Interstate 42

[LM117]

Part of the Goldsboro Bypass between I-795 and US-13 has been designated as the John H. Kerr III Highway.

http://www.newsargus.com/news/archives/2017/06/11/john_h_kerr_iii_highway_named/

The five-mile section of the U.S. 70 Goldsboro Bypass from the Interstate 795 interchange to U.S. 13 has been designated as the John H. Kerr III Highway by the N.C. Board of Transportation.

The late Kerr was one of the most powerful members of the state General Assembly and championed improvement to state infrastructure including the bypass and the I-795 designation (for a four-laned U.S. 117) between Goldsboro and Wilson.

The Wayne County Board of Commissioners first tried to have the road named in memory of Kerr shortly following his death in May 2015. However, road-naming criteria requires that a person be deceased for at least a year.

Commissioners submitted the resolution again this past February.

It was unanimously approved during the Transportation Board's June 1 session in Raleigh.

The resolution was read by board member Gus Tulloss of Rocky Mount who represents Division Four, which includes Wayne County.

Tulloss also made the motion to adopt the resolution.

"It was approved at the May meeting of the Road Naming Committee," Tulloss said. "Then it sets, and this is how it works with any resolution, for 30 days until the next board meeting. Then it is presented to the entire board. It was approved unanimously by the Road Naming Committee.

"We had representatives from the county and the city (of Goldsboro) to accept the resolution. We presented the resolution to (Mayor) Chuck Allen and (Commissioner) Wayne Aycock. It was an impressive ceremony."

Tulloss said he had known Kerr for "many, many, many years" when he was involved in state-level politics and was in Raleigh "quite a lot."

It was prior to his time on the transportation board, he said.

"I just admired him for so long," Tulloss said. "He was such a powerful legislator. He was just so committed to eastern North Carolina and particularly Wayne County, and so respected by everybody. But he was a doer. He would call you if he thought his area needed something, and he would go to bat for it."

More often than not, Kerr got what he wanted, he said.

"He was that well respected," Tulloss said. "I think everybody knew that he wasn't going just to be asking because he could and had the influence. We knew that everything that he did was for a purpose, and it was to help his area.

"He was a great guy and a good friend to everybody.

"Big John, he got it done. I was very proud to be able to be the one who presented it."

Kerr was first elected to the state House of Representatives in 1986, serving three terms before being elected to the state Senate, where he served from 1992 until 2008.

It adds that he focused attention on the need to increase eastern North Carolina's infrastructure, including water, sewer, natural gas and roads.

The resolution adds that Kerr "dedicated his life to his family, Madison Avenue Baptist Church, numerous boards, civic organizations and causes that touched the lives of the people and communities in North Carolina and especially in eastern North Carolina."

Signs noting the designation will be erected at a later date.

[slorydn1]

I just got home from work. I've been chomping at the bit (a 12 hour shift never felt so long) to get out to Cove City to get this picture ever since my co-worker told me about the sign this morning. Well here it is, in Craven County on US-70 eastbound approximately 0.75 miles east of the Cove City overpass:




That little smudge of green off in the distance to the left of this sign is the 401 mile marker.

That sign was not there, even in blank form, when I went through there Tuesday evening. The only blank ones I had seen so far were on either side of the Lenior/Wayne County line on the new US-70 Bypass around Goldsboro.


For the first time in my short road geek picture taking career I actually pulled off the road and took the picture. I was really thinking that the picture would have come out better since I stopped the car, even with a smartphone camera. Asyou can see, I hoped wrong. I'm going to have to invest in a decent camera, I guess.

Interesting side note: All of these Future I-42 signs have now had the word INTERSTATE greened out. I know that the actual I-42 shield itself isn't supposed to have the word Interstate in the red but is there any stipulation about what can be on the green portion of the BGS itself?

[LM117]

I just got home from work. I've been chomping at the bit (a 12 hour shift never felt so long) to get out to Cove City to get this picture ever since my co-worker told me about the sign this morning. Well here it is, in Craven County on US-70 eastbound approximately 0.75 miles east of the Cove City overpass:




That little smudge of green off in the distance to the left of this sign is the 401 mile marker.

That sign was not there, even in blank form, when I went through there Tuesday evening. The only blank ones I had seen so far were on either side of the Lenior/Wayne County line on the new US-70 Bypass around Goldsboro.


For the first time in my short road geek picture taking career I actually pulled off the road and took the picture. I was really thinking that the picture would have come out better since I stopped the car, even with a smartphone camera. Asyou can see, I hoped wrong. I'm going to have to invest in a decent camera, I guess.

Interesting side note: All of these Future I-42 signs have now had the word INTERSTATE greened out. I know that the actual I-42 shield itself isn't supposed to have the word Interstate in the red but is there any stipulation about what can be on the green portion of the BGS itself?

I'm not sure what the stipulation is, but as far as I know, the "Future" BGS with "Interstate" printed on the green section, as well as on the I-shield, where only done that way for I-42 and I-87. Some of the Future I-587 signs don't have "Interstate" printed on the BGS at all and some only have it printed on the I-shield, or at least the first BGS you see leaving Greenville on US-264 West.

My guess is that NCDOT realized that it seemed redundant to have "Interstate" printed twice on the same BGS, so that MAY have been why they greened it out, rather than replace the I-shields. Either way, I'm glad they did it. It always seemed silly to me since the I-shield already had the word in it.

[LM117]

I just read an interesting tidbit from this morning's article in the Goldsboro News-Argus.

http://www.newsargus.com/news/archives/2017/02/21/council_approves_tiger_grant/

During the regular meeting, the council approved:

* A N.C. Department of Transportation request to rename U.S. 70 to U.S. 70 Business and the existing U.S. 70 Business to Ash Street inside the city limits.

If this happens, it would mean that the US-70 Bypass designation in Goldsboro won't be going away once I-42 gets signed...

IMO, I don't think the change is needed. The only change I'd be in favor of is decommissioning US-70 Bypass once I-42 takes over.

I noticed in AASHTO's minutes from their recent spring meeting that NCDOT (thankfully) did not request this change.

[LM117]

While the US-70 Corridor Commission has not yet posted their minutes from last month's meeting, they have posted the 13-page Director's Report for April & May, which gives some (albeit minor) updates regarding the Kinston and Havelock bypasses. There has been no mention of the I-42 designation itself, so they appear to be in no hurry for I-shields to start popping up in Clayton and Goldsboro.

https://www.super70corridor.com/cms/lib/NC01920485/Centricity/Domain/14/Apr_May_2017%20Directors%20Report.pdf

[The Ghostbuster]

Of course the entire US 70 corridor has to be upgraded to freeway and Interstate Standards before the Interstate 42 designation will likely be added. How much of the corridor is currently at freeway/interstate standards?

[LM117]

Of course the entire US 70 corridor has to be upgraded to freeway and Interstate Standards before the Interstate 42 designation will likely be added. How much of the corridor is currently at freeway/interstate standards?

Only the Clayton and Goldsboro bypasses meet interstate standards. The small stretch in La Grange is freeway, but lacks wide outside shoulders. Same with the section between Dover and New Bern.

I seriously doubt that the entire corridor has to be brought up to interstate standards before I-42 can be signed on any part of it. I don't think NCDOT would have much of a problem getting approval to sign the Clayton and Goldsboro bypasses as I-42. They connect to existing interstates and a US Route.

As Adam Prince alluded to in the past, it wouldn't be the first time NCDOT got approval to put I-shields on sections of interstate-grade freeways. Examples are I-73, I-74, and I-495 I-87.

NCDOT mentioned last year that they would seek I-shields for sections of US-70 as it's upgraded. My guess is either they were too busy with getting US-264 approved as Future I-587 and getting the I-495/I-87 mess straightened out first before focusing on I-42, or they want to wait until US-70 is upgraded to interstate standards between Clayton and I-95 or Goldsboro and I-95. If NCDOT does not seek I-42 shields during AASHTO's next meeting this fall, then it's probably the latter.

[LM117]

Not sure how I missed it before, but I just stumbled across this March 3 article that gives NCDOT's response to the lawsuit filed against them by the Sierra Club regarding the Havelock Bypass.

http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2017/03/03/ncdot-denies-it-acted-arbitrarily-in-finalizing.html

Two months after California environmental group The Sierra Club filed a lawsuit against both the N.C. Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration over a planned 10-mile coastal highway, the state is responding to its accusers.

The state repeatedly denies that it acted "arbitrarily"  when finalizing plans to construct the $221 million U.S. 70 Havelock Bypass, according to the response filed Friday by N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein on behalf of NCDOT.

The highway is planned to run from just north of Havelock to just north of the Craven-Carteret county line, and is expected to boost freight traffic coming in and out of the Morehead City Port. State officials have said the four-lane, median-divided freeway will allow truckers to avoid an area of U.S. 70 riddled with more than a dozen traffic signals.

The Sierra Club said in its January lawsuit that the highway will pave over rare forest habitats. The group has accused the government of acting "arbitrarily and capriciously,"  both when preparing its environmental impact statement and when handing down what's called a " record of decision,"  the last environmental hurdle for the project. And it asks that a court stop the highway's construction.

In its response, NCDOT denies The Sierra Club's claim that its draft environmental impact statement "was based on inadequate information or analysis."  And it also denies that additional studies were not considered when it decided to build the highway. The state asks that the plaintiffs be responsible for court costs, attorney's fees and that their request to halt construction on the road be denied.

Regardless of the suit, NCDOT still has a ways to go before it starts construction. The bypass is expected to impact 16 residents, one business and one nonprofit — and right-of-way acquisitions are still ongoing.

[The Ghostbuster]

Does this mean future Interstate 42 will end in New Bern?

[sparker]

Does this mean future Interstate 42 will end in New Bern?

Probably not, at least in the long run.  Serving the ports was the main raison d'etre of the corridor to begin with; if the Havelock bypass controversy is favorably resolved, the entire corridor will likely be built.  That being said, the portion west of New Bern will probably be completed before anything east of there, as much of it is done already or in more advanced planning stages -- and there is considerable political support from that area and the cities along US 70 for completing those segments.

[LM117]

Does this mean future Interstate 42 will end in New Bern?

Not permanently, no.

[LM117]

That being said, the portion west of New Bern will probably be completed before anything east of there, as much of it is done already or in more advanced planning stages -- and there is considerable political support from that area and the cities along US 70 for completing those segments.

Considering that traffic is usually heavier between Kinston and Clayton, it makes sense to focus west of New Bern. The biggest issues east of New Bern is James City and Havelock and once those have been upgraded/bypassed, it should be good to go until if/when NCDOT decides to make a move with the Northern Carteret Bypass.

And yeah, there is a lot of support from the cities/towns along the corridor and with good reason. US-70 has been woefully inadequate for years. The upgrades have been long overdue. I was in Goldsboro last September and the bypass there has been a godsend! US-70 through Goldsboro flows MUCH better and there were no more backups at the notorious US-70/Grantham Street interchange. I remember when westbound traffic used to back up from that interchange all the way to the William Street interchange.

[LM117]

The project to upgrade US-70 to interstate standards between the western end of the Goldsboro Bypass and the Johnston County line has been accelerated under an updated draft 2018-2027 STIP.

https://apps.ncdot.gov/newsreleases/details.aspx?r=14027

Accelerated projects include:

Upgrading U.S. 70 to freeway standards from U.S. 70 Bypass to east of Luby Smith Road in Wayne County will begin in 2023 instead of 2026;

[sparker]

The project to upgrade US-70 to interstate standards between the western end of the Goldsboro Bypass and the Johnston County line has been accelerated under an updated draft 2018-2027 STIP.

https://apps.ncdot.gov/newsreleases/details.aspx?r=14027

Accelerated projects include:

Upgrading U.S. 70 to freeway standards from U.S. 70 Bypass to east of Luby Smith Road in Wayne County will begin in 2023 instead of 2026;

Along with the (slight) advancement of the Rockingham bypass mentioned in another thread, this advancement to the future I-42 corridor seems to indicate that the practice of applying numerical scores to projects (which tend to favor those in urban/commute situations at the expense of intercity/interregional corridors) is meeting with political opposition at the local level -- likely from those entities that initiated the corridors to begin with.  Not surprising -- once a project that is viewed as potentially benefiting a larger region has "speedbumps" placed in its path, those bumps tend to be bulldozed -- in this case, sooner than later!     

[Strider]

Wow, Google Maps has I-42 signed on US 70 Goldsboro Bypass????

[sparker]

Wow, Google Maps has I-42 signed on US 70 Goldsboro Bypass????

OK, fine............wonder if it's the same party who signed I-587 & I-87 to Google Maps.  If gun jumping ever became an Olympic sport, this person would certainly sport a gold medal!

[LM117]

More good news.

https://apps.ncdot.gov/newsreleases/details.aspx?r=14030

New projects include:

Constructing an interchange on U.S. 70 at Thurman Road in Craven County

Accelerated projects include:

U.S. 70 Kinston Bypass in Lenoir County moves up by one year, from 2025 to 2024

[LM117]

NCDOT will be holding a public meeting later this month to discuss upgrades to US-70 in Johnston County.

https://apps.ncdot.gov/newsreleases/details.aspx?r=14041

RALEIGH— The N.C. Department of Transportation will hold a public meeting on Friday, July 17, regarding proposed improvements along U.S. 70 between Swift Creek Road and Wilson's Mill Road in Johnston County.

The project will convert U.S. 70 intersections with Swift Creek Road and Wilson's Mill Road into interchanges. Access to properties along the highway will be provided by service roads that will be part of the project.

The meeting will take place at Wilson's Mills Elementary School-Cafeteria, 4654 Wilson's Mills Road, between 4 and 7 p.m.

NCDOT representatives will be available to answer questions and listen to comments regarding the project. The opportunity to submit written comments will also be provided at the meeting or via phone, email, or mail by July 31, 2017. Comments received will be taken into consideration as the project develops. Please note that no formal presentation will be made.

Anyone wanting additional information may contact Matt Clarke PE, NCDOT Project Engineer, at 509 Ward Blvd., PO Box 3165, Wilson, NC 27895, or (252) 640-6419, or wmclarke@ncdot.gov. Project information and materials can be viewed as they become available online at  http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/publicmeetings.

[sparker]

So -- if I'm reading this correctly, this project upgrades the route segment between the Clayton bypass and the freeway section crossing I-95 to full Interstate standards.   

[wdcrft63]

So -- if I'm reading this correctly, this project upgrades the route segment between the Clayton bypass and the freeway section crossing I-95 to full Interstate standards.   

No. It upgrades the Wilson's Mills Bypass section, but there remain several at-grade intersections and an inadequate westbound bridge over the Neuse River to be upgraded in later projects.

[sparker]

So -- if I'm reading this correctly, this project upgrades the route segment between the Clayton bypass and the freeway section crossing I-95 to full Interstate standards.   

No. It upgrades the Wilson's Mills Bypass section, but there remain several at-grade intersections and an inadequate westbound bridge over the Neuse River to be upgraded in later projects.

Too bad -- the cited press release was a bit shy of details save the two planned interchanges (inclusion of the total project mileage would have helped!).  I guess this portion of I-42 will progress in bits and pieces rather than tackling large chunks of corridor at once. 

[epzik8]

Is the I-42 corridor the current U.S. 264 corridor. I get that mixed up with 87/587.

[WashuOtaku]

Is the I-42 corridor the current U.S. 264 corridor. I get that mixed up with 87/587.

No, I-42 is along US 70.

[LM117]

Too bad -- the cited press release was a bit shy of details save the two planned interchanges (inclusion of the total project mileage would have helped!).  I guess this portion of I-42 will progress in bits and pieces rather than tackling large chunks of corridor at once.

Yep. Unless a big pile of cash falls into NCDOT's lap, that's the way it's gonna go. 2 interchanges are already being built in Johnston County near Pine Level at the US-70 Business intersection and at Davis Mill Road with a completion date of 1-21-2018.

[The Ghostbuster]

Therefore, it will be at least a couple decades before significant portions of Interstate 42 are completed. After all, money doesn't grow on trees (as we all know).