News:

Thank you for your patience during the Forum downtime while we upgraded the software. Welcome back and see this thread for some new features and other changes to the forum.

Main Menu

North Carolina

Started by FLRoads, January 20, 2009, 11:55:15 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

LM117

Quote from: NJRoadfan on August 27, 2018, 06:07:24 PM
NCDOT is finally getting around to widening that last piece of NC-55 in Apex.

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article217226725.html
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/public-meetings/Pages/U-2901B-2018-08-30.aspx

I'm surprised CSX is going along with it. CSX is notorious for not cooperating with others.
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette


sparker

Quote from: LM117 on August 28, 2018, 09:28:29 AM
Quote from: NJRoadfan on August 27, 2018, 06:07:24 PM
NCDOT is finally getting around to widening that last piece of NC-55 in Apex.

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article217226725.html
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/public-meetings/Pages/U-2901B-2018-08-30.aspx

I'm surprised CSX is going along with it. CSX is notorious for not cooperating with others.

CSX has been publicly excoriated repeatedly for various practices over the last several years; since their erstwhile and combative CEO, Hunter Harrison, passed away last year, the railroad seems to have "mellowed out" considerably.  But the bridge to be replaced is on the old SAL (Seaboard Air Line, one of the CSX "heritage" lines) and has long been only a secondary freight line for the company; most of their N-S freight through NC uses the old ACL (Atlantic Coast Line) generally following US 301 because it is double-tracked and thus higher capacity.  The former SAL line, which extends from Raleigh more or less down US 1 through Southern Pines and Hamlet and on to Columbia, SC, hosts one of the Amtrak NYC-FL services and local freights only; until a decade or so ago, their Atlanta-bound freight traffic utilized that line, but that now stays on the ACL line down to Pembroke, where it turns west on their Wilmington-Monroe E-W regional main line en route to Atlanta via Greenwood, SC.  So putting a short detour on the secondary line won't significantly disrupt their service. 

Besides, most of the cost of replacing the bridge will be borne by NC and the local MPO; CSX will only have to pony up a nominal amount, since they didn't initiate the bridge replacement.  So the rail line gets a new bridge with a reset 50-75 year lifespan for a nominal fee.  If I were CSX management, I wouldn't raise a stink either! 

LM117

Well, this puts a dent in Wilmington's hopes of I-74 going there anytime soon...

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2018/2018-08-29-intersection-improvement.aspx

QuoteA section of U.S. 74/76 in eastern Columbus County will be improved with the construction of medians and a traffic signal.

The N.C. Department of Transportation this month awarded a $9 million contract to Highland Paving Co. of Fayetteville to improve a 2.7-mile section of U.S. 74/76 between Water Tank Road in the Delco community of Columbus County and a point just east of the Brunswick County line.

The department will be reconstructing the road into a superstreet design, which redirects motorists on the side roads into turning right onto the highway. U-turn areas will be created to allow drivers who turned right to safely turn around and go in the opposite direction. The design is intended to reduce the risk of crashes, especially high-speed intersection crashes. It is also intended to improve traffic flow along the highway.

The project also will include the installation of a traffic signal on U.S. 74/76 at N.C. 87 to improve safety and mobility.

Construction will begin later this year, and the project is scheduled for completion in summer 2020.
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

sparker

Quote from: LM117 on August 29, 2018, 11:52:57 AM
Well, this puts a dent in Wilmington's hopes of I-74 going there anytime soon...

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2018/2018-08-29-intersection-improvement.aspx

QuoteA section of U.S. 74/76 in eastern Columbus County will be improved with the construction of medians and a traffic signal.

The N.C. Department of Transportation this month awarded a $9 million contract to Highland Paving Co. of Fayetteville to improve a 2.7-mile section of U.S. 74/76 between Water Tank Road in the Delco community of Columbus County and a point just east of the Brunswick County line.

The department will be reconstructing the road into a superstreet design, which redirects motorists on the side roads into turning right onto the highway. U-turn areas will be created to allow drivers who turned right to safely turn around and go in the opposite direction. The design is intended to reduce the risk of crashes, especially high-speed intersection crashes. It is also intended to improve traffic flow along the highway.

The project also will include the installation of a traffic signal on U.S. 74/76 at N.C. 87 to improve safety and mobility.

Construction will begin later this year, and the project is scheduled for completion in summer 2020.

For better or worse (unfortunately) the legal (within the HPC-5 language) definition of I-74 still shows the corridor hanging a right (SE) turn down NC 211 at Bolton.  This "superstreet" project is sited east of Bolton, so unless the language of the authorizing act is modified, I-74's tenure on US 74/76 will end at that town.  Whether the project is question is a simple safety-oriented (and relatively economical) "stopgap" pending something more access-controlled down the line is yet TBD.  AFAIK, neither NCDOT nor any other entity has officially gone on the record regarding rerouting the main I-74 trunk directely into Wilmington; that prospect remains conceptual at present. 

Not to say they couldn't do a Wilmington extension as a x74 without altering the original-intent language!

Roadsguy

Is it pretty much consensus here that I-74 to Myrtle Beach is really dumb?
Mileage-based exit numbering implies the existence of mileage-cringe exit numbering.

bob7374

Quote from: Roadsguy on August 29, 2018, 01:37:43 PM
Is it pretty much consensus here that I-74 to Myrtle Beach is really dumb?
Well, if not dumb, perhaps impractical. It would require routing a freeway through an environmentally critical area on a path that is less direct than the proposed I-73 route from Rockingham. There are many politicians and officials in the Wilmington area that have expressed their support for the route to end there.

sparker

Quote from: Roadsguy on August 29, 2018, 01:37:43 PM
Is it pretty much consensus here that I-74 to Myrtle Beach is really dumb?

Yes, on a number of counts;  it's only the 2nd corridor within the particular authorizing legislation (HPC 5, part of the 1991 ISTEA bunch, and elevated to Interstate status 4 years later) to head to that tourist trap -- and by a convoluted alignment that takes it right through the NC coastal swamps down NC 211.  It's (1) superfluous, (2) environmentally questionable, (3) a totally political animal, promulgated by Myrtle interests, and (4) since its truncation to Georgetown from its original Charleston terminus (a combination of environmental and NIMBY factors), its value as a coastal connector is now nil.  Taking I-74 directly to Wilmington would be the obvious viable alternative, but so far any formal action toward that end hasn't been on anyone's radar, despite localized rumblings to that effect.

LM117

Quote from: bob7374 on August 29, 2018, 03:26:07 PM
Quote from: Roadsguy on August 29, 2018, 01:37:43 PM
Is it pretty much consensus here that I-74 to Myrtle Beach is really dumb?
Well, if not dumb, perhaps impractical. It would require routing a freeway through an environmentally critical area on a path that is less direct than the proposed I-73 route from Rockingham. There are many politicians and officials in the Wilmington area that have expressed their support for the route to end there.

As they should. Nobody in their right mind coming from Rockingham and points west would use I-74 to go to Myrtle Beach.
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

sparker

^^^^
If you're in that much of a hurry to buy a stupid-ass T-shirt, just order one from Amazon!

wdcrft63

Quote from: LM117 on August 29, 2018, 11:52:57 AM
Well, this puts a dent in Wilmington's hopes of I-74 going there anytime soon...

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2018/2018-08-29-intersection-improvement.aspx

QuoteA section of U.S. 74/76 in eastern Columbus County will be improved with the construction of medians and a traffic signal.

The N.C. Department of Transportation this month awarded a $9 million contract to Highland Paving Co. of Fayetteville to improve a 2.7-mile section of U.S. 74/76 between Water Tank Road in the Delco community of Columbus County and a point just east of the Brunswick County line.

The department will be reconstructing the road into a superstreet design, which redirects motorists on the side roads into turning right onto the highway. U-turn areas will be created to allow drivers who turned right to safely turn around and go in the opposite direction. The design is intended to reduce the risk of crashes, especially high-speed intersection crashes. It is also intended to improve traffic flow along the highway.

The project also will include the installation of a traffic signal on U.S. 74/76 at N.C. 87 to improve safety and mobility.

Construction will begin later this year, and the project is scheduled for completion in summer 2020.
This section of US 74/76 has a fair amount of commercial development and many at-grade intersections. If I-74 (or I-x74) is extended to Wilmington it would certainly bypass this area on new location. So the project doesn't have much negative effect on the possibility of a later interstate extension, although it suggests we ought not to expect the interstate anytime soon.

bob7374

#2035
As part if its 2020-2029 STIP process, NCDOT today released a list of regional impact projects that will make the list of funded construction projects over the next 10 years. Among the projects programmed to be included are:
Upgrading US 74 (Future I-74) to Interstate Standards from the end of the US 74 Rockingham Bypass to Laurinburg;
Constructing the rest of the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass;
Upgrading US 29 (Future I-785) to Interstate Standards from Hicone Road to US 158 in Guilford and Rockingham Counties;
Constructing the Western Section of the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway (Future I-274?) from US 158 to NC 67;
U.S. 64 — N.C. 58 to Thomas Road Overpass in Nash and Edgecombe counties:  Upgrade to interstate (Future I-87)
U.S. 117 — Country Club Road to N.C. 581 in Wayne County: Upgrade to interstate and build interstate on new location (Future I-795);
NCDOT has released press releases for each division here:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/default.aspx?startdate=201803020000&enddate=201808300000

List for Division 7: https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2018/2018-08-30-division-seven-sti-projects.aspx
List for Division 8: https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2018/2018-08-30-ncdot-releases-regional-projects-for-division-8.aspx

On the list of possible projects that did not make the list was upgrading US 220 (Future I-73) from NC 68 to the VA state line to interstate standards. The Draft STIP is to be released in January 2019.

Roadsguy

I wonder if NCDOT ever plans on removing the handful of at-grade intersections between Cone Blvd and I-785. Maybe if they ever properly reconstruct the whole expressway down to I-40. :P
Mileage-based exit numbering implies the existence of mileage-cringe exit numbering.

sparker

Quote from: bob7374 on August 30, 2018, 10:55:55 PM
On the list of possible projects that did not make the list was upgrading US 220 (Future I-73) from NC 68 to the VA state line to interstate standards. The Draft STIP is to be released in January 2019.


Not surprising, since VA doesn't seem to be much interested in advancing their portion of I-73 in the near term; considering that, prioritizing a US 220 upgrade north to the state line would be pointless and a waste of funds (unless the goal would be to goad VA into making a move -- which, taking into account the differences in state policies, would likely not work anyway).  Better the $$ be distributed to other projects that need to be done (i.e. the completion of the Rockingham bypass and the full completion of I-74 to I-95 and beyond).   

LM117

Quote from: bob7374 on August 30, 2018, 10:55:55 PM
As part if its 2020-2029 STIP process, NCDOT today released a list of regional impact projects that will make the list of funded construction projects over the next 10 years. Among the projects programmed to be included are:
Upgrading US 74 (Future I-74) to Interstate Standards from the end of the US 74 Rockingham Bypass to Laurinburg;
Constructing the rest of the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass;
Upgrading US 29 (Future I-785) to Interstate Standards from Hicone Road to US 158 in Guilford and Rockingham Counties;
Constructing the Western Section of the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway (Future I-274?) from US 158 to NC 67;
U.S. 64 — N.C. 58 to Thomas Road Overpass in Nash and Edgecombe counties:  Upgrade to interstate (Future I-87)
U.S. 117 — Country Club Road to N.C. 581 in Wayne County: Upgrade to interstate and build interstate on new location (Future I-795);
NCDOT has released press releases for each division here:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/default.aspx?startdate=201803020000&enddate=201808300000

List for Division 7: https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2018/2018-08-30-division-seven-sti-projects.aspx
List for Division 8: https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2018/2018-08-30-ncdot-releases-regional-projects-for-division-8.aspx

On the list of possible projects that did not make the list was upgrading US 220 (Future I-73) from NC 68 to the VA state line to interstate standards. The Draft STIP is to be released in January 2019.

It took NCDOT long enough to finally realize that I-73 doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of being built in VA and any money directed towards it would be pissing money away.

The one project listed that I am very happy about is I-795. Wayne County really needs a second major crossing of the Neuse River since the current US-117 bridges are notoriously flood prone. I used to live there and it doesn't take much to flood them out and when they were, it caused big problems for the southern half of the county. I expect the new I-795 bridges would be built with that in mind. Another plus for the new I-795 bypass is that it would relieve traffic on US-117 through the Mar-Mac area. Traffic can be a real pain in the ass along that stretch. A bypass would certainly be welcome.
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

Interstate 69 Fan

I've always thought I-74 should go to Myrtle Beach. Along with I-73. Given how much of a popular tourist destination it is, I think I-74 should end there, but I-73 continues on south to I-95 near Walterboro or something south of that. That way there's Interstate access from the south of Myrtle Beach.

Speaking of NC, what's the latest with I-285?
Apparently I’m a fan of I-69.  Who knew.

jcarte29

Quote from: Interstate 69 Fan on August 31, 2018, 09:12:58 AM


Speaking of NC, what's the latest with I-285?


Well, no sign plans have been downloaded nor have any trailblazers been put up on a temporary basis, as of a week or two ago when I was driving home from a half day trip to Winston-Salem.
Interstates I've driven on (Complete and/or partial, no particular order)
------------------
40, 85, 95, 77, 277(NC), 485(NC), 440(NC), 540(NC), 795(NC), 140(NC), 73, 74, 840(NC), 26, 20, 75, 285(GA), 81, 64, 71, 275(OH), 465(IN), 65, 264(VA), 240(NC), 295(VA), 526(SC), 985(GA), 395(FL), 195(FL)

Roadsguy

The only way I-74 going to Myrtle Beach makes any sense is wholly concurrent with I-73, which would make no sense, resulting in I-74 being completely useless south of where it meets I-73 south of Greensboro and High Point. I think there should definitely be an expressway linking I-140 to SC 31/Carolina Bays Parkway, but taking I-74 over there and down is just silly.

In fact I think cutting off I-74 where it currently meets I-73 would probably be best, creating a new interstate from Charlotte to Wilmington along US 74. Maybe even end the planned corridor at Portsmouth, OH, just a little further than Cincinnati. The diagonal around Winston-Salem from I-77 to I-73 could be numbered something else. Getting a little too far into fictional territory, though...
Mileage-based exit numbering implies the existence of mileage-cringe exit numbering.

LM117

Quote from: Interstate 69 Fan on August 31, 2018, 09:12:58 AM
I've always thought I-74 should go to Myrtle Beach.

I strongly disagree. I-73 is shorter and more direct. Anybody coming down I-95 would take I-73 to Myrtle Beach instead of going out of the way on I-74. Ditto for those coming from points west of I-95. As noted above, the new alignment that I-74 would have to follow to Myrtle Beach is very environmentally sensitive. I have a hard time believing that the Army Corps of Engineers would sign off on it, given that I-73 alone is more than capable of getting people to and from Myrtle Beach. Did I mention that I-73 is more direct?

Wilmington got the shaft as usual.

“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

mvak36

Quote from: LM117 on August 31, 2018, 10:35:19 AM
Quote from: Interstate 69 Fan on August 31, 2018, 09:12:58 AM
I've always thought I-74 should go to Myrtle Beach.

I strongly disagree. I-73 is shorter and more direct. Anybody coming down I-95 would take I-73 to Myrtle Beach instead of going out of the way on I-74. Ditto for those coming from points west of I-95. As noted above, the new alignment that I-74 would have to follow to Myrtle Beach is very environmentally sensitive. I have a hard time believing that the Army Corps of Engineers would sign off on it, given that I-73 alone is more than capable of getting people to and from Myrtle Beach. Did I mention that I-73 is more direct?

Wilmington got the shaft as usual.

Regardless of what number it will be called, I think they should still have an interstate corridor along US 74 to Wilmington. Hopefully they still keep the ROW along that corridor so that it can be upgraded in the future.
Counties: Counties visited
Travel Mapping: Summary

Interstate 69 Fan

Quote from: Roadsguy on August 31, 2018, 09:50:34 AM
The only way I-74 going to Myrtle Beach makes any sense is wholly concurrent with I-73, which would make no sense, resulting in I-74 being completely useless south of where it meets I-73 south of Greensboro and High Point. I think there should definitely be an expressway linking I-140 to SC 31/Carolina Bays Parkway, but taking I-74 over there and down is just silly.

In fact I think cutting off I-74 where it currently meets I-73 would probably be best, creating a new interstate from Charlotte to Wilmington along US 74. Maybe even end the planned corridor at Portsmouth, OH, just a little further than Cincinnati. The diagonal around Winston-Salem from I-77 to I-73 could be numbered something else. Getting a little too far into fictional territory, though...
Yeah I get your point. I agree now with I-74 ending south of Greensboro, and just I-73 going. I don't think I-74 should go to Wilmington still though.
Apparently I’m a fan of I-69.  Who knew.

LM117

Update on the Greenville Southwest Bypass:

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2018/2018-08-31-greenville-sw-bypass-traffic-shift.aspx

QuoteWork on the Greenville Southwest Bypass will require a major traffic shift starting at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4. Drivers on both lanes of U.S. 13/U.S. 264 Alternate will be shifted to the north between west of the Davenport Farm Road intersection and east of the Mabrey Lane intersection.

The shift is needed so crews can safely work on two bridges over U.S. 13/U.S. 264 Alternate. The new traffic pattern is expected to be in place through October

Drivers are urged to pay extra attention and slow down as they approach the shift location and get used to the new traffic pattern.

The bypass is a four-lane, 12.6-mile freeway going between two miles south of Ayden on N.C. 11, wrapping around the west side of Ayden and Winterville and ending at the U.S. 264 Bypass west of Greenville. Intended to relieve congestion and improve safety on other roadways in Greenville, particularly on Memorial Drive (N.C. 11) and Stantonsburg Road (U.S. 264 Business), the new highway should open in 2020.
“I don’t know whether to wind my ass or scratch my watch!” - Jim Cornette

wdcrft63

Chance I-74 goes to Myrtle Beach: zero.
Chance I-74 (or some I-number) goes to Wilmington: pretty good, but not before the 2030s.
Chance of an interstate connection from I-140 to the Carolina Bays Parkway: not very good, but watch for some significant upgrades to US 17.

sparker

Quote from: Interstate 69 Fan on August 31, 2018, 09:12:58 AM
I've always thought I-74 should go to Myrtle Beach. Along with I-73. Given how much of a popular tourist destination it is, I think I-74 should end there, but I-73 continues on south to I-95 near Walterboro or something south of that. That way there's Interstate access from the south of Myrtle Beach.

Speaking of NC, what's the latest with I-285?


Even with NCDOT dicking around with the "superstreet" concept on major highways in tourist-heavy zones (US 17, US 74/76 between Bolton and Wilmington) -- likely to preserve business access for the time being -- US 17 and the entirety of US 74 is on their "master plan" for eventual full freeway upgrades.  It's likely only a matter of time (and funding distribution) before the freeway trigger is pulled on both corridors, likely followed (as per NCDOT's modus operandi) with a request for Interstate designation.  My guess is that the NC 211 section of the present defined I-74 corridor will be kicked down the road (or possibly built as something like a "super-2" for the near term) just so they don't have to deal with it until it's politically feasible to eliminate the I-74 SW turn to Myrtle -- something that would be made possible by actual development activity on SC's portion of I-73, giving that town its long-desired I-access.  At that point a designation (hopefully appropriate) could be sought for the entirety of the freeway along or paralleling US 17, including the existing SC 31 facility, and I-74 could enter Wilmington unfettered.  Of course, in an ideal world, the entire US 74 corridor from I-26 to Wilmington would be something like I-34 or I-36 and, as has been suggested repeatedly, I-74 would be cut back to its northern junction with I-73 (if not eliminated completely in NC).  But even though NC is something of an optimal environment in which to develop new Interstate corridors (adequate gas tax + political will), they're certainly not perfect by any means (vide the designation debacle that led to I-87) -- and haven't yet shown any inclination to deviate significantly from the original I-73/74 plans.   

As far as I-285 goes, the latest news has it signed before the end of this year.  Bob Malme may have more detailed info regarding this than myself; if he has anything to add or correct, I'm sure he'll do so.

mvak36

Quote from: bob7374 on August 30, 2018, 10:55:55 PM
As part if its 2020-2029 STIP process, NCDOT today released a list of regional impact projects that will make the list of funded construction projects over the next 10 years. Among the projects programmed to be included are:
Upgrading US 74 (Future I-74) to Interstate Standards from the end of the US 74 Rockingham Bypass to Laurinburg;
Constructing the rest of the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass;
Upgrading US 29 (Future I-785) to Interstate Standards from Hicone Road to US 158 in Guilford and Rockingham Counties;
Constructing the Western Section of the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway (Future I-274?) from US 158 to NC 67;
U.S. 64 — N.C. 58 to Thomas Road Overpass in Nash and Edgecombe counties:  Upgrade to interstate (Future I-87)
U.S. 117 — Country Club Road to N.C. 581 in Wayne County: Upgrade to interstate and build interstate on new location (Future I-795);
NCDOT has released press releases for each division here:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/default.aspx?startdate=201803020000&enddate=201808300000

List for Division 7: https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2018/2018-08-30-division-seven-sti-projects.aspx
List for Division 8: https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2018/2018-08-30-ncdot-releases-regional-projects-for-division-8.aspx

On the list of possible projects that did not make the list was upgrading US 220 (Future I-73) from NC 68 to the VA state line to interstate standards. The Draft STIP is to be released in January 2019.

I put a picture together using screenshots of all the projects for future interstates (I-42, I-87, etc.,) shown in the Statewide Mobility and Regional Impact project lists. Apologies for the small font.

Statewide Mobility


Regional Impact


I included the Wadesboro bypass in this list because, knowing NC, I'm guessing that the US74 corridor between Rockingham and Charlotte will probably be an interstate at some point. I also included the I-26 widening in Asheville (project I-2513A) because I thought it wasn't gonna happen till after the other two sections of the project (I-2513B and I-2513C) were completed. But now this project is listed for FY 2020.
Counties: Counties visited
Travel Mapping: Summary

Strider

Quote from: Interstate 69 Fan on August 31, 2018, 09:12:58 AM
I've always thought I-74 should go to Myrtle Beach. Along with I-73. Given how much of a popular tourist destination it is, I think I-74 should end there, but I-73 continues on south to I-95 near Walterboro or something south of that. That way there's Interstate access from the south of Myrtle Beach.

Speaking of NC, what's the latest with I-285?


It will be signed at the end of the year.



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.