North Carolina

[The Ghostbuster]

Does anyone know when the US 52 corridor will finally become Interstate 285? Or when portions of the Winston-Salem Beltway will be built?

[DeaconG]

Aside from I-42 I find most of this rural freeway building in Eastern NC to be silly and a massive waste of funds. Honestly things like I87 or the quad east loop shouldn't even be built in our lifetimes when NC has subpar freeways in areas like Charlotte and the Triangle where people actually use them. US 64 and 264 already have low traffic counts as it is. Guess it shows how much political power the rural areas still wield in this state. While I do love seeing new highways get built it just doesn't make sense to build all these roads to nowhere when you seem to not be able to find funding to address pressing issues in your largest cities.

Could it possibly be to mollify Eastern NC due to the state's refusal to widen I-95 without tolls?

[LM117]

Well, I see we are back to our old Charlotte/Triangle versus rural NC selves again. I was starting to worry that the whole state was getting together too well as of late. I am relieved things havent changed all that much.

I was sweating bullets. However, I'd count my blessings if I were you. After being in Virginia for the last 7 years, I can say firsthand that the urban/rural divide is much worse here than it is in NC.

Now, I will agree, not everything built out this way absolutely needs to be freeway, but I'm not complaining that they are getting built. Towns are pretty far apart and it gets to be a real pita getting stuck behind a farm tractor that refuses to pull off the road for miles on end, with no way to get around it because there is a non-stop line of traffic coming in the other direction.

I'd be perfectly happy with just expressways as long as they bumped the speed limit up to 60-65 on them, but I'm not gonna be-atch about 70 mph freeways either.

I feel the same way. Hell, I remember living in Fremont and commuting on US-117 to Wilson and Goldsboro before I-795 was built. It sucked, to put it mildly. I-795 was practically a godsend for Wayne County.

The Pitt County Board of Commissioners has been kicking and screaming lately about having US-264 upgraded to an interstate from Greenville to Zebulon, which would most likely become an I-x87 if it comes to fruition. I'm not opposed to that, but they act like it's an extreme emergency. The highway is already a 70mph freeway. Plus, there's the Quad East interstate system proposal that Kinston and Greenville are heavily pushing. I'm not entirely sold on the idea and don't think an interstate from Kinston to Greenville (they'll likely want it extended to connect to US-64/Future I-87 in Bethel, which will lead to Hampton Roads) is absolutely necessary, but I can understand their reasoning.

ICYMI:
http://wnct.com/2016/08/09/how-quad-east-could-connect-four-of-eastern-carolinas-metro-areas/

http://wnct.com/2016/07/19/pitt-co-commissioners-say-state-is-ignoring-eastern-nc-transportation-needs/

US-70, US-17 and the new alignment section of I-795's extension are more of a priority regarding eastern NC projects than US-264 and Quad East, IMO. Pitt County needs to have a seat and take a chill pill.

[LM117]

Aside from I-42 I find most of this rural freeway building in Eastern NC to be silly and a massive waste of funds. Honestly things like I87 or the quad east loop shouldn't even be built in our lifetimes when NC has subpar freeways in areas like Charlotte and the Triangle where people actually use them. US 64 and 264 already have low traffic counts as it is. Guess it shows how much political power the rural areas still wield in this state. While I do love seeing new highways get built it just doesn't make sense to build all these roads to nowhere when you seem to not be able to find funding to address pressing issues in your largest cities.

Could it possibly be to mollify Eastern NC due to the state's refusal to widen I-95 without tolls?

Actually, the state mollified eastern NC by not tolling I-95. Tolls were proposed a few years ago, but the cities/towns and businesses had a shit fit since they were worried that tolls would have a negative impact on businesses and the towns were worried about a significant increase in traffic (mainly trucks), since US-301 would've became a shunpike route. Talk of tolling I-95 soon ended.

http://www.wral.com/nc-dot-hears-from-public-on-i-95-expansion-tolls/12438592/

However, there's this allegation made by Robert Brawley back in February, who was a GOP primary challenger to Gov. Pat McCrory, about what's in store for all interstates in NC.

http://abc11.com/traffic/could-nc-begin-tolling-on-every-interstate-corridor-/1189123/

[froggie]

Its nice that we are finally getting our due after 60 years of Charlotte hogging all the transportation money.

If this were really the case, you'd still be driving Broad St across the river...

[DeaconG]

Aside from I-42 I find most of this rural freeway building in Eastern NC to be silly and a massive waste of funds. Honestly things like I87 or the quad east loop shouldn't even be built in our lifetimes when NC has subpar freeways in areas like Charlotte and the Triangle where people actually use them. US 64 and 264 already have low traffic counts as it is. Guess it shows how much political power the rural areas still wield in this state. While I do love seeing new highways get built it just doesn't make sense to build all these roads to nowhere when you seem to not be able to find funding to address pressing issues in your largest cities.

Could it possibly be to mollify Eastern NC due to the state's refusal to widen I-95 without tolls?

Actually, the state mollified eastern NC by not tolling I-95. Tolls were proposed a few years ago, but the cities/towns and businesses had a shit fit since they were worried that tolls would have a negative impact on businesses and the towns were worried about a significant increase in traffic (mainly trucks), since US-301 would've became a shunpike route. Talk of tolling I-95 soon ended.

http://www.wral.com/nc-dot-hears-from-public-on-i-95-expansion-tolls/12438592/

However, there's this allegation made by Robert Brawley back in February, who was a GOP primary challenger to Gov. Pat McCrory, about what's in store for all interstates in NC.

http://abc11.com/traffic/could-nc-begin-tolling-on-every-interstate-corridor-/1189123/

Um...that's what I said. Read it again.

I knew it was suckage when I first saw the proposal, the fact that the state still refuses to do so is a travesty IMHO.

[LM117]

Whoops. That's what I get for posting while half asleep.

[DeaconG]

Whoops. That's what I get for posting while half asleep.

Someone get this man coffee stat!

[LM117]

Whoops. That's what I get for posting while half asleep.

Someone get this man coffee stat!

Folgers. Medium roast. Hold the creamer.

[Third Strike]

Well, I see we are back to our old Charlotte/Triangle versus rural NC selves again. I was starting to worry that the whole state was getting together too well as of late. I am relieved things havent changed all that much.

Some of the Triangles woes I have sympathy for. Charlotte, on the other hand, I can't. Not when I when I flip open my Rand McNally and see the sea of blue roads in and around it. Hopefully the city dwellers will start taking advantage of some of the public transportation projects that are under way there and road traffic will lessen some.

Now, I will agree, not everything built out this way absolutely needs to be freeway, but I'm not complaining that they are getting built. Towns are pretty far apart and it gets to be a real pita getting stuck behind a farm tractor that refuses to pull off the road for miles on end, with no way to get around it because there is a non-stop line of traffic coming in the other direction.

I'd be perfectly happy with just expressways as long as they bumped the speed limit up to 60-65 on them, but I'm not gonna be-atch about 70 mph freeways either.

Its nice that we are finally getting our due after 60 years of Charlotte hogging all the transportation money.

This is such a ridiculous comment. Have you ever been to Charlotte? Or even driven on most of our highways? Or even know the history around our road projects? Or even realize that Mecklenburg County by itself has more people living in it, than the vast majorities of the counties that make up east NC?

If Charlotte was "hogging all the transportation money" for the past 60 years, then I-485 would have been completed a decade ago, Independence Blvd wouldn't take nearly half a century to rebuild, US 74 outside of Mecklenburg would have been a freeway/Interstate decades ago, and I-77 and the non-Mecklenburg parts of I-85 in the metro would have been widened and modernized years ago.

And there's more to the quantity and quality of a city's road network, than looking at a Rand McNally map. It doesn't account for that fact that many of these roads are outdated, and need widening, widener shoulders, and better interchanges.

[LM117]

[LM117]

Does anyone know when the US 52 corridor will finally become Interstate 285? Or when portions of the Winston-Salem Beltway will be built?

Good question. The US-52 upgrade should've been done by now, if I'm not mistaken. I don't know what the hold up is.

As for the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway, construction of the first segment got underway recently.

http://m.journalnow.com/news/local/through-mud-or-dust-work-on-winston-salem-beltway-advances/article_dfb60fcd-ba92-5d4c-bf03-56292ddd487f.html?mode=jqm

The first beltway segment runs from Business 40 to Reidsville Road near Walkertown. Dragados USA is building the 4-mile segment at a cost of $154 million, with completion scheduled by the end of 2018.

With the construction of future segments, the eastern leg of the Northern Beltway will become a part of Interstate 74 and connect on its south end to the existing I-74/U.S. 311 between Winston-Salem and High Point.

North of Reidsville Road, the beltway will link to the U.S. 52/future I-74 corridor between Winston-Salem and Mount Airy.

The next segment of the beltway up for construction will stretch to Reidsville Road.

Pat Ivey, the division engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation in Forsyth County, said work on that segment should start in October 2017, before the first segment is complete.

"We have tried to time it to where there will be some continuous construction on the beltway from now until 2022, when the final projects are awarded,"  Ivey said.

[ARMOURERERIC]

Now that I have driven by the construction in person, I can't see how this alignment will connect into the existing partially built I-40/I-74/Us 311 interchange, and if is not where it is to go, it looks like the 40/74 interchange was way over designed.

[WashuOtaku]

Now that I have driven by the construction in person, I can't see how this alignment will connect into the existing partially built I-40/I-74/Us 311 interchange, and if is not where it is to go, it looks like the 40/74 interchange was way over designed.

The US 311/I-40 interchange is not changing, I-74 will split-off before that and have its own interchange with I-40, east of other interchange.  The US 311 interchange will one day (some day) have a connector continuing to Waughtown Street.

[bob7374]

Does anyone know when the US 52 corridor will finally become Interstate 285? Or when portions of the Winston-Salem Beltway will be built?

Good question. The US-52 upgrade should've been done by now, if I'm not mistaken. I don't know what the hold up is.

As for the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway, construction of the first segment got underway recently.

http://m.journalnow.com/news/local/through-mud-or-dust-work-on-winston-salem-beltway-advances/article_dfb60fcd-ba92-5d4c-bf03-56292ddd487f.html?mode=jqm

The first beltway segment runs from Business 40 to Reidsville Road near Walkertown. Dragados USA is building the 4-mile segment at a cost of $154 million, with completion scheduled by the end of 2018.

With the construction of future segments, the eastern leg of the Northern Beltway will become a part of Interstate 74 and connect on its south end to the existing I-74/U.S. 311 between Winston-Salem and High Point.

North of Reidsville Road, the beltway will link to the U.S. 52/future I-74 corridor between Winston-Salem and Mount Airy.

The next segment of the beltway up for construction will stretch to Reidsville Road.

Pat Ivey, the division engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation in Forsyth County, said work on that segment should start in October 2017, before the first segment is complete.

"We have tried to time it to where there will be some continuous construction on the beltway from now until 2022, when the final projects are awarded,"  Ivey said.

Good news for that section of I-74. After the Reidsville Road segment, they are supposed to build the sections to the east back to US 311.
As for I-285, there is still one segment of US 52 just south of I-40 that needs upgrading before it can be signed an interstate. At last check, this project did not make the STIP due to a low project score. This means, unless something changes, that there will not be any I-285 signs posted for at least another 10 years.

[LM117]

http://www.witn.com/content/news/Work-on-dangerous-Lenoir-County-intersection-expected-finished-soon-390761191.html

LENOIR COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) - The department of transportation says work to upgrade a troublesome intersection in Lenoir County is almost finished and should be done before school starts.

Officials say construction at the intersection of Highway 11 and Ferrell Road, north of Kinston, should be completed by next Friday.

The DOT says the intersection has a high crash incident rate, with Grainger Station Road and Ferrell Road coming into Highway 11 near each other.

They also say nearby railroad tracks also complicate traffic in the area, as well as nearby school traffic.

School officials say they're not planning any detours, but are prepared to if work isn't completed.

"We'll know ahead of time exactly what the situation is and we'll make arrangements to get the kids to school and from school safely," says Patrick Holmes, the LCPS public information officer.

The DOT says the intersection was reconfigured to eliminate some of the more dangerous crossovers on Highway 11.

[LM117]

http://www.wral.com/fortify-lane-shifts-planned-for-i-40-west-this-weekend/15943064/

RALEIGH, N.C. – Construction crews plan this weekend to shift traffic onto new travel lanes in a section of the Fortify zone on Interstate 40 West.

Weather permitting, the lane shifts will happen Saturday at about 11 p.m. from the I-40/Interstate 440 split to Rock Quarry Road (Exit 300).

By early Sunday, drivers on westbound I-40 will travel that stretch of the project on newly paved lanes.

Crews have been moving concrete barriers in the area this week to prepare for the move.

An additional westbound shift is possible between South Saunders Street (Exit 298) and Lake Wheeler Road (Exit 297) before the project is put on hold over Labor Day weekend.

North Carolina State Department of Transportation officials say the goal is to have all traffic within the 8.5-mile Fortify zone on new inside lanes in both directions by early fall.

[roadman65]

I was noticing that I-495 is signed between I-440 and I-540.  Will that eventually have to change when I-87 gets built?  I assume that if so this will remain signed as I-495 until crews bring the rest of US 64 up to interstate standards with proper shoulders the entire way.

[LM117]

I was noticing that I-495 is signed between I-440 and I-540.  Will that eventually have to change when I-87 gets built?  I assume that if so this will remain signed as I-495 until crews bring the rest of US 64 up to interstate standards with proper shoulders the entire way.

NCDOT plans to decommission I-495. They haven't said when, but there's a big chance they'll ask to have it done during AASHTO's next meeting in November. At the same time, I expect they'll ask to put up I-87 shields between I-40 and I-540, so while they're taking down I-495 shields, they can put up I-87 shields at the same time. Kill 2 birds with one stone.

AASHTO's deadline for applications is September 16, so it shouldn't be too much longer before we find out for sure.

[The Ghostbuster]

I personally don't think Interstate 495 should have existed, even as a temporary designation. Since it now will never reach Interstate 95 under that number, maybe it could have been an x-40 3-digit Interstate, although there aren't many of those numbers left. Perhaps, it should have stayed just US 64/264.

[LM117]

I personally don't think Interstate 495 should have existed, even as a temporary designation. Since it now will never reach Interstate 95 under that number, maybe it could have been an x-40 3-digit Interstate, although there aren't many of those numbers left. Perhaps, it should have stayed just US 64/264.

After NCDOT's attempt at I-44 went nowhere, I-495 was apparently "Plan B". I don't think NCDOT anticipated legislation designating the Raleigh-Norfolk corridor passing as quick as it did. If they had, I doubt they would've wasted time and money on I-495 in the first place.

Speaking of US-64/264, I wish NCDOT would truncate US-264 back to Zebulon. That concurrency is one of the most useless concurrencies I've seen and driven. Plus, it would be less clutter on the BGS.

[NE2]

Speaking of US-64/264, I wish NCDOT would truncate US-264 back to Zebulon. That concurrency is one of the most useless concurrencies I've seen and driven. Plus, it would be less clutter on the BGS.

Huh? How is EAST 64 TO 264 less clutter than EAST 64 EAST 264?

[LM117]

Speaking of US-64/264, I wish NCDOT would truncate US-264 back to Zebulon. That concurrency is one of the most useless concurrencies I've seen and driven. Plus, it would be less clutter on the BGS.

Huh? How is EAST 64 TO 264 less clutter than EAST 64 EAST 264?

Why would they need "TO US-264"? The I-495/US-64/264 junction on I-440 has Wilson and Greenville as the control cities for US-264, along with Rocky Mount for US-64.

Remove US-264 signage altogether between I-440 and Zebulon and leave the control cities as they are. Nearly everyone in the area is aware of the 264/64 split in Zebulon and where each highway leads. Plus, there are signs in Zebulon with control cities at the split for those not familiar with the area.

[NE2]

Why would they need "TO US-264"?

Because 264 is a major corridor that should be signed?

[The Ghostbuster]

US 264 used to be co-designated with US 64 to the latter's eastern terminus at US 158, so personally I don't have a problem with the co-designation on the western end.