News:

The AARoads Wiki is live! Come check it out!

Main Menu

Interstate 73/74

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

Previous topic - Next topic

english si

Quote from: WashuOtaku on September 29, 2014, 09:29:32 AMall of US 74 (west of Asheville) to Interstate standards
West of Asheville?

I'm guessing they are going to solve the I-74/US74 problem by extending I-24 across the state.


WashuOtaku

Quote from: english si on September 29, 2014, 02:02:41 PM
Quote from: WashuOtaku on September 29, 2014, 09:29:32 AMall of US 74 (west of Asheville) to Interstate standards
West of Asheville?

I'm guessing they are going to solve the I-74/US74 problem by extending I-24 across the state.

Opps, corrected, meant east; so no I-24 extension.   :spin:

Revive 755

Quote from: english si on September 29, 2014, 02:02:41 PM
I'm guessing they are going to solve the I-74/US74 problem by extending I-24 across the state.

Wouldn't have surprised me at all, given all the other ideas North Carolina's had.


The Nature Boy

To be fair, extending I-24 across the state to Wilmington would be smarter than what they're currently doing. That's not saying much though.

Strider

Quote from: The Nature Boy on September 30, 2014, 12:13:25 AM
To be fair, extending I-24 across the state to Wilmington would be smarter than what they're currently doing. That's not saying much though.




I would extend I-24 east to end at I-26 instead of extending to Wilmington. I don't get the I-73/74 hate and quite frankly, I don't care. new interstates are going to get built and are given numbers whether we like it or not. While I don't like the I-74 routing in NC, it is already chosen. At least North Carolina took a lead and do their sections of I-73/74. If it doesn't even go outside North Carolina for a long awhile, it will still eventually be connected to major interstates (I-77, I-85, I-40, I-95).

I also think that I-73 has more chance to be extended outside North Carolina than I-74 does, however.

bob7374

NCDOT has awarded the contract to build the first segment of the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway, Eastern Section (I-74). Construction could start as early as next month:
https://apps.ncdot.gov/newsreleases/details.aspx?r=10485

DeaconG

Quote from: bob7374 on November 07, 2014, 10:50:51 AM
NCDOT has awarded the contract to build the first segment of the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway, Eastern Section (I-74). Construction could start as early as next month:
https://apps.ncdot.gov/newsreleases/details.aspx?r=10485

Excellent! How long was this project stalled? 20-25 years?
Dawnstar: "You're an ape! And you can talk!"
King Solovar: "And you're a human with wings! Reality holds surprises for everyone!"
-Crisis On Infinite Earths #2

jcarte29

Quote from: DeaconG on November 07, 2014, 11:42:58 AM

Excellent! How long was this project stalled? 20-25 years?
[/quote]

Just about. I think the W-S Journal article said it should've originally been built *by* early 2000s. As a W-S native, it has been talked about since I was in diapers. (Early 80s)
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

The governor and other state and local officials took part in the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway project earlier today. Read all about it in the official press release:
https://apps.ncdot.gov/newsreleases/details.aspx?r=10498

Work on this first segment could start as early as December. Completion is set for late 2018.

MikeSantNY78

Quote from: bob7374 on November 14, 2014, 10:25:47 PM
The governor and other state and local officials took part in the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway project earlier today. Read all about it in the official press release:
https://apps.ncdot.gov/newsreleases/details.aspx?r=10498

Work on this first segment could start as early as December. Completion is set for late 2018.
So (based on the wording of the presser), looks like they're starting on the SW side of the loop (per the map at NCDOT).  Any idea when they'll get to the part that Actually Involves I-74?

WashuOtaku

Quote from: MikeSantNY78 on November 14, 2014, 10:34:40 PM
Quote from: bob7374 on November 14, 2014, 10:25:47 PM
The governor and other state and local officials took part in the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway project earlier today. Read all about it in the official press release:
https://apps.ncdot.gov/newsreleases/details.aspx?r=10498

Work on this first segment could start as early as December. Completion is set for late 2018.
So (based on the wording of the presser), looks like they're starting on the SW side of the loop (per the map at NCDOT).  Any idea when they'll get to the part that Actually Involves I-74?

You read it wrong.  The first section is east of Winston-Salem, between Walkertown (US 158) and Kernersville (I-40 Bus/US 421/NC 150).  This section will be part of I-74, eventually.

bob7374

Quote from: WashuOtaku on November 14, 2014, 11:25:16 PM
Quote from: MikeSantNY78 on November 14, 2014, 10:34:40 PM
Quote from: bob7374 on November 14, 2014, 10:25:47 PM
The governor and other state and local officials took part in the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway project earlier today. Read all about it in the official press release:
https://apps.ncdot.gov/newsreleases/details.aspx?r=10498

Work on this first segment could start as early as December. Completion is set for late 2018.
So (based on the wording of the presser), looks like they're starting on the SW side of the loop (per the map at NCDOT).  Any idea when they'll get to the part that Actually Involves I-74?

You read it wrong.  The first section is east of Winston-Salem, between Walkertown (US 158) and Kernersville (I-40 Bus/US 421/NC 150).  This section will be part of I-74, eventually.
Work started on the segment this past Tuesday, December 10. The new Draft 2016-2025 STIP (State Transportation Improvement Program) document will fund 3 more additional segments of the W-S Beltway. The next segment to the north/west, 1.4 miles from US 158 to US 311/Walkertown Road, as a design build contract in 2018, and two segments that will connect the two then completed segments 5.8 miles back east/south across I-40 to I-74/US 311. These are to start in 2022.

Information taken from this article:
http://www.journalnow.com/eedition/mapping/roads-get-green-light/article_0931d47e-bcec-58fe-a0f5-68d5591d0e83.html
and placed on my I-74 Segment 4 Page: http://www.gribblenation.net/i7374nc/i74seg4.html

Strider

A news from the Greensboro resident: I drove by US 220 north near Summerfield to visit a friend and checked the progress on the US 220 widening. Here is the report:

The US 220 widening is still behind in schedule. Some locations have road that is already paved, while some gradings are left. (no traffic shift yet) However, when I went to the section where US 220 will meet Future US 220/NC 68 connector, traffic is already shifted to cross the bridges and is now on the future I-73 southbound lanes, including the ramp US 220 south is going to take to cross I-73. The original road that US 220 used to go through on the right is already demolished to make a room for future I-73 northbound lanes (they're building the bridge there as well). A frontage road is already built to access the gas station on the right that is being separated due to work on I-73 northbound lanes. The US 158 interchange is halfway completed (only southbound, since they re working on building the second span for northbound lanes). After US 158 interchange, traffic shifted to the future I-73 northbound lanes and the NC 65 interchange is halfway completed (only northbound, since they are building the connecting bridge for southbound lanes) Immediately after NC 65 interchange, traffic shifted back to original roadway northwards. No work is on the complicated NC 68/US 220 intersection, however.

I didn't take a picture of the section because I was in a hurry. Hopefully I can do that when I travel down the road again in the future.

bob7374

I have written my annual I-73/I-74 in NC Year in Review as this blog post:
http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2014/12/i-73i-74-in-nc-year-in-review-2014.html

Hopefully, I will able to get down to NC to check all of it out in person sometime this year.

bob7374

Thanks to the efforts of Strider, I have posted photos on my I-73/I-74 site of the construction currently going on along US 220 north of Greensboro to turn that highway into I-73. Here's one of them at the future NC 65 interchange:



Feel free to visit my I-73 Segment 2 page to see the rest:
http://www.gribblenation.net/i7374nc/i73seg2.html

Henry

At least it's a good thing that the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway is finally starting to take shape, and also that I-74 further south/east could be completed in conjunction with an Interstate-grade facility along US 74 to Charlotte and points west. (I-34, anyone?)
Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!

WashuOtaku

Quote from: Henry on January 09, 2015, 12:09:32 PM
At least it's a good thing that the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway is finally starting to take shape, and also that I-74 further south/east could be completed in conjunction with an Interstate-grade facility along US 74 to Charlotte and points west. (I-34, anyone?)

I say I-36, since that number isn't in use.

bob7374

GSV has been updated its images along I-40 East through Winston-Salem to September 2014, allowing you to view the new I-74 signs put up last summer. Here's the one mile advance: https://goo.gl/maps/mphO7

Unfortunately, you can only see the new I-74 signs on I-40 WB through looking in reverse, since those views date from May 2014, and the last time Google traveled US 311 to High Point was in 2012.

Mileage Mike

Has there been any decision made on the final routing of I-74 in NC?  If it doesn't go to Wilmington and indeed does curve back in the opposite direction towards SC, then it along with I-73 could have the most awkward and useless routing of all NC interstates.  Plus sending it to Wilmington would go a long way towards NC's long term goal of finally having that continuous interstate connection between Asheville, Charlotte, and Wilmington.

Henry

Quote from: Cemajr on April 16, 2015, 10:53:05 AM
Has there been any decision made on the final routing of I-74 in NC?  If it doesn't go to Wilmington and indeed does curve back in the opposite direction towards SC, then it along with I-73 could have the most awkward and useless routing of all NC interstates.  Plus sending it to Wilmington would go a long way towards NC's long term goal of finally having that continuous interstate connection between Asheville, Charlotte, and Wilmington.
Most likely, there'll never be an agreement on the last leg of I-74. And the I-20 extension is not happening either, so Wilmington is most likely the odd man out. But it would be nice to have another 2di serve that area, in addition to I-40, even if that 2di is not I-74. Which is yet another reason to build that Asheville-Charlotte-Wilmington Interstate...
Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!

wdcrft63

I agree -- the I-74 connection to SC will never be built. The most NC will be interested in is some kind of connection between SC 31 and US 17 north in NC. The Asheville-Charlotte-Wilmington corridor is high-priority and having an interstate all the way across makes a lot of sense. As for that orphan section of I-74 from I-73 to I-77 through Winston-Salem, it's more N-S than E-W. How about making it I-79?

WashuOtaku

Quote from: wdcrft63 on April 17, 2015, 06:43:40 PM
As for that orphan section of I-74 from I-73 to I-77 through Winston-Salem, it's more N-S than E-W. How about making it I-79?

I don't see a reason to change I-74 to I-79 despite the idea the state would abandon the route, which they haven't by the way.  Also, I-79 already exists and would be worse than the I-74 concurrency.

Hopefully the transportation bond proposed gets approved, then I-74 will be sped-up in completion in the state.

The Nature Boy

Quote from: Henry on April 16, 2015, 12:36:34 PM
Quote from: Cemajr on April 16, 2015, 10:53:05 AM
Has there been any decision made on the final routing of I-74 in NC?  If it doesn't go to Wilmington and indeed does curve back in the opposite direction towards SC, then it along with I-73 could have the most awkward and useless routing of all NC interstates.  Plus sending it to Wilmington would go a long way towards NC's long term goal of finally having that continuous interstate connection between Asheville, Charlotte, and Wilmington.
Most likely, there'll never be an agreement on the last leg of I-74. And the I-20 extension is not happening either, so Wilmington is most likely the odd man out. But it would be nice to have another 2di serve that area, in addition to I-40, even if that 2di is not I-74. Which is yet another reason to build that Asheville-Charlotte-Wilmington Interstate...

There's no bigger fan of the Asheville - Charlotte - Wilmington interstate than me, but it seems that the legislature couldn't care less about it. THAT should be priority #1, not this I-73/74 crap.

Of course, this proposed interstate would have to multiplex with I-74 after Rockingham until its divergence anyway.

english si

Quote from: WashuOtaku on April 17, 2015, 07:44:40 PM
I don't see a reason to change I-74 to I-79 despite the idea the state would abandon the route, which they haven't by the way.  Also, I-79 already exists and would be worse than the I-74 concurrency.
You mean the I-74/US74 concurrency?

I-79 does already exist. While it would be the first duplicated N-S interstate pair (and pretty close together) it isn't that bad.

And it's fixed really really easily - put I-79 shields up on I-77 between Beckley and Mt Airy.

---

I-74 in NC is useful west of where it will diverge from US74-76. A link between I-73 and I-77 via the Triad is very useful, probably trumping I-26 to Charlotte upgrades (as that's already freeway), though not I-85 and I-95 to Raleigh schemes. Charlotte to Rockingham is something NC needs, but strategically it makes no sense until you can get to Wilmington, or near enough, on freeway.

I-74 between I-77 and I-95 forms an important N-S link. US74 between Charlotte and I-95 doesn't finish the E-W one and needs the (independently useful) I-95 to Wilmington link to make sense on a macro level.

bob7374

Thanks to contributions from Strider, I have posted new photos of I-73 related construction west and north of Greensboro on my I-73 Segment 3 page: http://www.gribblenation.net/i7374nc/i73seg2.html#seg3



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.