Interstate 42

[sprjus4]

NCDOT has reposted the plans for the US 70/Future I-42 Havelock Bypass now due to be let in July. It appears that, at least for the signing plans, no revisions have been made meaning the pull through signs still have future I-42 shields on the right and the exit numbers still duplicate those on US 70 in the New Bern area. Plans are available at:
https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/dsplan/2019%20Highway%20Letting/07-16-19/Plans%20and%20Proposals/Craven_R1015_34360.3.GV4_C204177/

The plans seem to be gone again. Completely gone too, unlike last time where it was simply the main project documents that were removed.

Is it wishful thinking that they were removed because they accidentally put up the old plans and will bring the link back when the new ones are uploaded? The letting is still listed, so it doesn't appear they've postponed it again.

Apparently so, all the plans have been restored to the website with a June 25 date, but the sign plans are the same as before with the same issues as listed above:
https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/dsplan/2019%20Highway%20Letting/07-16-19/Plans%20and%20Proposals/Craven_R1015_34360.3.GV4_C204177/Standard%20PDF%20Files/

I am tempted to contact the project engineer, especially about the exit numbers, but don't know what reaction I'd get.

Looks like NCDOT is hellbent on creating a needless I-42/US-70 overlap.

We should all contact the project engineer and see what they say. It'll help if more than one of us do it.

[Henry]

Kind of makes you wonder if FritzOwl is from NC...or has even been there, for that matter.

[sprjus4]

Kind of makes you wonder if FritzOwl is from NC...or has even been there, for that matter.

He's from California.

[sparker]

Kind of makes you wonder if FritzOwl is from NC...or has even been there, for that matter.

He's from California.

That explains a lot!  Poor guy's just frustrated living in a place that can't (or won't) bother to appropriately sign an Interstate-grade corridor that's now 12 years old.  His reaction's a bit over the top -- but at least good for the occasional chuckle.  So he'll just carry on in his own quixotic way, tilting at all those 2-lane rural windmills!   

[sprjus4]

Just curious, where do you live? What are the interstate plans for your area?

I live in the Sacramento,. Ca area, and you have probably seen some of my plans for the Sacramento area.

^^^

[Roadsguy]

NCDOT has reposted the plans for the US 70/Future I-42 Havelock Bypass now due to be let in July. It appears that, at least for the signing plans, no revisions have been made meaning the pull through signs still have future I-42 shields on the right and the exit numbers still duplicate those on US 70 in the New Bern area. Plans are available at:
https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/dsplan/2019%20Highway%20Letting/07-16-19/Plans%20and%20Proposals/Craven_R1015_34360.3.GV4_C204177/

The plans seem to be gone again. Completely gone too, unlike last time where it was simply the main project documents that were removed.

Is it wishful thinking that they were removed because they accidentally put up the old plans and will bring the link back when the new ones are uploaded? The letting is still listed, so it doesn't appear they've postponed it again.

Apparently so, all the plans have been restored to the website with a June 25 date, but the sign plans are the same as before with the same issues as listed above:
https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/dsplan/2019%20Highway%20Letting/07-16-19/Plans%20and%20Proposals/Craven_R1015_34360.3.GV4_C204177/Standard%20PDF%20Files/

I am tempted to contact the project engineer, especially about the exit numbers, but don't know what reaction I'd get.

I already contacted someone and was told that the positioning of the US 70 shield and the space for the I-42 shield would be reversed, though I don't think I asked about exit numbers.

[LM117]

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-06-27-craven-county-highway-glenburnie-ramp.aspx

NEW BERN — An entrance ramp to a Craven County highway will be closed this weekend so the N.C. Department of Transportation can make improvements to it.

The entrance ramp at Glenburnie Road leading to U.S. 70 West will be closed between 7 a.m. June 29 and 7 p.m. June 30. These dates are weather permitting.

During the closure, NCDOT will remove the top 2.5 inches of existing asphalt and replace it with 2.5 inches of new asphalt.

Motorists accessing U.S. 70 West from Glenburnie Road will turn onto the entrance ramp to U.S. 70 East and continue to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard exit. After exiting the highway, drivers will turn left at the stoplight and continue under the overpass to make another left at the next stoplight. This detour will send drivers to the entrance ramp for U.S. 70 West.

This construction is part of the project to bring U.S. 70 up to interstate standards. Crews are widening shoulders, as well as milling and repaving the highway, which will be renamed Interstate 42. The project in its entirety is 32 miles long and costs $25.5 million.

[LM117]

NCDOT has reposted the plans for the US 70/Future I-42 Havelock Bypass now due to be let in July. It appears that, at least for the signing plans, no revisions have been made meaning the pull through signs still have future I-42 shields on the right and the exit numbers still duplicate those on US 70 in the New Bern area. Plans are available at:
https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/dsplan/2019%20Highway%20Letting/07-16-19/Plans%20and%20Proposals/Craven_R1015_34360.3.GV4_C204177/

The plans seem to be gone again. Completely gone too, unlike last time where it was simply the main project documents that were removed.

Is it wishful thinking that they were removed because they accidentally put up the old plans and will bring the link back when the new ones are uploaded? The letting is still listed, so it doesn't appear they've postponed it again.

Apparently so, all the plans have been restored to the website with a June 25 date, but the sign plans are the same as before with the same issues as listed above:
https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/dsplan/2019%20Highway%20Letting/07-16-19/Plans%20and%20Proposals/Craven_R1015_34360.3.GV4_C204177/Standard%20PDF%20Files/

I am tempted to contact the project engineer, especially about the exit numbers, but don't know what reaction I'd get.

Looks like NCDOT is hellbent on creating a needless I-42/US-70 overlap.

We should all contact the project engineer and see what they say. It'll help if more than one of us do it.

What's funny is that NCDOT says they're trying to eliminate useless overlaps...

https://www.journalnow.com/news/local/u-s-to-high-point-is-going-away-but-don/article_8c365cc0-b7d7-58f6-8ed5-732f633b299a.html

"We do have a statewide interest in reducing situations where there are multiple designations along a single route,"  said Aaron Moody, a public relations officer for the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Yet they plan to do the exact opposite in Havelock.

[sprjus4]

NCDOT has reposted the plans for the US 70/Future I-42 Havelock Bypass now due to be let in July. It appears that, at least for the signing plans, no revisions have been made meaning the pull through signs still have future I-42 shields on the right and the exit numbers still duplicate those on US 70 in the New Bern area. Plans are available at:
https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/dsplan/2019%20Highway%20Letting/07-16-19/Plans%20and%20Proposals/Craven_R1015_34360.3.GV4_C204177/

The plans seem to be gone again. Completely gone too, unlike last time where it was simply the main project documents that were removed.

Is it wishful thinking that they were removed because they accidentally put up the old plans and will bring the link back when the new ones are uploaded? The letting is still listed, so it doesn't appear they've postponed it again.

Apparently so, all the plans have been restored to the website with a June 25 date, but the sign plans are the same as before with the same issues as listed above:
https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/dsplan/2019%20Highway%20Letting/07-16-19/Plans%20and%20Proposals/Craven_R1015_34360.3.GV4_C204177/Standard%20PDF%20Files/

I am tempted to contact the project engineer, especially about the exit numbers, but don't know what reaction I'd get.

Looks like NCDOT is hellbent on creating a needless I-42/US-70 overlap.

We should all contact the project engineer and see what they say. It'll help if more than one of us do it.

What's funny is that NCDOT says they're trying to eliminate useless overlaps...

https://www.journalnow.com/news/local/u-s-to-high-point-is-going-away-but-don/article_8c365cc0-b7d7-58f6-8ed5-732f633b299a.html

"We do have a statewide interest in reducing situations where there are multiple designations along a single route,"  said Aaron Moody, a public relations officer for the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Yet they plan to do the exact opposite in Havelock.

Don't worry - in 15 years when I-42 makes it down that way, they'll try to shift US-70 back onto its original alignment.

[Verlanka]

Looks like NCDOT is hellbent on creating a needless I-42/US-70 overlap.

We should all contact the project engineer and see what they say. It'll help if more than one of us do it.

What's funny is that NCDOT says they're trying to eliminate useless overlaps...

https://www.journalnow.com/news/local/u-s-to-high-point-is-going-away-but-don/article_8c365cc0-b7d7-58f6-8ed5-732f633b299a.html

"We do have a statewide interest in reducing situations where there are multiple designations along a single route,"  said Aaron Moody, a public relations officer for the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Yet they plan to do the exact opposite in Havelock.

I know, right?

[LM117]

The US-70 Corridor Commission is having their next meeting on July 18 in Morehead City. However, they still haven't posted the minutes from their recent meetings for whatever reason...

http://www.super70corridor.com

[LM117]

The US-70 Corridor Commission is having their next meeting on July 18 in Morehead City. However, they still haven't posted the minutes from their recent meetings for whatever reason...

http://www.super70corridor.com

The Director's Report for March, April, and May has been posted. The most noteworthy tidbit is on the first page. Apparently, some of the projects got pushed back because of lack of funding due to the recent hurricanes.

http://www.super70corridor.com/wp-content/uploads/Mar_Apr_May_2019-Directors-Report.pdf

I guess this could explain why NCDOT is in no hurry to pick their alternative for the Kinston Bypass, which should've been done back in February...

[LM117]

Big news. It looks like the Goldsboro Bypass will be the first to get I-42 shields. According to the US-70 Corridor Commission's Director's Report for January/February 2019, NCDOT got federal approval to sign the Goldsboro Bypass as I-42. No mention of when I-42 shields will go up, though.

It can be seen near the bottom of page 4:

http://www.super70corridor.com/wp-content/uploads/Jan_Feb_2019-Directors-Report.pdf

Also, the meeting minutes from last November & January have been posted.

November 2018: http://www.super70corridor.com/wp-content/uploads/November-15_2018-Meeting-Minutes.pdf

January 2019: http://www.super70corridor.com/wp-content/uploads/January-31_2019-Meeting-Minutes.pdf

[goobnav]

Strange how the Clayton bypass won't?

[LM117]

Strange how the Clayton bypass won't?

Yeah, I'm scratching my head on that one.

[goobnav]

Strange how the Clayton bypass won't?

Yeah, I'm scratching my head on that one.

Glad I'm not the only one being that I-87 is now up and signed.

[froggie]

^^ FHWA policy for Interstate signing is that it must have logical termini, whether another Interstate, an NHS route, or a major traffic generator (like an airport or military base or whatnot).  The Goldsboro Bypass has that (NHS routes at both ends, I-795, and US 13)...Clayton bypass doesn't.  If FHWA follows their own policy, Clayton bypass won't be signed as I-42 until an Interstate-grade facility reaches I-95.

[LM117]

^^ FHWA policy for Interstate signing is that it must have logical termini, whether another Interstate, an NHS route, or a major traffic generator (like an airport or military base or whatnot).  The Goldsboro Bypass has that (NHS routes at both ends, I-795, and US 13)...Clayton bypass doesn't.  If FHWA follows their own policy, Clayton bypass won't be signed as I-42 until an Interstate-grade facility reaches I-95.

The western end of the Clayton Bypass connects to I-40 and the eastern end to a NHS route (US-70). How does it not qualify?

[goobnav]

^^ FHWA policy for Interstate signing is that it must have logical termini, whether another Interstate, an NHS route, or a major traffic generator (like an airport or military base or whatnot).  The Goldsboro Bypass has that (NHS routes at both ends, I-795, and US 13)...Clayton bypass doesn't.  If FHWA follows their own policy, Clayton bypass won't be signed as I-42 until an Interstate-grade facility reaches I-95.

By your logic I-87 or it predecessor I-495 should not have been signed either.  Neither should have been I-540, come on froggie, you're better than that .

[sprjus4]

The Clayton Bypass seamlessly ties into I-40 on its western end, and also is the western end of the I-42 routing.

It connects to another interstate highway, the bypass meets interstate standards, connects to the capital city of North Carolina via I-40, and feeds into US-70 on the eastern end, a NHS route.

If I-87 was signed to I-40, I-42 can be signed to I-40.

I agree with the Goldsboro designation, but also the Clayton Bypass should be signed too. Both highways connect to other interstate highways and meet interstate standards.

[sprjus4]

A few weeks old, but still relevant. http://www.carolinacoastonline.com/news_times/article_52e56ff8-93ae-11e9-bd50-e751a6d3f90d.html

CAPE CARTERET – Within about 10 years, U.S. Highway 70 will transform into Interstate 42, roughly from the Raleigh-Garner area to the east end of Havelock, enabling a growing stream of inland residents to more easily get to Carteret County to live and recreate.

When that process is complete and the full impacts are felt, Carteret County Economic Development Director Don Kirkman said Tuesday night, "We'll probably look a lot less like Ocracoke and a lot more like Wilmington."

Mr. Kirkman was speaking as an invited guest at the second meeting of the Cape Carteret Strategic Growth Committee in town hall off Dolphin Street.

The idea was to let Mr. Kirkman, who's considered the local expert on the potential impacts of the I-42 project, inform the committee, as well as town residents, commissioners, Mayor Dave Fowler and Town Manager Zach Steffey about the impacts and give some advice.

Mr. Kirkman noted that although official state project maps show I-42 going through Morehead City to the state port, he believes the chances of that happening are almost nil, because of the complexity of running an interstate highway through narrow Morehead City.

Still, he said, everyone needs to think ahead — now, not later — and get ready for bigtime change. With the flood of new tourists coming to Bogue Banks beaches, it's likely "every day in the summer will look a lot like Fourth of July weekend."

What this means, Mr. Kirkman said, is decision-makers, from county commissioners and staff, down to town boards of commissioners, planning board members and staff, will face hard choices as tourism and the permanent population grow.

He sees it as an opportunity, but with big challenges and built-in limitations.

Land uses

"We're a large county,"  Mr. Kirkman said. "But there's not a whole lot of area for that growth to go. If you're a "˜smart growth' advocate, which I am, this is actually a good thing.

"If you look at New Hanover County (after completion of I-40 from Raleigh to Wilmington in 1990), what you see is the county has experienced massive sprawl,"  to the point where it's also impacted neighboring counties, such as Pender and Brunswick, roads cut through formerly rural areas and development has occurred almost everywhere.

But in Carteret, he said, about half of the total of 664,660 acres is water, and another 156,104 acres is the Croatan National Forest, which is off-limits to development.

When you add in other off-limits areas, such as military land, state land, land trust easements and Open Grounds Farm, the total acreage available for development here is about 60,860 acres, including wetlands, most of which are also off-limits because of state and federal regulations.

Where will growth occur?

Most of the permanent population growth will be along what is now the Highway 70 corridor, the Highway 24 corridor, Highway 58, on the banks and off, and Highway 101 from Beaufort to Havelock.

Much of that growth will be in Morehead City and Newport, which already have central waste treatment systems. Beaufort will grow, too, as it has central sewer, as well.

Mr. Kirkman said Newport is going to be "ground zero,"  because I-42 will stop just a few miles from its western limit, and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point is projected to grow dramatically, because it could become home to at least seven new squadrons of the F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter. That will add scores of military personnel and civil servants.

Plus, Mr. Kirkman said, there's plenty of land available for development around Newport and it's cheaper than in most other places in the county.

Cape Carteret will almost surely grow much faster than it has in the past, Mr. Kirkman said, because of I-42, but also because major improvements are underway or planned for U.S. 17, which runs north to the rapidly growing Virginia and Washington, D.C., areas.

Also, he said, Cape Carteret will continue to be influenced by growth at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in nearby Jacksonville and will be influenced at least somewhat by the Cherry Point growth.

"This town of about 2,000 could easily be a lot bigger"  as a result of all of these influences, maybe even double its current size within 20 years, he said.

But, he added, just where and how Cape Carteret grows will depend upon what town officials want. Without a central sewer system — something Mayor Fowler has pushed for years — there's only so much development that can occur.

Why so fast?

Where does Mr. Kirkman get all these projections? Essentially, he said, from figures compiled by the state before and after I-40 opened Wilmington and the rest of southeastern North Carolina to faster and easier travel from inland areas.

In 1980, the population in Wilmington was 55,530, but by 2010, 20 years after I-40, it was 106,476, nearly double. By 2017, it was 119,045.

Comparable figures for New Hanover County — Wilmington is its largest city — are 103,471 in 1980, 203,382 in 2010 and 227,198 in 2017.

Carteret County's population, Mr. Kirkman said, has grown only about 1% per year for decades, rising from 41,092 in 1980 to 66,700 in 2010. I-42 will change that, he's certain.

Official state figures project Carteret County's population will hit 75,646 by 2027 and 81,423 by 2037. Mr. Kirkman thinks that's low, for several reasons.

First, he said, the state planners can, by law, only look at historical growth rates to project future growth rates. Second, slow growth is definitely not what happened after I-40 connected Raleigh to Wilmington. Growth was faster and much higher than projected.

Then, Mr. Kirkman said, there's the fact that I-40, when built to Wilmington, ran through mostly rural, even desolate areas, with almost no large towns.

I-42, by contrast, will run through or near larger areas — Kinston and Goldsboro, for example — so there are more people likely to visit and maybe move to the Crystal Coast. In addition, he said, the number of people who live in the Raleigh area is far higher than it was when I-40 connected it to Wilmington.

"I think there will be lot more people who just wake up in the morning and say, "˜Let's go the beach for the day,'"  the economic development director said.

Impacts

Schools will need to be expanded and new ones will need to be built, Mr. Kirkman said, particularly in the west. Health care will need to be addressed. Bridges will become traffic choke-points, particularly the two-lane high-rise that runs from Cape Carteret/Cedar Point on the mainland to Emerald Isle.

"You're right in the middle of that,"  he said to the town hall audience Tuesday.

Emerald Isle has for years resisted the idea of expanding the bridge to four lanes and also resisted the concept of making Highway 58 through town four lanes instead of two, with a center turn lane in places.

Mr. Kirkman said he's not advocating for a four-lane high-rise to Emerald Isle, but said there are likely to be many who push for it. Similarly, he said, there could be a renewed push for a third bridge from the mainland to Bogue Banks.

But residents and officials in the banks towns that are likely landing spots for such a bridge — Indian Beach or Salter Path/Pine Knoll Shores — are probably going to be "reticent"  to the concept, as they have been in the past, he said. It would be a major disruption for many.

"We may have to deal with some suboptimal compromise (traffic) solutions,"  he said.

Limitations

There are limiting factors to growth in Carteret County, however. In addition to the low amount of land available for development, there are few available existing buildings of significant size for large businesses to move into, Mr. Kirkman said. Carteret County also must pay strong attention to its natural environment.

There's also a serious labor shortage, bad enough that many small businesses can't find enough workers. The economic development director said his office has in recent years shifted its focus from attracting businesses to attracting people.

Telecommuting, he said, is a great concept and a real possibility, as it's now easier than ever for more people to work remotely.

The county, he said, has advantages in that effort; it's a desirable place to live aesthetically and has a great school system. The hospital, Carteret Health Care, is excellent, he said, and both of those things are desired by the kind of high-skilled workers who would move here and telecommute for jobs in Research Triangle Park in the Raleigh-Durham area.

Also in the county's favor is the fact it has the lowest property tax rate in the state.

To make telecommuting happen in a big way, the county will need more high-speed internet connections, meaning more fiber optic lines to serve not just schools, medical facilities and big businesses, but homes. Some is already in the ground, but it's not widely available to the general population.

Emerald Isle, Mr. Kirkman has been pushing for fiber optic to town, but it's really up to the companies that put it in, chiefly Spectrum.

Plan now

The good thing, Mr. Kirkman said, is officials in Carteret County and its towns have "already taken the opportunity"  to begin the conversations necessary to get ready for the growth that is sure to come.

Work is already underway on the Havelock portion of U.S. 70 set to become I-42, and work is scheduled to begin on the complex James City section, near New Bern, as early as this fall. All of the other segments in the I-42 corridor are in the State Transportation Improvement Program.

The whole project is considered high priority, in part because it's a hurricane evacuation route, but also because of the military bases.

Completion of the two segments in Havelock and James City will have a noticeable impact, Mr. Kirkman said, as elimination of bottlenecks in New Bern/James City and Havelock will significantly lessen the time it takes for many to get to the Carteret County beaches. While the James City project is underway, Highway 58, the alternate route to Carteret County, will also see more traffic.

At the end of the talk, Mayor Fowler said one of his concerns is while elected officials and planners might know of the challenges that face the town and county as growth intensifies, very few others do.

He said he's hopeful Cape Carteret's growth committee, planning board and commissioners make wise choices, and that they talk to others who've gone through this before.

"There's an old saying,"  he said. "It's "˜our problem is not unique, it's only unique to us.'"

[LM117]

I don't think it will be too long before the Clayton Bypass gets added. As for the Goldsboro Bypass, I'm certainly not complaining that it's getting I-42 shields. I'm surprised it took this long.

My guess is that NCDOT will want AASHTO to decommission US-70 Bypass this fall before signing I-42, so that I-42 shields can be slapped over the 70 Bypass shields on the BGS's.

[sprjus4]

I don't think it will be too long before the Clayton Bypass gets added. As for the Goldsboro Bypass, I'm certainly not complaining that it's getting I-42 shields. I'm surprised it took this long.

My guess is that NCDOT will want AASHTO to decommission US-70 Bypass this fall before signing I-42, so that I-42 shields can be slapped over the 70 Bypass shields on the BGS's.

Hopefully they'll re-route US-70 off of the Clayton Bypass before signing that, and decommission US-70 Business.

Ditto with the other freeways when they come around to becoming I-42.

Or it'll just be another I-73, I-74, I-85, and I-87 situation.

[goobnav]

They have I-885 shields up on the BGS of the Durham freeway where it splits on to the new East End Connector and AASHTO hasn't formally approved the route yet.

[Roadsguy]

They have I-885 shields up on the BGS of the Durham freeway where it splits on to the new East End Connector and AASHTO hasn't formally approved the route yet.

Which is really odd considering that the signage plans explicitly state not to fabricate the I-885 shields until the designation is approved :P