North Carolina

[LM117]

NCDOT has awarded a contract to widen US-17 Business (Market Street) in New Hanover County between Middle Sound Loop Road and Marsh Oaks Drive. Construction can begin in April and completion is set for May 2022.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-02-27-new-hanover-market-street-project-awarded.aspx

[Roadsguy]

US-17 Business (Market Street)

Has all the signage for the rerouted US 17 (and thus truncated US 17 Business) been updated yet, or is there still some to go? Officially this stretch is US 17.

[LM117]

Another rock slide has closed I-40 near the TN border for a week:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-02-23-i-40-rock-slide.aspx

I-40 has reopened, though it's currently only one lane each way.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-02-28-i-40-reopen-slide.aspx

[LM117]

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-03-05-section-jones-county-bypass-opening.aspx

POLLOCKSVILLE — A new section of a Jones County highway bypass will open this week and traffic will be detoured as the final portion of the bypass is completed.

On Wednesday, crews with the N.C. Department of Transportation will open a new, 2.5-mile section of the U.S. 17 Bypass. This new section of the bypass is about 90 percent complete.

NCDOT expects traffic will be able to drive the full length of the U.S. 17 Bypass by late this year, with the project being completed in 2020. The bypass will include a four-lane divided road that will connect U.S. 17 north of Spring Hill Road in Onslow County, and then reconnect to the U.S. 17 Bypass southwest of New Bern.

When the new section opens this week, traffic will be detoured. Northbound traffic will go onto the interchange at N.C. 58. At the bottom of the ramp, drivers will turn left onto the highway and proceed to the stop sign and flashing red light at U.S. 17. Drivers will turn left onto U.S. 17.

Drivers on U.S. 17 south will turn right onto N.C. 58 and enter back onto the U.S. 17 Bypass using the ramp designated for U.S. 17 south.

Drivers should anticipate needing extra time to learn the new traffic pattern, and slow down and use caution while near the work zone.

[froggie]

^ Is there a map of this leg somewhere?  Will it be controlled-access?  The press release suggests there'll be an interchange at NC 58.  Also presuming from the press release that it'll tie directly into the newer bypass leg that extends up to US 70.

[NE2]

Not a freeway, but presumably access will be controlled to the few intersections.

[LM117]

^ Is there a map of this leg somewhere?  Will it be controlled-access?  The press release suggests there'll be an interchange at NC 58.  Also presuming from the press release that it'll tie directly into the newer bypass leg that extends up to US 70.

Only part of the project will be controlled access with a 70mph speed limit.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2015/NCDOT-Awards-Contract-for-US-17-widening.aspx

The projects will run from the U.S. 17 New Bern Bypass, on the north end, to 300 feet north of Deppe Loop Road/Springhill Road, south of Belgrade, on the south end. Once completed, the U.S. 17 widening projects will yield significant safety improvements by bringing the corridor up to modern standards, providing motorists with a four-lane divided highway with speed limits of 70 mph from the U.S 17 New Bern Bypass to just south of N.C. 58, and a speed limit of 60 mph from just south of N.C. 58 to Deppe Loop Road in Maysville.

[Chris]

Judging by September 2018 imagery in Google Earth, the bypass will be a freeway standard road north of NC 58 (at Pollocksville) and a standard four lane divided highway south of it. There are a couple of cross roads that have no bridges and you can see U-turns, as well as driveway access on the section farther south where it is expanded on its existing alignment.

[sprjus4]

All the new location construction is limited-access freeway, while the widened portion was simply given a parallel roadway, and modifications to the existing roadway. Judging by the looks of it, the partial control-of-access widening could be converted into freeway in the future if warranted by simply building another parallel roadway to the newly built one, and converting the old one into 2-way. IMHO, it should've been done like this from this project to create a continuous freeway from U.S. 70 / Interstate 42 to south of Maysville. A good chunk of U.S. 64 west of the Outer Banks was two-lane roadway, and instead of widening it to a four-lane divided highway by building parallel roadway, they constructed two parallel roadways, left the existing road in place, and the new roadway became a 70 MPH limited-access freeway with overpasses & interchanges when it opened in 2005.

The speed limit will likely be 65 MPH on the freeway, and 55 MPH on the divided highway. The speed limit of 70 MPH and 60 MPH suggested comes from the design speed of the project. Usually the speed limit is posted lower. For example, if a freeway is built to 70 MPH design speed, it's posted at 65 MPH. If it's a 75 MPH design speed, it's posted at 70 MPH.

I do agree though that it should be 70 MPH on the freeway, and 60 MPH on the divided, and may actually end up like that. Who knows until it opens, or if anybody has physically seen a speed limit sign on the un-opened freeway and can confirm this.

---------------------------

It's important to note that the only section of the bypass opening this week is from the southern end heading two miles to the NC 58 interchange, so the tie in at the southern end can be constructed. The bypass will likely only be 2 lanes for the time being, similar to the Maysville bypass alignment that opened last year. Traffic will still have to go onto NC 58 then to US 17 still through downtown Pollocksville. The remaining 6 miles of the roadway, and the four-laning will be done later this year.

[wdcrft63]

All the new location construction is limited-access freeway, while the widened portion was simply given a parallel roadway, and modifications to the existing roadway. Judging by the looks of it, the partial control-of-access widening could be converted into freeway in the future if warranted by simply building another parallel roadway to the newly built one, and converting the old one into 2-way. IMHO, it should've been done like this from this project to create a continuous freeway from U.S. 70 / Interstate 42 to south of Maysville. A good chunk of U.S. 64 west of the Outer Banks was two-lane roadway, and instead of widening it to a four-lane divided highway by building parallel roadway, they constructed two parallel roadways, left the existing road in place, and the new roadway became a 70 MPH limited-access freeway with overpasses & interchanges when it opened in 2005.

Jacksonville has begun agitating for an interstate connection, so a further upgrade could well be in the future.
https://www.jdnews.com/news/20180218/jacksonville-could-see-interstate-access-soon

[Beltway]

Jacksonville has begun agitating for an interstate connection, so a further upgrade could well be in the future.

Demoniacal unrest.

[sprjus4]

Jacksonville has begun agitating for an interstate connection, so a further upgrade could well be in the future.

That was last year in Feb. 2018. No talks since, but it could happen in the future. Read below.

Demoniacal unrest.

It's could well happen in fact in the future. Jacksonville is a decent sized city with a population around 70,000, and Onslow County has a population near 200,000. Jacksonville also has 2 decent-sized military establishments that lack interstate connections.

Once I-42 is completed, it will only be 27 miles from it via US 17. Once the Maysville & Pollocksville bypasses and widening in between is completed in 2020, all of that would be four-lanes, and about 17 miles freeway. The section between the bypasses could be upgraded to interstate standards in the method I suggested above, building another parallel roadway, and converting the southbound lanes (the original roadway) back into a two-lane configuration. That would make 20 miles of 27 miles interstate standards. The remainder of the 7 miles is four-lanes non-controlled-access, though does not have much in the way of development off the roadway (few homes, few businesses, etc) and could be relatively easy to upgrade to interstate standards. Once you enter the urban area, such an interstate could transition back into the 4-lane development lined US 17. This could become an I-X42. It could likely be done for around $200 million considering only about 10 miles would need upgrades, no new alignments, and few relocations required.

---

Not to mention, U.S. 17 is listed in North Carolina's long-range plan as being upgraded to freeway throughout the entire state (then again essentially every road is). A corridor between Norfolk and Wilmington could be a concept too. Freeway connection between Myrtle Beach and Wilmington is already being planned under the Carolina Bays Pkwy extension.

[sparker]

Jacksonville has begun agitating for an interstate connection, so a further upgrade could well be in the future.

That was last year in Feb. 2018. No talks since, but it could happen in the future. Read below.

Demoniacal unrest.

It's could well happen in fact in the future. Jacksonville is a decent sized city with a population around 70,000, and Onslow County has a population near 200,000. Jacksonville also has 2 decent-sized military establishments that lack interstate connections.

Once I-42 is completed, it will only be 27 miles from it via US 17. Once the Maysville & Pollocksville bypasses and widening in between is completed in 2020, all of that would be four-lanes, and about 17 miles freeway. The section between the bypasses could be upgraded to interstate standards in the method I suggested above, building another parallel roadway, and converting the southbound lanes (the original roadway) back into a two-lane configuration. That would make 20 miles of 27 miles interstate standards. The remainder of the 7 miles is four-lanes non-controlled-access, though does not have much in the way of development off the roadway (few homes, few businesses, etc) and could be relatively easy to upgrade to interstate standards. Once you enter the urban area, such an interstate could transition back into the 4-lane development lined US 17. This could become an I-X42. It could likely be done for around $200 million considering only about 10 miles would need upgrades, no new alignments, and few relocations required.

---

Not to mention, U.S. 17 is listed in North Carolina's long-range plan as being upgraded to freeway throughout the entire state (then again essentially every road is). A corridor between Norfolk and Wilmington could be a concept too. Freeway connection between Myrtle Beach and Wilmington is already being planned under the Carolina Bays Pkwy extension.

Rather than an x42 3di number, it's likely that NCDOT (and its political handlers) will hold off on any Interstate designation for the US 17 corridor between Wilmington and Williamston until such time as most if not all of the route is programmed for upgrades to at least a standard that's further upgradeable to full Interstate criteria (i.e., 4 lanes divided to Interstate-standard geometrics and with private access eliminated).  At that time, they'll probably select a quasi-appropriate odd (hopefully) 2di -- or even the oft bandied-about "I-101" designation as a delineation of an eastern seaboard route.  They'll probably use the now-standard legislative mechanism of outlining a new national high priority corridor, tacking on an Interstate designation, and getting one or more members of their congressional delegation to slip it into the yearly funding bill.  Bada bing, bada boom -- they'll have their N-S "coastal" Interstate, and will proceed to erect signage on those sections passing muster and "future" BGS's on those sections yet to be completed.  But this probably won't occur until NCDOT has the completion of the US 17/I-87 corridor in its sights. 

[Bobby5280]

A freeway-upgraded US-17 from I-95 up through Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Wilmington, Jacksonville and on up to the Norfolk area would have been a good candidate for I-99. If the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel could be connected to the Interstates there then it would be possible to extend that concept of I-99 up to the Wilmington, DE area.

I wouldn't be opposed to an "I-101" designation either.

[Mapmikey]

A freeway-upgraded US-17 from I-95 up through Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Wilmington, Jacksonville and on up to the Norfolk area would have been a good candidate for I-99. If the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel could be connected to the Interstates there then it would be possible to extend that concept of I-99 up to the Wilmington, DE area.

I wouldn't be opposed to an "I-101" designation either.

And was studied for that exact outcome...nobody had any serious interest

http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/resources/I-99_Final_Report_-_VDOT_website.pdf

amazing how much different NC seems to be viewing all this a decade later...

[sparker]

A freeway-upgraded US-17 from I-95 up through Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Wilmington, Jacksonville and on up to the Norfolk area would have been a good candidate for I-99. If the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel could be connected to the Interstates there then it would be possible to extend that concept of I-99 up to the Wilmington, DE area.

I wouldn't be opposed to an "I-101" designation either.

And was studied for that exact outcome...nobody had any serious interest

http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/resources/I-99_Final_Report_-_VDOT_website.pdf

amazing how much different NC seems to be viewing all this a decade later...

And -- if eventually an I-designation is sought for the remainder of NC's US 17 -- such a "shoreline" corridor might be an impetus for getting rid of the god-awful "I-87" concept, subsuming the US 17 portion of that corridor with the number selected for the portion south of Williamston and placing an appropriate even 2di on the E-W US 64 section.  If I may be so bold, a (slightly) southern I-97 might be the most appropriate of all the possibilities -- while there's only a slight, slight chance it will ever connect to the existing I-97, that's one hell of a lot better than the chances of connecting with NY's I-87!!!   Hell, it's NC -- where "improbable" doesn't seem to exist. 

[LM117]

Of all the future interstates in eastern NC, I'm more eager for I-42 and I-795 to be completed.

[sprjus4]

I think we're getting way to fantasy and fictional here. Currently on the official plans is to upgrade U.S. 17 between Virginia and Williamston (80 miles) to interstate standards, that's it. If Virginia links I-87 to I-64 in Chesapeake, VA, that's an additional 14 miles of upgrades to limited-access highway, and 3 miles of interstate-standard freeway (the 2016 Dominion Blvd upgrade) already exists to I-64.

From Williamston to Wilmington, it was on a plan over a decade ago that fantasized every highway in the state essentially as a freeway. I think that focus is gone. Between Wilmington and Myrtle Beach, a new location Carolina Bays Parkway interstate-standard freeway is also on official plans.

If NCDOT decided to under-take upgrading 140 miles of US 17 between Williamston and Wilmington to interstate standards, and call it an interstate, I think the most it will be would be a corridor between Norfolk and Myrtle Beach. Anything up the Eastern Shore just is not going to happen IMHO.

Of all the future interstates in eastern NC, I'm more eager for I-42 and I-795 to be completed.

Same here, I'm also eager to see US 17 upgraded here in the east. Finally a corridor will exist between Norfolk and I-95 & points south. Hopefully I-42, I-795, and I-87 will all be completed by 2040.

[Roadsguy]

I'd be less opposed to an I-101 if it didn't make the possibility of a 3di for it pretty much impossible.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

The speed limit will likely be 65 MPH on the freeway, and 55 MPH on the divided highway. The speed limit of 70 MPH and 60 MPH suggested comes from the design speed of the project. Usually the speed limit is posted lower. For example, if a freeway is built to 70 MPH design speed, it's posted at 65 MPH. If it's a 75 MPH design speed, it's posted at 70 MPH.

[sprjus4]

The speed limit will likely be 65 MPH on the freeway, and 55 MPH on the divided highway. The speed limit of 70 MPH and 60 MPH suggested comes from the design speed of the project. Usually the speed limit is posted lower. For example, if a freeway is built to 70 MPH design speed, it's posted at 65 MPH. If it's a 75 MPH design speed, it's posted at 70 MPH.

Thanks for that, I did not realize that. So assuming it will then be 60 MPH on the partial-control-of-access portion. Now they need to raise the rest of US 17 between Maysville and Jacksonville to 60 MPH (I believe it's only 55 MPH).

[sprjus4]

The speed limit will likely be 65 MPH on the freeway, and 55 MPH on the divided highway. The speed limit of 70 MPH and 60 MPH suggested comes from the design speed of the project. Usually the speed limit is posted lower. For example, if a freeway is built to 70 MPH design speed, it's posted at 65 MPH. If it's a 75 MPH design speed, it's posted at 70 MPH.

Thanks for that, I did not realize that. So assuming it will then be 60 MPH on the partial-control-of-access portion. Now they need to raise the rest of US 17 between Maysville and Jacksonville to 60 MPH (I believe it's only 55 MPH).

Found the signage plans for the rest of the project - https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/dsplan/2015%20Highway%20Letting/06-16-15/Plans%20and%20Proposals/Jones%20%20Onslow%20R-2514B%20R-2514C%20C203591/R-2514B/Standard%20PDF%20Plans/R2514B%20250%20Signing%20Plans.pdf

The partial-control-of-access portion between Maysville and Pollocksville where only 4-laning is occuring, it will be 60 MPH. The Maysville Bypass is going to pull a US 58 and only be 60 MPH. So no doing 70 MPH until you reach Pollocksville.

As per design plans, the Maysville Bypass has a 70 MPH design speed despite it only being posted at 60 MPH, so it can handle an increase in the future. The widening portion of existing US 17 has a 60 MPH design speed. I find it odd NCDOT is actually posting the speed limit at the design speed. Usually it is 5 MPH below. In a normal project, the widening here would be 55 MPH, and the freeway 65 MPH. But hey, I'm not complaining, they need to do this more.

https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/dsplan/2015%20Highway%20Letting/06-16-15/Plans%20and%20Proposals/Jones%20%20Onslow%20R-2514B%20R-2514C%20C203591/R-2514B/Standard%20PDF%20Plans/R2514B%20100%20Roadway%20Plans.pdf

https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/dsplan/2015%20Highway%20Letting/06-16-15/Plans%20and%20Proposals/Jones%20%20Onslow%20R-2514B%20R-2514C%20C203591/R-2514C/Standard%20Pdf%20Plans/R2514C%20100%20Roadway%20Plans.pdf

EDIT - Interestingly enough, the mileage sign for Washington NC is using the distance via NC 43 bypassing New Bern. From the US 17 Bypass / NC 58 interchange, it lists 39 miles. It's about 50 miles taking actual US 17 through New Bern, and 39 miles taking the NC 43 shortcut.

Do they do this elsewhere on US 17 in the New Bern area?

[jcarte29]

This reminds me a lot of US 17 through Brunswick Co just south of Leland and around Shallotte. My original though was it was going to be full restricted freeway. I'm still fine with it. I hope it attracts some businesses on the southern end where my house is. (off of Belgrade-Swansboro Rd).

[sprjus4]

This reminds me a lot of US 17 through Brunswick Co just south of Leland and around Shallotte. My original though was it was going to be full restricted freeway. I'm still fine with it. I hope it attracts some businesses on the southern end where my house is. (off of Belgrade-Swansboro Rd).

The Maysville Bypass is a full freeway with only overpasses & bridges, no at-grade intersections or connections permitted. There will be at-grade intersection with US 17 Business at the southern end however, because the freeway ends there. It will only be posted at 60 MPH because it's short (only 3 miles) and not deemed necessary to jump to 70 MPH then back to 60 MPH.  but it is designed so if desired, could be safely posted as high as 70 MPH. It's designed just like the Pollocksville Bypass, which will be posted 70 MPH from the beginning. That bypass will get the 70 MPH speed because it's 7 miles long, and ties into an existing 6 miles of 70 MPH freeway, heading to the 70 MPH US 70 bypass. No speed variations there, once you hit Pollocksville, you're flowing 70 MPH for at least 15 miles heading to New Bern, and 32 miles (and even further once the Kinston Bypass is built and I-42 comes) heading to Kinston.

[wdcrft63]

This reminds me a lot of US 17 through Brunswick Co just south of Leland and around Shallotte. My original though was it was going to be full restricted freeway. I'm still fine with it. I hope it attracts some businesses on the southern end where my house is. (off of Belgrade-Swansboro Rd).

One can imagine US 17 in Brunswick County evolving gradually toward freeway status. The Bolivia Bypass was built without driveway connections, so it could easily be upgraded. There would be lots of support for replacing the stoplight at NC 211 in Supply with an interchange. The STIP already has a project to remove to one at-grade intersection on the Shallotte Bypass, which would make that section a freeway. Plus there's the plan for the freeway connection to SC 31 at the south end.