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Hampton Roads VA and Eastern NC ride - 5/6/17

Started by Mapmikey, May 12, 2017, 02:13:55 PM

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Mapmikey

So last weekend I took a ride to Hampton Roads and then Eastern North Carolina...

Took I-95, I-295, and I-64 with the sun coming up about the time I reached Williamsburg.  I got off at VA 143 to drive the little piece between 64 and Camp Peary and it is possible to turn around before passing through a gate.

I-64 is being widened from the eastern VA 199 interchange to Newport News.  Tree removal from the median is nearly done and some new roadway has been built to shift traffic over while rehabbing the original parts of the freeway.

I got off at VA 171 Oyster Point Rd.  VA 171 is still not posted in Newport News other than on the I-64 BGSs but is fully posted immediately upon entering York County.  The US 171 error shield out of the shopping center near I-64 is still present.  I used VA 134 to SR 600 Big Bethel Rd so that I could drive the extended VA 172.  There is exactly one VA 172 shield in either direction west of VA 134 - reassurance marker leaving Big Bethel Rd.  VA 172 coming back to Big Bethel has an SR 600 jct sign which is erroneous as this is in the city of Hampton.

Followed Big Bethel to US 258 and across the James River Bridge.  I went and looked at the new triangle setup for the US 258-VA 10-VA 32 intersection.  Note that there are still no VA 32 shields on the US 17 overlay and there is a US 10 error shield on one of those blue service signs now common around Virginia.  The Benns Church triangle is designed to provide better flow for all movements.  They built an L-shaped 4-lane road from VA 10-32 to US 258-VA 32 south and east of the original intersection.  VA 32 south must use this new road as you can no longer turn left at the original intersection.  VA 32 north must also use the new road because you cannot turn right anymore from VA 10 west at the original intersection.  VA 10 east cannot turn left at the L road and VA 32 north on the L road cannot turn left at US 258.

Reversed back up US 258 and got stuck at the drawbridge over the James River.  Really slow.  Once moving again went to I-64 and crossed HRBT into Norfolk.  Went over to Terminal Blvd because I received a report that VA 406 is now very well posted all over.  This turns out to be accurate.  WB there are VA 406 shields after every intersection, with accompanying TO VA 337 shields.  EB there are accompanying TO I-64 and TO I-564 shields.  VA 406 is also prominently posted from both directions of VA 337.  Unlike VA 165 Little Creek Rd, which is still no longer identified from VA 337 east.

Followed VA 337 down to the Midtown tunnel.  VA 247 is no longer posted from VA 337 west.  The new configuration at the Midtown tunnel was not set up very well IMO.  The right lane of Hampton Blvd does not default into the tunnel and the ramp you use to go to the tunnel appears to go to the relocated truck inspection area.  They installed a ton of those flexible barrier posts (like the ones separating the Beltway from its toll lanes), and I ended up on Brambleton and had to turn around to get back to the tunnel.  The new tube is really nice.

In Portsmouth, BGSs give no indication that VA 164 continues with US 58 from any direction at the Pinners Point interchange.  On VA 164 east if you take the ramp to US 58 west, there is a VA 164 sign at the end of that ramp.  There are no VA 164 shields at the London Blvd interchange either, only TO I-264 shields.  There is however an END VA 164 shield where the ramps split to different directions on I-264.

I curled around to US 17 so that I could attempt to figure out what they did with VA 337 ALT.  Turnpike Rd was open enough to go back under VA 164.  A new posting is east of VA 164's overpass at the intersection of Turnpike and Constitution but there is no arrow (and also no alternate banner either).

Possibilities are:
Turns left on Constitution to go to VA 141 London Blvd;
Continues on County to VA 141 Effingham;
Continues on County to Elm, then south to connect back with VA 337.

I drove County to Effingham and saw no further shields and also went through the intersection where Elm becomes VA 337 and no signage there either.  I e-mailed the City of Portsmouth a few days ago and have not heard anything back.

I followed VA 337 around Norfolk Naval Shipyard to VA 239 so that I could get photos of VA 239's bridge over the small creek nearby.  It has 1944 carved dates in the railing.  Then I went over the Jordan Bridge to South Norfolk so that I could see if VA 246 had any postings whatsoever.  VA 337 east's turn onto Bainbridge is not marked at all.  VA 246 is only posted on one sign currently (had been 2), on US 460 WB-VA 166 SB at the intersection of 22nd and Liberty.  No postings on the east end of VA 246 at all.  Coming back up Liberty is this nifty old unisign showing a long-decommissioned 337 ALT and mini-white border shields.  This makes 3 remaining 337 ALT shields (another is on the same sign showing 246 but with an arrow erroneously saying it continues south on 22nd).



I headed over to check out the new US 17 bridge over the Elizabeth River.  Quite nice.  Reversed back up VA 166 so that I could drive the new Gilmerton Bridge which was also nice.  Went back to US 17 Business at Deep Creek to head for North Carolina.  There are US 17 mile markers on US 17 Business starting after I-64.  I took a pit stop at the Dismal Canal bike path center located literally on top of the old VA 104 and US 17 junction.  Once on US 17 there were a couple mile markers with erroneous VA 17 shields.

Headed to Elizabeth City to drive NC 344 between the 17 Bypass and the original 17.  Already a bunch of development along NC 344.  The NC 344 END shield is 1000 ft west of the US 17 Bypass.  There is a FUTURE I-87 LGS on the US 17 Bypass.  You cannot access US 17 South from SB US 17 Business anymore and have to use NC 344 to make this movement.

I followed US 17 then NC 37.  There is still an END NC 37 shield at NC 32 and no NC 37 postings again until you reach the newly built segment leading to US 64.  Northbound however there is one reassurance assembly showing NC 32-37-94 heading for the Albemarle Sound bridge (but no others until you reach the original NC 37 end).  Went to Columbia because I had somehow never driven the east half of US 64 Business.  Ran across an unusual sign there...



Took NC 94 down to Fairfield, then followed its original route around the west of Lake Mattamuskeet.  Went to Swanquarter to drive the NC 45 segment extended to the ferry itself.  Note that there is still a NC 45 END shield where it had always been, at the turn to the ferry landing.  Reversed course back onto old NC 94 so that I could drive the old Turnpike Rd (old original NC 6).  Follwed US 264 to Pantego then Old NC 97 to NC 32 south back to US 264 and then US 17 to Vanceboro.  Used NC 43 to NC 55 so that I could drive Sunset Blvd. Old US 70 west to Dover.  This was a pretty nice road and surprised it is SR 1005 and not US 70 ALT.

At Kinston drove NC 148 and back, then the new US 70 Bypass of Goldsboro (with FUTURE I-42 LGSs on the La Grange bypass and the Goldsboro bypass).  Used NC 581 to US 301 to head back towards Virginia.  Detoured through the old US 301 Business Elm City and drove 301 Business through Rocky Mount, which is no longer posted on its south end at all and I didn't see a 301 Business shield in either direction until I got to downtown.  Looped around on the newish NC 43 bypass and picked up the 3 blocks of NC 48 that is not duplexed with what is now NC 43 Business.

Continued on US 301 all the way to NC 46-186 to get back to I-95 to head home.  Interestingly, Halifax County NC has quite a number of solar farms along US 301.

Total distance: about 850 miles in 17 hours.
New clinches (or reclinches of extended routes): VA 143, VA 172, VA 32, VA 164, US 17 (VA), NC 344, NC 37, US 64 Bus (Columbia), NC 148, US 70 Byp (Goldsboro), US 301 Bus (Rocky Mount), NC 43, NC 48

modified to fix mistake Newport News -> Hampton


plain

I didn't realize NC already put a Future I-87 sign up on US 17. They might be jumping the gun a little given the fact VA seems to be not thinking about that interstate.

Also the intersection of VA 172 and Big Bethel Rd is in Hampton, not Newport News (still makes that SR 600 posting an error of course).

As I mentioned on the Virginia thread I'm also confused with the routing of VA 337 between the Jordan Bridge and Downtown Norfolk. I'm sure it goes over the Berkeley Bridge but i don't know exactly where it joins the interstates at (Google Maps seem to think it joins at its interchange with I-464 next to the Jordan Bridge but I know it doesn't.. unless the city or state changed the routing recently, which I doubt). Also I'm not sure exactly what streets it uses in Norfolk to reach Brambleton Ave from the Berkeley Bridge (again Google Maps says Waterside Dr and Boush St but when I have never seen a sign supporting this)
Newark born, Richmond bred

Mapmikey

Quote from: plain on May 13, 2017, 02:15:56 PM
I didn't realize NC already put a Future I-87 sign up on US 17. They might be jumping the gun a little given the fact VA seems to be not thinking about that interstate.


As I mentioned on the Virginia thread I'm also confused with the routing of VA 337 between the Jordan Bridge and Downtown Norfolk. I'm sure it goes over the Berkeley Bridge but i don't know exactly where it joins the interstates at (Google Maps seem to think it joins at its interchange with I-464 next to the Jordan Bridge but I know it doesn't.. unless the city or state changed the routing recently, which I doubt). Also I'm not sure exactly what streets it uses in Norfolk to reach Brambleton Ave from the Berkeley Bridge (again Google Maps says Waterside Dr and Boush St but when I have never seen a sign supporting this)

VA 337 crosses the Jordan Bridge and I-464 then turns left at Bainbridge (no 337 posting to do this in this direction but is posted from 337 west) which it follows to its end at S. Main St.  VA 337 turns right (posted EB and NOT posted WB) onto S. Main and follows it to  Liberty where it turns left (not posted in either direction), then right on State (not posted in either direction), then left on Berkeley (not posted in either direction), then right onto I-264 ramp (posted EB, no VA 337 shield from I-264 WB to Berkeley Ave anywhere), crosses river and follows I-264 around to the Tidewater Dr exit (no longer posted from I-264 EB though it was when I lived there in the early 90s; no indication on SB Tidewater that 337 follows 264 west), then north on Tidewater to Brambleton (not posted in either direction).  The first 337 shield in a while is at Church St where US 460 splits off from VA 337.  VA 337 is well signed on Brambleton west of here.  As best I can tell there are no WB VA 337 shields between Brambleton/Church (https://goo.gl/maps/fDS16ha3dCC2) and Bainbridge/Poindexter which required 7 turns to reach.  Yay Norfolk!

Waterside and Boush are technically VA 337 ALT which has never been signed.

74/171FAN

#3
The State St/Liberty St part of VA 337 seemed to be partially closed when I went to clinch it at the end of last year.  I just went ahead and told myself that I was close enough and moved on.  :banghead:
QuoteI curled around to US 17 so that I could attempt to figure out what they did with VA 337 ALT.  Turnpike Rd was open enough to go back under VA 164.  A new posting is east of VA 164's overpass at the intersection of Turnpike and Constitution but there is no arrow (and also no alternate banner either).

Possibilities are:
Turns left on Constitution to go to VA 141 London Blvd;
Continues on County to VA 141 Effingham;
Continues on County to Elm, then south to connect back with VA 337.

I drove County to Effingham and saw no further shields and also went through the intersection where Elm becomes VA 337 and no signage there either.  I e-mailed the City of Portsmouth a few days ago and have not heard anything back.

Well this seems to be about the same status as I stated at the end of last year.
I am now a PennDOT employee.  My opinions/views do not necessarily reflect the opinions/views of PennDOT.

Roadgeekteen

Quote from: plain on May 13, 2017, 02:15:56 PM
I didn't realize NC already put a Future I-87 sign up on US 17. They might be jumping the gun a little given the fact VA seems to be not thinking about that interstate.

Also the intersection of VA 172 and Big Bethel Rd is in Hampton, not Newport News (still makes that SR 600 posting an error of course).

As I mentioned on the Virginia thread I'm also confused with the routing of VA 337 between the Jordan Bridge and Downtown Norfolk. I'm sure it goes over the Berkeley Bridge but i don't know exactly where it joins the interstates at (Google Maps seem to think it joins at its interchange with I-464 next to the Jordan Bridge but I know it doesn't.. unless the city or state changed the routing recently, which I doubt). Also I'm not sure exactly what streets it uses in Norfolk to reach Brambleton Ave from the Berkeley Bridge (again Google Maps says Waterside Dr and Boush St but when I have never seen a sign supporting this)
Well, I guess we officially have our first duplicated north to south interstate.
God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

plain

I'm not sure if a "future" designation qualifies as official
Newark born, Richmond bred

Mapmikey

Quote from: plain on May 13, 2017, 10:40:42 PM
I'm not sure if a "future" designation qualifies as official

It was a FUTURE corridor sign so I would say not quite official...

froggie

QuoteThe right lane of Hampton Blvd does not default into the tunnel and the ramp you use to go to the tunnel appears to go to the relocated truck inspection area.

You and I disagreed on this in email, but aside from the relocated truck inspection area, the current configuration is essentially the same as it's been for the past 15 years.  Coming down Hampton Blvd, the right lane is an option lane to either continue into the tunnel or head onto Brambleton Ave.

Mapmikey

Quote from: froggie on May 14, 2017, 07:59:53 AM
QuoteThe right lane of Hampton Blvd does not default into the tunnel and the ramp you use to go to the tunnel appears to go to the relocated truck inspection area.

You and I disagreed on this in email, but aside from the relocated truck inspection area, the current configuration is essentially the same as it's been for the past 15 years.  Coming down Hampton Blvd, the right lane is an option lane to either continue into the tunnel or head onto Brambleton Ave.


My e-mail may have been poorly worded.  I'm sure it has been possible to go from the right lane onto Brambleton back to the early 1960s.  What is changed now is that it was not obvious to me where the ramp was to go to the tunnel instead, because instead of a simple ramp with exit gore area as shown in current satellite view, there is a crap ton of those flex posts and the ramp looked as it if went only to the relocated inspection station.  So i thought maybe it would've made more sense for the right lane of Hampton Blvd to default into the tunnel with a slip ramp leftward to go to Brambleton...

I'm sure it didn't help that it had been at least 10 years (possibly 20) since I drove that direction to go to the Midtown Tunnel...



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