Triangle Expressway

[74/171FAN]

I believe they're late as usual but TollRoadsNews article on the NCTA financing of the Triangle Expressway  http://www.tollroadsnews.com/

[njroadhorse]

Nice, NCTA is on it's feet, but wouldn't it look really stupid once the Triangle Expressway is complete, and it just funnels onto NC 540, which would end only a couple miles away?  Plus, would it be signed as NC 147?

[CanesFan27]

Toll Road News is a trade magazine - and like all trade magazines..they go by press releases...so they will always be behind.

The Triangle Expressway is the combination of a few projects.  NJRoadman, you are correct that one part will include building/extending the Durham Freeway from just south of 40 to NC 540 but it also includes about ten miles of extension of NC 540 from its current end at NC 55 near Apex toNC 55 in Holly Springs.  Supposedly with the loan from the USDOT and the selling of over $615 million in bonds - construction will start in August.  (But "construction will start soon" has been said every summer for the past three years.)

[NJRoadfan]

While the project is needed, one should question its viability as a toll road. Its strictly local/regional focus and length are likely reasons why some think it won't generate enough cash.

So, lets just bail the NC Turnpike Authority out with tax payer "loans". On top of that, lets take a free, taxpayer funded roadway (NC-540 between NC-55 and I-40) and convert that into a private toll road. The whole reason for creating a turnpike authority was to fund and build a self sustaining roadway without using a dime of taxpayer money. This road certainly doesn't meet that goal if they couldn't sell enough bonds to cover the complete cost. Heck, how much money has been spent already to run NCTA along with the studies for ETC vendors and toll revenue projections? That money could have been used to start building the road already! (and I thought NJ was bad!)

Sorry if I sound bitter, but this project was a mess to start with. Lets hope they at least have half a brain cell and accept E-ZPass for toll payment. Half of the target market likely already has tags.

As for the alternate (improving NC-55), the Town of Cary has already footed the bill to twin a good part of the highway and is getting paid back by the state the next couple of years. It really wouldn't be that bad if they would just widen it in Apex already. I am aware of that stupid RR overpass, but that one bridge alone shouldn't be holding up the widening of that roadway.

[CanesFan27]

Bob Malme and I were at this morning's groundbreaking ceremony for the Triangle Expressway (or as the hope to call it the "TriEx".)

Blog:
http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2009/08/ground-breaks-on-new-era-of-north.html

Photo Set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15530177@N05/sets/72157622024200674/

Story Links w/video:
http://news14.com/content/top_stories/613205/officials-break-ground-on-state-s-first-toll-road/Default.aspx
http://www.wral.com/traffic/story/5777906/

[PAHighways]

What, no free food?  The PTC catered the groundbreaking for the Uniontown-to-Brownsville section of 43, but then again, they are old hands at breaking ground for new toll roads.

[74/171FAN]

Well TollRoadsNews is calling it the "TriEx"    http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/4304

[CanesFan27]

The NCTA is starting to look at the last 30 miles of the Raleigh Outer Loop (Southern and Eastern Wake Expressways) as a possible toll road.  Nothing will really be decided until 2011.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/traffic/story/152206.html

I can hear the good folks in Charlotte yelling 'FOUL' if this happens.

[froggie]

Why would Charlotte cry foul over a Raleigh beltline?

[CanesFan27]

Easy...Raleigh's would have been started after 485 began and completed before 485 would be.  It's the never ending Charlotte vs. Raleigh rivalry that has been part of this state for decades.

The normal point brought up is (paraphrasing) "Raleigh already has a loop (I-440 Beltline) how do they get a second (540) before we're finished with one (485)!?"

It's been ongoing (adding Fayetteville and Wilmington to their list of cities to complain about) for some time. (http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2007/12/us.html)

[Chris]

Different cities have different needs. I don't see the problem.

[mightyace]

Different cities have different needs. I don't see the problem.

Like many rivalries, this one's not based on any rational ideas.

[CanesFan27]

Two companies won the contracts of three separate toll collection contracts for the under-construction Triangle Expressway. The contracts totaled $37.6 million and came in $9 million under budget.

    * Affiliated Computer Services Inc. won the $14.2 million toll-collection system contract. ACS will design, develop and install the automated system, including all toll-related hardware and software on the roadway, optical character recognition software and the main computer server and database.
    * In addition, ACS won an $8 million contract to design and implement a system to process customer accounts, handle billing and produce a customer relations Web site.
    * URS Corp. was awarded the $15.3 million contract to manage and staff all customer service facilities and related activities.

At this time, an exact toll schedule has yet to be published; however, the toll is estimated to be charged at a 10-20/cent per mile cost. Also, compatibility with existing toll collection systems like E-ZPass (used throughout the Northeast) has yet to be determined.

Story: http://www.wral.com/traffic/story/6651570/

[CanesFan27]

Sunday, Bob Malme and I did a quick trip to look at the progress on the Triangle Expressway.  THere's not as much as one would think.

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2010/02/first-tour-of-triex-in-2010.html

we'll most likely every 4-6 weeks take a brief trip to talke a look at the progress on the new toll road.

[CanesFan27]

In what otherwise is a filler story, the News & Observer ran an article today on the NCTA plans to build the Southern Wake Expressway as part of the Triangle Expressway (NC 540) Toll Road.

The only new newsworthy bit is that they are now floating 2014 as a construction start date.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/03/30/413414/southern-wake-loops-roadwork-to.html

[CanesFan27]

Bob Malme, Chris Allen, and I took a quick trip Saturday to track the progress of the Triangle Expressway.  A lot more work has been done on the NC 540 extension than the shorter three mile NC 147 extension.

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2010/04/april-tri-ex-progress-roadtrip-report.html

[CanesFan27]

bob, Brian, Chris, and I did the May Tri-Ex trip Sunday:

Bob did all the photos and the write up on the blog:
http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2010/05/may-tri-ex-roadtrip.html

[CanesFan27]

Wake County Commissioners vote in support of the original 1996 'protected corridor' for the southeastern extension of the Triangle Expressway.

Story: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/10/19/748525/uproar-rises-on-siting-of-turnpike.html

On the blog I include links to two NCTA videos - one is an overview of the project/process shown at recent public hearings and a second is a flyby of the 'protected corridor' from NC 55 in Holly Springs to I-40 in Garner and of a proposed alignment from I-40 to the Knightdale Bypass (US 64/264)

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2010/10/wake-county-commissioners-support.html

[CanesFan27]

NCDOT confirms that the TriEx will not have purple shields/guide signs:

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2010/11/ncdot-triex-wont-have-purple-signs.html

[CanesFan27]

Last week, the NCTA eliminated three possible alternative routes for the Triangle Expressway.  However, the original corridor ("Orange") laid out in the 1990s may impact the endangered dwarf wedge mussel.  The alternative route, the Red Corridor, would avoid the mussel but have a greater impact on the town of Garner.

Garner held a town meeting this evening to discuss the two routings and their respective impacts on the town.

For more:
http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2010/11/ncta-narrows-possible-alignments-on.html

[CanesFan27]

Last month, Bob Malme and I did a photo update trip of the TriEx.  Bob's photos are up at the blog:
http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2010/11/tri-ex-progress-photos.html

My set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15530177@N05/sets/72157625061944593/

[CanesFan27]

The N&O has a story on the time line for the opening of the TriEx.  The extension of NC 147 to NC 540 should open this December with tolls in place after the first of the year.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/08/1469097/free-parkway-preview.html

The extension of NC 540 to NC 55 in Holly Springs will be open in two phases.  The first - from NC 55 in Morrisville to US 64 will open in August 2012 and the rest of the highway to NC 55 in Holly Springs in December 2012.

Also of note: there will be a 5k and fun run on Saturday, November 20th on the new portion of NC 147.  The Hurricanes have a home game that afternoon (5 pm vs. Toronto) so maybe a pseudo-meet involving the run and afterwards tailgating and hockey.

[1995hoo]

The N&O story says this:

North Carolina's first modern toll road is also the first to be built in the United States without cash collection booths. All tolls will be collected electronically, with a two-tiered rate system.

I believe that's incorrect. MD-200, commonly called the Intercounty Connector, opened earlier this year and is electronic-only as to toll collection. But I don't know which road's construction began first.

[froggie]

Considering that the ICC was the first to have a segment open...

[broadhurst04]

There was an article on wral.com today concerning various highway projects in NC moving forward now because the state is able to fund their construction through GARVEE bonds.

Why couldn't they have taken the same approach in finishing the Raleigh Outer Loop instead of having a mishmash of tolled/toll free/Interstate/NC routes that just happen to form a circle?