Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Utah State Route 128

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

The article was promoted by User:SandyGeorgia 04:18, 5 September 2008 [1].

Utah State Route 128[edit]

Nominator(s): Dave (talk)

This is an article that has had many contributors and reviews. I think it's ready.Dave (talk) 02:08, 27 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Considering the article already has a lot of high quality images (well done), are the external links at the bottom really necessary? —Giggy 09:08, 27 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, although some of Dave Beeden's photos put mine to shame =-). I'm confident were he to CC license some of his, they would make featured picture. Prior to FAC there were 6 external links. There are now 4: 1 roadgeek site, and 3 photo sites. However the 3 remaining photo site have photos of incredible quality and in the case of Skez's photos of the bridge burning, are not available elsewhere. Please advise if you think this is not enough.Dave (talk) 04:52, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Comments - sources look okay, links checked out with the link checker tool. I wasn't able to evaluate the non-English source. Ealdgyth - Talk 13:48, 27 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for checking Dave (talk) 04:52, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Support ~~Comments~~
The first five sentences in the lead start off with "The...". Try to mix up the wording to make it more interesting.

Better now? Dave (talk) 04:52, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The route was originally a trail called the Heavenly Stairway and was used to connect Moab with Castle Valley and larger towns in Colorado. When? Also, is there any more information about this particular aspect of the highway?

I re-read the source used for this paragraph, and was able to add more information. Thanks for the suggestion.Dave (talk) 04:52, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

In 1916, the bridge was dedicated with a strength test by having approximately 70 attendees attempt to be on the bridge at once. Surely there's a better word for "be on"?

Changed to "cross"Dave (talk) 04:52, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The first two sentences of the last paragraph of From trail to highway start with the exact same thing.

Made minor changes to this section Dave (talk) 04:52, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The FHWA has not responded to the application as of July 2008. Seeing as it's almost September is it possible to update this fact?

For now, I've removed the sentence, as that application could take years. Dave (talk) 04:52, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Good work overall. –Juliancolton ^Tropical ^Cyclone 14:36, 27 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for the review.Dave (talk) 04:52, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Support - Images are great, route description, lead, and history are all very detailed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by ComputerGuy890100 (talk • contribs) 20:53, 27 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. Dave (talk) 04:52, 28 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Support - An article featuring my professional images taken by my top-quality two-megapixel camera is more than deserving of FA status :D C L — 00:02, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

=-) thanks. Dave (talk) 01:42, 30 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

"Absorbed" seems awkward when referring to solid matter such as a road, doubly so where it appears in the second paragraph. Is there a less metaphorical verb you can use? — CharlotteWebb 16:25, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Reworded Dave (talk) 01:42, 30 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

"...filming locations for many western movies and commercials" ← This sounds interesting, though it seems to be attributed to an off-line National Geographic source. Can you check it again and see whether it identifies any specific films? — CharlotteWebb 16:25, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

That source did not name specific movies. However, I found another source that does, although doesn't include movies made since the early 1990's. Dave (talk) 01:42, 30 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

And the best films were made before then anyway. Which products used this location in their TV ads? — CharlotteWebb 20:41, 30 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I haven't found a source that mentions specifics so far. From personal knowledge I can state before my time General Motors had a big campaign filmed there, and some of the Marlboro Man commercials (most were filmed in Monument Valley but some here). During my time (i.e. watching TV and said "Hey I know that place") I've seen a Toyota, Miller Beer and ZZ Top video there. Dave (talk) 16:04, 31 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The early settler Samuel King mentioned in this article doesn't seem to be among those listed at the disambiguation page. You should add him and consider creating an article about him. — CharlotteWebb 16:25, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

All the sources I've found while researching this article only have a casual one or two line mention of him. Not enough for an article. If I do find more information, I will keep your suggestion in mind. Dave (talk) 01:42, 30 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

"$506,000 in 2007" ← I don't doubt it for a minute but do you have a source establishing 20x inflation since 1913? How do we know it's not more, especially if reconstruction is budged at $1 million? — CharlotteWebb 16:25, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Sourced and updated for 2008. However, there is a flaw in this logic. Re-constructions often cost much more than the original. New construction usually uses the cheapest material and methods available at that time. To re-construct something with an intent to appear authentic often requires using custom craftsmanship to mimic now outdated methods and/or materials.Dave (talk) 01:42, 30 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I realized that but doubted it would be twice as much. — CharlotteWebb 20:41, 30 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

"...second-longest suspension bridge in the United States west of the Mississippi River" ← "in the United States" seems tautological at first glance. Granted if you draw two westward horizontal lines, one from Lake Itasca and one from Pilottown, the outlined area will also include parts of Mexico's northwestern states, which may or may not have had comparable suspension bridges at the time. You should research this. — CharlotteWebb 16:25, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Three of the sources used in this article state "2nd longest suspension bridge west of the Mississippi river". I added "in the united states" just in case, as the sources may be US centric. While assembling such a list of current bridges would be easy, I'm not sure how I could ensure I had every angle covered for historical bridges. If there was such a bridge in Mexico, it would most likely be the one that crosses the Colorado River along what is now known as Mexican Federal Highway 2. I will investigate. However, if you feel I can safely just repeat what the sources say, I'm ok with that too. Dave (talk)

I was considering the possibility that your sources knows more than it is telling you. If you came up with this qualifier yourself, and if you have multiple original sources saying the same thing without any Mexico innuendo, you should write what they say, no more, no less, barring a credible dispute in the future. Though it wouldn't hurt to research the size and age of Mexican bridges in the meantime if you have access to that info. — CharlotteWebb 20:41, 30 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Changed Dave (talk) 16:04, 31 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The content relating to the Dewey Bridge is significant enough to move to a separate article. Please consider doing so. — CharlotteWebb 16:25, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

That is hands down the number one request of reviewers of this article =-). It is on my get around to do list. There is MUCH more information about this bridge out there. I'm aware of two museum exhibits on it, one has the original hand drawn blueprints under glass. I'm also aware of some early drawings proposing using the canyon wall as anchorages rather than towers. Once I've had a chance to assemble all this, I plan to make an article on the Dewey Bridge and move content on this page that is not 100% relevant to SR-128. On a cool note, someone has recently uploaded a photo of the twin bridge in Arizona Image:BridgeCameron.jpg. Dave (talk) 01:42, 30 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

If you've got all that and more, the Dewey Bridge would be a more potent featured article candidate than SR-128. I don't mean that in a negative (or even joking) way. Material such as these blueprints, (published in the U.S. before January 1, 1923) would of course be public domain, so I look forward to seeing them on commons. Good luck. — CharlotteWebb 20:41, 30 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. I'm several road-trips away from having this information. It will take some time. Dave (talk) 16:04, 31 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the review. Dave (talk) 01:42, 30 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Hopefully it did some good. — CharlotteWebb 20:41, 30 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Support The only problem I have is that the map isn't all that appealing. The pictures are beautiful and the article was an interesting read. Dincher (talk) 23:47, 29 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks.Dave (talk) 01:42, 30 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Support - Very well-written, interesting article. - Algorerhythms (talk) 00:04, 4 September 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.