Interstate 42

[LM117]

Like most bypasses, businesses will begin to pop up around the interchanges along the new route.

That's already starting to happen near the Wayne Memorial Drive interchange on the Goldsboro Bypass. Bojangles just opened a new location there across from Walmart Neighborhood Market and there's been a lot of rumors going around town that Cracker Barrel is considering building a location there as well, though city/county officials won't confirm or deny it.

[LM117]

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-08-21-craven-county-highway-ramp-closures.aspx

NEW BERN — An entrance and exit ramp connected to a Craven County highway are expected to close for improvements this weekend.

Between 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 24 and 7 p.m. on Aug. 25, the ramp from Glenburnie Road onto U.S. 70 East and the ramp from U.S. 70 East onto Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will be closed. The outside right acceleration/deceleration lane between the two ramps will also be closed during this time. If the weather hinders work for this upcoming weekend, it will be done Sept. 7-8.

During the closures, crews will remove a top layer of asphalt and replace it with fresh asphalt.

Motorists wanting to access U.S. 70 East from Glenburnie Road will take U.S. 70 West and proceed two miles to exit 411, N.C. 43. Drivers will make a left at the stop sign, cross the bridge and take an immediate right to loop onto U.S. 70 East.

Motorists wanting to access Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from U.S. 70 East will go 1.5 miles past that exit and take the exit for Pembroke Road. Drivers will make a left at the stop light, continue across the bridge to make another left turn to get onto U.S. 70 West and return to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Drivers should anticipate needing extra time for their commute this weekend and also slow down when near the work zone.

This construction is part of the project to bring U.S. 70 up to interstate standards. Crews are widening shoulders, as well as milling and repaving the highway, which will be renamed Interstate 42. This segment of the project is 32 miles long and costs $25.5 million.

[LM117]

The US-70 Corridor Commission is having their next meeting on September 19 in Havelock.

http://www.super70corridor.com

[LM117]

During last Monday's meeting, the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to pick Alternative 1SB (Shallow Bypass) as their preferred alternative for the Kinston Bypass.

https://www.neusenews.com/index/2019/9/16/lenoir-county-commissioners-unanimously-agree-to-bypass-route

[tolbs17]

During last Monday's meeting, the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to pick Alternative 1SB (Shallow Bypass) as their preferred alternative for the Kinston Bypass.

https://www.neusenews.com/index/2019/9/16/lenoir-county-commissioners-unanimously-agree-to-bypass-route

So all those impacts and relocations and the wetlands? When looking at the price and the relocations, I think I still like alternative 31 better. But 1SB works. That alternative does serve a nice routing for a freeway, trying to keep more traffic closer to the town than away.

Alternative 1SB serves a nice route for a bypass, not too far and Alternative 31 causing the least impacts.

[sprjus4]

During last Monday's meeting, the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to pick Alternative 1SB (Shallow Bypass) as their preferred alternative for the Kinston Bypass.

https://www.neusenews.com/index/2019/9/16/lenoir-county-commissioners-unanimously-agree-to-bypass-route

The only reasoning is to keep the freeway near Kinston. That's the only thing in favor of it. The cost, impacts, etc. are significantly higher on the other hand, and is a reason it would not be a preferred alternative of the EIS.

Ideally, it's a nice concept, but it's not worth the additional nearly $100 million and significant impacts required.

[tolbs17]

During last Monday's meeting, the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to pick Alternative 1SB (Shallow Bypass) as their preferred alternative for the Kinston Bypass.

https://www.neusenews.com/index/2019/9/16/lenoir-county-commissioners-unanimously-agree-to-bypass-route

The only reasoning is to keep the freeway near Kinston.

And the best to keep the freeway near Kinston is they choose Alternative 1UE. No chance of it happening. It's a little more expensive than the shallow, but it has more impacts. I'm not sure if everyone would want to enter the building at the back.

And if freeways are so good being close to the city, Why not upgrade US 70 to a freeway in Goldsboro instead of making a bypass!

[Bobby5280]

And if freeways are so good being close to the city, Why not upgrade US 70 to a freeway in Goldsboro instead of making a bypass!

Obviously that has to be a rhetorical, joking question.

But supposing anyone forced the issue of upgrading US-70 thru Goldsboro the costs of doing so would have been cost prohibitive. At first glane it seemed like a fairly freeway-friendly road since a few stretches of it are flanked by frontage roads. Unfortunately too much of US-70 lacks frontage roads or the necessary property set backs to squeeze in a freeway. A lot of US-70 on the West and East sides of Goldsboro is pretty messed up with businesses hugging too close to the road and dumping traffic directly out onto the main lanes via lots and lots of drive ways.

On top of that the various angles US-70 takes thru Goldsboro are a bit sharp. I don't think they jive with the current curve geometry standards of modern Interstate highways. The interchnages with I-795 and US-13 so close together presents a pretty complicated problem that would have meant clearing a lot of properties next to the road if US-70 was to be upgraded to Interstate standards through there.

Kinston poses similar problems. Existing US-70 through there is in even less upgrade-able shape. A bypass definitely makes sense. Where best to build the Future I-42 bypass is another matter.

[sprjus4]

And if freeways are so good being close to the city, Why not upgrade US 70 to a freeway in Goldsboro instead of making a bypass!

Obviously that has to be a rhetorical, joking question.

But supposing anyone forced the issue of upgrading US-70 thru Goldsboro the costs of doing so would have been cost prohibitive. At first glane it seemed like a fairly freeway-friendly road since a few stretches of it are flanked by frontage roads. Unfortunately too much of US-70 lacks frontage roads or the necessary property set backs to squeeze in a freeway. A lot of US-70 on the West and East sides of Goldsboro is pretty messed up with businesses hugging too close to the road and dumping traffic directly out onto the main lanes via lots and lots of drive ways.

On top of that the various angles US-70 takes thru Goldsboro are a bit sharp. I don't think they jive with the current curve geometry standards of modern Interstate highways. The interchnages with I-795 and US-13 so close together presents a pretty complicated problem that would have meant clearing a lot of properties next to the road if US-70 was to be upgraded to Interstate standards through there.

Kinston poses similar problems. Existing US-70 through there is in even less upgrade-able shape. A bypass definitely makes sense. Where best to build the Future I-42 bypass is another matter.

For Kinston, any bypass is realistically and likely to be built similar to the Goldsboro Bypass - somewhat away from the city, as those southern alternatives have less impacts, and are significantly cheaper. The developed area will be bypassed but that will only lead to the urban area expanding outwards towards the new freeway - again similar to Goldsboro.

[LM117]

But supposing anyone forced the issue of upgrading US-70 thru Goldsboro the costs of doing so would have been cost prohibitive. At first glane it seemed like a fairly freeway-friendly road since a few stretches of it are flanked by frontage roads. Unfortunately too much of US-70 lacks frontage roads or the necessary property set backs to squeeze in a freeway. A lot of US-70 on the West and East sides of Goldsboro is pretty messed up with businesses hugging too close to the road and dumping traffic directly out onto the main lanes via lots and lots of drive ways.

On top of that the various angles US-70 takes thru Goldsboro are a bit sharp. I don't think they jive with the current curve geometry standards of modern Interstate highways. The interchnages with I-795 and US-13 so close together presents a pretty complicated problem that would have meant clearing a lot of properties next to the road if US-70 was to be upgraded to Interstate standards through there.

Exactly. There used to be more RIRO's on US-70 between William Street and Oak Forest Road than there are now when I lived there, but NCDOT got rid of most of them for safety reasons. The speed limit on that stretch is 55mph, but it's usually ignored.

The most notorious RIRO was at the beginning of the ramp carrying US-70 West traffic at the Grantham Street interchange. Before the Goldsboro Bypass was built, that interchange caused huge backups for westbound traffic that would sometimes go as far back as William Street and that RIRO didn't help matters. Thankfully, it's ancient history.

Here's where it was:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/ap4XoDngFMEGkuYYA

[LM117]

As another poster noted in the NC thread, NCDOT has awarded a contract to upgrade US-70 to interstate standards between the Neuse River bridge in New Bern and Thurman Road in James City.

https://connect.ncdot.gov/letting/Central%20Letting/09-10-2019%20Central%20Letting/C204225%20Craven%20Awd%20Lter.pdf

[planxtymcgillicuddy]

As another poster noted in the NC thread, NCDOT has awarded a contract to upgrade US-70 to interstate standards between the Neuse River bridge in New Bern and Thurman Road in James City.

https://connect.ncdot.gov/letting/Central%20Letting/09-10-2019%20Central%20Letting/C204225%20Craven%20Awd%20Lter.pdf

So this will be the first section to be upgraded, no?

[sprjus4]

So this will be the first section to be upgraded, no?

Depends on how you look at it. In some regard, yes, but there was also the US-70 Business interchange constructed outside of Selma that removed two at-grade intersections and a traffic signal with a freeway section. But it was not really intended as a "freeway upgrade project" but rather an interchange improvement - yet ultimately ended up extending the existing freeway approximately 1.5 miles.

It was only built to freeway standards though, not interstate standards.

I would, though, consider this segment of US-70 in James City the first true, proper upgrade from existing at-grade US-70 highway to interstate standards - and also a capacity expansion as well, as the existing road is 4 lanes while the freeway upgrade will include 6 lanes.

[orulz]

As another poster noted in the NC thread, NCDOT has awarded a contract to upgrade US-70 to interstate standards between the Neuse River bridge in New Bern and Thurman Road in James City.

https://connect.ncdot.gov/letting/Central%20Letting/09-10-2019%20Central%20Letting/C204225%20Craven%20Awd%20Lter.pdf

This blows my mind. They've been talking seriously about and studying options for the James City freeway upgrade for - what, two or three years? Meanwhile, the Kinston Bypass has been on the books for what seems like forever and doesn't feel any closer to construction than it did 10 years ago. They haven't even picked an alternative yet.

Something about the New Bern area - they must have a politician with high level connections at DOT. They can really bring home the bacon. (This, plus the Neuse River Bridge too, about 15 years ago.)

[nerdom]

Bev Perdue is from New Bern and took care of us akin to Gov. Hunt with Wilson.

[wdcrft63]

As another poster noted in the NC thread, NCDOT has awarded a contract to upgrade US-70 to interstate standards between the Neuse River bridge in New Bern and Thurman Road in James City.

https://connect.ncdot.gov/letting/Central%20Letting/09-10-2019%20Central%20Letting/C204225%20Craven%20Awd%20Lter.pdf

This blows my mind. They've been talking seriously about and studying options for the James City freeway upgrade for - what, two or three years? Meanwhile, the Kinston Bypass has been on the books for what seems like forever and doesn't feel any closer to construction than it did 10 years ago. They haven't even picked an alternative yet.

Something about the New Bern area - they must have a politician with high level connections at DOT. They can really bring home the bacon. (This, plus the Neuse River Bridge too, about 15 years ago.)

Your frustration is 100% justified. The James City project did have some natural advantages: no new route had to be selected and the NIMBY folks were not interested.

[LM117]

It's worth noting that (according to the project page timeline) even though the contract has been awarded, actual construction in James City won't start until 2021.

https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/us-70-james-city/Pages/default.aspx

That said, I do agree with those that think the Kinston Bypass should've been given higher priority. NCDOT is supposed to announce their preferred alternative this winter. It will interesting to see if they go along with Alternative 1SB, which is what Lenoir County wants.

[sprjus4]

It will interesting to see if they go along with Alternative 1SB, which is what Lenoir County wants.

I doubt it. Cost, impacts, etc. will make the outer alternatives be the preferred routings, similar to Goldsboro.

[LM117]

As another poster noted in the NC thread, NCDOT has awarded a contract to upgrade US-70 to interstate standards between the Neuse River bridge in New Bern and Thurman Road in James City.

https://connect.ncdot.gov/letting/Central%20Letting/09-10-2019%20Central%20Letting/C204225%20Craven%20Awd%20Lter.pdf

Here's the press release:

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-09-25-craven-county-highway-upgrade-contract.aspx

[LM117]

The US-70 Corridor Commission will have their next meeting on November 14 in Goldsboro.

http://www.super70corridor.com

[LM117]

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-09-27-us-70-bypass-work-wayne-county.aspx

​GOLDSBORO — Bridge work on the U.S. 70 Bypass in Wayne County will require a detour in one location and lane reductions in another next week.

On Monday, an N.C. Department of Transportation contractor will close the U.S. 70 flyover bridge in both directions over the U.S. 70 Bypass, which is exit 369. The contractor anticipates reopening the bridge by Monday evening.

The detour will affect only motorists on U.S. 70. A signed detour will send eastbound drivers to exit 372, where they can turn left, get back on U.S. 70 and go in the opposite direction to reach the bypass. Westbound travelers will exit onto the bypass, going under the closed bridge, to the Parkstown Road interchange, where they will exit, go over the bridge, get back on the bypass and return to exit 369 and re-enter U.S. 70.

On Tuesday, the contractor will reduce lanes — but maintain traffic — on the bridge that carries U.S. 13 over the U.S. 70 Bypass. The lane restrictions are expected to last through the week.

Motorists should pay attention when approaching the work zone, obey the posted speed limit, follow posted detours and allow extra time to reach their destinations safely.

In both cases, the contractor is doing warranty repairs after the bridges were completed a few years ago. The metal coverings for the joints on the two bridges is beginning to rust; the contractor needs to remove the rust and recoat the coverings with a protective paint.

[LM117]

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-09-27-craven-county-ramp-closed-upgrades.aspx

NEW BERN - A Craven County highway entrance ramp will close for about 12 hours Monday while N.C. Department of Transportation contract crews upgrade the ramp to interstate standards.

The eastbound entrance ramp to U.S. 70 from Tuscarora Rhems Road will be closed Sept. 30 between 6:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.

During the closure, crews will place a new top layer of asphalt.

Traffic needing to access the highway from Tuscarora Rhems Road will take U.S. 70 West and drive about 6 miles to the exit for N.C. 41, where they will turn left at the stop sign, cross the bridge, and turn left to get to U.S. 70 East.

This construction is part of the project to bring U.S. 70 up to interstate standards. Crews are widening shoulders, as well as milling and repaving the highway, which will be renamed Interstate 42. The project in Craven County is 32 miles long and costs $25.5 million.

[LM117]

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-10-11-craven-county-highway-ramp-closed.aspx

NEW BERN - A Craven County highway ramp is scheduled to close for about 12 hours next week while N.C. Department of Transportation contract crews upgrade it to interstate standards.

The eastbound ramp from Tuscarora Rhems Road to U.S. 70 is set to close Oct. 14 between 6:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.

During the closure, crews will apply a new top layer of asphalt.

Traffic needing to access the highway from Tuscarora Rhems Road will take U.S. 70 West and drive about 6 miles to the exit for N.C. 41, where they will turn left at the stop sign, cross the bridge, and turn left to get to U.S. 70 East.

This construction is part of the project to bring U.S. 70 up to interstate standards. Crews are widening shoulders, as well as milling and repaving the highway, which will be renamed Interstate 42. The project in Craven County is 32 miles long and costs $25.5 million.

[bob7374]

Another NCDOT press release regarding ramp closures on US 70 in Craven County for the interstate upgrade project:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-10-11-craven-county-highway-ramp-closed.aspx

Meanwhile, I checked the Construction Project Report for the project. The completion date has been moved from Feb. 2020 to March 2021. All the report pages no longer include an entry for the projected completion percentage for the project, just the actual completion %. Perhaps too many people were noticing the tendency for many actual project percentages to be far behind what they were supposed to be.

[tolbs17]

Another NCDOT press release regarding ramp closures on US 70 in Craven County for the interstate upgrade project:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-10-11-craven-county-highway-ramp-closed.aspx

Meanwhile, I checked the Construction Project Report for the project. The completion date has been moved from Feb. 2020 to March 2021. All the report pages no longer include an entry for the projected completion percentage for the project, just the actual completion %. Perhaps too many people were noticing the tendency for many actual project percentages to be far behind what they were supposed to be.

I hate when stuff like that gets pushed back. Is it because they are moving too slow with the current construction that they are doing right now?

Because the diverging diamond on I-85 is still not complete yet. I say they are moving WAY too slow.

When trying to go to the beach, there really needs to be a freeway in that area. That area is extremely cluttered and I get pretty mad when it takes us 30 minutes extra.