Interstate 73/74

[jcarte29]

No, that's a SPUI.

Here is the definition of the DDI:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diverging_diamond_interchange#Other_states



I drove by the I-73/I-85 interchange area and see if there are any new sign changes.. so far, nothing. I think the weather delayed the new signage changes since it's been 3 days late now.

Hmm, neat, thanks for the clarification Strider. On a side note, I do believe that the Union Cross interchange with I-40 in Winston-Salem is planned as a DDI...

[bob7374]

I drove by the I-73/I-85 interchange area and see if there are any new sign changes.. so far, nothing. I think the weather delayed the new signage changes since it's been 3 days late now.

In related no new sign news. I e-mailed the reporter for the Winston-Salem Journal who wrote about the plan for NCDOT to sign I-74 along US 311 this summer in Forsyth County east of I-40. He reports as of this weekend, it's still signed Future I-74/US 311. He's in contact with NCDOT almost weekly and said he'll e-mail me if he learns when NCDOT is about to put up any new I-74 signs.

[bob7374]

In Breaking I-73/I-74 News. The completion date for the US 220 sign update project has been moved back to December. Here's the updated project listing: https://apps.dot.state.nc.us/traffictravel/progloc/ProgLocSearch.aspx Apparently, it's more difficult to put up new interstate shields than we thought.

[Strider]

Probably ran into money woes... or the weather.. who knows. Hopefully they gets the signage thing done by then.

[bob7374]

In Breaking I-73/I-74 News. The completion date for the US 220 sign update project has been moved back to December. Here's the updated project listing: https://apps.dot.state.nc.us/traffictravel/progloc/ProgLocSearch.aspx Apparently, it's more difficult to put up new interstate shields than we thought.

The Construction Project page for the contract has been updated. The project is listed over 80% complete as of about a week ago. See why the completion date was moved, and now moved further back from Dec. 13 to Dec. 19.

[Strider]

Is that one the signage changes or actual construction?

[bob7374]

Is that one the signage changes or actual construction?

The percentage listed actually is not directly related to the amount of work completed on a contract but the amount spent on the project at the date indicated over the total cost of the contract. You would assume most of the cost of this project is for the creating and installing the new exit signs, so the remaining 20% of costs (and the project is listed as a few percentage points over-budget) could probably account for the making and installing of route shields and sign posts and thus indicates most of that has not been started yet as has been observed.

[bob7374]

Some good news to report progress-wise, for a change. In perusing the traffic camera image at the I-85 South/I-73/US 220 interchange this morning I was able to spot that the US 220 South ramp sign has finally been updated to includes I-73 South. Hopefully, someone driving in the area can confirm I'm not just seeing things.

[dfilpus]

Some good news to report progress-wise, for a change. In perusing the traffic camera image at the I-85 South/I-73/US 220 interchange this morning I was able to spot that the US 220 South ramp sign has finally been updated to includes I-73 South. Hopefully, someone driving in the area can confirm I'm not just seeing things.

The last time I passed through there, the US 220 overheads on I 85 South were updated with I 73 shields, but the overheads on the C/D lanes were not updated.

[Strider]

Some good news to report progress-wise, for a change. In perusing the traffic camera image at the I-85 South/I-73/US 220 interchange this morning I was able to spot that the US 220 South ramp sign has finally been updated to includes I-73 South. Hopefully, someone driving in the area can confirm I'm not just seeing things.

I will drive through the area tomorrow and see if it is confirmed. I drove there as of last week and there is no update on the US 220 South ramp though.

[Strider]

Drove by the area earlier today and yes there is in fact now I-73 shields being added to US 220 overhead signage on the US 220 ramp from I-85 South.

[bob7374]

Drove by the area earlier today and yes there is in fact now I-73 shields being added to US 220 overhead signage on the US 220 ramp from I-85 South.

Here's one of Strider's photos of the new signage, also posted with others he sent me on my I-73 Segment 4/5 page: http://www.gribblenation.net/i7374nc/i73seg4.html

[bob7374]

No new sign news for I-73, however some construction news. Part of the I-73 Connector Project that is to complete the interstate between the Greensboro Loop and NC 68 has been postponed for a year due to design issues. Fortunately, this part only concerns the redesigning of the existing Loop exit ramps at Bryan Blvd/Future I-73 to accommodate more lanes. The rest of the project, now combined with the NC 68-US 220 Connector project into one design-build contract, is still scheduled to be let in January. The RFP and hearing documents for that contract are available at the NCDOT website https://connect.ncdot.gov/letting/Pages/Design-Build-Letting-Details.aspx?let_id=I-5110%2C+R-2413+A+and+B.

The hearing map shows I-73 will not join NC 68 between the 2 'Connectors' but, coming from the PTI Airport, cross over onto a parallel roadway west of NC 68 then cross back over to head for US 220. The NC 68 exit North and South off-ramps from I-73 will be split between the two cross-overs. A bridge will also be built over I-73 to accommodate an airport taxiway. As for the other upcoming I-73 project, the start of the US 220 Rockingham Bypass project is also still scheduled to be let in January (delayed from this past summer).

[Strider]

Yeah, I agree with redesigning the future I-73/Bryan Blvd/Loop interchange ramps... especially from future I-73 South (Bryan Blvd East) to the Loop going south to I-40.. the merging point is very dangerous. Thank goodness they are adding another lane. But, they should also add another lane at the northern ramp (the flyover) where it merges in a single lane.

[Strider]

I drove by I-73/US 220 south of I-85 earlier today and I spotted the I-73/US 220 shields being now up on the road. Since it was dark earlier, I didn't had a chance to take photos of them, but I will do that during the day. But I am happy to report that there is finally official I-73 shields on the highway, making the interstate now official from I-85 South and beyond.

[1995hoo]

I drove by I-73/US 220 south of I-85 earlier today and I spotted the I-73/US 220 shields being now up on the road. Since it was dark earlier, I didn't had a chance to take photos of them, but I will do that during the day. But I am happy to report that there is finally official I-73 shields on the highway, making the interstate now official from I-85 South and beyond.

Work crews were out there just south of I-85 on Saturday, November 23, replacing the "FUTURE I-73" shields with standard ones. Dashcam was turned off at the time, so I don't have pictures. I totally forgot to mention it after driving several hundred more miles that day!

[Strider]

Yeah, I will try to take some photos of these shields around Guilford County (no reason to go down past that since I'm sure shields are replaced down there). There is also a few new trailblazers showing "GSO-PTI Airport" along I-73 North between I-85 and the Bryan Blvd interchange... but the only thing that haven't changed in the area yet are the exit numbers on the US 220 offramp from I-85 South (still says 122B for I-73/US 220 South and 122A for Groometown Rd) which are supposed to say Exit 122A and Exit 97, and the future I-73/840 multiplex (still uses exits 1-3) which are supposed to be changed to Exits 104 and 107.

[jcarte29]

Yeah, I will try to take some photos of these shields around Guilford County (no reason to go down past that since I'm sure shields are replaced down there). There is also a few new trailblazers showing "GSO-PTI Airport" along I-73 North between I-85 and the Bryan Blvd interchange... but the only thing that haven't changed in the area yet are the exit numbers on the US 220 offramp from I-85 South (still says 122B for I-73/US 220 South and 122A for Groometown Rd) which are supposed to say Exit 122A and Exit 97, and the future I-73/840 multiplex (still uses exits 1-3) which are supposed to be changed to Exits 104 and 107.

Dang! As of last Wednesday nothing had changed on I-73 NB upto I-40 WB when I drove through in route to W-S for Thanksgiving. Good news though! I'll be back up there later this month!

[dfilpus]

Drove the entire route for the current signing project today. All of the reassurance shields on the main line are no longer Future. US 220 is now rerouted from Candor to Ellerbe back onto US 220 Alternate.
However, the sign complexes at the top of the interchange ramps on the Candor to Ellerbe section still have future banners and US 220 shields.

[Strider]

Did you take pictures of these signs? I only took some off Exit 94 of I-73.

[bob7374]

Did you take pictures of these signs? I only took some off Exit 94 of I-73.

Here is one of Strider's photos that he sent me:
The rest are on my I-73 Segment 6 page: http://www.gribblenation.net/i7374nc/i73seg6.html I have also updated other segment pages and the I-73 and I-74 progress summary pages with information from the latest posts.

[Strider]

Now, there is only 1 I-73 routing under construction: widening of US 220 North of the future NC 68/US 220 connector/interchange to NC 68, and the other 2: I-73 Connector near PTI-GSO Airport and the NC 68/US 220 Connector itself is going to be under construction in 2014.... seems like North Carolina is trying to finish things up with I-73's routing. But, what about I-74? any news?

[jcarte29]

...But, what about I-74? any news?

Forsyth County portion of I-74/US 311 in the south-eastern part of the county only need "official" signs but is approved as part of Interstate system. I-74 to be built between I-40 Business and US 158, scheduled for letting in 2014, construction in 2015.

R. Malme would know this more than I would, but the Rockingham By-Pass (which will carry both I-73/74) is going to let in 2014.

[bob7374]

NCDOT has released plans for contracts to be let on January 21. The plans page is linked here: http://dotw-xfer01.dot.state.nc.us/dsplan/2014%20Highway%20Letting/01-21-14/Plans%20and%20Proposals/

Among the plans released are those for the first phase of the I-73/74 Rockingham Bypass project (Richmond County), upgrading US 220 for 3 miles from south of the current end of I-73/74 in Ellerbe. The signage plans indicate that there will be one exit (Exit 23-Dockery Rd/Haywood Cemetery Rd) between Ellerbe and where the Bypass will exit (Exit 22). That US 220 is not going to use the Bypass but stay along its current alignment (I-73 South/I-74 East will be Exit 5 off of US 220 northbound). That, therefore, an announcement made back in 2000 that the existing section of US 220 would be signed as Business I-74 through Rockingham is apparently not going to be the case. The control cities for the future I-73/I-74 to US 74 Bypass signs will be Wilmington and Myrtle Beach. The northbound sings at the southern US 220 exit will indicate Ellerbe and Asheboro. The plans also show a future Exit 20 along the Bypass (Cartledge Creek Rd) which won't be constructed until at least 2018. The last I-73 South mile marker will be 23 and the speed limit will be 65.

I will be updating my I-73 Segment 11 page and the exit listings with this new information.

[bob7374]

I have updated my I-73 Segment 11 page with the new information based on the signage plans. Here's the plan for the signage for the US 220 exit at the start of the future bypass:

The page link: http://www.gribblenation.net/i7374nc/I73seg11.html