The traffic system is a core part ofCities: Skylines. Playershave to know how to route trafficin ways that keep vehicles moving and avoid big jams that slow everything down. Traffic jams can prevent supplies from reaching industrial and commercial buildings, and they can prevent residents from reaching their workplaces. It can also keep garbage trucks and hearses from reaching buildings of every type.
If a traffic jam gets bad enough, these issues can end up causing citizens to abandon a building. Part of building a good road network includes learning how to build bridges, overpasses, and tunnels in the right locations to connect roads while avoiding intersections.Learning how to raise and lower roadsis the first step (the buttons are Page Up and Page Down on PC), but there’s more to know about setting these structures up.
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Bridge and Tunnel Basics
The first thing for players to know is that bridges and tunnels don’t have a special sub-menu or category inCities: Skylines. This is because the game will build these structures automatically based on where players draw their roads and how high or low they build them. If a road crosses a lake or river, the game will add bridge supports. If a road rises up over the land, the game will add supports. If players lower the road height to below the surface, the game will build a tunnel entrance or exit. This also applies to metro tracks and railroads.
Of course, players should also keep in mind that bridges and tunnelsare much more expensive than surface-level roads, and the game will keep track of this price tag even if players don’t. A simple two-lane road 10 cells long costs 400, but that goes up to 1040 for a bridge ramp and 2400 for a tunnel entrance. Something else to note is that the game won’t let players build a road that’s too steep: a 1 height ramp has to be at least 6 cells long, and a 2 height ramp must be 12 cells long.
Another important factor is overlap. When players build a road that changes height, the game will add the height change to the end of the road no matter how long it is. This means players will need to build a ramp first before they can build a bridge that goes over another road or building.
Tips for Busy Connections
Cities: Skylinesis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
