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Interstate 73/74

Started by Voyager, January 18, 2009, 08:09:48 AM

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Strider

Quote from: orulz on December 06, 2016, 12:05:16 PM
I have often wondered if it would be possible to extend Bryan Boulevard further west. A 3.5 mile connector built on relatively open land would connect up with I-40 at the intersection of Green 40/US-421. This would provide a second full-freeway route between Winston Salem and Greensboro. US-421 could be signed on the new connector, Bryan Blvd, Wendover Avenue, and O'Henry Boulevard.

Another freeway connection that would make sense would be a link from Green 85 near River Road to I-74 near Greensboro Road south of Jamestown. It's a little more built up through there but there's still a few possible routes left. That combined with the eventual Winston Salem Southern Beltway would make a full southern bypass of the Triad.

Sigh maybe I should head over to fictional highways for this sort of stuff - but small, realistic suggestions like this tend to get lost in the shuffle among the "coast to coast interstate" nonsense.
As always, with any suggestion I make, a map: https://goo.gl/4jTtrr


This was from 2005, but you get the idea what is (was?) being planned for the Triad area.

http://www.gribblenation.net/ncfutints/roadimprov_lg.gif



bob7374

I have added photos taken by Strider in December along the I-73 construction zone north of Greensboro to my I-73/74 pages. Some of the route is near completion, as seen here:


The photos can be accessed on my I-73 Segment 3 and 4 pages on the new home to my highway websites, MalmeRoads.Net.

I-73 Segment 3:
http://www.malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i73seg2.html#seg3

I-73 Segment 4:
http://www.malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i73seg4.html

Please direct your browsers to my new site as I will no longer be updating the pages on my Gribblenation site, due to its impending closure. The new addresses are in my signature.

bob7374

I have published my annual I-73/I-74 in NC Year in Review in the following blog post:
http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2017/01/i-73i-74-year-in-review-2016.html

As always, thanks to those AARoads Forum members who have kept me up to date with what is happening in North Carolina.

ReeseFerlautoI74/85

Quote from: bob7374 on January 01, 2017, 10:44:18 PM
I have added photos taken by Strider in December along the I-73 construction zone north of Greensboro to my I-73/74 pages. Some of the route is near completion, as seen here:


The photos can be accessed on my I-73 Segment 3 and 4 pages on the new home to my highway websites, MalmeRoads.Net.

I-73 Segment 3:
http://www.malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i73seg2.html#seg3

I-73 Segment 4:
http://www.malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i73seg4.html

Please direct your browsers to my new site as I will no longer be updating the pages on my Gribblenation site, due to its impending closure. The new addresses are in my signature.

I am very glad that I-73 is almost complete, but the 220 interchange with 68 is halfway to progress, considering that the bridge is complete. Some sections may be upgraded to Interstate Standard. Looking forward to the new MalmeRoads page since Gribblenation is close to death.
If it is possible to cancel tolls on I-77, general purpose lanes should be the only option! In the words of Kurt Naas, 'complete and delete!'

bob7374

I have posted some new I-73 construction photos contributed by Strider to my I-73/I-74 Segment 2, 3 and 4 pages.

Here's one that show supports for a future NC 150 exit sign:


The Segment 2 and 3 pages can be reached at:
http://www.malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i73seg2.html

bob7374

A first step to ending I-74 in Wilmington? This NCDOT press release says a project is starting to widen US 74/76 for 8 miles west of NC (Future I-) 140 to bring it up to Interstate standards:
https://apps.ncdot.gov/NewsReleases/details.aspx?r=13554

US 74/76 in this area is not a limited access highway, so more work will be needed to bring it up to freeway standards, but apparently NCDOT is taking the first steps to creating a US 74/76 interstate. Whether that is I-74 or something else is yet to be determined.

LM117

Quote from: bob7374 on February 24, 2017, 06:14:06 PM
A first step to ending I-74 in Wilmington? This NCDOT press release says a project is starting to widen US 74/76 for 8 miles west of NC (Future I-) 140 to bring it up to Interstate standards:
https://apps.ncdot.gov/NewsReleases/details.aspx?r=13554

Ending I-74 in Wilmington would be the most logical thing to do...so it's probably not it. :pan:

I'm thinking that route will become an I-x74 to Wilmington. NCDOT usually doesn't go through the trouble of upgrading a highway to interstate standards unless they have an I-shield up their sleeve. Wilmington has been pushing for a US-74 upgrade ever since South Carolina gave them the middle finger over the proposed I-20 extension and NCDOT will usually pursue interstate designations if there's strong local support, most recent example being Future I-587 for Greenville.
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

Mapmikey

Quote from: LM117 on February 25, 2017, 10:16:16 AM
Quote from: bob7374 on February 24, 2017, 06:14:06 PM
A first step to ending I-74 in Wilmington? This NCDOT press release says a project is starting to widen US 74/76 for 8 miles west of NC (Future I-) 140 to bring it up to Interstate standards:
https://apps.ncdot.gov/NewsReleases/details.aspx?r=13554



Ending I-74 in Wilmington would be the most logical thing to do...so it's probably not it. :pan:

I'm thinking that route will become an I-x74 to Wilmington. NCDOT usually doesn't go through the trouble of upgrading a highway to interstate standards unless they have an I-shield up their sleeve. Wilmington has been pushing for a US-74 upgrade ever since South Carolina gave them the middle finger over the proposed I-20 extension and NCDOT will usually pursue interstate designations if there's strong local support, most recent example being Future I-587 for Greenville.

Extending I-20 does nothing for SC unless it is routed as far east as Conway before heading for Wilmington, so building a route along the US 76 corridor toward Whiteville doesn't make much $ sense for SC, especially since it is only 13 miles longer to use I-95 to US 74 as-is. 

Third Strike

Quote from: Mapmikey on February 25, 2017, 10:48:16 AM
Quote from: LM117 on February 25, 2017, 10:16:16 AM
Quote from: bob7374 on February 24, 2017, 06:14:06 PM
A first step to ending I-74 in Wilmington? This NCDOT press release says a project is starting to widen US 74/76 for 8 miles west of NC (Future I-) 140 to bring it up to Interstate standards:
https://apps.ncdot.gov/NewsReleases/details.aspx?r=13554



Ending I-74 in Wilmington would be the most logical thing to do...so it's probably not it. :pan:

I'm thinking that route will become an I-x74 to Wilmington. NCDOT usually doesn't go through the trouble of upgrading a highway to interstate standards unless they have an I-shield up their sleeve. Wilmington has been pushing for a US-74 upgrade ever since South Carolina gave them the middle finger over the proposed I-20 extension and NCDOT will usually pursue interstate designations if there's strong local support, most recent example being Future I-587 for Greenville.

Extending I-20 does nothing for SC unless it is routed as far east as Conway before heading for Wilmington, so building a route along the US 76 corridor toward Whiteville doesn't make much $ sense for SC, especially since it is only 13 miles longer to use I-95 to US 74 as-is.

Maybe it's part of an even bigger plan of upgrading US 74 from Wilmington to Charlotte. If they ever manage to upgrade US 74 to I-95 from Wilmington, the gap between Rockingham and Lauringburg, and the gap between the Monroe Bypass and I-74, then it shouldn't be a problem to designate a new interstate along this route. 

sparker

Quote from: Third Strike on February 26, 2017, 12:09:24 AM
Maybe it's part of an even bigger plan of upgrading US 74 from Wilmington to Charlotte. If they ever manage to upgrade US 74 to I-95 from Wilmington, the gap between Rockingham and Lauringburg, and the gap between the Monroe Bypass and I-74, then it shouldn't be a problem to designate a new interstate along this route. 

The only problem with that concept is the fact that for the past 22 years the portion of US 74 between Rockingham and Bolton has been legislatively (federal, within the US Code language within the HPC 5 definition) designated as part of I-74.  Unless that language can be obviated, then that portion will remain as present or future I-74.  If, as has been often speculated, NC's attention eventually becomes focused on a potential Interstate corridor along the western US 74 from I-26 to Rockingham via Charlotte; it's likely that such a route would get an available even number in the 30's.  LM117 would then likely be correct in his assumption that US 74/76 from Bolton to Wilmington would receive a x74 number -- as long as the segment along NC 211 toward the south coast remains on the books as the I-74 portion of HPC 5.  If that language can be surgically removed, along with the description of the route as ending in Georgetown, SC, then NC would be free to pursue an I-74 designation into Wilmington; given the proven competency of the NC transportation "machine" at manipulating all matters Interstate, this is within the realm of possibility.       

bob7374

I've started adding the photos I took last week along the I-73 and I-74 construction zones in North Carolina to my web pages.

The photos for the US 220 widening segment of I-73 are now available:
http://www.malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i73seg2.html#photos

As well as some new photos for US 220 between the VA border and NC 68:
http://www.malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i73seg1.html#photos

Look for more to be posted over the next week for remaining I-73 segments north of Greensboro.

bob7374

I've added photos to my I-73 Segments 3 and 4 pages, including this closeup of the PTI Airport Taxiway Bridge:


Segment 3, from US 220 to NC 68:
http://www.malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i73seg3.html#photos

Segment 4, NC 68 and 'I-73 Connector:
http://www.malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i73seg4.html#photos

bob7374

I have now had the time to post my March 30 photos taken of Winston-Salem Northern Beltway construction on my I-74 Segment 4 page:
http://www.malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i74seg4.html#photos

(My total time logged in when I did so tonight was 5 days, 5 hours and 55 minutes.)

The Nature Boy

Quote from: Third Strike on February 26, 2017, 12:09:24 AM
Quote from: Mapmikey on February 25, 2017, 10:48:16 AM
Quote from: LM117 on February 25, 2017, 10:16:16 AM
Quote from: bob7374 on February 24, 2017, 06:14:06 PM
A first step to ending I-74 in Wilmington? This NCDOT press release says a project is starting to widen US 74/76 for 8 miles west of NC (Future I-) 140 to bring it up to Interstate standards:
https://apps.ncdot.gov/NewsReleases/details.aspx?r=13554



Ending I-74 in Wilmington would be the most logical thing to do...so it's probably not it. :pan:

I'm thinking that route will become an I-x74 to Wilmington. NCDOT usually doesn't go through the trouble of upgrading a highway to interstate standards unless they have an I-shield up their sleeve. Wilmington has been pushing for a US-74 upgrade ever since South Carolina gave them the middle finger over the proposed I-20 extension and NCDOT will usually pursue interstate designations if there's strong local support, most recent example being Future I-587 for Greenville.

Extending I-20 does nothing for SC unless it is routed as far east as Conway before heading for Wilmington, so building a route along the US 76 corridor toward Whiteville doesn't make much $ sense for SC, especially since it is only 13 miles longer to use I-95 to US 74 as-is.

Maybe it's part of an even bigger plan of upgrading US 74 from Wilmington to Charlotte. If they ever manage to upgrade US 74 to I-95 from Wilmington, the gap between Rockingham and Lauringburg, and the gap between the Monroe Bypass and I-74, then it shouldn't be a problem to designate a new interstate along this route.

Honestly, it makes more sense to upgrade US 74 from Wilmington to I-26 in Western NC and designate that as a new 2di. Connecting Asheville to Charlotte and then onto Wilmington via the interstate system just seems to make sense and is an obvious omission for an interstate loving state like NC.

An fantasy highway idea would be to extend I-24 by upgrading US 74 for its entire length, multiplexing it with I-75 for a short run to Chattanooga before connecting to I-24 and running northwest. This seems like a cheaper and more feasible way for NC to connect itself to a long distance interstate than the current I-74 saga.

Since I-74 is never going to be connected to the other I-74, I'd abandon that idea.

Henry

Quote from: The Nature Boy on April 17, 2017, 09:29:06 AM

Honestly, it makes more sense to upgrade US 74 from Wilmington to I-26 in Western NC and designate that as a new 2di. Connecting Asheville to Charlotte and then onto Wilmington via the interstate system just seems to make sense and is an obvious omission for an interstate loving state like NC.

An fantasy highway idea would be to extend I-24 by upgrading US 74 for its entire length, multiplexing it with I-75 for a short run to Chattanooga before connecting to I-24 and running northwest. This seems like a cheaper and more feasible way for NC to connect itself to a long distance interstate than the current I-74 saga.

Since I-74 is never going to be connected to the other I-74, I'd abandon that idea.
While I'm all for that, I think a number in the 30s would make more sense. Now that I-36 has been abandoned in favor of I-42, it could be used here, as well as 32, 38 and 34 (my personal preference).
Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!

jcarte29

I had some time this morning to email Bob pictures of I-74 in Winston-Salem.

Disclaimer: I only just learned he had already been through the area, but examining his pictures and mine, I feel confident they are each individually unique and not redundant. I will also post them now onto SE Roads on Facebook and Freeway Jim.
Interstates I've driven on (Complete and/or partial, no particular order)
------------------
40, 85, 95, 77, 277(NC), 485(NC), 440(NC), 540(NC), 795(NC), 140(NC), 73, 74, 840(NC), 26, 20, 75, 285(GA), 81, 64, 71, 275(OH), 465(IN), 65, 264(VA), 240(NC), 295(VA), 526(SC), 985(GA), 395(FL), 195(FL)

bob7374

Quote from: jcarte29 on April 17, 2017, 09:57:45 AM
I had some time this morning to email Bob pictures of I-74 in Winston-Salem.

Disclaimer: I only just learned he had already been through the area, but examining his pictures and mine, I feel confident they are each individually unique and not redundant. I will also post them now onto SE Roads on Facebook and Freeway Jim.
I posted jcarte29's photos on my I-74 Segment 4 site. They fill in some of the gaps in the coverage of my photos:
http://www.malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i74seg4.html#photos

wdcrft63

Quote from: Henry on April 17, 2017, 09:48:33 AM
Quote from: The Nature Boy on April 17, 2017, 09:29:06 AM

Honestly, it makes more sense to upgrade US 74 from Wilmington to I-26 in Western NC and designate that as a new 2di. Connecting Asheville to Charlotte and then onto Wilmington via the interstate system just seems to make sense and is an obvious omission for an interstate loving state like NC.

An fantasy highway idea would be to extend I-24 by upgrading US 74 for its entire length, multiplexing it with I-75 for a short run to Chattanooga before connecting to I-24 and running northwest. This seems like a cheaper and more feasible way for NC to connect itself to a long distance interstate than the current I-74 saga.

Since I-74 is never going to be connected to the other I-74, I'd abandon that idea.
While I'm all for that, I think a number in the 30s would make more sense. Now that I-36 has been abandoned in favor of I-42, it could be used here, as well as 32, 38 and 34 (my personal preference).
Eventually NC will move to upgrade US 74 to interstate standards from I-26 to Wilmington. However, I think there's no interest in upgrading US 74 to full interstate standards between I-40 and the Tennessee line; the cost to do that is simply too high.

Avalanchez71

#868
Quote from: The Nature Boy on April 17, 2017, 09:29:06 AM
Quote from: Third Strike on February 26, 2017, 12:09:24 AM
Quote from: Mapmikey on February 25, 2017, 10:48:16 AM
Quote from: LM117 on February 25, 2017, 10:16:16 AM
Quote from: bob7374 on February 24, 2017, 06:14:06 PM
A first step to ending I-74 in Wilmington? This NCDOT press release says a project is starting to widen US 74/76 for 8 miles west of NC (Future I-) 140 to bring it up to Interstate standards:
https://apps.ncdot.gov/NewsReleases/details.aspx?r=13554

Ending I-74 in Wilmington would be the most logical thing to do...so it's probably not it. :pan:

I'm thinking that route will become an I-x74 to Wilmington. NCDOT usually doesn't go through the trouble of upgrading a highway to interstate standards unless they have an I-shield up their sleeve. Wilmington has been pushing for a US-74 upgrade ever since South Carolina gave them the middle finger over the proposed I-20 extension and NCDOT will usually pursue interstate designations if there's strong local support, most recent example being Future I-587 for Greenville.

Extending I-20 does nothing for SC unless it is routed as far east as Conway before heading for Wilmington, so building a route along the US 76 corridor toward Whiteville doesn't make much $ sense for SC, especially since it is only 13 miles longer to use I-95 to US 74 as-is.

Maybe it's part of an even bigger plan of upgrading US 74 from Wilmington to Charlotte. If they ever manage to upgrade US 74 to I-95 from Wilmington, the gap between Rockingham and Lauringburg, and the gap between the Monroe Bypass and I-74, then it shouldn't be a problem to designate a new interstate along this route.

Honestly, it makes more sense to upgrade US 74 from Wilmington to I-26 in Western NC and designate that as a new 2di. Connecting Asheville to Charlotte and then onto Wilmington via the interstate system just seems to make sense and is an obvious omission for an interstate loving state like NC.

An fantasy highway idea would be to extend I-24 by upgrading US 74 for its entire length, multiplexing it with I-75 for a short run to Chattanooga before connecting to I-24 and running northwest. This seems like a cheaper and more feasible way for NC to connect itself to a long distance interstate than the current I-74 saga.

Since I-74 is never going to be connected to the other I-74, I'd abandon that idea.

That area is just fine as is.  That would just totally ruin the area by putting an interstate through there.

Fixed quote. - rmf67

wdcrft63

http://www.greensboro.com/news/local_news/i--from-airport-area-to-u-s-in-greensboro/article_a6c39688-04f7-56d3-beb9-5862194aa97d.html

This is somewhat old news (April 7 publication) but I don't recall seeing it in the Forum before. The section of I-73 between NC 68 and US 220 should open within days. The section between I-840 and NC 68 should be finished by the end of June, and the section concurrent with US 220 should be completed by October.

Strider

Quote from: wdcrft63 on April 24, 2017, 06:40:33 PM
http://www.greensboro.com/news/local_news/i--from-airport-area-to-u-s-in-greensboro/article_a6c39688-04f7-56d3-beb9-5862194aa97d.html

This is somewhat old news (April 7 publication) but I don't recall seeing it in the Forum before. The section of I-73 between NC 68 and US 220 should open within days. The section between I-840 and NC 68 should be finished by the end of June, and the section concurrent with US 220 should be completed by October.




Yeah, the section of I-73 between NC 68 and US 220 should be open this week (hopefully by Saturday), unless there are weather delays. I just checked that area, they only need to do line painting at the on and off ramps and putting up the NC 68 and I-73 signs at the NC 68 interchange (Exit 111). I'd say the section is around 99.5% complete.

The Ghostbuster

Are there plans to extend Interstate 73 further north towards the Virginia state line anytime soon?

sparker

Looks like, except for the "will-they-or-won't-they" status of the Rockingham bypass, that most of I-73, save the final sections to both state lines, will be a fait accompli in NC.  Any further news on Rockingham -- has anyone in or out of NCDOT managed to advance that status to near-term rather than a 10+-year wait?  It seems that the eastern-state projects (I-42, upgrading the I-87 pathway, the Wilmington bypass, etc.) have superseded the 73/74 composite corridor (the WS I-74 bypass progress notwithstanding) as the locus of NC Interstate activity -- at least for the present.  Perhaps this change of focus is just cyclical activity partially due to internecine state politics -- with 73/74 regaining attention after some of the other projects mature.   

LM117

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on April 25, 2017, 04:09:33 PM
Are there plans to extend Interstate 73 further north towards the Virginia state line anytime soon?

Not to my knowledge and if there aren't, then I doubt NCDOT would be willing to spend money to upgrade US-220 any further north until Virginia shows signs of building their part and by "signs", I mean actually breaking ground and not the usual hot air blowing from Richmond.
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

LM117

Quote from: sparker on April 25, 2017, 04:45:19 PMIt seems that the eastern-state projects (I-42, upgrading the I-87 pathway, the Wilmington bypass, etc.) have superseded the 73/74 composite corridor (the WS I-74 bypass progress notwithstanding) as the locus of NC Interstate activity -- at least for the present.

As well they should. Up until recent years, eastern NC has usually gotten the shaft. Virginia is still many years from breaking ground (assuming they actually do it), and South Carolina wants the feds to pay for I-73 (good luck with that). The non-freeway sections of US-70 between Raleigh and Morehead City have been a nightmare for years and it's planned upgrade to I-42 has been long overdue. It should've been done years ago since it carries more traffic than the nearby US-264 and US-64 freeways, as well as serving as a hurricane evacuation route.

I-795's extension along US-117's corridor to I-40 makes sense because it would provide a high-speed shortcut between the Port of Wilmington and I-95 in Wilson. The new terrain alignment between the Mar-Mac area of Goldsboro and where I-795 currently ends will help relieve traffic on US-117 in that stretch, as well as provide a second Neuse River crossing since the US-117 bridges over the Neuse River are notoriously prone to flooding. It doesn't take much for those bridges to go under water.

As for I-87 and I-587, they can wait. I-87's corridor is already a freeway for nearly half it's length and with the exception of Hampton Roads, there's no support for I-87 in Virginia. The entire length of I-587's corridor is already a freeway with little traffic so I see no hurry to upgrade US-264.

Don't get me wrong. I think NCDOT did the right thing in building this latest section of I-73 since it gives easy access to the PTI airport from points north of Greensboro, as well as allowing for the taxiway to be built and W-S Northern Beltway will help relieve traffic there. But considering Virginia's politics and South Carolina's pipe dream of wanting the feds to foot the bill for I-73, any more money spent on I-73's extension would be a waste as things stand right now, IMO.
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette



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