The intersection of two highways and the railway was the ugliest spot in Fair Banks County, with an overpass 27 m above ground. The rail lines dive into tunnels below the waterline, the highway is rebuilt lower, a forgotten station forces a reroute, slip lanes and three- and four-lane sections ease the jams, and a trumpet-like junction replaces the old layout — the first real traffic crisis of the city, solved.
What happens in this episode
This was the ugliest junction in Fair Banks County: two highways and the railway, one highway ending in a huge roundabout, and an overpass about 27 metres above ground. Stacked overpasses exist in places like Los Angeles, but this town deserved better. With enough money saved, it was time to invest in beauty, in quieter streets for the residents, and in better traffic flow, including a future highway link to the industrial area.
It was also a tough period for creators. YouTube’s algorithm changes hit many Cities: Skylines channels at the launch of the second game, and it almost sent me back to the first one.
How it was built
Rail lines into tunnels
The rail lines are essential here: two passenger stations and several cargo stations depend on them. Everything unneeded is demolished. The white line in the landscaping tool shows the water level, and the tracks need to go below it, so the terrain is shaped generously for even slopes, with a tunnel entrance under the city. Open trenches like this would be dangerous for kids and drivers in real life. Without props to fence them, trees and bushes (hickories, small bushes) at least make the edges greener.
A lower highway
I’d never thought of lowering this highway before. All the ugly bridges go. It’s one of the smaller highways in the game, and it could even be widened. Then I realised I’d forgotten a train station: the new rail line ran almost underneath it. That was bad planning. A reroute and a quick exit fixed it, after a pathfinding error, a track that was accidentally deleted, and another that went too deep and too steep. My mistake, not the game’s. The highway stays at 10 m for now.
Slip lanes and lane management
New slip lanes let cars leave earlier and reach the other highway quickly. In the first game lane management was second nature; here I have to remind myself to do it. Two lanes merge into one, three branch off, traffic lights and crosswalks come out of the roundabout, and some sections become three- or four-lane.
Still jammed — a trumpet-like interchange
The merge became a hotspot, and one slip lane was hardly used. A segment that looked bad was rebuilt. Finally the whole intersection was redesigned: avenues closing in at 180°, an S-curve merge, and a layout that looks a bit like a trumpet interchange. After traffic lights and crossings were removed again and an extra slip lane added, the standstill slowly cleared, and trees and bushes finished it.
This was the first significant traffic crisis I’d faced in a Cities: Skylines II city, and the solution worked. The interchange tools are what excite me most about the game. News of Paradox delaying patches until bigger updates made me hesitant, but I believed in the game, and I said so.
Video chapters
- 00:00The ugliest junction in the city
- 04:30Rail lines into tunnels
- 09:34Greenery around open trenches, a lower highway
- 13:50A forgotten train station
- 18:14Too deep, too steep: fixing the tracks
- 23:58Slip lanes and lane management
- 35:02Still jammed — rethinking the merge
- 39:02A trumpet-like interchange
- 50:18Solved — and thoughts on the game's future
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
FAQ
How do you route rail lines into a tunnel in Cities: Skylines 2?
Use the white line (water level) as a guide and bring the tracks down at an even slope until they're below it, shaping generous terrain around them. Check every station on the route — I forgot one and had to reroute.
How do you fix a jammed highway merge?
Add slip lanes so drivers can leave or join earlier, widen key segments to three or four lanes, and remove traffic lights and pedestrian crossings at roundabouts and ramps. Give the traffic a few in-game minutes to sort itself out before judging.
Is lane management needed in Cities: Skylines 2?
Less often than in the first game, but at busy merges it matters — two lanes merging into one, three branching off — and it made the difference at this interchange.