I-40 in North Carolina

[TheStranger]

Asheville would like to decommission 240, similar to how Durham would like to decommission NC 147 and convert from a freeway to a boulevard.  More likely in the downtown area (26 to the cut); there's work that'll eventually be needed as those bridges reach their life expectancy.

Are there definitive plans for both freeway-to-surface road conversions?  Or is this essentially something planned for after 2040 or so?

(As opposed to the in-progress changes for I-375 in Detroit and parts of I-81 in Syracuse)

[jdunlop]

Asheville would like to decommission 240, similar to how Durham would like to decommission NC 147 and convert from a freeway to a boulevard.  More likely in the downtown area (26 to the cut); there's work that'll eventually be needed as those bridges reach their life expectancy.

Are there definitive plans for both freeway-to-surface road conversions?  Or is this essentially something planned for after 2040 or so?

(As opposed to the in-progress changes for I-375 in Detroit and parts of I-81 in Syracuse)

Asheville has suggested it, but nothing definitive, and NCDOT has not agreed to go along with it at this point.  I don't think they'll consider it until the I-26 corridor is finished.

I see some merit to the idea, as mentioned specifically in the downtown area where the road/RW is tight.  When it comes time to replace the bridges in that area, the discussion will ramp up.

[froggie]

Asheville would like to decommission 240, similar to how Durham would like to decommission NC 147 and convert from a freeway to a boulevard.  More likely in the downtown area (26 to the cut); there's work that'll eventually be needed as those bridges reach their life expectancy.

Are there definitive plans for both freeway-to-surface road conversions?  Or is this essentially something planned for after 2040 or so?

(As opposed to the in-progress changes for I-375 in Detroit and parts of I-81 in Syracuse)

Asheville has suggested it, but nothing definitive, and NCDOT has not agreed to go along with it at this point.  I don't think they'll consider it until the I-26 corridor is finished.

I see some merit to the idea, as mentioned specifically in the downtown area where the road/RW is tight.  When it comes time to replace the bridges in that area, the discussion will ramp up.

Not shocked at the lack of "definitive plans", but has the city looked into any potential concepts?

[Henry]

Even if Interstate 240 signage is removed from Interstate 40's guide signs, I doubt any portion of 240's 9.14-mile length will be truncated. Maybe once the Interstates 26/240 duplex is upgraded and expanded, a plan could be developed to upgrade the rest of 240 to Interstate Standards, since all of 240 is a very substandard freeway.

It took a while during the planning (I started on the project 24 years ago; that was about seven years into the work) but the final concept had 240 ending at 26.  That made 26 the continuous freeway instead of 240 and helped lead some design decisions about that interchange.

Asheville would like to decommission 240, similar to how Durham would like to decommission NC 147 and convert from a freeway to a boulevard.  More likely in the downtown area (26 to the cut); there's work that'll eventually be needed as those bridges reach their life expectancy.

Leaving I-240 off the signs makes a lot of sense, given that I-26 will exit the loop to the left going towards Johnson City, but I feel it would be even better if I-240 had been retained and marked with the word "TO" as a way of letting the motorist know that it's still there.

[The Ghostbuster]

If the 240 designation is dropped from the 26/240 duplex, the existing exit numbers would have to be renumbered to correspond with 26's mileage. I think the 26/240 duplex should remain, although 26 probably should have been signed north-south to eliminate the wrong-way duplex along 26/240.

[jdunlop]

Asheville would like to decommission 240, similar to how Durham would like to decommission NC 147 and convert from a freeway to a boulevard.  More likely in the downtown area (26 to the cut); there's work that'll eventually be needed as those bridges reach their life expectancy.

Are there definitive plans for both freeway-to-surface road conversions?  Or is this essentially something planned for after 2040 or so?

(As opposed to the in-progress changes for I-375 in Detroit and parts of I-81 in Syracuse)

Asheville has suggested it, but nothing definitive, and NCDOT has not agreed to go along with it at this point.  I don't think they'll consider it until the I-26 corridor is finished.

I see some merit to the idea, as mentioned specifically in the downtown area where the road/RW is tight.  When it comes time to replace the bridges in that area, the discussion will ramp up.

Not shocked at the lack of "definitive plans", but has the city looked into any potential concepts?

Hey Froggie!

The comment is more of the "we have to deemphasize cars, let's get rid of freeways" idea from (some anti-car people in Asheville) than a well thought-out idea.

As I mentioned, the section from 26 to Charlotte Street could be looked at once I-26 is completed, and the next "big" project in the region is replacing the bridges on that segment.  (I'm not discounting widening 40; those are already in the SPOT system IIRC.)  It would take a major diversion of traffic on 240, but since the necessary connections from 26/240 to 40 haven't been there, it's a possibility.  That's why it would need to wait until the completion of the project and settling of traffic patterns. 

[jdunlop]

If the 240 designation is dropped from the 26/240 duplex, the existing exit numbers would have to be renumbered to correspond with 26's mileage. I think the 26/240 duplex should remain, although 26 probably should have been signed north-south to eliminate the wrong-way duplex along 26/240.

I-26, for better or worse, is an east-west interstate.  Not changing it to N-S.  I would expect that the exit numbers would follow the 2-digit interstate over the 2-digit one. 

However, you point out a reason to leave the duplex, so as to not renumber the exits on the remainder of 240 east to 40.

[roadman65]

I was always told that DDI's were for when cross road traffic was heavily turning left to get on the freeway ramps.

In Orlando I-4 and Sand Lake Road have DDI now, and more through traffic than turning.

[LM117]

Part of I-40 East in Asheville will be closed this weekend.

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2024/2024-06-05-i-40-weekend-asheville.aspx