Why Is Europe Using 5w-40 Oils So Much?....

[moribundman]

quote:

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quote:Originally posted by moribundman:
I'm guessing now, but I'd say an Autobahn lane is probably almost twice as wide as a US freeway lane.

It is my understanding that the median on the Autobahn isn't nearly as wide as is typical for a US interstate.

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It depends. Often there are just two guardrails with some grass in between. Sometimes there is a hundred meters between both directions. Doesn't matter, though, because you do not drive on the median. I also see more often vehicles that have come across the median and crashed head-on over here in the US. The nice thing is that there is usually enough room in one lane for two cars next to each other if it comes down to it. Same with the federal highways (Bundesstraßen) which have wide lanes.

As for the ramps, I forgot the exact figure, but Autobahn on and off ramps have a minimum lenght. I'd say somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 - 300 m. On the other hand, I know a couple insane on and off ramps in Marin onto 101. Some of those ramps are criss-cross: first the on-ramp, then right away the off ramp with maybe 30 feet of merging lane into unyielding 70 mph traffic.

[ May 17, 2004, 07:21 PM: Message edited by: moribundman ]

 

[brianl703]

quote:

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Originally posted by moribundman:
It depends. Often there are just two guardrails with some grass in between. Sometimes there is a hundred meters between both directions. Doesn't matter, though, because you do not drive on the median.

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No, but on a typical Interstate, one could pave the medians and just put two guardrails (or more likely, jersey wall) between the two sides of the highway and that could allow for wider lanes.

 

[moribundman]

Oh I see your point. I would think that the median was put there with future expansion in mind anyway.