I-95 Widening in North Carolina

[cowboy_wilhelm]

Project signing plans show a posted speed of 70 mph along the Robeson County stretch south of Fayetteville, and 65 mph north of Fayetteville. Not all projects have plans available since they're design-build projects (e.g., Lumberton).

I-5987A 1 of 2 ± MM 21-29
I-5987A 2 of 2
I-5987B 1 of 2 ± MM 29-37
I-5987B 2 of 2
I-5878 MM 72-73
I-5883 MM 75-77
I-5986B MM 77-81

[bob7374]

NCDOT awards another I-95 widening contract, this for MM 21-29, work to be completed in 2026. Press release has list of all I-95 widening projects and their start and completion dates:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2022/2022-10-05-i-95-widening-awarded.aspx

[roadman65]

Glad they stopped using Local Traffic as destinations on Exit 25.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

Interesting that past and future I-77 widening projects can't be funded within a reasonable timeframe without using toll lanes, but I-95 can have $1.7 billion worth of widening contracts awarded within a few years of each other....

[jdunlop]

Interesting that past and future I-77 widening projects can't be funded within a reasonable timeframe without using toll lanes, but I-95 can have $1.7 billion worth of widening contracts awarded within a few years of each other....

IIRC, the I-95 projects received specific grant money, related to hurricane recovery/resilience, and rural internet provisions.  Those were exempt from the corridor cap.  The road also is in different regions/divisions, allowing for more projects than on I-77 (the extremely high costs of the I-77 projects hurts in that it pushes them up against the corridor cap, which limits how much money can go to one corridor in a specific time period.  The multiple regions help there on 95.)

[architect77]

Interesting that past and future I-77 widening projects can't be funded within a reasonable timeframe without using toll lanes, but I-95 can have $1.7 billion worth of widening contracts awarded within a few years of each other....

I-95 through NC is so decrepit, so dangerous with deaths happening every week, that the Trump administration had it on the Top 25 infrastructure dire needs in the whole country. As arguably the nation's most important interstate traversing over 100 million people up and down the East Coast, it's known by many people to be a top priority.

I-77 is the most heavily traveled interstate in NC, or sometimes the 2nd, but that division chose to make I-485 the most fabulous it could be with concrete pavement, north side's huge size, etc. first.... and that is why I-77 is in need of toll financing unless it waits 20 more years or so.

[LM117]

NCDOT is holding an open house on October 24 in Selma to discuss rebuilding the 3 interchanges in the Micro area.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2022/2022-10-17-open-house-i-95-johnston.aspx

[sprjus4]

NCDOT is holding an open house on October 24 in Selma to discuss rebuilding the 3 interchanges in the Micro area.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2022/2022-10-17-open-house-i-95-johnston.aspx

This stretch of I-95 was upgraded / modernized (only 4 lanes but designed for 8 in the future) a few years ago, except in these interchange locations. These bridge replacements / ramp realignments should finish that job.

Technically, NCDOT should theoretically be able to extend the 70 mph speed limit further south now with a modern interstate in place, but they likely will not.

[D-Dey65]

I'm looking at a GSV of I-95 in Wilson County between Exits 119 A and B (US 264 and I-795) and Exit 121 (US Alternate 264), and I noticed that the median becomes wide in the vicinity of Exits 119 A and B, then becomes narrow again, only to become wider a second time before Exit 121.
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.747328,-78.0034316,3629m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

If NCDOT is planning to widen the road, wouldn't it make more sense to move the current northbound lanes outward between the two interchanges?

[D-Dey65]

NCDOT is holding an open house on October 24 in Selma to discuss rebuilding the 3 interchanges in the Micro area.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2022/2022-10-17-open-house-i-95-johnston.aspx

East Main Street (Exit 102)

Replacement of bridge over I-95

Realignment of ramps to meet current standards

Realignment of St. Stephens Road removing its connection with the I-95 ramp

Couldn't they just pave the rest of East Fayetteville Street and turn the east end of St. Stephens Path into a dead end street, with or without a cul-de-sac?

[DJStephens]

I'm looking at a GSV of I-95 in Wilson County between Exits 119 A and B (US 264 and I-795) and Exit 121 (US Alternate 264), and I noticed that the median becomes wide in the vicinity of Exits 119 A and B, then becomes narrow again, only to become wider a second time before Exit 121.
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.747328,-78.0034316,3629m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

If NCDOT is planning to widen the road, wouldn't it make more sense to move the current northbound lanes outward between the two interchanges?

Usually the decision to go to the "inside" is based on cost-cutting or "value-engineering".  Have seen too much of that in Texas.   If you already have the ROW, and the bridge overpasses are being replaced, with greater horizontal clearances, am of belief it is superior to widen to the outside.  Mainly the benefits are in aesthetics, a greater margin of safety, and night time glare reduction for on-coming traffic.   

[architect77]

I'm looking at a GSV of I-95 in Wilson County between Exits 119 A and B (US 264 and I-795) and Exit 121 (US Alternate 264), and I noticed that the median becomes wide in the vicinity of Exits 119 A and B, then becomes narrow again, only to become wider a second time before Exit 121.
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.747328,-78.0034316,3629m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

If NCDOT is planning to widen the road, wouldn't it make more sense to move the current northbound lanes outward between the two interchanges?

There are patches of trees  in the medians you cite that temporarily hide each direction from one another.

It's a practice you don't see much anymore but I like it. It provides some visual variety. Of course cops like to hide in those areas too, but with 70mph speed limits these days, I'm happy to go around 75-77 mph and not have to worry about a speeding ticket.

[D-Dey65]

You know, I kind of wish we could split off a separate thread for I-95 Widening in South Carolina.

[amroad17]

You know, I kind of wish we could split off a separate thread for I-95 Widening in South Carolina.

Which will commence in what year?   

[1995hoo]

You know, I kind of wish we could split off a separate thread for I-95 Widening in South Carolina.

We do have a Fictional Highways board....

[Mapmikey]

You know, I kind of wish we could split off a separate thread for I-95 Widening in South Carolina.

https://www.scdoti95widening.com/

Their project viewer also gives a projct number to widening 95 from Georgia to Exit 33 but has no info on timelines or funding
https://scdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=ca1cd69fc88945f4bb465e16765d761c

[VTGoose]

You know, I kind of wish we could split off a separate thread for I-95 Widening in South Carolina.

https://www.scdoti95widening.com/

Their project viewer also gives a projct number to widening 95 from Georgia to Exit 33 but has no info on timelines or funding
https://scdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=ca1cd69fc88945f4bb465e16765d761c

Both are needed (the thread and the widening). Last year there were wordy signs posted on I-95 in Hardeeville (not sure how they expected anyone to read them, unless they were sitting still in the gridlock traffic through there) promoting the public comment session about this project. There needs to be a third lane in both directions and this is a start, but without more work it will just move the 3-to-2 lane drop a little further north.

[wdcrft63]

SC colleagues, if you want a thread on I-95, by all means start one. I'll be interested to read it. Let's keep this thread for NC.

[wriddle082]

SC colleagues, if you want a thread on I-95, by all means start one. I'll be interested to read it. Let's keep this thread for NC.

I'll start one when a contract is awarded.

But I might try to start a general thread for all active SC interstate widening projects.  There are currently (3) going on that aren't on I-95...

* I-20 from GA mm 200 to SC mm 3, including replacement of the Savannah River crossing (barely mentioned)
* I-26 from mm 84 to mm 101 (barely mentioned)
* I-85 from mm 81 to the NC line at mm 107 (infamous, mentioned often)

...one that is just wrapping up...

* I-20 from mm 51 to mm 60

...and one that just got started last year and deserves its own thread:

* I-20/I-26/I-126 Malfunction Junction rebuild (Carolina Crossroads)

It's blatantly obvious that these projects are more meaningful to South Carolinians than where the widening is really needed, like I-95 south of I-26 or I-26 between Columbia and Charleston.

[sprjus4]

^ I-85 is certainly needed as much as I-95 and I-26, and the other projects appear to be urban / suburban projects, and likely have just as much importance due to high local volumes.

[froggie]

A friendly reminder to everyone (especially D-Dey65) that there already is an I-95 SC widening thread...

[D-Dey65]

A friendly reminder to everyone (especially D-Dey65) that there already is an I-95 SC widening thread...

Oh, I forgot about this. I see so many South Carolina-related posts on this thread, I wanted to see them on a more appropriate thread.

[civilengineeringnerd]

Perhaps a C/D road?

That's pretty close to what I'm thinking. Install C/D roads at Pope Road with additional ramps to and from Pope Road, and have the C/D roads lead to US 421, since that's really the priority crossroad. In the meantime, get the northbound on-ramp from Pope Road to bypass the northbound C/D road and lead directly onto I-95.

whenever i played cities skylines, thats kinda what i did if i had exits too close together. usually exits being too close together was due to lack of future planning on my part and usually all was needed was the C/D ramps. usually did the job pretty well, till it came time to widen it.
and cities skylines is like a rednecks cheap version of autoCAD and other software civil engineers use to simulate traffic, only differences are how cities skylines and autoCAD simulate roads and of course one being software and the other being a literal city simulation game.
either way, i can imagine that would work. i would only ask if they could add some bicycle/ped paths with some greenery along the interstate, to at least make it look a bit better. doubt anyone likes a interstate that looks bland. 

[civilengineeringnerd]

since im of the pro-toll and pro-privatization camp, i think one user had it better when they said to have tolls at the state borders of I-95 in NC, a 5 buck toll for people taking a vacation to florida was probably better, but have separated lanes for trucks only so that trucks have a free pass while people from the north can just go on paying the 5 bucks, although a 5 buck toll with congestion pricing for the summer time and for christmas/thanksgiving would probably be better for I-95 in NC. it would obviously pay for the maintence long term but it would help more. the only problem with tolls at the state borders is it could lead to some issues with people using a exit just before hitting NC to take a state or US route to cross the NC border free.

[LM117]

since im of the pro-toll and pro-privatization camp, i think one user had it better when they said to have tolls at the state borders of I-95 in NC, a 5 buck toll for people taking a vacation to florida was probably better, but have separated lanes for trucks only so that trucks have a free pass while people from the north can just go on paying the 5 bucks, although a 5 buck toll with congestion pricing for the summer time and for christmas/thanksgiving would probably be better for I-95 in NC. it would obviously pay for the maintence long term but it would help more. the only problem with tolls at the state borders is it could lead to some issues with people using a exit just before hitting NC to take a state or US route to cross the NC border free.

Tolling I-95 would be instant political suicide, and privatization anywhere in the state would be political suicide as well (Pat McCrory found that out the hard way).