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North Carolina - Lighting at interchanges

Started by tolbs17, December 06, 2019, 03:14:12 PM

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tolbs17

Should all of I-87, and I-587 get lighting along the highway and at interchanges?

I would say these would all be the most useful spots.

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6093951,-77.4391524,15z

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6186056,-77.6112,15z

https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6778208,-77.854015,15z

This junction really needs it!
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6787446,-77.9613034,14z

Here!
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.715022,-78.0020964,15z

Both these interchanges..
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.7473335,-78.0242836,14z

Here would be nice. I wish this interchange got upgraded to something like this though.
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.8354838,-78.3091518,15z

Make the interchange of US64/US264 look like this (without the flyover) and traffic would be better I'm sure to prevent weaving.
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.7539661,-78.5970587,15z

You can post more than just I-87 and I-587!

Which interchanges should get lighting at what highways?


goobnav

Why?  I-40 SE of the Triangle doesn't have it, except for the I-95 interchange.  87 east of Zebulon is rural except for Rocky Mount and Tarboro and what will be 587 is rural until Wilson. 
Life is a highway and I drive it all night long!

tolbs17

To prevent accidents and people wouldn't forget where to turn. I'm sure that part will get lighting once I-40 to I-95 is widened.

I say towns with a population of 5k and where the interchanges go to should have lighting. We live in a town where there's no lighting and our highways are very dark.

tolbs17

Telling you man, when they make I-587 it will be so goddamn dark. Even New Jersey has brighter highways.

I-87 too as well as the Knightdale bypass.

1995hoo

If anything, the trend is towards less light pollution, not more.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

tolbs17

Quote from: 1995hoo on May 04, 2021, 01:07:04 PM
If anything, the trend is towards less light pollution, not more.
In that case, why is the east end connector illumated and the I-95 US-64 interchange?

architect77

#6
I think the bottom line is that it's somewhat at the discretion of a few lead officials at NCDOT since all of it can be classified in the rural category because of the tree buffers on even the I-440 Beltline which probably should get lights before Eastern NC corridors. It's the same as with overheads on streets around interstate junctions. Sometimes they get overheads, sometimes just small shoulder signs.

You can see over the past 20 years that they will add a few lights here and there like on I-540 and the Fortify rebuild, but they are so strained already with funding that must be spread thinly across the state. Plus someone has to pay the monthly bill.

I'm sure it's a lower priority than reducing dangerous intersections or relieving bottlenecks across the state.

Only Charlotte is fortunate enough to get continuous lighting on freeways and it went for years broken and unrepaired which was a blight on city that's growing and shouldn't have had to endure it.

Always suspicious of Charlotte being shortchanged by the state and falsely thinking that Raleigh received preferential treatment by lawmakers, a Charlotte local news station sent a crew of reporters on a trip to Raleigh hoping for footage of Raleigh's freeway lights working perfectly while Charlotte's remained broken for years.

But as with so much that Charlotteans wrongly assume about the rest of the state which they look down on by the way, their trip was a fool's pursuit as they realized that Raleigh's freeways don't have any lights at all. This was about 10 years ago.

They also think that Raleigh has more concrete freeways which is absolutely not true. US1 is the only one I can think of while I-85 and I-485 have many more miles of concrete pavement than in the Triangle.

I'm all for lighting as much as they can, but most of the folks decrying the lack of lighting in NC have less than stellar eyesight so that has to be accounted for. I used to have 20/15 vision though now it's decreasing after passing age 50, I've never had a problem seeing.

Atlanta has no lighting on at least 50 percent of its freeways, but here whatever town is nearby can install and pay for lighting if it wants to.

kphoger

Quote from: tolbs17 on May 04, 2021, 02:34:59 PM

Quote from: 1995hoo on May 04, 2021, 01:07:04 PM
If anything, the trend is towards less light pollution, not more.

In that case, why is the east end connector illumated and the I-95 US-64 interchange?

When was lighting installed?
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

architect77

Quote from: tolbs17 on May 04, 2021, 12:14:32 PM
Telling you man, when they make I-587 it will be so goddamn dark. Even New Jersey has brighter highways.

I-87 too as well as the Knightdale bypass.

Why do you say "even" like it's a bottom rung state? It is the most densely populated state in the country as far as people to land area. I lived in Jersey City for two years and have respect for NJ. On the civilized scale, it and NC come in pretty close together.

tolbs17

Quote from: kphoger on May 04, 2021, 04:35:47 PM
Quote from: tolbs17 on May 04, 2021, 02:34:59 PM

Quote from: 1995hoo on May 04, 2021, 01:07:04 PM
If anything, the trend is towards less light pollution, not more.

In that case, why is the east end connector illumated and the I-95 US-64 interchange?

When was lighting installed?
90s.

kphoger

Quote from: tolbs17 on May 04, 2021, 04:57:27 PM

Quote from: kphoger on May 04, 2021, 04:35:47 PM

Quote from: tolbs17 on May 04, 2021, 02:34:59 PM

Quote from: 1995hoo on May 04, 2021, 01:07:04 PM
If anything, the trend is towards less light pollution, not more.

In that case, why is the east end connector illumated and the I-95 US-64 interchange?

When was lighting installed?

90s.

I only remember hearing about light pollution starting in the very late 1990s.  Maybe I was just out of the loop back then, but it's possible those locations' lighting was installed before people had become very concerned about light pollution.
Keep right except to pass.  Yes.  You.
Visit scenic Orleans County, NY!
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: Philip K. DickIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

ARMOURERERIC

When exits 104 and 105 we're improved in Morganton around 2016, they got full lighting

Love2drive

Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on May 04, 2021, 07:19:37 PM
When exits 104 and 105 we're improved in Morganton around 2016, they got full lighting

They put up  full lighting this year at exits 180 and 182 on interstate 40 and also in the median.   I wish they would put up lights at the exit 193 interchange with US 52.  Way too dark at night in that stretch of road.

cowboy_wilhelm


tolbs17


architect77

Quote from: cowboy_wilhelm on May 05, 2021, 08:39:27 AM
NCDOT Roadway Lighting Policy

Now if we could get them to prioritize mast-arm signal poles more. Every state is rapidly upgrading signals and I'm afraid Raleigh is going to be the sagging wire signal capital of the whole country.

It's especially frustrating when you have Cary's better-looking intersections next door to compare with.

Why can't they add the glow-in-the-dark ingredient into paint used for lane striping? There must not be much of that resource available.

roadman65

Quote from: architect77 on May 05, 2021, 11:21:15 PM
Quote from: cowboy_wilhelm on May 05, 2021, 08:39:27 AM
NCDOT Roadway Lighting Policy

Now if we could get them to prioritize mast-arm signal poles more. Every state is rapidly upgrading signals and I'm afraid Raleigh is going to be the sagging wire signal capital of the whole country.

It's especially frustrating when you have Cary's better-looking intersections next door to compare with.

Why can't they add the glow-in-the-dark ingredient into paint used for lane striping? There must not be much of that resource available.


Go to Galveston County. Sagging and sloppy overhead span wires galore.

https://goo.gl/maps/xEUthAFNFPXpB5VQ8
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe


tolbs17

I'm wondering why this interchange has lighting and it's in a very rural area.

tolbs17

#19
Is high mast lighting the best to use?

Skip to page 24 and it lists reasons.

architect77

Quote from: roadman65 on June 06, 2021, 01:14:32 AM
Quote from: architect77 on May 05, 2021, 11:21:15 PM
Quote from: cowboy_wilhelm on May 05, 2021, 08:39:27 AM
NCDOT Roadway Lighting Policy

Now if we could get them to prioritize mast-arm signal poles more. Every state is rapidly upgrading signals and I'm afraid Raleigh is going to be the sagging wire signal capital of the whole country.

It's especially frustrating when you have Cary's better-looking intersections next door to compare with.

Why can't they add the glow-in-the-dark ingredient into paint used for lane striping? There must not be much of that resource available.


Go to Galveston County. Sagging and sloppy overhead span wires galore.

https://goo.gl/maps/xEUthAFNFPXpB5VQ8

Your map link reminded me of Texas's interstate exits which dictate movement the exact opposite of what East Coasters are used to.

You exit the interstate but don't stop or yield onto the road you're transitioning to. That road must yield to the traffic exiting the interstate which is alarming the first time you experience it. Takes some major getting used to.

tolbs17

This seems random. Although a widening project is underway so I wonder if they will be replaced.

https://goo.gl/maps/Uemqe7ewKRhMHuuY8



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