North Carolina

[froggie]

The "central segment" was the first segment to open.

[CanesFan27]

The "central segment" was the first segment to open.

December of 2011 to be exact:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/adamontheroad/albums/72157628457432307

[WashuOtaku]

RIP NC 44, December 2011-May 2016.

[wdcrft63]

Just in time for the Memorial Day rush to the beach? Or is there a central segment of the highway that won't be open yet?

LGL33L

No, once this section opens, the entire length of the Goldsboro Bypass will be open. It'll be about 20 miles long from end to end. It's currently open from US-70 just west of NC-581 in the Rosewood area of Goldsboro to Wayne Memorial Drive. The part that will open next week is the eastern tie-in to the existing US-70 near La Grange in Lenoir County.

The new section connects at its eastern end with the existing La Grange Bypass, making a freeway segment of Future I-36 (or I-whatever) about 24 miles long. By my count there will be about 63 miles of freeway complete on Future I-36 including the Clayton Bypass and the segments at Smithfield and New Bern.

[LM117]

The "central segment" was the first segment to open.

December of 2011 to be exact:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/adamontheroad/albums/72157628457432307

Speaking of the central segment, I never understood why they cut Tommys Road in half between US-117 and NC-111 when that segment was built. Shouldn't it have been kept open for local traffic? 

[BrianP]

Could that instance of I-495 be the shortest lived Interstate number? 

[LM117]

Hopefully whenever Google Maps updates to show the newly opened section of the Goldsboro Bypass, they'll FINALLY update the I-795 interchange. The ramp from southbound I-795 to westbound I-42 is still missing from Google Maps despite the fact that it's been open since last October. WNCN tweeted that the people at the ceremony were notifying Google that the road is now open.

PS: Yeah, I know I-42 isn't signed yet, but it's only a matter of time, so I'm calling the bypass I-42. Deal with it. 

[amroad17]

Hopefully whenever Google Maps updates to show the newly opened section of the Goldsboro Bypass, they'll FINALLY update the I-795 interchange. The ramp from southbound I-795 to westbound I-42 is still missing from Google Maps despite the fact that it's been open since last October. WNCN tweeted that the people at the ceremony were notifying Google that the road is now open.

PS: Yeah, I know I-42 isn't signed yet, but it's only a matter of time, so I'm calling the bypass I-42. Deal with it. 

Agreed.  Dealt with!

[The Ghostbuster]

Interstate 42 and Interstate 87 in North Carolina? Now I've seen everything.

[LM117]

I wonder if NCDOT will get rid of the "US-70 Bypass" designation for the Goldsboro Bypass once NCDOT applies for and gets permission to put up I-42 signs and just have the bypass solely as I-42. Similar to NCDOT taking US-117 off of I-795. There were already two different 70's in Goldsboro (US-70 and Business US-70) and now a third. Personally, I'd rather they do that, not just in Goldsboro, but for all the future bypasses. Leave US-70 for local traffic where possible, just like US-117.

[Mapmikey]

Does anyone know how the US 70 signage in Goldsboro is now?

The original bypass was signed as 70 BYPASS.

Is the new bypass now 70 BYPASS and the old bypass 70 with no banner?

Did 70 Business move from the original business route to the original bypass?

Something else?

[CanesFan27]

Does anyone know how the US 70 signage in Goldsboro is now?

The original bypass was signed as 70 BYPASS.

Is the new bypass now 70 BYPASS and the old bypass 70 with no banner?

Did 70 Business move from the original business route to the original bypass?

Something else?

Bypass was taken away from US 70 awhile ago.  Only US 117 had a bypass tag.

I was going to drive there this weekend, but nash came a week early, to confirm. However my understanding is that old bypass is US 70 , new bypass - Bypass US 70 and Business 70 remains as is

[sparker]

Question:  does anyone out there know if there are any pending NCDOT plans to add shoulders to the Dover-New Bern freeway section(plus any other necessary modifications) in order to bring that segment up to Interstate standards?  It seems to me with the effort that the Super 70 corridor commission put into the process that eventually produced I-42, they would likely be pestering NCDOT on a regular basis to advance such a project to sooner rather than later.

[LM117]

Question:  does anyone out there know if there are any pending NCDOT plans to add shoulders to the Dover-New Bern freeway section(plus any other necessary modifications) in order to bring that segment up to Interstate standards?  It seems to me with the effort that the Super 70 corridor commission put into the process that eventually produced I-42, they would likely be pestering NCDOT on a regular basis to advance such a project to sooner rather than later.

There's none that I know of. NCDOT seems to be focusing on the tougher spots with traffic congestion like they did with Goldsboro, which had a HUGE bottleneck at the US-70/Grantham Street interchange. That interchange is the "confusing loop" the news articles were referring to. I used to go through there everyday and it was a parking lot at rush hour. I'm guessing NCDOT is saving the easiest for last like the Dover-New Bern section. Since the Dover-New Bern freeway is already 70mph with no traffic lights, NCDOT would have little incentive to upgrade it versus bypassing congested areas like Havelock and Kinston, so my guess is that unless there's a sudden change in NCDOT's priorities, the freeway section will be the last to get upgraded. As far as the Super 70 Corridor Commission goes, they'll likely be more interested in getting I-42 signed in Goldsboro and Clayton ASAP (since they already meet Interstate standards) than they would be upgrading a 70mph freeway. You saw how quickly an I-42 shield was made and displayed at the ribbon-cutting ceremony with little time passed since the announcement of AASHTO's approval.

[wdcrft63]

Question:  does anyone out there know if there are any pending NCDOT plans to add shoulders to the Dover-New Bern freeway section(plus any other necessary modifications) in order to bring that segment up to Interstate standards?  It seems to me with the effort that the Super 70 corridor commission put into the process that eventually produced I-42, they would likely be pestering NCDOT on a regular basis to advance such a project to sooner rather than later.

There's none that I know of. NCDOT seems to be focusing on the tougher spots with traffic congestion like they did with Goldsboro, which had a HUGE bottleneck at the US-70/Grantham Street interchange. That interchange is the "confusing loop" the news articles were referring to. I used to go through there everyday and it was a parking lot at rush hour. I'm guessing NCDOT is saving the easiest for last like the Dover-New Bern section. Since the Dover-New Bern freeway is already 70mph with no traffic lights, NCDOT would have little incentive to upgrade it versus bypassing congested areas like Havelock and Kinston, so my guess is that unless there's a sudden change in NCDOT's priorities, the freeway section will be the last to get upgraded. As far as the Super 70 Corridor Commission goes, they'll likely be more interested in getting I-42 signed in Goldsboro and Clayton ASAP (since they already meet Interstate standards) than they would be upgrading a 70mph freeway. You saw how quickly an I-42 shield was made and displayed at the ribbon-cutting ceremony with little time passed since the announcement of AASHTO's approval.

Much more important now is to get back to work on plans for the Kinston Bypass. NCDOT suspended that project when it didn't make the 2016-2025 STIP.

[orulz]

 My in-laws live in New Bern and I live in the triangle so mostly I drive 70 on weekends, and find that the congestion has always been worse in Kinston so I wondered why the second Goldsboro bypass got priority over Kinston but I respect that if it is a rush hour bottleneck then Goldsboro did indeed deserve to come first. However Kinston definitely should come next after Havelock.

LGL33L

[LM117]

Question:  does anyone out there know if there are any pending NCDOT plans to add shoulders to the Dover-New Bern freeway section(plus any other necessary modifications) in order to bring that segment up to Interstate standards?  It seems to me with the effort that the Super 70 corridor commission put into the process that eventually produced I-42, they would likely be pestering NCDOT on a regular basis to advance such a project to sooner rather than later.

There's none that I know of. NCDOT seems to be focusing on the tougher spots with traffic congestion like they did with Goldsboro, which had a HUGE bottleneck at the US-70/Grantham Street interchange. That interchange is the "confusing loop" the news articles were referring to. I used to go through there everyday and it was a parking lot at rush hour. I'm guessing NCDOT is saving the easiest for last like the Dover-New Bern section. Since the Dover-New Bern freeway is already 70mph with no traffic lights, NCDOT would have little incentive to upgrade it versus bypassing congested areas like Havelock and Kinston, so my guess is that unless there's a sudden change in NCDOT's priorities, the freeway section will be the last to get upgraded. As far as the Super 70 Corridor Commission goes, they'll likely be more interested in getting I-42 signed in Goldsboro and Clayton ASAP (since they already meet Interstate standards) than they would be upgrading a 70mph freeway. You saw how quickly an I-42 shield was made and displayed at the ribbon-cutting ceremony with little time passed since the announcement of AASHTO's approval.

Much more important now is to get back to work on plans for the Kinston Bypass. NCDOT suspended that project when it didn't make the 2016-2025 STIP.

The Super 70 Corridor Commission will likely be making noise to have the Kinston Bypass squeezed into NCDOT's "To-Do" list now that I-42 will soon be up and running. At least NCDOT had the good sense to eliminate the northern alternatives for the Kinston Bypass. Kinston city leaders wanted the northern alternative by upgrading the C.F. Harvey Parkway, which runs right beside the Global TransPark, and reconnecting with US-70 on the east side of the city. They wanted an interstate directly serving the Global TransPark. Problem is, nobody going to the beach would use the northern alternative since it would take traffic out of their way. Beach-bound traffic would stick to the existing US-70 since it would be shorter. A short, southern shallow bypass using as much of the existing US-70 (upgraded to Interstate standards) as feasibly possible would probably be the best option there, IMO. 

[LM117]

My in-laws live in New Bern and I live in the triangle so mostly I drive 70 on weekends, and find that the congestion has always been worse in Kinston so I wondered why the second Goldsboro bypass got priority over Kinston but I respect that if it is a rush hour bottleneck then Goldsboro did indeed deserve to come first. However Kinston definitely should come next after Havelock.

LGL33L

The US-70/Grantham Street interchange in Goldsboro was a big problem at rush hour, but there's also 8 traffic lights, most of them one right after another, between the US-70/Grantham Street interchange and the western end of the Goldsboro Bypass that also added to the headache. I agree that the Kinston Bypass needs to be built once the Havelock Bypass is done.

[wdcrft63]

My in-laws live in New Bern and I live in the triangle so mostly I drive 70 on weekends, and find that the congestion has always been worse in Kinston so I wondered why the second Goldsboro bypass got priority over Kinston but I respect that if it is a rush hour bottleneck then Goldsboro did indeed deserve to come first. However Kinston definitely should come next after Havelock.

LGL33L

Here is the inactive web site for the Kinston Bypass project: http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/kinstonbypass/

The project started in May 2009, and the most recent public hearing was in August 2014. The hope then was that construction could begin in 2023. The suspension means a delay of at least 3 years, more likely 5 years.

[Thing 342]

And now for something completely different:

Plans for new Rodanthe Bridge get green light to move forward
RODANTHE, N.C. (WAVY) – North Carolina received approval from the federal government Tuesday to move forward with plans to build the new Rodanthe Bridge.

The Federal Highway Administration's approval of a revised version of the environmental assessment for the Rodanthe Bridge is a key step toward constructing a new, permanent bridge for N.C. 12 in northern Rodanthe, a vital link for the region.

The new bridge will be a long-term solution to keep N.C. 12 open through an area that has dealt with severe storm damage in the past.

The bridge will be at a new location and will include a 2.4 mile long stretch of bridge known as a "jug handle,"  which will extend from the southern end of the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge over the Pamlico Sound into Rodanthe.

This design wasn't always the preferred option.

Prior to public meetings in January of 2014, the North Carolina Department of Transportation had proposed building a bridge over top of N.C. 12 through that same stretch.

After hearing public input, NCDOT changed its preferred option for a long-term solution to the alternative: a bridge at a new location.

NCDOT says this design will be better than a bridge along the existing route of N.C. 12 because it minimizes the impact on the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, the ocean shoreline and the community of Rodanthe, while providing safe and reliable access for area residents and Hatteras Island visitors, the agency said.

NCDOT will begin asking the public for comments and opinions on the revised plan. A set of local public meetings will be held this summer to publicize the alternative.

The agency is partnering with the Federal Highway Administration to consider public comments and identify the final selected alternative.

The project is estimated to cost between $179.3 million and $198.3 million. It is part of a bigger plan to replace the Bonner Bridge over the Oregon Inlet, which the governor broke ground on March of this year.

[LM117]

The recently opened section of the Goldsboro Bypass from Wayne Memorial Drive to US-70 near La Grange is now showing up on Google Maps, but Google labeled it as NC-44. The ramp from southbound I-795 to westbound US-70 Bypass is still missing from the map. 

[wdcrft63]

And now for something completely different:

Plans for new Rodanthe Bridge get green light to move forward
RODANTHE, N.C. (WAVY) – North Carolina received approval from the federal government Tuesday to move forward with plans to build the new Rodanthe Bridge.

The new bridge will be a long-term solution to keep N.C. 12 open through an area that has dealt with severe storm damage in the past.

The bridge will be at a new location and will include a 2.4 mile long stretch of bridge known as a "jug handle,"  which will extend from the southern end of the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge over the Pamlico Sound into Rodanthe.

For those of us who've been going to the Outer Banks for years (since the 1970s in my case) this is a really big deal. It's the first official recognition that the decades-long effort to keep NC 12 on the barrier islands is doomed to failure long term, and radical solutions will be needed to keep the OBX communities connected.

[wdcrft63]

Breaking news: the NC House has voted to cancel the contract for the I-77 toll lanes.
http://www.wral.com/house-tells-i-77-toll-road-contractor-to-hit-the-road/15747591/

[The Ghostbuster]

How accurate are the claims that this project is unneeded?

[LM117]

Breaking news: the NC House has voted to cancel the contract for the I-77 toll lanes.
http://www.wral.com/house-tells-i-77-toll-road-contractor-to-hit-the-road/15747591/

Interesting part in the article.

Rep. Larry Pittman, R-Cabarrus, tried to tack an amendment onto the bill that would preclude any future toll roads in North Carolina, but House Speaker Tim Moore ruled it out of order.