NC: Proposed I-777 (Wilkesboro to Winston-Salem along US 421)

[AlmaPinnix]

I-777 proposed for Triad. From I-40 in Winston-Salem through Yadkinville.

https://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2024/04/08/future-insterstate-777-nc-carolina-core-forstyh.html

[The Ghostbuster]

Interstate 777? I would prefer the Interstate 340 designation to be applied, assuming that portion of the US 421 corridor needs an Interstate designation.

[74/171FAN]

This article on I-777 is not behind a paywall.

[wdcrft63]

Interstate 777? I would prefer the Interstate 340 designation to be applied, assuming that portion of the US 421 corridor needs an Interstate designation.

Likely response from NCDOT: "Not again!" The agency already has maybe 200+ miles of interstate upgrades to do on interstates 42, 73, 74, 87, 587, 685, and 785.

[Alex]

I-777 proposed for Triad. From I-40 in Winston-Salem through Yadkinville.

https://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2024/04/08/future-insterstate-777-nc-carolina-core-forstyh.html

I thought this was going to be a late April Fools Day joke. So surprised it's legitimate...

[ARMOURERERIC]

Interstate 777? I would prefer the Interstate 340 designation to be applied, assuming that portion of the US 421 corridor needs an Interstate designation.

Likely response from NCDOT: "Not again!" The agency already has maybe 200+ miles of interstate upgrades to do on interstates 42, 73, 74, 87, 587, 685, and 785.

plus the cloverleaf at 77 is way under standard.

[Great Lakes Roads]

Interstate 777? I would prefer the Interstate 340 designation to be applied, assuming that portion of the US 421 corridor needs an Interstate designation.

Likely response from NCDOT: "Not again!" The agency already has maybe 200+ miles of interstate upgrades to do on interstates 42, 73, 74, 87, 587, 685, and 785.

My head can't wrap around this decision... 

[froggie]

Surely, SOMEBODY had to have "Another North Carolina Interstate" on their bingo card this week...

[Strider]

Lol oh lord.. now Texas and North Carolina is competing to see how many new interstates both states are going to build... SMH.

NC NEEDS to finish I-73, I-74, I-42, I-87, I-587 and I-685 BEFORE they ever think about adding more interstates... how embarrassing for my state.

[LilianaUwU]

"Carolina Core officials are actively seeking Congressional support to move forward with the project."

Oh, so they're bribing politicians. Got it.

[AlmaPinnix]

Basically Winston Salem and Wilkesboro were left out of the US-421 upgrade into I-685, so they are trying to garner support to get it upgraded to I-777 instead, I think its a pipedream and will probably not happen for another 25+ years. There just is no need to upgrade that stretch of highway at the moment. At least with I-685 there is a big need with Toyota and other factors such as another hurricane evacuation route, etc.

[RoadPelican]

The current US 421 corridor from Winston-Salem to Wilkesboro has all interchanges and no at-grade intersections. Upgrading this stretch would cost much less than I-42 or I-74 but right now any money to upgrade highways in NC should be used on the Charlotte to Wilmington or Raleigh to Morehead City corridors.

[sprjus4]

The current US 421 corridor from Winston-Salem to Wilkesboro has all interchanges and no at-grade intersections. Upgrading this stretch would cost much less than I-42 or I-74 but right now any money to upgrade highways in NC should be used on the Charlotte to Wilmington or Raleigh to Morehead City corridors.

Several bridges would need to be replaced / widened and interchanges reconfigured to meet modern standards... the route meets freeway standards but not interstate standards. Many portions are old. Additionally, the entire route would need the paved shoulders widened.

[LM117]

This article on I-777 is not behind a paywall.

Oh lawd...

[PColumbus73]

I-777 proposed for Triad. From I-40 in Winston-Salem through Yadkinville.

https://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2024/04/08/future-insterstate-777-nc-carolina-core-forstyh.html

I thought this was going to be a late April Fools Day joke. So surprised it's legitimate...

North Carolina makes me wish FHWA had the authority to revoke or refuse interstate designations even if they are mandated by Congress. If any congressman can write a highway number into law, then what happens when they are all used up for pet projects (well, just look at the 69s). It's bad enough when they mandate that a new interstate has to zig-zag to serve every town rather than a direct regional connection, like what I saw with the proposed I-14 routing in Texas.

[hotdogPi]

777 is the 3-digit number that takes the longest to say. Will this be an issue?

That said, I don't really have an issue with this corridor getting a number. Unlike some others, it's already a freeway.

[sprjus4]

777 is the 3-digit number that takes the longest to say. Will this be an issue?

That said, I don't really have an issue with this corridor getting a number. Unlike some others, it's already a freeway.

Freeway, but not up to interstate standards. It will require hundreds of millions of dollars of upgrades.

Just because it's "already a freeway" doesn't make it more worthy of being designated an interstate. It doesn't connect to anything significant. It's comparable to I-587 in a sense, but at least I-587 connects to a city of over 100,000 population - it makes logical sense to designate that route. I-87, in a way, connects Hampton Roads to Raleigh in the bigger picture. I-73 connects Roanoke to Myrtle Beach in the ultimate build. I-685 provides a needed bypass / connector route around Raleigh / Durham for I-40 traffic and also connects Greensboro to Fayetteville (sort of). I-42 connects Raleigh to the Crystal Coast, connecting areas of over 100,000 population and a major corridor during peak season.

This proposed route connects Winston-Salem to... nothing. Wilksboro, a bustling metropolis with... 3,000 population? Yadkinville, the next booming town of over 2,000 population? There's no ultimate destination on either end of the proposed corridor. This might be the most "pork" of any interstate highway proposal in North Carolina history.

The area is very fortunate to even have a limited access / interstate quality route connecting through to begin with, nothing more is needed. The route carries 18,000 - 20,000 AADT and will function adequately as a four lane freeway for the long term future. As older bridges age, some replacements might be warranted but beyond maintenance / routine upgrades, no large scale, interstate specific targeted upgrades are necessary.

[TheStranger]

This proposed route connects Winston-Salem to... nothing. Wilksboro, a bustling metropolis with... 3,000 population? Yadkinville, the next booming town of over 2,000 population? There's no ultimate destination on either end of the proposed corridor. This might be the most "pork" of any interstate highway proposal in North Carolina history.

Hey, North Wilkesboro is once again an active NASCAR track!  (Though the track access from the existing, not-yet-an-interstate US 421 freeway is lacking - an issue that came up when the raceway restarted full operations in 2022-2023)

Funny enough, it hits me that two of the once-endangered older NASCAR tracks that were seen as "isolated" for years compared to a Charlotte or Daytona - North Wilkesboro and Rockingham - now or will potentially have connections to the Interstate system, all because of the I-73/I-74 saga and this planned I-777. Me and a friend actually did drive from Winston-Salem to Rockingham along 74 in 2021 to pass by the track, as part of a Daytona roadtrip for the fall Cup race.  (Randleman, the town where Petty Enterprises was based for years, is also right off 73/74)

Ironically, none of that actually changes that these two locations have been this close to a limited access route for years, other than that a fancy new, more marketable shield has been or will be slapped onto these roads.

It's fascinating comparing this protocol to California, where 58/99 would have been Interstates long ago by NC standards (never mind that 99 is the pre-1958 planned I-5), and likely 101.  (101 and 58 were pre-1968 submissions that got rejected)

Lol oh lord.. now Texas and North Carolina is competing to see how many new interstates both states are going to build... SMH.

NC NEEDS to finish I-73, I-74, I-42, I-87, I-587 and I-685 BEFORE they ever think about adding more interstates... how embarrassing for my state.

Hey, don't forget the I-795 extension south of Goldsboro to I-40!  That's still around...right!?

And I-274!

AND it just hit me, when is the part of I-785 north of Greensboro going to finally be signed as Interstate, hasn't that been on the books for over a decade or more now?

[TheStranger]

Starting a separate thread on anything relating to the re-designation of US 421 near Winston-Salem as I-777, which was just proposed a day or two ago for the first time.

https://www.wavy.com/news/north-carolina/road-from-wilkesboro-to-i-40-in-winston-salem-could-become-i-777/

Reddit discussion thread on the concept:
https://www.reddit.com/r/NorthCarolina/comments/1c0pmms/road_from_wilkesboro_to_i40_in_winstonsalem_could/

Linkedin post from the person at Carolina Core who is presenting this (the same organization that came up with planned I-685)
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/loren-hill-549990151_future-interstate-777-what-a-lucky-number-activity-7183403316243013634-6gyz/

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One key question that has not yet been answered in the articles: will I-777 be applied to just the section of 421 from Wilkesboro to the western 40/421 junction, or will it include the Salem Parkway section of former I-40 all the way to Kernersville?

[The Ghostbuster]

If the Interstate 777 designation is approved, it would be only the third 3di with all three digits having the same number, after unsigned Interstate 444 in Tulsa, OK and Interstate 555 between Turrell, AR and Jonesboro, AR. There may be an Interstate 222 in the future constructed as part of the Interstate 422 Birmingham Northern Beltline in Birmingham, AL. However, whether 222 will ever be constructed or whether 422 will ever be completed is completely unknown, as the BNB will be very expensive and very controversial to complete.

[wdcrft63]

Starting a separate thread on anything relating to the re-designation of US 421 near Winston-Salem as I-777, which was just proposed a day or two ago for the first time.

https://www.wavy.com/news/north-carolina/road-from-wilkesboro-to-i-40-in-winston-salem-could-become-i-777/

Reddit discussion thread on the concept:
https://www.reddit.com/r/NorthCarolina/comments/1c0pmms/road_from_wilkesboro_to_i40_in_winstonsalem_could/

Linkedin post from the person at Carolina Core who is presenting this (the same organization that came up with planned I-685)
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/loren-hill-549990151_future-interstate-777-what-a-lucky-number-activity-7183403316243013634-6gyz/

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One key question that has not yet been answered in the articles: will I-777 be applied to just the section of 421 from Wilkesboro to the western 40/421 junction, or will it include the Death Valley section of former I-40 all the way to Kernersville?

It will not. Winston-Salem insisted that the former I-40 lose its designation as Business 40 and that it should not have any interstate designation.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

The area is very fortunate to even have a limited access / interstate quality route connecting through to begin with, nothing more is needed. The route carries 18,000 - 20,000 AADT and will function adequately as a four lane freeway for the long term future.

You clearly aren't a legislator with a summer home in Blowing Rock or Banner Elk.

The recently upgraded stretch of U.S. 70/future I-42 east of Dover has an AADT of only 11,000-12,000... but... beach homes.

And if we're pulling out and measuring, U.S. 64/U.S. 17/future I-87 doesn't get above 15,000 AADT for 92 out of the 110 miles between Princeville and Virginia, doesn't go above 15,000 for 75 miles between Princeville and Hertford, barely reaches 20,000 around Elizabeth City at the max, is less than 10,000 for about 43 miles and is around 8,000 for 21 of those miles. So, despite U.S. 421 connecting to "nothing", it has more traffic than future I-87. Hmmm...

Or... maybe ALL of these pork projects don't warrant an interstate designation and North Carolina should focus on addressing its many other developing highway issues instead of letting our country bumpkin legislators plan highways like it's the 80s.

[sprjus4]

You clearly aren't a legislator with a summer home in Blowing Rock or Banner Elk.

Then why stop at Yadkinville? Let's go all the way to Boone, Blowing Rock, Banner Elk, etc.

The recently upgraded stretch of U.S. 70/future I-42 east of Dover has an AADT of only 11,000-12,000... but... beach homes.

Most of the route is carrying over 30,000 AADT and is plagued with traffic signals in those busy areas. The upgrades are warranted, blue shield or not.

And if we're pulling out and measuring, U.S. 64/U.S. 17/future I-87 doesn't get above 15,000 AADT for 92 out of the 110 miles between Princeville and Virginia, doesn't go above 15,000 for 75 miles between Princeville and Hertford, barely reaches 20,000 around Elizabeth City at the max, is less than 10,000 for about 43 miles and is around 8,000 for 21 of those miles. So, despite U.S. 421 connecting to "nothing", it has more traffic than future I-87. Hmmm...

At least there's a more plausible case in connecting two metropolitan areas of over 2 million population that are currently not linked by an interstate highway or limited access highway. US-421 isn't exactly connecting to any major metropolitan areas or population centers on the west end, and again - is already built up as a limited access highway.

[nerdom]

whoa. some real east vs. west action here. yes, both routes serve vacation homes with 42 having this military/port caveat. 777 would actually end in Wilkesboro, while not huge is a decent stopping point for the money. if you want Blowing Rock drop another billion. and yes, Dover is a dead zone. east of Kinston and west of New Bern only sees the Raleigh/beach traffic. the rest of the road gets respectable traffic volumes. if 785 is the standard then 777 certainly meets that.

[Alex]

Starting a separate thread on anything relating to the re-designation of US 421 near Winston-Salem as I-777, which was just proposed a day or two ago for the first time.

Good idea, so separated the prior I-777 posts from the general North Carolina thread and merged them into this thread.