Greensboro Urban Loop

[KCRoadFan]

I will bet that as soon as the ENTIRE I-840 is finished, traffic will be reduced in certain areas around Greensboro. I don't know how many percentage of reduction it would be.

Well, I suppose that depends somewhat on how many people visit Emerald Pointe waterpark next summer. 

[Love2drive]

There have been a few incidents in recent months were 29 South was shut down and they had to detour traffic onto city roads.   There was an incident in particular maybe last month where there was a incident south of Gate City .. and they had to detour traffic onto Gate City West to Benbow Road to get to MLK to get back onto 29.   I haven't been on 29 south north of the 785 interchange to see if they have put up any of those Variable Message Signs that could direct through traffic to use 785 to get to either 40 West or 85 South.  That would be useful

[sprjus4]

^

I don't know, but the control city for the I-785 segment of the loop is Charlotte, so NCDOT already intends through traffic to use I-785 South to I-85 South around the eastern and southern side of the city vs. US-29 to I-40 to I-85 Business to I-85 South. The former route is shorter, though the latter route is 65 - 70 mph interstate highway and avoids the city vs. 55 - 60 mph divided highway / urban interstate highway. The I-785 segment of the loop ought to be increased from 65 mph to 70 mph similar to how the I-85 leg was a few years back.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

Unless 29 is down-graded, Google and Waze will continue to direct traffic down 29. Most people aren't going to take a route that's 6 miles longer and 4-5 minutes slower, especially now that you have technology to get you where you're going instead of signs. NCDOT could maybe make 785/840 the truck route and place restrictions on 29 to help remove some through trucks from the weaves through Death Valley.

I wonder if that single lane ramp from 73/840 to 40 west will turn into a bottleneck one day like 485 to 85 south on the west side of Charlotte. DOT just doesn't seem to learn.

[RoadPelican]

I frequently commute on the west side of the loop from Bryan Blvd to Wendover Ave.  It's a pretty smooth ride, but I think the southbound section from Friendly Ave to Wendover Ave could have been built better.  Merging on to the loop (going south) from the Friendly Ave interchange can be tricky with a lot of traffic wanting to exit onto I-40 and the merge lane from F.A. ending prematurely and then 2 tenths of a mile later a lane opens up for I-40 exit traffic.

Why not extend the Friendly Ave merge lane and make it an auxiliary lane so Friendly Ave and I-40 traffic have more time and capacity to get on and off the loop?

Also having only one exit lane from I-840 south to I-40 is terrible and only going to get worse as traffic increases on the west/NW side of Greensboro, but silly NCDOT opens the ramp up to 3 lanes as soon as it gets off I-840.

Another thing that bugs me is the fact that thru traffic on the Loop goes from 3 lanes to 2 lanes and then has to merge onto the travel lanes that are coming in from I-40 eastbound.  This is a more minor issue than the 2 others I have mentioned, but still keeping a 3rd lane would be nice, sometimes I do encounter a left lane hog who wants to match speeds instead of passing a car in the right lane.

[LM117]

The next section of I-840 from Lawndale Drive to Elm Street is expected to open on December 23.

https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/local/new-section-of-greensboro-urban-loop-to-open-this-month/83-ee51b431-6be4-403f-9248-4c57b77ea73c

[Finrod]

I find it interesting that at the interchange of I-840, I-785, and US 29, that 840 East to 785/29 North gets a flyover ramp, but I-785 South has to squeeze through a 270-degree ramp to get through that interchange.

[tjcreasy]

Just a hunch, but my guess is there weren't enough projected trips to justify a fly over. Most southbound trips from Reidsville and Danville are Greensboro bound. NC 86 will likely remain the route of choice for Danville traffic headed towards Raleigh-Durham.

[Roadsguy]

That or I-785 was rerouted at the last minute and was originally intended to go through town, or end at I-85 in town if it hadn't been rerouted onto the southeast part of the loop. I-73 goes through a loop for a similar reason.

[Strider]

That or I-785 was rerouted at the last minute and was originally intended to go through town, or end at I-85 in town if it hadn't been rerouted onto the southeast part of the loop. I-73 goes through a loop for a similar reason.

The I-840/US 29 interchange has always been planned like this with the flyover going from I-840 East to US 29 North. As far as I know.... they didn't state a reason of why, but I could ask around.

As for I-73 going through a loop, I-73 was originally proposed to continue straight to I-40 instead of using the Loop and follow I-40 towards NC 68 before turning up north along NC 68, but plans changed after I-85 Bypass was built as they decided to put I-73 along the Loop (with former I-40 before it was returned to the original route).

[bob7374]

The new section from Lawndale Drive to North Elm Street opened this afternoon. They now expect the last segment to be completed in early 2023 (previous reports had it in the fall of 2022):
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-12-23-greensboro-urban-loop-section-opens.aspx

[The Ghostbuster]

Once the Greensboro Urban Loop is completed, they can tackle turning US 29 north of the GUL into Interstate 785, as has been planned since way back in 1997. Having the 785 designation disappear into thin air at Exit 14 will as awkward as letting Interstate 95 vanish on the north side of Trenton was from 1983 to 2018.

[Evan_Th]

Having the 785 designation disappear into thin air at Exit 14 will as awkward as letting Interstate 95 vanish on the north side of Trenton was from 1983 to 2018.

That's a huge exaggeration.  I-95 is a major mainline interstate, the backbone of the East Coast.  I-785 isn't anywhere near that.

[bob7374]

The new section from Lawndale Drive to North Elm Street opened this afternoon. They now expect the last segment to be completed in early 2023 (previous reports had it in the fall of 2022):
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2020/2020-12-23-greensboro-urban-loop-section-opens.aspx

I've posted photos taken by Strider the day after the opening, here is one of the 2 new reassurance markers:


Most of the other signs, including exit signs, have not been put up yet. The rest of the photos are at:
https://malmeroads.net/ncfutints/futloop.html#i840photos

[rickmastfan67]

Fixed the img code for ya bob7374.

[tolbs17]

Looks like imagery on google earth has been updated.

It has been updated to September 21, 2020.

[ARMOURERERIC]

The Winston Salem belt is updated as well

[tolbs17]

The Winston Salem belt is updated as well

That too yeah. It stretches to High Point as well

[bob7374]

Back in the news, NCDOT will be closing North Elm Street for I-840 Loop construction:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2021/2021-09-20-elm-street-greensboro-loop-closed.aspx

[The Ghostbuster]

Does anyone still refer to the Greensboro Urban Loop as Painter Boulevard, which was the Loop's original name?

[Strider]

Does anyone still refer to the Greensboro Urban Loop as Painter Boulevard, which was the Loop's original name?

Not since 1995 (the day the ROD was approved for I-85 Bypass). Since then, it is called I-840/I-785, I-73 and I-85. Greensboro Urban Loop is the official name.

[RoadPelican]

The Speed Limit has been raised from 65 to 70 on the Loop from the split with I-85 (Grandover area) all the way around until Battleground Ave.  It is still 65 from Battleground to Elm Street.  Also, it's interesting that the rural section on the east side of Greensboro from I-40 to US 29 is still just 65!!!

It has always been 70 MPH on the southeast side of the loop (concurrency with I-85).

[ahj2000]

The Speed Limit has been raised from 65 to 70 on the Loop from the split with I-85 (Grandover area) all the way around until Battleground Ave.  It is still 65 from Battleground to Elm Street.  Also, it's interesting that the rural section on the east side of Greensboro from I-40 to US 29 is still just 65!!!

It has always been 70 MPH on the southeast side of the loop (concurrency with I-85).

That's super weird. The least traffic, we'll designed...why, ncdot?

[sprjus4]

The Speed Limit has been raised from 65 to 70 on the Loop from the split with I-85 (Grandover area) all the way around until Battleground Ave.  It is still 65 from Battleground to Elm Street.  Also, it's interesting that the rural section on the east side of Greensboro from I-40 to US 29 is still just 65!!!

It has always been 70 MPH on the southeast side of the loop (concurrency with I-85).

To be honest, that section of the loop they just increased was the last section I expected them to (I-73 portion south of I-40). It's got more curvature and is more urban... I was expecting 65 mph to be permanent.

Especially when they still won't increase I-40/I-85 east of Greensboro to 70 mph, or I-73 south and north of Greensboro, I-74, US-421, etc. but can do this.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

The Speed Limit has been raised from 65 to 70 on the Loop from the split with I-85 (Grandover area) all the way around until Battleground Ave.  It is still 65 from Battleground to Elm Street.  Also, it's interesting that the rural section on the east side of Greensboro from I-40 to US 29 is still just 65!!!

It has always been 70 MPH on the southeast side of the loop (concurrency with I-85).

I remember it changing from 65 to 70 a few years ago... unless it wasn't considered a loop then.