Off camera, the stubborn junction became two roundabouts with a main road between them, plus highway on-ramps heading north and east, a river crossing to the interchange and an extra downtown exit — lifting traffic flow to about 82%. This short episode recaps that, adds a high school, water towers and sewage capacity, empties and removes the landfill, plans campus areas, tries cul-de-sacs with Node Controller and unlocks high-rise homes.
What happens in this episode
The biggest problem in the last episodes was traffic flow, and it’s now at a fairly stable 82% even with lots of traffic. Most of the change happened off screen, so this short episode starts with a recap.
How it was built
What changed
The problem crossing became two roundabouts with a main road between them, so drivers can make their turns easily. That alone wasn’t enough. So much industrial traffic wanted to leave town that two highway on-ramps were added, one heading north and one east. A river crossing down to the interchange lifted more traffic off the roads. And people who just want to go downtown got their own off- and on-ramp. Once the tile above is bought, another highway connection should help further.
Immediate needs
On- and off-ramps are very noisy, and there isn’t much you can do about that. A new high school, two more water towers and another sewage treatment plant went in. There is no public transport yet, and the population is about to jump. Two areas are reserved for a big campus.
The landfill is gone
Thanks to all the recycling centres, the landfill was emptied and removed. That’s what I’d been waiting for. The forestry industry gets its own zone. With Node Controller you can make a classic cul-de-sac, the kind you see in American suburbs.
High-rise homes
Many houses upgraded, commercial zones filled in, and high-rise residential zoning finally unlocked. The first towers started popping up right away. I’m slowly getting the hang of the game again after a year and a half away, and feedback is welcome.
Video chapters
- 00:00What changed off screen
- 03:16On-ramps north and east, a river crossing
- 06:05Noise, fire and immediate needs
- 08:46High school, water towers and campus plans
- 11:42The landfill is gone
- 17:17Upgrading houses and high-rise homes
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
FAQ
Can roundabouts fix a busy highway junction?
They helped in Springvalley, but only together with extra on-ramps for outgoing industrial traffic and a separate exit for people heading downtown.
How do you get rid of a landfill?
Build enough recycling centres or incinerators, set the landfill to empty, and remove it once it's empty.
Are on- and off-ramps noisy?
Yes, they're among the noisiest roads and there isn't much you can do about it besides keeping homes away and planting trees.