North Carolina 44

[bugo]

Where does this run?  North or south of Goldsboro?  And is the current US 70 a freeway?  Why are they building another bypass?

[rickmastfan67]

http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=35.4229&lon=-77.9676&zoom=14&layers=M

[NE2]

Full route: http://www.ncdot.org/planning/development/tip/prbmaps/maps/R2554.pdf

[bugo]

Is it just going to be US 70 or are they going to add yet another interstate?  NC seems to want every freeway to be an interstate.

[NE2]

No Interstate designation is currently planned, at least on the SHC Vision Plan: http://www.ncdot.org/doh/preconstruct/tpb/shc/vision/shcmaps/

As for "wanting every freeway to be an interstate", I-73/74 is basically defined in federal law, beltways make perfect sense as Interstates, and I-795 was designated to allow large trucks to take a more direct route to Goldsboro, leaving only I-20, I-26, I-285, and I-785 as recent or proposed intercity routes.

[Alps]

As for "wanting every freeway to be an interstate", I-73/74 is basically defined in federal law, beltways make perfect sense as Interstates, and I-795 was designated to allow large trucks to take a more direct route to Goldsboro, leaving only I-20, I-26, I-285, and I-785 as recent or proposed intercity routes.

They definitely want every freeway to be an interstate. I-73/74 isn't exactly being jumped on by any other state like NC has. This is a spur off 795, so expect 995 if you want to be cynical.

[froggie]

As for "wanting every freeway to be an interstate", I-73/74 is basically defined in federal law,

Recall who put those designations into Federal law...it wasn't just John Warner of Virginia who pushed it.

and I-795 was designated to allow large trucks to take a more direct route to Goldsboro,

Only because of a stupid quirk in North Carolina state law.

[CanesFan27]

NC 44 will be converted to US 70 once the entire bypass is complete.  It runs and will run North of the current US 70 in Bypass.  It will run from just west of NC 581 to just west of LaGrange and be about 20 or so miles in length.

The current US 70 bypass of Goldsboro is not complete freeway - and the sections that are are very sub-standard.  They've been slowly over the past two decades closing out at grade intersections with service roads and improving some of the ramps.  The eastern end of the bypass is more expressway standards as there are traffic lights.

The NC 44/Future US 70 bypass of Goldsboro is part of a larger plan to improve US 70 from I-40 to the coast.  There are plans to bypass Kinston (to the South), Havelock, and a total new alignment that will bypass Morehead City and Beaufort. (Northern Carteret Bypass).  And it also includes either upgrading the remaining ares of US 70 - Wilson Mills, Pine Level, Princeton, Skinners Bypass to either expressway or freeway standards.

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2011/12/nc-44-is-back.html

[jcarte29]

The current US 70 bypass of Goldsboro is not complete freeway - and the sections that are are very sub-standard.  They've been slowly over the past two decades closing out at grade intersections with service roads and improving some of the ramps.  The eastern end of the bypass is more expressway standards as there are traffic lights.

The NC 44/Future US 70 bypass of Goldsboro is part of a larger plan to improve US 70 from I-40 to the coast.  There are plans to bypass Kinston (to the South), Havelock, and a total new alignment that will bypass Morehead City and Beaufort. (Northern Carteret Bypass).  And it also includes either upgrading the remaining ares of US 70 - Wilson Mills, Pine Level, Princeton, Skinners Bypass to either expressway or freeway standards.

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2011/12/nc-44-is-back.html

Much agreed, this route is about the worst of any freeway in North Carolina. It's amazing how many 18 wheelers use this route, and any freeway/By-Pass planned should go ahead and design to interstate standards, just so it's ready for one eventually (Part of the reason I-795 came to existence so quick was due to trucks getting ticketed by-passing I-95 weigh stations, I think)