I-40 in North Carolina

[Beltway]

Some tidbits from a recent WLOS article regarding the I-40 rebuild:
Engineers plan to build massive retaining walls of roller-compacted concrete, a material more often used in dam construction. Those walls will be up to 30 feet thick and anchored directly into bedrock both horizontally and vertically.
Another technique, the interlocking pipe pile wall, involves drilling continuous steel casings into bedrock to form a sealed wall face.
The full rebuild is expected to cost about $1.36 billion, funded largely through federal emergency relief dollars approved by Congress. NCDOT estimates work will continue until at least 2028.

That is incredible, I didn't know the cost had risen that high. All that invested into a slide-prone corridor.

One source I found says it is only 18% federally funded. I need research more to find out if that is true.

The gorge is a known slide-prone zone. Even during initial construction, engineers flagged it as geotechnically risky. Tropical Storm Helene washed away entire lanes, and subsequent rains triggered more slides. This isn't a one-off, it's a pattern.

The current rebuild involves dam-grade retaining walls, interlocking pipe pile systems, and real-time slope sensors, essentially trying to engineer their way out of geology. On a winding alignment with a narrow cross-section.

That sum would probably fund a 10 to 15 mile relocation to high ground as I have sketched in the past. But that can't wait 5 to 10 years that it would take for EIS, design and construction to get I-40 open to 4 lanes again.

[RoadMaster09]

Honestly, for that section, I'd rebuild into the mountain with tunnels and forget about rebuilding towards the river. The next storm will likely wash it out anyway.

[ElishaGOtis]

Honestly, for that section, I'd rebuild into the mountain with tunnels and forget about rebuilding towards the river. The next storm will likely wash it out anyway.

Fictional but I wonder how that would compare to the estimated $1.4B price tag.

[74/171FAN]

Honestly, for that section, I'd rebuild into the mountain with tunnels and forget about rebuilding towards the river. The next storm will likely wash it out anyway.

Fictional but I wonder how that would compare to the estimated $1.4B price tag.

Yeah, any fictional ideas should be in this thread.  (https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=36362.0)

[ElishaGOtis]

Is the final design speed proposed to be the same at 55mph or will it be different? I'd imagine the speed limit will return to 55 once re-built but that's not necessarily the same thing (depending on the state, of course, as idk how NC works regarding that).

[bob7374]

NCDOT has awarded a contract to turn the NC 109 interchange in Winston-Salem from a half-diamond to a full-diamond, work to be completed by 2029:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2025/2025-09-18-forsyth-interchange-award.aspx

Sign plans accompanying the project include the new signs on I-40 East at the Future NC 192 (now I-74 East) exit. Interestingly, they do not include any information indicating drivers could take NC 192 to get to I-74 East, just To Ridgwood Road like the westbound signs, but I assume GPS will route them that way.

[ARMOURERERIC]

Considering construction phasing, I don't think a SPUI could be constructed in Morganton anyway since the existing overpass would need to be kept open. There'd have to be a major shift to the east or west due to the larger structure, knocking out nearby properties with the approaches. At that point, you might as well go with the cheaper DDI.

Brier Creek is a good example of a delayed project (from 2018 to 2028 now) with an updated 2023 traffic forecast for 2050. The previous forecast looks like it was 2016/2040. It has gotten so bad there that I don't even go to Brier Creek anymore.

A fully upgraded U.S. 70 from I-540 to Durham would be a huge relief for I-40. Basically all of north Raleigh could utilize U.S. 70 for I-40/I-85 towards Greensboro.

I did not know about the public meetings on 40/64 hence did not attend.  My biggest agitation is that the local paper supposedly showed online all the alternatives, and a tight diamond was NOT one of them.  Even now, on local discussion forums many are like "where did that stupid option come from"?  I'm curious if the FHA approved  an option that the locals did not really have a chance to comment on.  All the other proposals had a 2 or 3 lane left turn pocket from 64w to 40e, a properly built tight diamond is going to need a 7 lane bridge for 64, 2 lanes each direction for 64, 2 lanes for left turns on 64 w, and 1 lane for lefts on 64e and the will have to be concurrent on the bridge due to the close signal spacing.  Hell the SPUI had a triple left, so obviously there was a noticeable need.

What stinks 8s with all these interchanges that were supposed to be done by 2020 now being pushed back, NCDot is having to spend millions just to keep 70 years old bridge decks usable for another 20 years.

Bring the exit 103 topic back up because on Friday and today, 2 commercial buildings were demolished on US 64/Burkemont Ave.  And in both cases the former owners publicly stated recently that it was NCDot ROW acquisition for the interchange.  From. What I understand, the plan is to build a new overpass west of the existing bridge, then demo the existing bridge and build the 2nd half of the new bridge.  The buildings demoed were the next 2 immediately north of the Citgo station in the nw quadrant.  Presentations back a few years ago did show these building needing to go.  What this means for the project timetable...who knows.

[bob7374]

Upcoming closure of Old NC 86 ramp on I-40 East as part of Orange County widening project:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2025/2025-10-17-ramp-closure-orange.aspx

[ARMOURERERIC]

French Broad River MPO (Asheville) proposes hot lanes on I-40 between exits 27 and 44.

Don't see it happening. 

[Dirt Roads]

Upcoming closure of Old NC 86 ramp on I-40 East as part of Orange County widening project:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2025/2025-10-17-ramp-closure-orange.aspx

That created a double detour, as the ramp from southbound I-85 [westbound] -to- eastbound I-40 [southbound] is also closed.  Both are using the same turnaround at Exit 161 on the I-85/I-40 multiplex.  Amazingly, no additional signage was needed in approach to Exit 161.

Cross-posted to a new <Double Detour> thread.

[Strider]

French Broad River MPO (Asheville) proposes hot lanes on I-40 between exits 27 and 44.

Don't see it happening. 

I can see it happen. That section of I-40/US-74 between Exits 27 and 44 is one of the heavily traveled corridors in NC. They already started rebuilding some wider bridges in the area.

However, I'd rather a third lane instead of a HOT lane.

[ARMOURERERIC]

I think they see, correctly, that the hot lane tolls will provide the funding to move up the project.

[webny99]

IMO HOV/HOT lanes are inefficient and a waste of resources when there are fewer than six general purpose lanes.

Admittedly I don't know of too many examples of this except for recently completed 401 widening west of Toronto (where the setup is 3 local lanes, 2 express lanes, and 1 HOV express lane per direction) and I found it to be rather annoying. KREPT goes out the window and all three lanes are prone to slow drivers, to the point where one slow HOV driver can completely bog down traffic flow and inhibit faster traffic.

[wriddle082]

IMO HOV/HOT lanes are inefficient and a waste of resources when there are fewer than six general purpose lanes.

Admittedly I don't know of too many examples of this except for recently completed 401 widening west of Toronto (where the setup is 3 local lanes, 2 express lanes, and 1 HOV express lane per direction) and I found it to be rather annoying. KREPT goes out the window and all three lanes are prone to slow drivers, to the point where one slow HOV driver can completely bog down traffic flow and inhibit faster traffic.

You don't even have to leave NC for an example.

I-77 in Huntersville (north of Charlotte) has two GP and two HOT lanes in each direction, and drops to one HOT lane betweeen Cornelius and Mooresville.  It is absolutely miserable during most weekday daytime hours in the GP lanes in BOTH directions around the Gilead Road and NC 73 exits.  Yesterday I took about $22 worth of HOT lanes to go INBOUND towards Charlotte to get around that mess, at 2:30 in the afternoon!  No wrecks, just severe congestion.  Every.  Single.  Day.

All of this because ex-Governor Pat McCrory and now-US Senator Thom Tillis sold out to Cintra for 99 years!  No widening of this stretch of I-77 or of US 21 or NC 115 is permitted according to the agreement.

I now regularly take NC 16 north to I-40, or I-85 to Kannapolis Pkwy to NC 3 to NC 115, or sometimes even I-85 to US 601 to US 70 west, just to avoid all of that mess during my now regular trips to Ohio for work, depending on the time of day that I end up passing through Charlotte.

[jdunlop]

All of this because ex-Governor Pat McCrory and now-US Senator Thom Tillis sold out to Cintra for 99 years!  No widening of this stretch of I-77 or of US 21 or NC 115 is permitted according to the agreement.

Not entirely true.  Widening of US 21 was on the books before the toll lanes, and are in the works, although I don't know the current status of funding/scheduling. I don't recall if NC 115 is included, I did work on some projects involving 115, but don't recall what widening was included.  Other projects are allowed, however if they significantly affect revenue projections, Cintra would be compensated.

IIRC, the toll projects started under Gov. Perdue, but the 3P agreements did occur under McCrory's administration.  (And if you're "blaming" people/organizations, don't leave out the Charlotte MPO.)

[vdeane]

All of this because ex-Governor Pat McCrory and now-US Senator Thom Tillis sold out to Cintra for 99 years!  No widening of this stretch of I-77 or of US 21 or NC 115 is permitted according to the agreement.

Agreements like that need to be made illegal.  In fact, this is exactly why privatization in general should be banned via a constitutional amendment!

[architect77]

All of this because ex-Governor Pat McCrory and now-US Senator Thom Tillis sold out to Cintra for 99 years!  No widening of this stretch of I-77 or of US 21 or NC 115 is permitted according to the agreement.

Not entirely true.  Widening of US 21 was on the books before the toll lanes, and are in the works, although I don't know the current status of funding/scheduling. I don't recall if NC 115 is included, I did work on some projects involving 115, but don't recall what widening was included.  Other projects are allowed, however if they significantly affect revenue projections, Cintra would be compensated.

IIRC, the toll projects started under Gov. Perdue, but the 3P agreements did occur under McCrory's administration.  (And if you're "blaming" people/organizations, don't leave out the Charlotte MPO.)

Don't blame Gov. Perdue though because during the tough years after the great recession, she oversaw Charlotte getting the lion's share of construction funding with the deluxe I-485 completion, some of the I-85 widening, and she cobbled together the money to replace the Yadkin River Bridge. At this time the state was having to dip into the Highway Trust Fund to balance the budget too.

The I-77 toll rates are way too high. More people would use the Express Lanes if the tolls (which are supposed to only guarantee 45mph+ free flowing traffic) weren't set too high initially. The state should buy out Cintra. I think though it is only for 50-60 years not 99.

Charlotte region folks can feel at ease that Raleigh's outer loop is 60% tolled with no free lanes or alternate parallel route. The completed tolled section will cost $12.01 with QuickPass. $20 or so without it.

[vdeane]

All of this because ex-Governor Pat McCrory and now-US Senator Thom Tillis sold out to Cintra for 99 years!  No widening of this stretch of I-77 or of US 21 or NC 115 is permitted according to the agreement.

Not entirely true.  Widening of US 21 was on the books before the toll lanes, and are in the works, although I don't know the current status of funding/scheduling. I don't recall if NC 115 is included, I did work on some projects involving 115, but don't recall what widening was included.  Other projects are allowed, however if they significantly affect revenue projections, Cintra would be compensated.

IIRC, the toll projects started under Gov. Perdue, but the 3P agreements did occur under McCrory's administration.  (And if you're "blaming" people/organizations, don't leave out the Charlotte MPO.)

Don't blame Gov. Perdue though because during the tough years after the great recession, she oversaw Charlotte getting the lion's share of construction funding with the deluxe I-485 completion, some of the I-85 widening, and she cobbled together the money to replace the Yadkin River Bridge. At this time the state was having to dip into the Highway Trust Fund to balance the budget too.

The I-77 toll rates are way too high. More people would use the Express Lanes if the tolls (which are supposed to only guarantee 45mph+ free flowing traffic) weren't set too high initially. The state should buy out Cintra. I think though it is only for 50-60 years not 99.

Charlotte region folks can feel at ease that Raleigh's outer loop is 60% tolled with no free lanes or alternate parallel route. The completed tolled section will cost $12.01 with QuickPass. $20 or so without it.

Fixed horridly mangled quote string