MidlandMike I believe the access roads on the north side of the highway, on both sides of the bridge are maintained by BNSF for their own use, and would not want the liability of some one else traveling on their access road. They might have exclusive easement, and I do not see any implied right for a private vehicle to travel on that road. Along the highway, as I have said before, cars could use the shoulders as a breakdown lane, and I don't think anyone cares if you just stop to eat your lunch. BNSF might not care if you walked along the top of the embankment well above their access road. However, if you were smoking, and a rancher saw you, you should expect a confrontation, as he sees you as a brush fire threat. Looking at Streetview, I see that the Google car was the only one on the highway as far as you can see for miles. It looks like for much of the time you could stop on the bridge to take your picture.
I believe the access roads on the north side of the highway, on both sides of the bridge are maintained by BNSF for their own use, and would not want the liability of some one else traveling on their access road. They might have exclusive easement, and I do not see any implied right for a private vehicle to travel on that road.
Along the highway, as I have said before, cars could use the shoulders as a breakdown lane, and I don't think anyone cares if you just stop to eat your lunch. BNSF might not care if you walked along the top of the embankment well above their access road. However, if you were smoking, and a rancher saw you, you should expect a confrontation, as he sees you as a brush fire threat.
Looking at Streetview, I see that the Google car was the only one on the highway as far as you can see for miles. It looks like for much of the time you could stop on the bridge to take your picture.
I'm pleased that you agree with my basic point that it is probably acceptable to all parties to take photos from embankment on the non road side. Even if few vehicles use the road they are likely to be travelling at high speed and I'd prefer to have the Armco between me and the traffic. I have never smoked in my life and don't plan to start now, so setting brush fires never entered my mind.
However, the only places to park clear of traffic would appear to be on the BNSF access roads, since the Armco barriers prevent access to the shoulders of the main road. It appears that KP used these points to take his photographs.
The reason I think that the fences would have been put in by the highway authorities is that it appears that Route 60 was relocated as part of the additional track construction, having previously crossed the single track at grade some distance to the east. I would expect that new fences in such a relocation would be provided as part of the compensation for lost grazing land.
My link above does work, and as a non user of street view in general, I tried it on my Golden Highway bridge. If you click in the centre of the ghostly road map as it crosses the track and not on the long disappeared bridge in the aerial view, a street view from the current bridge appears showing all three tracks, totally unrelated to the aerial view from years ago. There are cars ahead, behind and on the opposite lane to the Google car, which is why I try to avoid the roadway there..
M636C
M636C, Google Earth historical images shows that US 60 was in its present alignment in the earliest image dated 1991, long befor the canyon double tracking. The possibly older alignment to the east crosses under the tracks, rather than at grade. Older topo maps show that the track was already double track at that point.
http://www.mytopo.com/maps/?lat=34.4315&lon=-106.4454&z=15
On Google Earth I don't see any change in the ROW fencing pattern to indicate any realignment might have had its own new fence. Furthermore, not all western highways are fenced. There are areas of open range, where cattle can roam freely over the highway. Road signs give warning to the start of open range. Where the last fence line bordering the open range crosses the road, there will be a gap in the pavement, spanned by a grate like structure that cattle are afraid to cross.
Cattle guards? They are in the wild, wild South as well. I have seen some that are simply lines that were painted across the highway ramps--apparently cattle think that they are guards that will let hooves drop down if hoofed animals try to cross them.
I was introduced to them when I was five years old, and we were visiting relatives in Virginia. We arrived in Dinwiddie early, early in the morning, and someone met our train. On the way to my great-aunt's home, I heard the rattle as we went over one and asked my mother what it was--and she told me that it was a cattle guard.
Perhaps city slickers do not recognize them?
Johnny
We have cattle guards in the midwest too. I also remember seeing one in Rangeley, Maine, made out of former 2 foot narrow guage track.
The Chicago Transit Authority uses them, too. CTA has about a dozen grade crossings and they are placed just outside the sidewalk to keep people off of the right-of-way due to the third-rail hazard.
CSSHEGEWISCH The Chicago Transit Authority uses them, too. CTA has about a dozen grade crossings and they are placed just outside the sidewalk to keep people off of the right-of-way due to the third-rail hazard.
Do they use grated structures, or just painted lines.
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