North Carolina

[LM117]

Pamlico Sound ferry routes have begun full spring schedules.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2024/2024-04-08-ferry-schedule-cedar-island-ocracoke.aspx

[architect77]

Tomorrow is the start of the 2 week litter sweep. Just grab some trash bags from home, a pair of gloves, and beautify your favorite 500 ft. long stretch of highway. In 15 minutes, you can make a big difference.

https://www.ncdot.gov/initiatives-policies/environmental/litter-management/Pages/litter-sweep.aspx

[Mapmikey]

Approved 3/13/24: NC 121 south is truncated and rerouted to the I-587/US 258 interchange northeast of Farmville.

https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/gisdot/DOTDELetters/2024/03_March/Div02/HTO_040_03-24.pdf

This is already posted - https://maps.app.goo.gl/d9RQx571SCoJc23EA

[bob7374]

Approved 3/13/24: NC 121 south is truncated and rerouted to the I-587/US 258 interchange northeast of Farmville.

https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/gisdot/DOTDELetters/2024/03_March/Div02/HTO_040_03-24.pdf

This is already posted - https://maps.app.goo.gl/d9RQx571SCoJc23EA

Here is a link to the entire ordinance document explaining the reason for the change and a map of the entire NC 121 rerouting (on p. 12):
https://connect.ncdot.gov/resources/safety/Ordinance%20Packages/2024/2024_03_13.pdf

[bob7374]

NCDOT has announced the awarding of a contract to upgrade the pavement and signage along I-85 in Durham County from the Orange County Line to US 15-501. A view of the sign plans show no changes from the current signage, including the pull through northbound at the Durham Freeway that only includes I-85, not US 70 and that was placed before the latter was officially rerouted on I-85 from Cole Mill Road when the Freeway was extended to I-85 in 1998:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2024/2024-04-29-improvements-85-durham-county.aspx

The sign plans are available at the NCDOT project site.

[fillup420]

NCDOT has announced the awarding of a contract to upgrade the pavement and signage along I-85 in Durham County from the Orange County Line to US 15-501. A view of the sign plans show no changes from the current signage, including the pull through northbound at the Durham Freeway that only includes I-85, not US 70 and that was placed before the latter was officially rerouted on I-85 from Cole Mill Road when the Freeway was extended to I-85 in 1998:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2024/2024-04-29-improvements-85-durham-county.aspx

The sign plans are available at the NCDOT project site.

I would much prefer the addition of a third lane each side through Orange county from the Durham county line to I-40.......

[bob7374]

NCDOT is planning a public meeting this summer on their proposal to change the Pinehurst Traffic Circle into a "Continuous Flow Intersection":
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2024/2024-05-01-improvements-pinehurst-traffic-circle.aspx

[The Ghostbuster]

A continuous-flow intersection would likely take up less space than the existing traffic circle. It would also require plowing down all the trees within the circle, but if it improves traffic flow, it will be a plus. Can continuous-flow intersections work for an intersection that has five legs, like this one does?

[ARMOURERERIC]

How much of a per gallon tax hike would the state need to at least stop falling behind on their stip?

[jdunlop]

A continuous-flow intersection would likely take up less space than the existing traffic circle. It would also require plowing down all the trees within the circle, but if it improves traffic flow, it will be a plus. Can continuous-flow intersections work for an intersection that has five legs, like this one does?

I haven't looked at the preliminary plans, but I would expect that two of the legs will be combined to make the main intersection four legs.

Cutting down any trees has stopped improvements there for about thirty years.  Traffic's gotten bad enough that the locals no longer favor the trees over improved traffic flow.

[bob7374]

Another NCDOT public meeting has been announced, this one for the proposed US 74 Wadesboro Bypass on May 9. They are apparently looking at 2 possible alignments, around the city to the north or to the south. The press release has links to the NCDOT project site with maps:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2024/2024-05-02-wadesboro-bypass.aspx

[LM117]

NCDOT has announced the awarding of a contract to upgrade the pavement and signage along I-85 in Durham County from the Orange County Line to US 15-501. A view of the sign plans show no changes from the current signage, including the pull through northbound at the Durham Freeway that only includes I-85, not US 70 and that was placed before the latter was officially rerouted on I-85 from Cole Mill Road when the Freeway was extended to I-85 in 1998:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2024/2024-04-29-improvements-85-durham-county.aspx

The sign plans are available at the NCDOT project site.

I would much prefer the addition of a third lane each side through Orange county from the Durham county line to I-40.......

Agreed. It's badly needed.

[RoadPelican]

How much of a per gallon tax hike would the state need to at least stop falling behind on their stip?

Not sure about gas tax hikes.  However, DMV Fees in NC are going up by a lot starting July 1st, annual vehicle registration fees are going from $38 to $46. NC DMV Fees go up every 4 years and the increase is tied to inflation, hence the steep $8 increase! This will hopefully help get more money to fund the STIP. Also, anytime you pay sales tax at an Auto Parts Store or Oil Change-Service Shop that money is now going to the STIP, (State Legislature passed this a couple years ago)

[LM117]

The Cape Fear Memorial Bridge preservation project in Wilmington has been completed ahead of schedule.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2024/2024-05-07-cape-fear-memorial-bridge-westbound-reopening.aspx

[ARMOURERERIC]

Had opportunity to drive around the US 221 bypass project in Rutherfordton today.  The main observations:

Long Road to the east of the US 64 Dollar General is complete and striped, but barricaded by barrels, I suspect it will open any day which will allow the closure of its existing US 64 intersection.

Signal rework is in progress at the 74A, 64, old 221 intersection,  it looks like the plan is to pull the NE support pole which will allow onobstructed grading on the east side of the 64/74A New bridge.

Grading is underway north of the 221/old 221 intersection to Roper Loop.

Beams are installed over Charlotte Road, but grading for the ramps are in early stages.

[CanesFan27]

Matt Steffora, the former webmaster of ncroads.com, once described NC 226A as "No other road's like it."  With 11 miles of curves, 190 in total, NC 226A is a motorcyclist, performance car, or pleasure driver's treat.  Known as 'The Diamondback,' the curves of NC 226A are called 'Down & Dirty,' 'O'Dear Corner,' 'Off The Deep End,' and 'Post Office Sweeper,' among others.
It is a scenic drive that showcases mountain vistas, stunning fall scenery, and waterfalls. The highway serves the summer mountain resort town of Little Switzerland and also the small community of Turkey Cove.

For all of its curves, the history of NC 226A/The Diamondback has a few twists and turns of its own.

A feature on NC 226A, "The Diamondback":
https://www.gribblenation.org/2024/05/nc-226a-diamondback.html

[ARMOURERERIC]

I stay a night at Big Lynn lodge once a year, and 226a is a major fun drive.

[Love2drive]

Matt Steffora, the former webmaster of ncroads.com, once described NC 226A as "No other road's like it."  With 11 miles of curves, 190 in total, NC 226A is a motorcyclist, performance car, or pleasure driver's treat.  Known as 'The Diamondback,' the curves of NC 226A are called 'Down & Dirty,' 'O'Dear Corner,' 'Off The Deep End,' and 'Post Office Sweeper,' among others.
It is a scenic drive that showcases mountain vistas, stunning fall scenery, and waterfalls. The highway serves the summer mountain resort town of Little Switzerland and also the small community of Turkey Cove.

For all of its curves, the history of NC 226A/The Diamondback has a few twists and turns of its own.

A feature on NC 226A, "The Diamondback":
https://www.gribblenation.org/2024/05/nc-226a-diamondback.html

I've driven up 226A twice, in 2012 and 2019.  Very fun road, though I'm not sure it would be as fun if I were driving it downhill.

[ARMOURERERIC]

Went up NC 80 to Mt Mitchell today.

[roadman65]

Someone said that I-240 is being truncated? Don't have any visual info, but has anyone else heard that?

[74/171FAN]

Someone said that I-240 is being truncated? Don't have any visual info, but has anyone else heard that?

See the I-40 thread:  https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?msg=2924730

[CanesFan27]

Earlier this month, I was able to explore two over a century old brick roads in Eastern North Carolina.

The first was Ernul Brick Road - a 1.2-mile long 9ft wide remnant of a New Bern to Vanceboro brick road that once carried US 17.

Up until the late 90s/early 2000s, there were additional sections of the old brick 17/NC 30.  Unfortunately, all but Ernul Brick Road have been removed or paved/widened.

Take a trip down this Craven County piece of highway history.

https://www.carolinaxroads.com/2024/05/ernul-brick-road.html

[CanesFan27]

Older truss bridges in the Tar Heel State are a rarity, and we may be losing another one.  The Chatham Church Road bridge over the Rocky River - a 104-year-old Pratt Truss bridge with pinned connections - was indefinitely closed recently due to the deterioration of steel components.  The bridge's closure was decided after a routine inspection.

The Atlantic Bridge Company out of Charlotte built the historic one-lane bridge and opened to traffic in July 1921.  Over the past 50 years, residents have stopped several attempts by the NC Department of Transportation to replace the bridge.  However, efforts to place the bridge on the National Register of Historic Places have not come to fruition.

The bridge site is a popular tubing and kayaking launch point along the Rocky River. In 2005, the bridge was added to NCDOT's Historic Bridge Inventory.  Currently, plans to repair or replace the bridge are unknown.

https://www.cbs17.com/news/local-news/nc-bridge-abruptly-closed-after-deterioration-of-steel-found-in-one-hundred-and-four-year-old-chatham-county-structure/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR26qxi_BaJ3ZWE6okUxWAJTR2mKxPIsrReoXt6XW0RJRhAogN_ZeBvjEtc_aem_ASrHgObsdy0lLUQQLySnzqVjNQpfX8dJzEhi8SwkpzxijX03UATnhCwhTm7Ig1R-Epl1w9zULEdyLbrEyj6VZB5C

https://www.carolinaxroads.com/2024/05/104-year-old-chatham-county-bridge.html

[cowboy_wilhelm]

The quantitative scores for projects evaluated for the upcoming 2026-2035 STIP have been released (Prioritization 7.0). Part of this release includes projects that are selected for funding in the statewide mobility category. This is draft, and additional projects are selected at the regional and division category for inclusion in the STIP. Not all projects receive a statewide mobility score. Projects that are already "committed" in the current STIP are not subject to reprioritization.

In total, there are 587 submitted projects in the spreadsheet costing an estimated $65.67 billion. Maybe a web map is in the works like has been done in the past.

Only 13 projects were selected for funding in the statewide mobility category. I don't think scores are supposed to be compared due to different metrics across project types, divisions, etc., but somehow the top scoring "statewide mobility" project is a $1 million signal improvement project on U.S. 17 in Hampstead. The third highest scored project is to construct a reduced conflict intersection at the same location. This route will be bypassed in a few years. Kinda strange that these would get scored so high for "statewide mobility." I know it's a busy area, hence the upcoming bypass, but still seems off.

Next up are improvements to U.S. 1 north of I-540 from Durant Rd to N.C. 98 in Wake Forest. It looks like Section B is listed twice, once by itself and again with Section C. Section A is already funded in the current STIP.

I-77 improvements from the S.C. line to Exit 11 (managed toll lanes) also make the cut. The entire project is listed, and also just Section A to Exit 9. The "cost to NCDOT" after accounting for toll revenue is $2.7 billion for both projects that are listed. The "actual project cost" before toll revenue is $7.2 billion. About $2.5 billion of that is just for right-of-way. Yikes....

Other statewide mobility projects include replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge with a tolled bridge and more express lanes on I-485 in the southwestern corner of the loop between I-85 and I-77.

And since this is North Carolina, the total number of projects categorized as "Upgrade Freeway to Interstate Standards" comes in at 17 with a total cost of $3.55 billion, and the number of projects categorized as "Upgrade Expressway to Freeway" (most of these look like future interstates) totals 13 at $3.84 billion.

The link below will download the Excel spreadsheet with the scores.

https://connect.ncdot.gov/projects/planning/Prioritization%20Data/Prioritization%207.0%20(P7)/Results/P7%20Quantitative%20Scores%20-%20All%20Projects%205-24-24_For%20Transmittal.xlsx

[roadman65]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/9fqiaDdcE2SwhJiV7
I see Google has up the new Fort Liberty name on Exit 56 guides for I-95.