear less cluttered or crowded, especially where several routes converge in a
relatively small area, enter a town or parallel another highway, and offer
greater opportunities for squeezing more local roads on the state map.
The city insets are very vague, lacking both city limits and mileage
figures. I am sure that people would like to know how long it will take to
cross town or where the city starts and the country stops. A better addition
to the insets than a mere city limit-dashed line is a shaded area representing
the actual extent of a city. If another city or suburb exists, adjoining a
city where the city areas are fused on the main map in a large pink blob, it
might be helpful to know where one city ends and the other starts, by use of
color differentiation. While it would be an asset to the main map, it would
serve an even greater purpose on the urban insets. Already, many maps
follow this practice as well as city boundary shading.
I sincerely hope that these suggestions may be beneficial for your
department and future state maps. Thank you for your time and considerations.
Sincerely,
Andrew San Juan
136 Sunny Acres Drive
Elizabeth City, NC 27909
*And what do you know? For 2006, they actually pursued my highway width readjustment suggestion and the one revamping the appearance of the national park. Even though I was a bit disappointed that the state did not revamp the city insets, I have to say that the highway width readjustment suggestion has to have been the largest single impact that I have made on the state's travel map on the 2006 map and beyond.
I can't wait to critique the one for next year!
Link to 2006 map.
TO PHOTO ALBUM
Website ©2006 Andrew San Juan