Interstate 295- Fayetteville, NC

[roadman65]

Yeah, three out of four movements are already freeway/freeway.  Only the I-95 NB to I-295 movement isn't.

Check out the I-14 E Bound to I-35 S Bound movement in Texas!  It has a Breezewood where you must use the freeway frontage roads of both highways to make the connection.  Maybe when I-14 becomes into more of an interstate (now just being a spur to I-35) it will get that needed direct ramp.

However, I-14 being done completely many not happen until our grandkid's are elderly, and most likely my niece, born in 2003, won't even see it completed in Texas.

[vdeane]

Hey, it could be worse (check out those traffic lights!). 

[bob7374]

NCDOT press release touting the contractor's conveyor belt system for dirt removal as part of future southern I-95 interchange with I-295. Release also reveals the final completion date is now 2025:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-10-02-conveyor-belt-fayetteville-outer-loop-project.aspx

[The Ghostbuster]

What configuration will the southern Interstate 95/295 interchange be built in? Hopefully, all ramps will be on the right-hand-side. I abhor left-handed ramps.

[sprjus4]

What configuration will the southern Interstate 95/295 interchange be built in? Hopefully, all ramps will be on the right-hand-side. I abhor left-handed ramps.

As of June 2018, it appears to be a trumpet interchange, with favorable movements from I-295 South to I-95 South and vice versa. All ramps will be full freeway-to-freeway connections, and right side.

[LM117]

A ceremony was held to dedicate the section of I-295 between I-95 and Ramsey Street as the Lyndo Tippett Highway.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-10-10-ncdot-dedicates-lyndo-tippett-highway.aspx

[LM117]

The next section between the All-American Freeway and Cliffdale Road is scheduled to open next month.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-10-16-i-295-south-closure-needed.aspx

[sprjus4]

The next section between the All-American Freeway and Cliffdale Road is scheduled to open next month.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-10-16-i-295-south-closure-needed.aspx

Nice, that's another one to November's list.

This means that NCDOT will be opening at least 23 miles of new freeway by the end of November, the 11-mile NC-11 Greenville Southwest Bypass, the 6-mile US-17 Pollocksville Bypass, and now another 6-miles of the I-295 Fayetteville Outer Loop.

In December, an additional 2 miles of the I-840 Greensboro Urban Loop is also projected to be opened.

That makes for at least 25 miles of new freeway to come by the end of the year.

[RoadPelican]

The next section between the All-American Freeway and Cliffdale Road is scheduled to open next month.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-10-16-i-295-south-closure-needed.aspx

Nice, that's another one to November's list.

This means that NCDOT will be opening at least 23 miles of new freeway by the end of November, the 11-mile NC-11 Greenville Southwest Bypass, the 6-mile US-17 Pollocksville Bypass, and now another 6-miles of the I-295 Fayetteville Outer Loop.

In December, an additional 2 miles of the I-840 Greensboro Urban Loop is also projected to be opened.

That makes for at least 25 miles of new freeway to come by the end of the year.

Also the first segment of the Winston Salem Beltway should be complete by years end.

[The Ghostbuster]

The first segment of the Winston-Salem Beltway will be signposted as NC 74, not Interstate 74, correct?

[sprjus4]

The first segment of the Winston-Salem Beltway will be signposted as NC 74, not Interstate 74, correct?

Yes, it will only receive the I-74 designation once it's linked to I-74, which should be in just a couple years. The entire beltway between I-74 and the northern US-52 freeway is fully funded and mostly under construction I believe, so just about 3-5 years until Winston-Salem will have a full eastern bypass

[bob7374]

This video indicates the next section of the Loop to Cliffdale Road will open after a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday (11/26) afternoon. The sign in the background shows, apparently, that the section from the All-American Freeway north/east to I-95 will be designated I-295 at that time (I don't know if the new section will be, the mile 20 marker without an I-295 shield implies it will be designated NC 295 until the next section to Raeford Rd/US 401 is open in about a year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFSnqoR0Jk0&fbclid=IwAR1OY0U36PJ_r0zj5deWqDDd4XI51rqCiANzEJSYGm6ttcCqtcbvDdakVHs

[bob7374]

The segment between the All-American Freeway to Cliffdale Road (not according to the press release) has opened:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-11-26-fayetteville-outer-loop-segment-opens.aspx

The Fayetteville Observer has an article about the ribbon cutting, featuring a few aerial photos of the Cliffdale Road interchange:
https://www.fayobserver.com/news/20191126/long-awaited-segment-of-outer-loop-opens-to-much-fanfare

[bob7374]

Another link to a report on the opening of the new section. The report shows that the Loop south of the All-American Freeway is signed as NC 295 while that to the north to I-95 is, or will be soon, signed as I-295:
https://www.wral.com/ribbon-cutting-marks-fayetteville-outer-loop-official-opening/18796078/

[sprjus4]

A video was uploaded to YouTube driving the entire new section southbound.

The quality isn't the greatest, but it's good enough to see the important stuff such as the signage, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWPRuQGHeJE

The new section is indeed signed as NC-295, no sight of I-295 shields. The overhead signage on the ramp from All American Fwy southbound to NC-295 still shows "NC-295 North" instead of "I-295 North", so it looks like they're still in the process of eventually changing the signage out. There also appears to currently be no control city for southbound, and no space on the signs for it to be added later. I imagine ultimately it would be Hope Mills and have "To I-95" shields. A few more years though, the entire loop will be completed from either end of I-95 and fully signed as I-295. It's all a work in progress one piece at a time, and so far NCDOT has been doing a good job keeping it a continuous process without any long-term (5-10+ years) delay. The remaining sections are either under construction or in the process of R/W acquisition, and fully funded for construction phase in the next year.



In the end, it would have about 20 years for the completion for a 40 mile interstate highway beltway around Fayetteville, linking I-95, Fort Bragg, the All American Freeway, and the suburbs and taking traffic off local congested routes that had no freeway options previously. Not a bad result, especially today's age of highway construction.

[tolbs17]

What configuration will the southern Interstate 95/295 interchange be built in? Hopefully, all ramps will be on the right-hand-side. I abhor left-handed ramps.

What's wrong with the left-hand ramps? Is it because of accidents?

____________________________________________________________

When looking at I-295 on the AADT, the highest I see is at 38,000. If it increases to 60,000 then it should have been built as 6 lanes instead.

[D-Dey65]

What configuration will the southern Interstate 95/295 interchange be built in? Hopefully, all ramps will be on the right-hand-side. I abhor left-handed ramps.

What's wrong with the left-hand ramps? Is it because of accidents?

If I'm not mistaken, it will be all right-hand ramps from I-95.  I have the pictures, and I intend to add them to Wikimedia Commons before the year is over.  And I'm still convinced this is going to be Exit 38.

[sprjus4]

^

As of June 2018, it appears to be a trumpet interchange, with favorable movements from I-295 South to I-95 South and vice versa. All ramps will be full freeway-to-freeway connections, and right side.

More detailed maps from NCDOT on the southern project -

https://connect.ncdot.gov/letting/Design%20Build%20Program/U-2519AA%20and%20AB/Public%20Hearing%20Map%20SHEET%2001%20OF%2021.pdf
https://connect.ncdot.gov/letting/Design%20Build%20Program/U-2519AA%20and%20AB/Public%20Hearing%20Map%20SHEET%2002%20OF%2021%202.pdf
https://connect.ncdot.gov/letting/Design%20Build%20Program/U-2519AA%20and%20AB/Public%20Hearing%20Map%20Sheet%2003%20of%2021.pdf

[tolbs17]

^

As of June 2018, it appears to be a trumpet interchange, with favorable movements from I-295 South to I-95 South and vice versa. All ramps will be full freeway-to-freeway connections, and right side.

More detailed maps from NCDOT on the southern project -

https://connect.ncdot.gov/letting/Design%20Build%20Program/U-2519AA%20and%20AB/Public%20Hearing%20Map%20SHEET%2001%20OF%2021.pdf
https://connect.ncdot.gov/letting/Design%20Build%20Program/U-2519AA%20and%20AB/Public%20Hearing%20Map%20SHEET%2002%20OF%2021%202.pdf
https://connect.ncdot.gov/letting/Design%20Build%20Program/U-2519AA%20and%20AB/Public%20Hearing%20Map%20Sheet%2003%20of%2021.pdf

Where did you get those documents from? Because I'm sure there are a handful of projects that are besides that. And by the way, the links look like they are from like 2005 or 2006.

[sprjus4]

Where did you get those documents from? Because I'm sure there are a handful of projects that are besides that. And by the way, the links look like they are from like 2005 or 2006.

https://connect.ncdot.gov/letting/Pages/Design-Build-Letting-Details.aspx?let_id=U-2519AA%20and%20AB

They are outdated, but the only thing I've ever seen. The alignment is still the same though, the only difference is the 70 ft median has likely been reduced to 46 ft as has happened on most projects, though I could be wrong.

[tolbs17]

Where did you get those documents from? Because I'm sure there are a handful of projects that are besides that. And by the way, the links look like they are from like 2005 or 2006.

https://connect.ncdot.gov/letting/Pages/Design-Build-Letting-Details.aspx?let_id=U-2519AA%20and%20AB

They are outdated, but the only thing I've ever seen. The alignment is still the same though, the only difference is the 70 ft median has likely been reduced to 46 ft as has happened on most projects, though I could be wrong.

They should have kept it 70 ft!

[sprjus4]

They should have kept it 70 ft!

Higher costs, larger right of way footprint, more impact, etc.

What are the true benefits of having a median 70 ft over 46 ft?

I'm not saying I'm against a wider 70 ft median, but if it can cut costs by reducing it, I'm all for reducing it. Anything narrower than that though is cutting it too much. A 46 ft median with a cable guardrail is adequate.

[tolbs17]

They should have kept it 70 ft!

Higher costs, larger right of way footprint, more impact, etc.

What are the true benefits of having a median 70 ft over 46 ft?

I'm not saying I'm against a wider 70 ft median, but if it can cut costs by reducing it, I'm all for reducing it. Anything narrower than that though is cutting it too much. A 46 ft median with a cable guardrail is adequate.

I was thinking 70 was better because you are not as close to oncoming traffic. I'm sure at night when people put on their high beams you can blind them easily.

[rickmastfan67]

I'm sure at night when people put on their high beams you can blind them easily.

No, the solution to that is the DOT's enforcing their illumines for headlights when inspecting.  People who don't go off road don't need the most powerful headlights.....  Those types of lights should be restricted to lightbars on top of off-road vehicles.

[oscar]

I'm sure at night when people put on their high beams you can blind them easily.

No, the solution to that is the DOT's enforcing their illumines for headlights when inspecting.  People who don't go off road don't need the most powerful headlights.....  Those types of lights should be restricted to lightbars on top of off-road vehicles.

Standard headlight assemblies include both low and high beams -- it's not just roof-mounted lightbars. The problem is getting drivers to use only low beams except when there is no other traffic.