North Carolina

[The Ghostbuster]

I highly doubt US 74 Alternate will revert back to mainline US 74. US 74 Alternate may eventually be decommissioned, just like the following US 74 Alternates were decommissioned in the following locations: Rutherfordton (1949-1960); Shelby (1936-1960); Bessemer City (1937-1938); the two in Monroe (1949-1952) and (1952-1954); Rockingham (1953-1957); Leland (1936-1975); and the one in Wrightsville Beach (1938-1940). Of course, I could be wrong about my prediction, and I will be the first to acknowledge my mistake if I am.

[CanesFan27]

^Not at the moment, US 74A is pretty well signed east of Downtown Asheville.  Though with a potential I-26 to I-85 interstate coming, it is very possible to see US 74 back on US 74A.

No - US 74A would need to see various upgrades to be a serviceable mainline US highway (even with low volumes.). It would be a disservice if it reverted back to US 74.

[WashuOtaku]

^Not at the moment, US 74A is pretty well signed east of Downtown Asheville.  Though with a potential I-26 to I-85 interstate coming, it is very possible to see US 74 back on US 74A.

No - US 74A would need to see various upgrades to be a serviceable mainline US highway (even with low volumes.). It would be a disservice if it reverted back to US 74.

US 74A is not actually bad, haven driven it; its just a mountain highway that is not unique to others in the area. The whole point of alternate routes was not to devalue the route but identify it as an valid alternative to the mainline. Could I see NCDOT requesting the mainline back onto the alternate route, yes.

[CanesFan27]

Disagree in that roadway condition and narrowness at various points. Barely Good as alternate - 74 would be better as routed and be consistent with much of the highway corridor throughout the state. 

[ARMOURERERIC]

As I have posted before:  Yo do NOT want to do anything to encourage trucks through Lake Lure.

[Rothman]

As I have posted before:  Yo do NOT want to do anything to encourage trucks through Lake Lure.

^So much this.  The stretches around Chimney Rock/Lake Lure would be horrible if semis decided to take that route.  Turning radii are tight and the trailer would probably cut the curves with the quality of drivers we're seeing (although, I'm reminded of the Ben Franklin freight semi that would make its way up KY 122...back when truckers knew what they were doing...).  They'd also inch along slower than the old fogies that inch along the stretch now.

[LM117]

Joey Hopkins just became the new NCDOT secretary.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2023/2023-10-03-hopkins-peoples-sylvester-ncdot-leadership.aspx

[wdcrft63]

NCDOT is opening two ramps at the big interchange of I-440 and Wade Avenue in West Raleigh: the flyover from I-440 EB to Wade WB and the left-hand exit from Wade EB to I-440 EB.
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2023/2023-10-06-wade-ramp-exit-hillsborough-fair.aspx

[Dirt Roads]

Raleigh's Peace Street Bridge and Durham's Can Opener Bridge (located at South Gregson at West Peabody) are both low-clearance Norfolk Southern railroad overpasses that for decades have taken out numerous unsuspecting tractor-trailers.  Each bridge resides near their respective city's downtowns - Durham's Brightleaf District and Raleigh's Glenwood South.  Over the years, the two bridges have generated media attention and a social media following.

I take a look at both bridges and declare a winner:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2023/10/a-tale-of-two-cities-and-two-bridges.html

Sorry for the late response.  The Peace Street canopener is actually beneath the CSX Norlina Subdivision, which was formerly the Seaboard Air Line mainline between Richmond and Savannah (via Raleigh and Columbia).  This rail line is also part of the proposed Southeast High Speed Rail corridor. 

[cowboy_wilhelm]

Raleigh's Peace Street Bridge and Durham's Can Opener Bridge (located at South Gregson at West Peabody) are both low-clearance Norfolk Southern railroad overpasses that for decades have taken out numerous unsuspecting tractor-trailers.  Each bridge resides near their respective city's downtowns - Durham's Brightleaf District and Raleigh's Glenwood South.  Over the years, the two bridges have generated media attention and a social media following.

I take a look at both bridges and declare a winner:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2023/10/a-tale-of-two-cities-and-two-bridges.html

Sorry for the late response.  The Peace Street canopener is actually beneath the CSX Norlina Subdivision, which was formerly the Seaboard Air Line mainline between Richmond and Savannah (via Raleigh and Columbia).  This rail line is also part of the proposed Southeast High Speed Rail corridor.

It's Norfolk Southern. CSX is to the east of Capital Blvd. at 13' 6".

[CanesFan27]

The CSX old Seaboard line runs to the east of Capital Blvd. The NS line runs to the west.  The peace street bridge is west of capital.  The old Seaboard Station is/was also east of Capital.

I didn't use this photo but the link has a photo of the original peace st bridge with NS on it.

https://www.facebook.com/1014456745313277/posts/pfbid033KTHhXEdo8AMF4U7vD8d2kuqpDV1UWUDQ9d2kD9jrrBAYcFDChKi7k5gEtQbiN5Nl/?mibextid=cr9u03

Also a few news stories confirm it's NS:

https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/wake-county-news/raleighs-peace-street-bridge-peels-open-another-truck/amp/

The CSX bridge has a clearance of 13'6" vs 12'4" for the NS bridge.

With both so close together, it's easy to mix up - WRAL's article gets the bridge right but use the dates from the CSX/Seaboard bridge.

Both sets of tracks were the boundary of the old Smoky Hollow neighborhood in Raleigh

https://theraleighcommons.org/linkpeacestreet/history.php

[Dirt Roads]

^^^
Oops.  Since I've personally seen six canopener events on the eastern Peace Street overpass beneath the old Seaboard main line, I've always assumed (wrongly) that this was the one.  Additionally, I more recently (5 years ago?) saw a near-miss where a big rig was backing up from the eastern Peace Street overpass and trying to get back onto Capital Boulevard.  Somehow, I got around him.

Cross-posted from the Overpasses with RR Logos thread:  There's another canopener in Downtown Durham worth mentioning:  https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=33994.msg2876223#msg2876223

[rover]

I really hope they stop I-87 and come up with another number.
I hate it when interstates are used twice, especially on the same coast.

[The Ghostbuster]

Too late for that. The Interstate 87 designation is here to stay. At least North Carolina's Interstate 587 will make more sense than New York's 587 IMHO.

[hurricanehink]

I really hope they stop I-87 and come up with another number.
I hate it when interstates are used twice, especially on the same coast.

Or we can connect them via Delmarva and the Garden State Parkway 😜

[LM117]

Upcoming closures as part of the I-440 & Blue Ridge Road improvements project in Raleigh.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2023/2023-10-23-beryl-road-wade-avenue-closures.aspx

[bob7374]

NCDOT is celebrating the 5th anniversary of the opening of the Monroe Expressway:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2023/2023-11-13-monroe-expressway-five-years.aspx

[The Ghostbuster]

Now if they could get bypasses of Marshville, Peachland, Polkton and Wadesboro constructed, then they'd really be in business.

[architect77]

NCDOT is celebrating the 5th anniversary of the opening of the Monroe Expressway:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2023/2023-11-13-monroe-expressway-five-years.aspx

Moodys just upgraded its bond rating citing NC continued growth and support from the state.

[roadman65]

Question about U 70 from Powhatan to Selma. Before US 70 got realigned to bypass Smithfield, I do remember that US 70 Alternate followed current US 70 through Selma and continued west to Powhatan where is western terminus was with its parent.

However it wasn't a freeway west of Selma then. Plus Google doesn't show any parallel alignment to US 70 between the two places that could have been US 70 ALT prior to the freeway. Am I to assume that the current freeway was built on top of the former US 70 Alternate alignment?

[MASTERNC]

Looks like the I-77/I-40 interchange is mostly done.  It is confusing with all the cones closing lanes and shifting people around, but it should be nice when opened.

[Dirt Roads]

Question about U 70 from Powhatan to Selma. Before US 70 got realigned to bypass Smithfield, I do remember that US 70 Alternate followed current US 70 through Selma and continued west to Powhatan where is western terminus was with its parent.

However it wasn't a freeway west of Selma then. Plus Google doesn't show any parallel alignment to US 70 between the two places that could have been US 70 ALT prior to the freeway. Am I to assume that the current freeway was built on top of the former US 70 Alternate alignment?

Indeed.  Much of the current alignment of US-70 between Selma and the US-70 Clayton Bypass was originally US-70A and then switched to US-70 mainline about 1992.  At that time, the original routing of US-70 through Smithfield got bannered to become Business US-70.  It was later four-laned around Wilsons Mills about 1998.  Technically, very little of this portion of US-70 is yet up to NCDOT freeway standards, much less Interstate standards.  But it won't be long, as construction is progressing quickly (one of the few expeditious NCDOT construction projects in recent memory - ughh).

The infamous Oak Street intersection west of Selma was recently converted to a pseudo-RIRO to extend the western tailings of the Bypass US-70 freeway.  The original routing of US-70A through Selma proper still exists as Noble Street (SR-1900) and an abandoned portion of the original route continues northwest from Buffalo Road up to West Oak Street parallel to the North Carolina Rail Road.  Some of it is being used as railroad maintenance access.

[Mapmikey]

US 70A also used Sadisco Rd south of the Clayton Bypass interchange

[roadman65]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ph3vNMXj1bHjvUwC6
I see work is going on at SR 1913. So obviously the route is not yet full freeway.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/N3Eh9A4KuuuV3vRM6
Here is a service road built longside US 70. I'm assuming it's purpose is to serve local access that former US 70 A once served.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Selma,+NC/@35.546067,-78.3078295,1110m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x89ac12ad585e219d:0x9ad60833b4d51780!8m2!3d35.5365485!4d-78.2844435!16zL20vMHloZ2M?entry=ttu
Oh yes I see how Noble Street once defaulted into today's expressway at Buffalo Road.

However the current Exit 97 on I-95 always intersected US 70 ALT even before Bypass US 70 was built and even as a kid remember staying at the Ho Jo there as that interchange was far less developed. It even had a Stuckeys where the former JR Outlets were with the NB 97 ramp directed onto the I-95 frontage road instead of ending at the current signalized intersection and the frontage road having its own intersection with US 70 ( former US 70A).

The Noble street interchange was, if I recall, a partial interchange instead of a full one as it is today. It was signed Selma and the Exit 97 guides were US 70 A Pine Level and Selma for the direction of I-95 that lacked a ramp to Noble Street.


https://maps.app.goo.gl/MZu8mEdg5hpAc71y8
The side road here shows how US 70A tied into the current parclo ( former diamond) with I-95.

So no doubt US 70 Alternate had been moved at the time I-95 was constructed in the late fifties or early sixties.

[roadman65]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/YFYp1tpueNDwzihg6
I see work is slow but sure at the I-95/ NC 4 interchange to remove the trumpet and replace it with a dogbone exchange with the realigning of Halifax Road.

Ditto to the south where Sunset Road is to have its future interchange with I-95 as it's been quite a while workers have been building that exchange as well. Latest GSV shows the old and the new Sunset Avenue overpasses together as the former isn't wide enough underneath to handle a c/d roadway that this new interchange will have.