Wikipedia:Featured list candidates/List of Interstate Highways in Texas

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The following is an archived discussion of a featured list nomination. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the article's talk page or in Wikipedia talk:Featured list candidates. No further edits should be made to this page.

The list was promoted 15:21, 6 March 2008.

List of Interstate Highways in Texas[edit]

I think this list meets all the FL criteria, it is well sourced with several images. --Holderca1 talk 15:49, 25 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

  • Comment. Nice list, but because of the images, the table columns are too narrow and the rows too long, which makes the table harder to read. Since there is only few pictures, I suggest you put the best one (or the most significant highway) in the lead, and the rest below the table (or just remove them). Eklipse00 (talk) 17:42, 25 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    I am working on having a map created to put in the lead, I will try putting them below the table to see how that looks. --Holderca1 talk 17:56, 25 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    Images have been moved to below the table. --Holderca1 talk 18:33, 25 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Resolved comments from MeegsC

Oppose for the moment, though I think my concerns can be easily addressed.
I'll start by saying that this is my first "List of interstates" review, so feel free to tell me if any of this isn't appropriate.

  • The word "Counties" is missing from several of the table's "Location" cells. Alternatively, you could perhaps put "Counties" as part of the column header, and leave the word out of the table cells themselves. (If you leave them in the lists, should the plural be capitalized? I don't know the MOS for that, but it looks a bit funny...)
     Done - actually noticed that before your comments
  • The text in the "Description" column could use some work. There are a number of run-on sentences which need punctuation.
     Done - I think I took care of all the run-on issues
  • The article vascillates between "...intersects 1-27" vs. "...intersects with 1-27". You should chose one format or the other.
    I couldn't find any instances where "intersects with" occurs.
  • DItto for "...with a junction with I-10" vs. "...with a junction at I-10".
     Done - I think there was only one usage of "junction at," changed to "junction with," describes better what is actually happening
  • "I-20 begins at a point on I-10..." A point? What point? Can you provide the exit number?
     Done - I can get exit numbers Exit numbers have been provided.
  • Other interstates which begin (or end) in Texas just say something like "I-30 begins at I-20 in the western portions of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex..." Again, can you provide exit numbers? If not, I'd suggest removing "at a point on" from the sentence referred to in the previous comment bullet.
     Done - Same as above
  • A reference is needed for the statement that the state of Texas owns all the interstates in Texas. Knowing nothing about this beforehand, I'd have expected that the federal government owned them! : )
     Done - looking for one at the moment Reference found
  • The lead is very short. Could it be expanded a bit? For instance: When was the first Texas interstate highway construction started? How long did that first one take? How about that longest (in miles) one? Was it a many-decade project or something shorter?
     Done - How long would be a good length? I have more than doubled the lead to include some history.
Let me know when you've got these sorted and I'll have another look! MeegsC

Support. Good improvements; the lead, in particular, is much stronger—and more interesting—now. MeegsC | Talk 16:37, 29 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

  • Comment – the lengths are expressed (mostly) with three digits of precision, which seems inappropriate to me. It's often difficult to determine where a highway really starts and ends when you look at ramp mergers etc., so I would think a precision of 0.1 mile/km is sufficient. — Andrwsc (talk · contribs) 18:50, 25 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    The lengths are all the official lengths from the Texas Department of Transportation. I suppose I can make them less precise though. --Holderca1 talk 19:00, 25 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    Well, no, if they are sourced that way, I'd keep them that way. It just looked to me like a computation issue at first glance. — Andrwsc (talk · contribs) 19:06, 25 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Resolved comments from Matthew

Comments

  • Some of the above comments have already addressed issues from when I first glanced at the list to now, as I look over it better, so well done.
  • "Location" shouldn't be a sorted list. It only sorts alphabetically by the first entry of in some cases a dozen.
     Done
  • In the description section, state why I-35E is longer than I-35W.
    Hmmm, I will have to think about a way to say why it is so or will just saying that "I-35W takes a more direct route between where they split and merge than I-35E does" work?
    That sounds a bit clumsy, but something to that effect would do for me. -- Matthew | talk | Contribs 21:11, 26 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
     Done - okay, I kept it simple and mentioned which was more or less direct --Holderca1 talk 21:51, 26 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • "I-110 is a spur of I-10", "I-345 is a spur of I-45". What is a spur?
  • "I-410, is a loop of I-10", "I-610 is a loop of I-10" "I-635 is a loop of I-35E" is a loop of I-20". Do they loop around those freeways, or does it mean something else?
     Done - I have linked to spur route and loop route, do you want me to explain more on what they are or will that suffice?
    No, that's good. -- Matthew | talk | Contribs 21:11, 26 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • A map of the state with the freeways highlighted in red (or whatever colour is usually used on U.S. maps) should be included in the lead.
     Done - this is currently being worked Map has been added
  • The first image gallery is too wide for my screen (1024 x 768). Is it possible to include them vertically, such as those in (off the top of my head) Featured List List of London Underground stations?
    The images were initially formated that way, see here, I moved them after an earlier comment. I am okay with it either way.
     Done - after adjusting my resolution and looking at it in both formats, I have decided to leave the photos below the table. Some of the rows get real long otherwise. I adjusted the width of the photos to fit on 1024x768.
    Yeah, it looks fine on my screen too now. -- Matthew | talk | Contribs 21:11, 26 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Punctuation/grammar changes:
    • I-40: "from New Mexico to Oklahoma with a junction with I-27" → "from New Mexico to Oklahoma at a junction with I-27"
    • I-10 "on its way to San Antonio where it has" → "on its way to San Antonio, where it has"
     Done - Took care of the second one. The first one, I changed it to "from New Mexico to Oklahoma, and has a junction with I-27," to me, your change made it sound like the entire route from New Mexico to Oklahoma was at the junction.
  • Exit numbers:
    • "I-40 crosses the Texas Panhandle from New Mexico to Oklahoma with a junction with I-27 in Amarillo." What junction?
    • I-10: "it has junctions with I-35 and I-37" and "it has a junction with I-45".
    • I-45: "intersecting I-10 in Houston", and "passes through East Texas and intersects I-20"
    • I-35E and W: "intersecting I-20 and I-30".
    • I-27: "begins at State Highway Loop 289 in Lubbock"
    • I-37: "It intersects I-10"
    • I-30: "intersecting I-35W, I-35E and I-45 along the way" (and remove "along the way". It's a bit eugh)
    • I-20: "it has junctions with I-30, I-35W, I-35E and I-45"
    • I-35: "it intersects I-10 and I-37", "Just north of Hillsboro, the highway splits into two branches" – "just north" is vague, too.
    • I-110: "It connects I-10 to the Bridge of the Americas"
    • I-345: "It provides a connecting route from I-45 to Spur 366 and US 75 in Dallas"
    • I-410: "It also intersects I-35 and I-37"
    • I-610: "It also intersects I-45."
    • I-635: "It also intersects I-20, I-30, and I-45."
    • I-820: "I-820 also intersects I-30 and I-35W"
    I see where you are going, but wouldn't the list get overburdened by all these exit numbers? Quick comment regarding your comment for I-27, Loop 289 doesn't have exit numbers.
    • Yeah, it might. I'll leave it up to you and other reviewers to decide. -- Matthew | talk | Contribs 21:11, 26 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Wikilinking – As the table is sortable, each instance of a state or city should be wikilinked:
    • I-40: Location: Potter county. Description: Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas Panhandle if available. Also consider describing "Texas Panhandle" for those unfamiliar with Texas.
    • I-45: Location: Harris, Ellis, Dallas counties Description: Gulf Coast, Dallas
    • I-35E and W: Location: Hill, Dallas, Tarrant, Denton counties Description: Hillsboro, Denton, Fort Worth and Dallas
    • I-37: Location: Atascosa and Bexar counties Description: San Antonio
    • I-30: Location: Parker, Tarrant, Dallas counties Description: Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex (also, what is the metroplex?)
    • I-20: Location: Reeves county Description: West Texas and East Texas if available, and Louisiana
    • I-35: Location: Bexar, Guadalupe counties Description: United States-Mexico border, San Antonio
    • I-110: Location: El Paso county Description: Bridge of the Americas
    • I-345: Location: Dallas county Description: Dallas
    • I-410: Location: Bexar county
    • I-610: Location: Harris county
    • I-635: Location: Dallas, Tarrant counties
    • I-820: Location: Tarrant county
     Done - All have been linked with one exception, Bridge of the Americas actually links to a different bridge with the same name and I have been unable to find an article for this particular bridge. This bridge is the first one here which is redlinked: List_of_crossings_of_the_Rio_Grande#Texas-Chihuahua. Also, the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.
    I think that might need explaining then. I don't think many people outside America will understand what "metroplex" means. It should also be endashed, since the way you have it redirects to it being spelled that way. -- Matthew | talk | Contribs 21:11, 26 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    Okay, put in an explanation and fixed the linking. --Holderca1 talk 21:51, 26 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

That's it for now. Hope it's of some help. -- Matthew | talk | Contribs 07:39, 26 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the review. I have knocked out some, working on the rest. --Holderca1 talk 14:52, 26 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Just one more - It appears Length was made unsortable. I think should be sortable again. -- Matthew | talk | Contribs 21:11, 26 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    • I had removed it from the length column since it doesn't quite sort correctly. I added it back in, maybe someone knows how to fix the problem. --Holderca1 talk 21:51, 26 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      • Never having made a sortable table I'm not 100% sure, but it might be because the lengths themselves are too precise? -- Matthew | talk | Contribs 22:02, 26 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
        • No, I don't think its the precision. It is sorting one digit at a time, so when you sort it is saying that 96 is higher than 878 since 9 is greater than 8. --Holderca1 talk 22:08, 26 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
        • I think {{convert}} is causing the problem. Will remove the template. --Holderca1 talk 22:12, 26 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Support - All concerns have been addressed, looks like a good list. Well done. -- Matthew | talk | Contribs 00:47, 28 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Great! Thanks for your help. --Holderca1 talk 00:49, 28 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
Resolved stuff from The Rambling Man (talk) 11:35, 3 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comments whoa, I'm certainly an interstate virgin so I'll provide "3rd party" comments here!
    • "Interstate highway system" or "Interstate Highway System" (in lead).
    • As a non-American, I'm not sure what a branch route is?
    • We seem have a decimal place overload here. Nearest mile (or maybe 0.1 mile) would suffice would it not? (Is this the bit where someone says.... "Yeah, but the project/other FL did it this way?)
    • "...(I-45) was dedicated in ..." - for non-experts this is unclear.
  • I hope these help a bit. The Rambling Man (talk) 17:41, 27 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    All good comments, should be "Interstate Highway System," branch route is now explained in the lead; decimals reduced to 0.1 mile (no, didn't see it anywhere else, just used the same values from the source); change dedicated to opened. I hope that took care of your concerns and thanks for the review. Always nice to have those unfamiliar with the subject browse over it to make sure it makes sense and isn't littered with jargon. --Holderca1 talk 18:11, 27 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  • Support - looks much better than when it started, great work. The Rambling Man (talk) 11:35, 3 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]
  •  Done Major concern, easily fixed: The list should be renamed to List of Interstate Highways in Texas. (An "interstate" is not actually a noun, even though it is used that way informally.) Note that this would be consistent with List of Interstate Highways in Florida, which is the only existing state-specific list of Interstate highways that I found. --Orlady (talk) 15:28, 28 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    I actually created both of these lists and I would argue that the Florida list should be renamed. Several dictionaries say it is a noun without "highways" attached. [1] --Holderca1 talk 16:13, 28 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    • Maybe I'm just an old-fashioned girl for believing that "interstate" is an adjective meaning "between or among two or more states," but I happen to think that "interstates" is U.S.-specific informal usage that should be avoided in an encyclopedia. Please consider the need to make article names comprehensible for speakers of English who don't happen to be Americans. --Orlady (talk) 16:25, 28 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    The problem you run into though is that several of the items on the list aren't "interstate highways" going by the dictionary definition of the adjective "interstate." For example, Interstate 27, Interstate 37, Interstate 45, and all of the auxiliary routes never leave the state. --Holderca1 talk 16:33, 28 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    After seeing List of Interstate Highways, I have reconsidered for the sake of consistency and any ambiguity that may arise to move the article. --Holderca1 talk 16:50, 28 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    Good resolution. Most definitions of "Interstate highway" say that the term applies to any of the highways in the Interstate Highway System (also described as the interconnected system of highways connecting the 48 contiguous states). Thus, "Interstate Highway" is a valid term for the topics in the list article. --Orlady (talk) 16:54, 28 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    • Support. Thanks for your patience with my comments. --Orlady (talk) 22:46, 5 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]
      Great! Thanks for your help! --Holderca1 talk 02:47, 6 March 2008 (UTC)[reply]
    The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. No further edits should be made to this page.
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