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[goobnav]

After the Interstate 540/NC 540 beltway is finally finished, does anyone see the state constructing or converting any additional roads to tollways? Or will 540 and the southern segment of 147 remain the only ones?

US-74 Monroe Expressway is also a toll road.

HO/T lanes along I-77 opened last year, and around 20 miles are currently under construction along I-485.

Northern 540 will remain free and the Southern half will stop tolling once the bonds are paid in full. I trust that NC won't break that promise which can erode the public trust for decades after one broken promise .

The government ending a revenue stream!?!?!?!?  LOL!!!  Yeah, that's a good one.  They'll figure out a way to keep that revenue coming and other ways to get it from other road sources.  Unless there is a complete change in government personnel.

After the Interstate 540/NC 540 beltway is finally finished, does anyone see the state constructing or converting any additional roads to tollways? Or will 540 and the southern segment of 147 remain the only ones?

US-74 Monroe Expressway is also a toll road.

HO/T lanes along I-77 opened last year, and around 20 miles are currently under construction along I-485.

Northern 540 will remain free and the Southern half will stop tolling once the bonds are paid in full. I trust that NC won't break that promise which can erode the public trust for decades after one broken promise .

The government ending a revenue stream!?!?!?!?  LOL!!!  Yeah, that's a good one.  They'll figure out a way to keep that revenue coming and other ways to get it from other road sources.  Unless there is a complete change in government personnel.

There is no past precident for you to doubt NC keeping its promise unlike other states that have found excuses to prolong which deeply erodes trust that citizens rememeber for decades. NC will follow Virginia's lead when they removed the I-95 tolls through Richmond after that debt was paid. It was a 25 cents at a few locations through Petersburg and Richmond back in the 80s.

NC Turnpike Authority has seized lower interest rates and refinanced 540 more than a couple of times shaving off tens of millions in interest costs.

Sorry biased here, being a PA native and seeing the PA Turnpike Authority coming up with more and more ways to keep the streams flowing and that once the taste is given to government, they usually go for the whole drink. 

With new tech that makes collecting tolls easier, E-tolling by plate and transponder or tag, getting a new system up and running would not be cost prohibitive as it was when physical toll takers were needed.  This trend has started in NC and I have only seen it morph to other states.  Even the illustrious PA Turnpike Authority is in process of destroying the Toll Takers and their so-called protected Union jobs in the name of revenue.

So, nothing will be surprising at this point.

NC has a history of being pretty true blue as far as looking out for the citizens. In fact, the underlying theme the state has pursued since its humble early days is to lift all 100 counties out of poverty and bring prosperity for all citizens. Road building is an instrument used heavily although not always successsful.

But Pennsylvania has so much in common with NC, the two states with the highest rural populations, and PA has a buttload of roads which are reaching the end of their service life of the original building and this translates to not enough funding to replace thousands of bridges and maintain tens of thousands of miles of roads, many rural. That has been difficult for Pennsylvania to afford and cold weather  is harder on the infrastructure too, thus exacerbating the problem.

I don't know how long you've been in NC but in my 50 years I've always been proud of the state goverment's prudent spending and there is not corruption entrenched like there is in many other states like Illinois and Georgia.

 has had a few bad government officials over the years but they are the exception not the norm.

NCDOT must know how to squeeze a nickel until the buffaloe poops ( from Golden Girls) to maintain over 80,000 miles of roads in NC for 2/5 of their $6 billion annual budget. 3/5 goes to new construction and improvements.

i bet PA spends twice that much a year and still can't cover everything.

NC just moved NCDOT and DMV from Raleigh to Rocky Mount, Nash Co. the current Gov's home county and 40+ miles from the capital.  Yes, the previous site was old but, operations should be kept in the capital, not 40+ miles east of it. 

Corruption is well rampant in the 25+ years I've been here and more so now than ever. Hopefully changes are coming soon but, not holding my breath until they happen.

[bob7374]

NCDOT has announced closings along I-40 next week so the girders for the new NC 540 bridge over I-40 West can be installed:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-10-01-i-40-west-closure-540-girders.aspx

[architect77]

This was a move that was frequently reported on.

Yes, they try to save money so that more is left for roads, their main focus.

With the offices of the highway divisions not always in the cities, Charlotte division has office in Albemarle, you'd have to list the advantages of staying in Raleigh other than retaining existing employees unwilling to commute.

If a sweet deal on office space in the governor's home district is corruption to you, don't ever move to Georgia or Illinois because it's 100x worse.

I wouldn't want to drive to the old Hardees headquarters everyday but my sister -in law did for many years.

You should be thankful that your tax dollars aren't going towards lavish government buildings like most other states do.

it's a wonder that more corruption isn't ubiquitous among state employees. Because of the large rural population there are a lot of people who work for the state and sheriffs in many rural areas have salaries of like $27K a year in this day and age. That's pretty bad.

Please make sure partisan politics isn't the same for you as true, corruption which to me is about involving financial gains in return for favors. Cooper was accused of approving the gas pipeline in return for something for him. If you have 2 accusations against him, then I suspect you're from the other camp. And in NC these days, The legislators who do what they want not listening to others' arguments in favor of something else is very much corruption maybe without a direct money payout. But moderate compromise is not very evident these days in State government.

But even so they all love the State and are loyal to it regardless of politics, so lawmakers aren't screwing over the state for the purpose of lining their own pockets as it the norm here in Georgia.

Gas is the same price or higher in North Georgia/Allanta than NC and Georgia ain't built a single new road or interstate in the last 40 years. The interstate layout hasn't expanded since it was built in 1960s, A few lanes added to the same simply layout is all thats been done..

So where is that 30 cents a gallon going in Georgia as NC builds countless new freeways and interstates 24/7?

[goobnav]

Understood, but, you'll see soon at what has happened here.  It's not the same as it was 20 years ago.

BTW, I voted for Hunt's 4th term.  So, get that thought process out of this discussion.  I judge people by their character at the present time and Cooper has done nothing but pontificate with no substance and the General Assembly has been keeping the control of where the money is spent and that's both sides of the coin.

Granted, as stated previously, they are better than my home state of PA and will grant the leeway to hope for Tolls to be removed in the future, as opposed to up north but, hope gets nowhere until results show.

[architect77]

Understood, but, you'll see soon at what has happened here.  It's not the same as it was 20 years ago.

BTW, I voted for Hunt's 4th term.  So, get that thought process out of this discussion.  I judge people by their character at the present time and Cooper has done nothing but pontificate with no substance and the General Assembly has been keeping the control of where the money is spent and that's both sides of the coin.

Granted, as stated previously, they are better than my home state of PA and will grant the leeway to hope for Tolls to be removed in the future, as opposed to up north but, hope gets nowhere until results show.

Cooper is a lifelong NC politician and he does sometimes automatically support the extreme stance of the Democratic platform.

He has contended with a lot of disasters though, and I just love that McCrory lost after digging in his heels in his inability to accept the full human condition which includes LBGTQ L,M,N O, P (lol) people of which I am one of.

[LM117]

Upcoming loop closures at the NC-55 interchange.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-12-09-temporary-loop-closures-on-toll-nc-540.aspx

[74/171FAN]

Upcoming loop closures at the NC-55 interchange.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-12-09-temporary-loop-closures-on-toll-nc-540.aspx

It is weird that both NC 55 and NC 55 Bypass are referenced in that article.

[LM117]

Starting around January 4, there will be closures on Old McCullers Road, which is expected to last about 3 months. Part of Tech Road will also be closed.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-12-14-temporary-closure-complete-540-construction.aspx

[tolbs17]

I'm guessing the construction on this project WON'T be sped up cause of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[snowc]

Flyover ramp coming in pretty good over by I40 to NC540 West. When will the girders be installed on this one?

[snowc]

I cant seem to find the sign projects for C540. How can I retrieve this?

[Roadsguy]

I cant seem to find the sign projects for C540. How can I retrieve this?

It's a design-build project, and plans for those don't seem to ever get posted alongside the others. I got the plans through a public record request and can send you them if you'd like.

[snowc]

I cant seem to find the sign projects for C540. How can I retrieve this?

It's a design-build project, and plans for those don't seem to ever get posted alongside the others. I got the plans through a public record request and can send you them if you'd like.

Send them on over. I am willing to see them.

[tolbs17]

I cant seem to find the sign projects for C540. How can I retrieve this?

It's a design-build project, and plans for those don't seem to ever get posted alongside the others. I got the plans through a public record request and can send you them if you'd like.

Send them on over. I am willing to see them.

I have to agree. On the NCDOT website, they show the old alternatives.

[tolbs17]

So, at NC 55, I assume there will be a DDI interchange there? There's not enough space to put a merge lane (unless they add in another bridge that would accodimante the merge lane).

https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/PDEA/Web/Complete540/final-eis/design-maps/C540_dphm_01.pdf

[Roadsguy]

So, at NC 55, I assume there will be a DDI interchange there? There's not enough space to put a merge lane (unless they add in another bridge that would accodimante the merge lane).

https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/PDEA/Web/Complete540/final-eis/design-maps/C540_dphm_01.pdf

There's definitely enough room on the bridge for the merge lane, though neither the existing WB bridge nor the new EB bridge will have full shoulders next to the merge lane, which is unfortunately a common NCDOT practice. See the screenshot from the pavement marking plans:

[tolbs17]

So, at NC 55, I assume there will be a DDI interchange there? There's not enough space to put a merge lane (unless they add in another bridge that would accodimante the merge lane).

https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/PDEA/Web/Complete540/final-eis/design-maps/C540_dphm_01.pdf

There's definitely enough room on the bridge for the merge lane, though neither the existing WB bridge nor the new EB bridge will have full shoulders next to the merge lane, which is unfortunately a common NCDOT practice. See the screenshot from the pavement marking plans:

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6879262,-78.8397816,99m/data=!3m1!1e3

This one shows only 6 lanes can fit.

[Roadsguy]

So, at NC 55, I assume there will be a DDI interchange there? There's not enough space to put a merge lane (unless they add in another bridge that would accodimante the merge lane).

https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/PDEA/Web/Complete540/final-eis/design-maps/C540_dphm_01.pdf

There's definitely enough room on the bridge for the merge lane, though neither the existing WB bridge nor the new EB bridge will have full shoulders next to the merge lane, which is unfortunately a common NCDOT practice. See the screenshot from the pavement marking plans:

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6879262,-78.8397816,99m/data=!3m1!1e3

This one shows only 6 lanes can fit.

Keep in mind that the temporary median is only slightly narrower than a lane, and the eastbound lane is slightly wider than a normal lane at 16' compared to the normal 12'. See below:

[architect77]

Does anyone know what the ramp built in the median of I-40 Northbound is in Southern Wake?

It looks like it could be a grade-separated exit for left turns or a HOT?HOV exit on I-40 upon completion.

PLease get NCDOT to pick up the trash on I-440 and US401 through Rolesville. I've contacted them multiple times. thx

[architect77]

Georgia has many regular travel lanes on metro Atlanta interstates that are only 11' wide and will repeat that on I-285 as it gets rebuilt with express lanes.

I-75 between Atlanta and Macon, one the most important interstates in the country, has several narrow spots with inadequate width for emergency pull-off lane on the right shoulder and no space at all for left median emergencies.

That one foot of width is missing from 2 inner lanes of I-85 in Gwinnett and it makes all the difference between driving comfortably and unpleasant stressful panic.

I cannot believe they are fine with narrower travel lanes.

[tolbs17]

Does anyone know what the ramp built in the median of I-40 Northbound is in Southern Wake?

It looks like it could be a grade-separated exit for left turns or a HOT?HOV exit on I-40 upon completion.

PLease get NCDOT to pick up the trash on I-440 and US401 through Rolesville. I've contacted them multiple times. thx

Which ramp? Give me a location.

They never talked about HOT lanes on I-40 on the beltway, nor going south to Wilmington.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

Does anyone know what the ramp built in the median of I-40 Northbound is in Southern Wake?

It looks like it could be a grade-separated exit for left turns or a HOT?HOV exit on I-40 upon completion.

PLease get NCDOT to pick up the trash on I-440 and US401 through Rolesville. I've contacted them multiple times. thx

Which ramp? Give me a location.

They never talked about HOT lanes on I-40 on the beltway, nor going south to Wilmington.

Haven't seen it, but it's likely for construction equipment to access the median without interfering with traffic. Several of these were used during the I-85 widening north of Charlotte, and maybe during the I-40 rebuild a few years ago.

https://goo.gl/maps/5YxyWMJ7EN5mYuSD9

[tolbs17]

Does anyone know what the ramp built in the median of I-40 Northbound is in Southern Wake?

It looks like it could be a grade-separated exit for left turns or a HOT?HOV exit on I-40 upon completion.

PLease get NCDOT to pick up the trash on I-440 and US401 through Rolesville. I've contacted them multiple times. thx

Which ramp? Give me a location.

They never talked about HOT lanes on I-40 on the beltway, nor going south to Wilmington.

Haven't seen it, but it's likely for construction equipment to access the median without interfering with traffic. Several of these were used during the I-85 widening north of Charlotte, and maybe during the I-40 rebuild a few years ago.

https://goo.gl/maps/5YxyWMJ7EN5mYuSD9

It's definitely not a HOT lane nor a direct connector. THey use that material to demolish the bridge.

[Traffic]

It's a haul road for dump trucks and such.  The Contractor 's vehicles use this ramp to access a nearby asphalt plant.   This way the vehicles do not have to worry about constantly trying to blend with the Interstate traffic; it keeps the construction vehicles separate.  It is temporary and will be demolished later in the project.

[Dirt Roads]

Haven't seen it, but it's likely for construction equipment to access the median without interfering with traffic. Several of these were used during the I-85 widening north of Charlotte, and maybe during the I-40 rebuild a few years ago.

Correct.  On the so-called "Fortify" project, there was a temporary bridge with median access for construction equipment near the NCRR bridge over I-40 in Cary.  I liked the original name for that project: "Crawleigh".