North Carolina

[roadman65]

Yeah I now see US 264 ALT is part of Ward Blvd, so yes it creates a partial situation where a then sort numbered route number would have to assigned. I don't think NCDOT would want conflicting numbers, although an alternate bannered NC 42 could work around the Ward Blvd. Loop though.

[Love2drive]

Looks like the improvements to the ramp to get onto US 29 North from Interstate 40  and the highway up to Florida Street are finished. Instead of northbound 29 drivers funneling into a single lane at the exit, you now have two north bound lanes to travel.   The ramp from MLK now has a merge onto 29 instead of having a free lane of travel.  Fortunately they widened the highway so that the merge lane goes all the way to the Florida Street exit.

This won't eliminate the slowdowns and backups on 40 as people try to exit, but should help out a bit.

[Strider]

Looks like the improvements to the ramp to get onto US 29 North from Interstate 40  and the highway up to Florida Street are finished. Instead of northbound 29 drivers funneling into a single lane at the exit, you now have two north bound lanes to travel.   The ramp from MLK now has a merge onto 29 instead of having a free lane of travel.  Fortunately they widened the highway so that the merge lane goes all the way to the Florida Street exit.

This won't eliminate the slowdowns and backups on 40 as people try to exit, but should help out a bit.

Yeah, I drove on that section today and there are still some slowdowns and backups because drivers made last minute turns to try to get to US 29 North.

But, you are right. It will not eliminate the slowdowns and backups until that section of I-40 is rebuilt and/or widened (which is scheduled to happen sometime after 2033 for now).

[wdcrft63]

Following the end of the NC State Fair on Sunday NCDOT will begin work on a project to create a grade separation at Blue Ridge Road and Hillsborough Street (NC 54). This is a notoriously crowded intersection near the Fairgrounds and the PNC Arena.

[wdcrft63]

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2022/2022-10-19-section-blue-ridge-road-close-work.aspx

[Dirt Roads]

Following the end of the NC State Fair on Sunday NCDOT will begin work on a project to create a grade separation at Blue Ridge Road and Hillsborough Street (NC 54). This is a notoriously crowded intersection near the Fairgrounds and the PNC Arena.

It's amazing that this has taken so long.  We had to design the TTA Regional Rail project to "accommodate the possibility that the Blue Ridge Road grade separation would not yet be complete".  The TTA Regional Rail design was completed in June 2006, and if the project had continued, would have been constructed by mid-2009.  At the time, it seemed likely that the grade separation project would be underway before then. 

[74/171FAN]

Following the end of the NC State Fair on Sunday NCDOT will begin work on a project to create a grade separation at Blue Ridge Road and Hillsborough Street (NC 54). This is a notoriously crowded intersection near the Fairgrounds and the PNC Arena.

It's amazing that this has taken so long.  We had to design the TTA Regional Rail project to "accommodate the possibility that the Blue Ridge Road grade separation would not yet be complete".  The TTA Regional Rail design was completed in June 2006, and if the project had continued, would have been constructed by mid-2009.  At the time, it seemed likely that the grade separation project would be underway before then. 

Well that explains why I saw very little construction in that area while scouting for the RDU Meet I held during the summer.

[Dirt Roads]

Following the end of the NC State Fair on Sunday NCDOT will begin work on a project to create a grade separation at Blue Ridge Road and Hillsborough Street (NC 54). This is a notoriously crowded intersection near the Fairgrounds and the PNC Arena.

It's amazing that this has taken so long.  We had to design the TTA Regional Rail project to "accommodate the possibility that the Blue Ridge Road grade separation would not yet be complete".  The TTA Regional Rail design was completed in June 2006, and if the project had continued, would have been constructed by mid-2009.  At the time, it seemed likely that the grade separation project would be underway before then. 

Well that explains why I saw very little construction in that area while scouting for the RDU Meet I held during the summer.

Not sure what you mean by "very little construction in that area".  Less than a mile east of there is the reconstruction of the I-440 Beltline.  It was a madhouse of major construction when I went through there a week ago, with lots of new flyovers at the interchange of the Beltline with the Wade Avenue Freeway.

[froggie]

^ Maybe he was referring specifically to Blue Ride & Hillsborough?

[74/171FAN]

^ Maybe he was referring specifically to Blue Ride & Hillsborough?

Yes, I was referring to that intersection specifically.

[Mapmikey]

On 8/22/22, US 17 Bus south in Pollocksville was approved to be truncated to the US 17/NC 58 interchange - https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/gisdot/DOTDELetters/2022/08_August/Div02/HTO_052_08-22.pdf

[74/171FAN]

On 8/22/22, US 17 Bus south in Pollocksville was approved to be truncated to the US 17/NC 58 interchange - https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/gisdot/DOTDELetters/2022/08_August/Div02/HTO_052_08-22.pdf

Well it looks like we are already good in regard to Travel Mapping if I am looking at this correctly.  (https://forum.travelmapping.net/index.php?topic=3260.msg22448#msg22448)

And secondly, I guess this makes it more likely that I clinch the US 17 Business Routes in NC separate from my planned US 17 clinch (similar to what I did for US 13 on the Eastern Shore of VA).

[LM117]

The new "S-Bridge" (US-17 Business) in Hertford is open.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2022/2022-10-25-hertford-s-bridge-opens-traffic.aspx

[74/171FAN]

The new "S-Bridge" (US-17 Business) in Hertford is open.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2022/2022-10-25-hertford-s-bridge-opens-traffic.aspx

On 8/22/22, US 17 Bus south in Pollocksville was approved to be truncated to the US 17/NC 58 interchange - https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/gisdot/DOTDELetters/2022/08_August/Div02/HTO_052_08-22.pdf

Well it looks like we are already good in regard to Travel Mapping if I am looking at this correctly.  (https://forum.travelmapping.net/index.php?topic=3260.msg22448#msg22448)

And secondly, I guess this makes it more likely that I clinch the US 17 Business Routes in NC separate from my planned US 17 clinch (similar to what I did for US 13 on the Eastern Shore of VA).

And this makes it slightly less likely.

[LM117]

NCDOT has decided that its proposed 4-laning of NC 55 in Harnett County (south of Raleigh) will include a bypass of Angier.
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2018/2018-07-09-alternative-for-the-n-c--55-widening-in-wake-harnett-selected.aspx

A contract for the first half of the project has been awarded. Work will begin in the spring, and completion is expected by the end of 2026. A contract for the second half will be awarded sometime in the spring.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2022/2022-10-28-nc-55-widening.aspx

[wdcrft63]

NCDOT is launching a project to replace a pair of bridges on I-40 near the top of the Pigeon River Gorge. The bridges cross White Oak Road and the Wright Branch of the Pigeon River. Old and substandard with no shoulders, these bridges certainly need replacement. I-40 will be limited to one lane in each direction for at least six months, a major traffic bottleneck.
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2022/2022-10-28-major-I-40-bridge-project-haywood-county.aspx

[LM117]

Upcoming closures at the I-440/Western Blvd interchange due to demolition work as part of the I-440 improvements project.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2022/2022-11-02-western-boulevard-i-440-beltline-closure.aspx

[LM117]

As part of the I-40 widening project south of Raleigh, preparations are being made for a traffic shift onto the new I-40 East bridges over US-70 Business in Garner later this month.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2022/2022-11-02-i-40-us-70-white-oak-ramp-closed.aspx

[WillWeaverRVA]

NC 59 has been decommissioned.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2022/2022-11-16-nc-59-cumberland-county.aspx?fbclid=IwAR1dbatecfi1lBqrYQemPxqtk5hXASUgQO6PDXWVz18Z3C125nzqp-Ya2AY

[Mapmikey]

NC 59 has been decommissioned.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2022/2022-11-16-nc-59-cumberland-county.aspx?fbclid=IwAR1dbatecfi1lBqrYQemPxqtk5hXASUgQO6PDXWVz18Z3C125nzqp-Ya2AY

I would've thought they might consider extending NC 71 to replace NC 59 between US 301 and I-95.

In other news the EB US 74 Bus split in Shelby is being decommissioned - https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/gisdot/DOTDELetters/2022/10_October/Div12/HTO_023_10-22.pdf

[wdcrft63]

A question. In Fayetteville the MLK Freeway ends in a half diamond at Ramsey Street. Is there/was there a plan to extend it to I-95?

[Mapmikey]

A question. In Fayetteville the MLK Freeway ends in a half diamond at Ramsey Street. Is there/was there a plan to extend it to I-95?

1968 Cumberland County map shows the north extension to take a sharp dive southeast back to US 301.  The south end was initially planned to be further north along US 301 than the NC 87 interchange area:



The 1972 Cumberland County map - https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/ncmaps/id/8231/rec/32 - shows the southern end synching up with NC 87 and no change to northern end.

The 1980 Cumberland County map - https://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/ncmaps/id/8681/rec/35 -  no longer shows a proposed extension northward.

To see a bigger context of what Fayetteville envisioned, see page 55 of the Owen Dr Freeway EIS - https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=ien.35556030147805&view=1up&seq=55  - the sharp turn at the Cape Fear River on the northern extension is really a new route for US 401

The history of the CBD Loop does not mention what happened to the northern extension in the EIS for the southern extension - https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=ien.35556031254923&view=1up&seq=20

[wdcrft63]

So the northern extension of what is now the MLK Freeway was never considered seriously and it isn't likely to be considered now. The abrupt end of the freeway is almost half a century old.

[LM117]

A much needed improvement in Goldsboro (my old stomping grounds) is FINALLY happening.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2022/2022-11-30-goldsboro-intersection-contract.aspx

[cowboy_wilhelm]

The NCDOT Traffic Survey Group have released a couple of new resources to the public for viewing traffic data: the Traffic Count Database System (TCDS) and the Traffic Viewer. With the TCDS, "a customer can view the collected and processed traffic data values with the ability to run a report, view a graph, and export historical data." The Traffic Viewer is a mobile-friendly version of the TCDS.

Announcement

Here is an example of hourly volumes from a continuous count station the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.