Sure, Why Not?

Returning to NC - Featuring the Sideling Hill Cut on I-68 in Maryland

2008-07-22T21:51:00.006-04:00

Our trip home last Sunday was along the I-95 corridor, a route I hadn't taken since 2004.

Route: PA 48, PA 51, US 40, PA 281, PA 523, US 40, I-68, US 522, VA 37, I-81, US 17, I-95, I-85, NC 56, NC 50.

This was the first time I took the I-68 - I-95 route to/from PA/NC since 2004. So in some ways a number of things changed - and some stayed the same.

First, by take a small detour loop on PA 281 and 523. I added new mileage along 281 and clinched PA 523.

All of the older signs on I-68 in Cumberland have been replaced and a few are now in Clearview.

The rebuilding of Noah's Ark by the God's Arc of Safety Church hasn't changed since 2004.

Oh well. If you want to learn more about this Interstate highway oddity, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran a feature on the church and pastor in 2006.

We stopped at the Sideling Hill Exhibit Plaza and I finally was able to take good photos of the Sideling Hill Cut. (Amazing what having a real camera can do for you.)

I was actually surprised that I-95 from Fredericksburg to Richmond was not as heavy with traffic as I typically recall a summer Sunday afternoon to be. $4.00 gas has had its impacts. Although we saw a few slowdowns on the northbound lanes.

Other than nothing overly noteworthy, but it was an enjoyable 9 hour drive...quicker than I expected and would have been about 8 hours and 15-30 minutes if we didn't stop a few times.

Update on I-74 in NC

2008-07-22T19:03:00.006-04:00

While I was away in New England (more on that in a later post), several developments occurred regarding I-74 in NC. I'll use this post to summarize them and provide links to those who want more information.
1. Significant progress in building the new I-74 Freeway in SE NC:
According to a source, all the bridges in the section that includes the I-95 interchange are complete. This eastern section is 92% complete as of mid-July according to NCDOT. The western section is basically complete with 99% done. I assume the remainder is line-striping and signage which may wait until the eastern section is ready so it can be done at the same time. There are some photos showing the progress on the bridges at the bottom of my I-74 Segment 16 page.

2. NCDOT's Revised Recommendations for Brunswick County Traffic Plan includes new route for I-74:
The county asked NCDOT to revise its earlier plan feeling it did not provide enough new or updated roads to handle the county's future traffic. The new report proposes an extended I-74 toll route from Shallotte to the SC border, not an upgraded US 17 to interstate standards (it will be upgraded only to an expressway). The toll road will thus parallel US 17 and connect right in with the Carolina Bays Parkway at the SC border. They also want a connector route built between I-74 and I-140, but first the Wilmington MPO would have to sign off on the idea since I-140 is in New Hanover County.
More details are available on my I-74 Segment 18 page.
The NCDOT Report is available here
Comment: It seems hard to believe an extended toll facility will produce any more revenue than the original proposed route which a study said would only take in about 50% of what was needed to build the highway, especially since the new extension would parallel an improved US 17 in its entirety.

3. NCDOT may be putting up I-74 signs along the US 311 freeway between I-40 and Business 85 this summer instead of in 2011:
A couple items listed on NCDOT's traffic information website regarding lane closures for new signage along US 311 that if put together covered the entire length of the existing US 311 freeway. There were no contracts listed for new signage along this roadway except for the one building the next part of the US 311/I-74 freeway from Business 85 past I-85. This was for placing new signs with I-74 exit numbers and the putting up of Future I-74 or I-74 signs. I assumed this would be done when the route to I-85 was opened in 2011, but maybe not. Curious, I drove US 311 as a little detour on the way back from New England. There are new signposts placed behind all the current exit signs between I-40 and US 311 business, there were also two signposts placed near each of the current US 311 signs along the highway. This suggest placing of new standard multi-route green signs with both a I-74 and US 311 shields in them. Almost all the exit signs had new posts near them, there was, however, nothing new on the new section of road east of Business 311. The work is to over by the end of August, so time will tell if actual signs are going up, not just posts. If you want to see photos of what I describe above there are a couple at the bottom of my I-74 Segment 5 page.

Unrelated, but of interest. When traveling back the I-40/85 Greensboro Loop I noticed they had replaced the sloppy looking little I-40 signs next to the I-85 signs after each exit with the new standard green signs listing both routes. There was still a noticeable problem however. The I-40 shield had the 40 fill the entire blue portion, while the 85 in the other shield was smaller like a shield room for a state name, thus now if you look at it quickly it appears like the I-85 shield is smaller. Sorry no photos, too much traffic.

Here's a preview photo from my upcoming New England post:

This is the some of the new signage along MA 3, specifically at the ramp leading from Washington St in Braintree to I-93/US 1/MA 3. The right sign formerly read I-93/3 North, the left signs' control city was Dedham. Now note the last two designations are not listed (US 1 may be added to the signs later, MA 3 will not) and Canton is the control city for I-93 which if more fitting because it ends there. I have more photos of the signage at this and other interchanges and will post a link in my next entry.

A trip to Pennsylvania...featuring ARC Highway Corridor L

2008-07-21T19:17:00.014-04:00

Kristy and I headed up to Pennsylvania this weekend, and this time we did stop and take photos.

The trip up was the usual. I-40, US 52, I-77, US 19, I-79 bit the only difference was I took I-79 to I-70 in Washington and over vs. I-68 and PA 43. The reason, it was 10 pm and I didn't want to be traveling two lane WV/PA 857 and parts of PA 51 at night.

For the photo set (including the trip home), here's the flickr link:

On the way, we did a few stops in West Virginia. The first stop was at the WV Vietnam Veterans Memorial off of I-77 Exit 9 on US 460.

The memorial is well stated with a fountain, benches, and the list of those that died from the area enclosed in a circular wall.

Most of the photos from the trip up were along US 19 and specifically ARC Corridor L. The hope is to incorporate the photos into a history page on the highway.

From the South, Corridor L begins at the West Virginia Turnpike at Exit 48. The guide signs read 'TO' US 19 as US 19 actually joins/leaves Corridor L about 3/4 of a mile to the north. Oddly, official WV state maps note the small segment of Corridor L between US 19 and the WV Turnpike as 'Alternate' US 19. (I am not sure if this designation is officially recognized.)

Below is the diamond interchange where US 19 joins Corridor L.

Corridor L is considered an Expressway or greater for its entire 69 mile length. The only true segment that is considered a freeway controlled access is the Oak Hill Bypass. Ironically, the Oak Hill Bypass was originally built for US 21 and prior to the establishment of Corridor L. In fact, a few of the county secondary roads are based off numbering from US 21 (See third photo).

The next town that US 19/Corridor L meets is Fayetteville. Fayetteville sits north of Oak Hill and south of the New River Gorge Bridge. Fayetteville has a 50 mph speed limit, and although it is not as notorious as Summersville to the north, the town does set speed traps. And on this day, we saw two Fayetteville police cars running speed traps - one northbound; the other southbound.

Here's Corridor L approaching Fayetteville.

Of course, just beyond Fayetteville is the famous New River Gorge Bridge. These photos were taken in July of 2007.

From there Corridor L takes a leisurely and enjoyable ride to Summersville, where you are greeted by this sign.

Yes, and because of that strict enforcement, an enjoyable and fast moving ride becomes slow (especially when going into or out of the ravine to the south of town), full of traffic lights, and always most amusing the restart of 65 mph and higher traffic once exiting the commercial strip of town.

For those of you that haven't been on US 19 through Summersville, here's what it looks like.

Once out of Summersville, US 19 continues as an enjoyable drive for nearly 30 miles before ending at Interstate 79. There are a few more mountainous hill climbs, but overall it is very relaxing.

At mile marker 55.5 (more on that in a moment), there is a Scenic View on the Northbound lanes that is worth stopping at.

Finally, along all ARC Corridors in West Virginia, the DOH has installed special milemarkers that look like this:
That concludes the trip up. My next post takes a look at the Sideling Hill Cut on I-68 in Maryland

A detailed look at the King Coal Highway

2008-07-12T21:08:00.007-04:00

A few weeks ago, I received a packet from the West Virginia Division of Highways. I had requested maps on their proposed routings for the King Coal, Coalfields, and Tolsia Highways. King Coal and Tolsia are designated to be a part of the fun and exciting I-73/74 project.

The reason why I requested these maps is that these three routes are widely discussed but no one (that I know of) really has any clue on what the routings of these three highways are to/or could be.

So let's take a closer look at the King Coal Highway (Future I-73/74):

WVDOH has broken down the route into segments similar to what they have done with Corridor H. In total, there are ten segments and two connector routes that are to be built for the King Coal.

I will be heading South to North starting at the US 52 interchange with US 460 (just west of I-77 exit 1) to US 119 near Belo and where US 119 intersects WV 65.

Segment 1: Bluefield (US 52/460) to Mercer County Airport (WV 123). Length 2.3 miles.

The status for this section is that the US 52/460 interchange has been built and partially open while the King Coal waits to be extended northward. Currently, construction is underway to extend the highway from the US 52/460 interchange northward. A $16.3 million project is extending the highway over US 19 to Stoney Ridge. That project is about 34% complete.

Mercer County officials hope to see about $53 million in new funding to complete this segment of highway to the Mercer County Airport.

Segment 2: Mercer County Airport (WV 123) to Littlesburg (WV 20). Length 3 miles.

Mercer officials hope that this section will receive funding soon in addition to or part of the $53 million request they have made.

Segment 3: Littlesburg (WV 20) to Montcalm . Length 2.7 miles.

This segment crosses over WV 71 and over the Bluestone River.

Segment 4: Montcalm to Northfork. Length 16 miles.

The King Coal remains north of US 52 and pretty much will hover along the Wyoming/McDowell County Line. The Shawnee Parkway will also intersect the King Coal within this segment.

Segment 5: Northfork to Coalfields Expressway Interchange. Length 8 miles.

King Coal will continue to hover the Wyoming/McDowell County line to the interchange with the Coalfields Expressway north of Welch. The Coalfields/King Coal interchange has been completed but sits empty and unused until the two highways finally reach the three level interchange.

Segment 6: Coalfields Expressway Interchange to US 52 at the Wyoming/McDowell County Line. Length 17 miles.

This will be the first time since Bluefield that the King Coal will intersect the current route of US 52.

Segment 7: US 52 at the Wyoming/McDowell County line to Mingo/Wyoming/McDowell County Lines (County Route 13). Length 5 Miles.

The King Coal now running to the south and west of US 52 continues to hug the McDowell/Wyoming County line until it nears the tri-point of Mingo/Wyoming/McDowell south of Gilbert.

Segment 8: Mingo/Wyoming/McDowell County Line (CR 13) to Mountain View (WV 44 connector). Length 11 miles.

Now entirely in Mingo County. This segment will end at the WV 44 Connector a few miles south of Mountain View and where WV 44 currently ends at US 52.

The WV 44 connector will run about 1-2 miles north from the King Coal to where WV 44 meets US 52.

Segment 9: Mountain View (WV 44 Connector) to Delbarton (US 52). Length 15 miles.

This segment ends at US 52 between WV 65/Delbarton and US 119 in Williamston. From here it appears that the King Coal will use a brief segment of US 52 before splitting in two.

Segment 10: Delbarton (US 52) to Belo (US 119) Length 6.8 miles.

This segment will run from US 52 to where WV 65 North meets US 119 near Belo. From here there will be a brief routing along US 119 before the continuation of I-73/74 northwards along the Tolsia Highway.

Segment 10A: Williamson Connector - Delbarton (US 52) to Goodman (US 52/119). Length 5.7 miles.

The connector will branch off of the King Coal west of Delbarton and cross over US 52 north of Williamson before meeting current US 52/119 near Chattaroy.

So that's it, and about all I know on it. The maps painted a much clearer picture of what the planned route of this highway will be. (Now if I can get there to take photos) When I work on my WV updates later this summer, I will include this on a new page and also try to scan the large King Coal Highway (Build Alternatives) map that I received.

I-73 Route through Greensboro now 'Official'

2008-07-10T14:07:00.004-04:00

Based on an article published on July 4, apparently NCDOT has officially come to the decision as to where I-73 is to be routed in Greensboro. I know what you're saying, but haven't they already decided on that based on the signage put up for the Urban Loop? Yes and no. Obviously the route using the Loop was decided upon, but what had not been officially agreed to was how I-73 was to get from the Loop to the NC 68-US 220 Connector.

According to a previous story that appeared on July 1, NCDOT was still deciding between the Bryan Blvd. route and a route that would take a path from the Connector directly to the Loop. The NCDOT official quoted in that story cited only problems for this last route, environmental and higher costs, that implied the Bryan Blvd. route, that coincidentally has appeared in NCDOT publications for the past 5 years, would be chosen. Now that it is officially official, I-73 North will take an upgraded Bryan Blvd. west from the Loop to NC 68. It will then follow an upgraded NC 68 north to the vicinity of Pleasant Ridge Road where the Connector will begin and it will follow this north and east to an upgraded US 220, creating a somewhat semi-circular route.

Dates cited in the article for construction are:
2010 - For the first phase of the Connector (the upgrading of US 220 from the Connector to where NC 68 intersects US 220) which will not be built to interstate standards.
2013 -For the actual connector itself which will be built in two phases, after which the US 220 segment (above) would be modified to interstate standards.
After 2015 - Final construction needed on Bryan Blvd and NC 68 to bring them up to interstate standards.

Story: Greensboro News & Record (7/4/08)

Commentary: In the article the writer indicates that NCDOT can now replace their 'Future I-73' signs along the Urban Loop with actual interstate signage and sign other parts of the official route up to interstate standards as I-73. This is questionable, since an interstate is supposed to at least end at a National Highway System route, and I don't know if Bryan Blvd. fits that definition. However, since NCDOT has already signed I-74 on a freeway that does not touch an interstate route at all at this current time*, this could be the case here. I will update my site with the above information within the next 10 days.

*I'm referring to the freeway from Laurinburg to east of Maxton that won't connect with I-95 until later this year, this may also be the case between Winston-Salem and High Point where there is a construction project noted by NCDOT on their Travel Information page that indicates they are closing lanes on the US 311 freeway to put up new signage, what kind they do not say, though I-74 won't connect to I-85 until 2011.

Triangle Expressway to become a reality

2008-07-08T21:53:00.004-04:00

Yes, really.

We mean it.

Honest.

They're going to build the Triangle Expressway after all.

"They", of course, is the North Carolina Turnpike Authority, and according to the budget passed today by the General Assembly, they're going to receive their long-awaited "gap funding" to bridge the, well, gap between the immediate construction costs and the eventual toll revenue.

Bruce Siceloff managed to read through the budget -- no small feat, indeed -- and pulled out the details of the four turnpikes that received gap funding.

* TriEx, 18 miles in Wake County and Research Triangle Park. Total cost: $967 million. Gap funding: $25 million each year, starting this year.

* Monroe Connector / Bypass, 21 miles in Union County. Cost: $757 million. Gap funding: $24 million/yr, starting FY 2009-10.

* Mid-Currituck Bridge, 7 miles over Currituck Sound. Cost: $636 million. Gap funding: $15 million/yr, starting FY 2009-10.

* Garden Parkway, 15 miles in Gaston and Mecklenburg counties. Cost: $765 million. Gap funding: $35 million/yr, starting FY 2010-11.

So where's the money coming from?

They found the money by diverting part of a $172 million yearly transfer from the Highway Trust Fund to the General Fund, where the money has been spent in the past for non-transportation purposes. Transportation advocates have argued in recent years that Highway Trust Fund money — collected mostly from fuel taxes and automobile sales — should be used only for roads.

(What a novel concept, that last line.)

With this money now budgeted for construction, the Authority hopes to begin construction by the end of this year, and open the entire Triangle Expressway by the end of 2010. Of course, there's still a possibility that Gov. Mike Easley could veto the budget and we could start all over again, but for the time being, let's assume that won't happen. (Although given how convoluted the path to this point has been, nothing's impossible...)

News 14 Carolina Story on I-74/US 311 construction

2008-07-07T20:04:00.002-04:00

News 14 Carolina recently ran a filler story on the ongoing construction of the latest segment of the I-74/US 311 freeway in and around High Point. Not much new to report from the story, other than a May 2011 completion date; however, the video does show some construction scenes - specifically of what will be the I-85/I-74 interchange.

Story & Video: News 14 Carolina
Our own Bob Malme's I-74 Progress Page - Segment 6

I-485 still on schedule to open in September...of this year...yes I said September of this year

2008-07-07T19:33:00.005-04:00

Hey, I haven't blogged about I-485 in awhile. According to the contractor, Skanska USA, they're still on track for a late-September opening for the section of I-485 from NC 16 to NC 115 in Northern Mecklenburg County. Also part of the soon to be open section is the much anticipated interchange with I-77 near Huntersville.

When opened, the I-485 loop will be close to if not a little more than 75% completed. Looking for that final piece of the puzzle to open soon? Don't hold your breath, unless you are able to for another ten years.

So let this post be the beginning of the unofficial opening day pool for when the upcoming segment of I-485 will open. My call....October 12th. (make your prediction in the comments section)

I'll send the winner some maps or something like that.

Story: Charlotte Observer

Dashboard Cinema Moves To Gribblenation

2008-06-26T21:14:00.003-04:00

Just for those who may not be aware of it: the Comrade Yamamoto Experience is changing. Don't look, you'll see it nekkid, and all the eye bleach and brainwashing in the world can't help you then. A scary thought. Right. Seriously, though, I've been getting a lot more involved with the local(NYC/NJ) Punk/Skin music scene-and this effort has started to bear actual tangible benefits. That being the case, I've decided to give it the appropriate priority-basically the Experience will eventually become a musically orientated website. I'm hoping to meld it in with the Meatlocker Punks website-as far as photos go, since that's the club I go to in the main. We'll have to see what shakes out w/that.

What does that mean for my roads content? A lot of it will be moving and some things will probably cease to exist. Right now there's nothing definite, and the transition process will be fairly slow. Moving Dashboard Cinema has freed up a lot of space on my sites; and immediately, I have like 3000 or so show photos to process-and that's a priority project, as one of my friend's bands is involved-and she'd like the snaps up as soon as practical.

Does it mean the end of my Roadgeeking? No. I'm still going to do it-but at a much more leisurely pace. I also do a bit of subcontracting-namely editing Short Attention Span Film Festival: and I'm gonna shoehorn some of that inbetween the show snaps. Not to mention showing up for the occasional meet now and again. A possible collaboration w/a skinhead friend out in Oregon may yield a book or two of my road/bridge snaps. We're hashing that out now.

So things will be interesting(at least for me) as all this stuff sorts itself out.

NCDOT State Highway Building Luncheonette receives a 'B' Rating

2008-06-23T23:41:00.005-04:00

In WRAL's weekly rundown of restaurant ratings, the State Highway Building Luncheonette here on Wilmington St in Raleigh received a 'B' rating. It received an 88.5 score. Tops is 100. An 'A' Grade is 90 and above.

Issues were - numerous items were stored at the wrong temperature. And dirty utensils with food still stuck on them were found.

In the past, the luncheonette had previously ratings of 96.5 (April 2007) and 99 (November 2006).

Hopefully, the folks at the DOT working there will soon see improved conditions at the luncheonette.

Story and video: WRAL-TV

More news on the NC 218 improvements

2008-06-18T20:40:00.002-04:00

Last month, I blogged about how safety improvements to NC 218 may be made thanks to some quick thinking over at NCDOT.

Well, there's some more information on the proposal and its status.

The NC 218 improvements plan goes in front of the Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization for its approval on July 16. And that if approved, construction would begin in 2012.

Story: News 14 Carolina - Charlotte

WV prepares to begin on the Shawnee Parkway

2008-06-18T19:58:00.004-04:00

This is something I am sure Sherman Cahal will be tracking in the future.

On Monday, West Virginia broke ground on the first 1.26 miles of the Shawnee Parkway, a 21.7 two-lane 55 mph scenic highway that will run from Ghent in Raleigh County to the town of Crumpler in McDowell County.

The Parkway has been under consideration and in planning for over 20 years.

Interestingly, the highway is planned to end in Crumpler at what will become I-73/74 also known as the King Coal Highway.

Story: Bluefield Daily Telegraph

Lots of NC Toll Road News

2008-06-17T19:13:00.004-04:00

I don't even know where to begin.

After the NC House passed their budget - which would allocate money from the former Highway to General fund transfer towards 'gap financing' of toll roads - the Senate worked on their version of the budget with their own influences and what not.

So let's review:

NC House passes their version of the budget.
The budget authorizes $25 million a year towards the completion of the Triangle Expressway.
This transfer will begin in the upcoming budget (FY 2008-09) and would last 39 years.
Next year (FY 2009-10), a $24 million 'gap financing' transfer would begin for the Monroe Bypass.

That passed two weeks ago. Now the Senate has of course their version of the budget, and along with that, the Senate has their own political power structure. This includes David Hoyle (D-Gaston County). Hoyle was very instrumental in getting the US 321 freeway from I-85 in Gastonia to I-40 in Hickory built in the 1990s. Hoyle is hoping to include adding the Garden Parkway, which is proposed to run from I-485 near Charlotte-Douglas Int'l Airport to I-85 west of Gastonia, to the upcoming budget.

Also, NC Senate Pro-Tem Marc Basnight has the Mid-Currituck Bridge on his list. The Mid-Currituck Bridge is seen as to provide access relief and hurricane evacuation support to and from the Outer Banks.

Well, Sen. Hoyle came close. In the recently released Senate version of the budget, the Garden Parkway would begin to see financing in 2010-2011. That gap funding transfer would be an annual $35 million.

The Senate did include beginning on 2009-2010 $15 million per year for the Mid-Currituck Bridge Project.

The Senate's budget includes the previously mentioned Triangle Expressway and Monroe Bypass funding that the House passed. In fact, there is no disagreement between the two legislative bodies.

So that's where we are now.

Here's a roundup of news stories and opinion on all the toll budgeting.

Rob Schofield of NC Policy Watch argues that with $4/gallon gas not many people are going to be using the Triangle Expressway toll road.
The Monroe Bypass may cost as much as $757 million.
No Tolls on 540 lists the State Senators that voted 'In Favor' of the recent budget.

Weekend trip to Asheville

2008-06-14T11:47:00.008-04:00

Last weekend, took a trip to Asheville to beat the heat.

For the 100 photo flickr set, go here.

On Saturday, we spent the day exploring town. There is a lot to see in Downtown Asheville. It is unique to most of the major North Carolina cities, in that most if not all of the older buildings have been preserved allowing for a character you don't find in a Charlotte or a Raleigh.

Basilica St. Lawrence:

Built in 1909, the Basilica is awe inspiring, and the rose garden was in full bloom.

Here are a few shots from Downtown Asheville:

Wall St. has an older European feel.

Facade at the top of the Public Service Building.

The S&W Building. Now home to a very nice restaurant.
Facade of the Grove Arcade. We ate dinner at Carmel's Restaurant and Bar here.

The second day was a bit more of exploring.

Route: US 19/23, NC 63, NC 209, US 25/70, (NC 213), I-26, I-240, I-40...etc home.

NC 63 north of Leicester is a very thrilling and twisty drive. It's also not that heavily travel. Prior to the rather twisty climb up and down the mountains. There was this view near the buncombe/Madison County Line.

There were some interesting looking NC shields at NC 63's North End at NC 209 in Trust.

This one has an odd font and the corners of the diamond aren't rounded.

So basically, this is what an NC shield would look if Michigan did it.

This patch of Tiger Swallow butterflies were located just off highway 209 in Trust.

At the Spring Creek Cafe, there's this wall painting of a map of the area. Very good detail!

After stopping at Hot Springs, I had to solve the mystery on whether or not NC 213 actually is signed in Walnut. It's been a mystery to most people who follow NC Highway's where NC 213 actually ends. The state map shows an off shoot into Walnut, and there are even signs near Marshall for NC 213. But around Walnut, NC 213 just disappears from US 25/70. Last year, I received an e-mail explaining why continues on US 25/70 and ends at Walnut. There were to be improvements to a number of secondary roads to allow NC 213 to connect to NC 209 in Spring Creek. That never happened. So the NC 213 extension ended in Walnut. So after exploring a number of off shoots from US 25/70 around the Barnard/Walnut area. I did find on Walnut Road (an old alignment of US 25/70) one East NC 213 shield.

This shield is located on Walnut Road. Which is signed off of US 25/70 as SR 1439 (There's no hint of NC 213 signed at all into Walnut on US 25/70 or NC 213 East joining the two routes either.) There wasn't any 'END' signs or begin shields....just this NC 213 shield on a less than one mile loop road off of US 25/70. But it does, prove that NC 213 is indeed signed in Walnut.

Before heading back to Raleigh, we stopped in Asheville one more time for lunch. I certainly would recommend Salsa's for a great Mexican/Caribbean cuisine mix.

Accomplishments:

Clinched: NC 63 and completed NC 213.
Added mileage to: US 19 and 23.

Triangle Expressway clears first legislative hurdle

2008-06-06T20:26:00.003-04:00

Construction of the proposed Triangle Expressway toll road took a small legislative step to becoming a reality this week when the NC House approved an annual transfer of $25 million for 39 years to finance the highway.

The $25 million will come from the phasing out of the controversial transfer of an annual $172.5 million from the Highway Fund to the General Fund. In the following year, 2010, the transfer would grow to $49 million to provide gap funding to the Monroe Bypass outside of Charlotte.

The decision to slowly eliminate the annual transportation funds transfer to the general fund was passed in the House's version of the state budget. The budget now goes to the House.

Last year, two different versions of 'gap funding' for toll roads were passed by the NC House and Senate. However, an agreement between both legislative bodies was never made and no money was allocated towards the highway.

NCTA officials claim that if the 'gap funding' is approved - construction on the highway could begin this fall. If this happens, the toll highway is expected to open in 2011.

Story: Raleigh News & Observer
Triangle Business Journal

Flickring!

2008-06-01T22:03:00.004-04:00

This is kind of tiny, but large enough to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. I've been fooling around with flickr a bit lately-at first it was to post my East Coast OI! Fest snaps in a timely manner. The Gnome photo organising software f-spot includes an option to export directly to flickr; which is pretty handy dandy, you can do all your tags and commentary, as well as basic editing in f-spot; and upload the whole shooting match straight to flickr. There are multiple flickr uploading tools available, including the Flock Browser, which is platform agnostic.

Now of course, to be able to post a gazillion photos to flickr, it costs money, but not that much. The $49/2yr buy-in is at least competitive with server hosting packages, and you can't beat the options you have for organising photos with flickr. You can arrange photos in collections, and then sets(subsets of a collection); photos can be members of any number of sets or collections that they may relate to; there's no restriction in that wise; and you can tag photos for easy searching: any photo of an Interstate Highway I happen to have is labelled 'Interstate' or 'Freeway', for example.

Of course, the fun bit is the map, I've done this before with Google Maps, but with flickr it's all self-contained, and a lot less work; I don't have to play copy-pasta with a picture url; I just pluck snaps from the photostream, and glue them to the map(as shown above). There's satellite imagery, which is quite useful if clear, allowing you to pinpoint structures nearly exactly. This can be handy for people who want to find the old truss bridges that Doug Kerr took me to in Connecticut recently.

Now this is Web 2.0 stylee here-it takes a lot of the work off your computer, and puts it on a site that's part of a community, rather than one you own and operate yourself. For some folks, though, that rubs them the wrong way. Some people are totally adverse to paying for anything at all, no matter how useful it might be. The result of that gives you something that looks like it's from 1998, and absolutely spammed with adverts. That may be fine for you, but I don't care for such a thing. Flickr has one lil advert box that can be turned off, never to return, unless you want it to. I can live with that.

Some folks have to have absolute control over their content, embellishing it with copyright notices(you can do that on flickr, but it's pretty subtile), and constructing a labyrinthine structure that makes getting to interesting content damn near impossible, but is somewhat handy for banning those who may happen to have expressed critical views of your work at one point(of course, you can block people on flickr, but again it's a little more subtile :) ). Some folks just don't seem to understand the concepts of openness and community that sites like Blogger and flickr promote. Or they don't want to participate in it for their own reasons, whatever.

For me, I welcome stuff like this. It's not exactly the way I would lay it out myself, but then, I can live with a compromise here and there, because in the big picture these things serve my interests.

I-73/74 Corridor Association has their own "road meet" in Greensboro

2008-06-01T21:25:00.004-04:00

...and we weren't invited.

A few days ago, May 22nd and 23rd to be exact, the National Interstates 73/74 Corridor Association held their annual Spring Road Rally at the Grandover in Greensboro. Now this isn't a new concept, we held a "road rally" of our own in Greensboro last October.

The folks at the I-73/74 Association even have photos of their gathering online and available here.

Various states made presentations on the progress of I-73 and I-74 in their states. Obviously, North Carolina would have a lot to say and Ohio very little. It is unknown whether or not any other items on their agenda were accomplished.

You'd think with all that, they'd at least invite our own Bob Malme to attend.

Also, the folks at the I-73/74 Corridor Association have started their own blog. It'll be added to the blog roll along with a recently added link to the US 50 Corridor Association of Maryland and West Virginia blog.

Work to Start on US 70 Goldsboro Bypass in Fall

2008-05-28T14:58:00.003-04:00

With work on one new US 70 Bypass (Clayton) almost over, constructing another one is set to begin. The US 70 Bypass of Goldsboro (or in actuality a bypass of an existing bypass) is set to begin in the fall. Residents got to make comments last Thursday (5/22) at a forum sponsored by the U.S. 70 Corridor Commission which aims to improve the route from I-95 to the coast. The Bypass will be built in 4 phases, only the one to begin this fall running from I-795 (or maybe I-795/US 117) to Wayne Memorial Drive and costing $234 million is funded. The remaining 3 projects are unfunded and will start sometime after 2015.

Story: Goldsboro News-Argus

Commentary: Well, it appears building this bypass will certainly take longer than the US 70 Clayton Bypass. Hopefully this one will have more control over development than that of its predecessor preventing the building of yet another bypass in 10-20 years. What do you think the designations will be when the entire route is finished? Will Business 70 get moved to the old bypass, or will it stay as is leaving just US 13 and NC 111 on the old route?

Carolina Bays Parkway Extension sees alignment shift

2008-05-26T22:58:00.002-04:00

Earlier in the month, I blogged about the possibility of part of the final segment of the Carolina Bays Parkway being shifted away from a subdivision.

Well last week after a public meeting, SCDOT decided to shift the highway and the interchange at its terminus at SC 707 1,500 hundred feet to the north. The change will spare numerous homes at The Meadows subdivision along with a few businesses. The move will actually trim $5 million in right-of-way purchases from the cost of the $235 million project.

In addition to the cost savings with the new routing, SCDOT is looking at changing the design of the Parkway's bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway and possibly having Enterprise Road cross over the highway than underneath it.

Despite the possible $20 million in savings, SCDOT is holding firm to the $235 million project cost estimate because of inflation and the rising costs of materials.

The 4.2 mile extension of the Carolina Bays Parkway, signed as SC 31, should see construction begin in 2010 and be open to traffic in 2013.

Story: Myrtle Beach Sun News

Zigzagging through Eastern NC

2008-05-26T19:57:00.012-04:00

Took one more weekend trip today. This time it was all over Northeastern NC. The main purpose was to get photos of some of the missing NC Highway Ends.

Route: I-540, US 264, US 264A, NC 581, US 64A, US 64 Business, US 64, I-95, NC 43, NC 48, NC 481, NC 561, US 258, NC/VA 35, VA/NC 186, US 301, NC 48, NC/VA 48, Va. Secondary 611 and 659, US 58, VA 4, US Bike 1.

Whew.

Accomplishments: Clinched NC 481. Added miles to: NC 43, NC 4, NC 48, NC 581, NC 561, US 258, NC/VA 35, NC/VA 46.

Notes:

Over 50 photos on the trip. Of course, head over to flickr, if you want to see 'em all!

At the crossroads of Glenview, which is the Western Terminus of NC 481, is this old abandoned B.M. Sykes General Merchandise store.

A few years ago, a short NC 481 bypass was built to the south of Enfield. The reason was to bypass the heavily traveled train crossing through the center of town. Well, here's proof of why.

At NC 481's East end in Tillery was a great former gas station.

Who would've thunk that $3.19/gallon gas would be so cheap!

Here's a sign shot I like in Pendleton, NC.

I was able to get all the missing ends I targeted on this trip except one. NC 186 where it crosses the NC/VA line. There wasn't a great spot to pull over, and my windshield was all buggy to where I couldn't take a shot while driving. Oh well.

Did you know that Brunswick County, Virginia is the "Original Home of Brunswick Stew"?

Well now you do.

Surprised that there wasn't a VA 46 North shield until about five miles after crossing the state line.

VA 4 is a short route that runs from US 58 (between South Hill and Boydton) to the North Carolina State line becoming a secondary road. Now, that would normally make it worth possibly a yawn or two. But, there are a few nice things about this road. First, it provides access to the very popular Kerr Lake Recreation Area. Second, it is a rare highway that crosses on top of a dam.

And finally...views like these.

And even the Southern Terminus is a little more than non-descript, as it is also the state line crossing of US Bike 1. And upon entering both states, the Bike Route gets mentioned.

All in all, a pretty good trip. I got all but the 186 end...and I got a number of new NC Crossroads photos. If only, I can figure out how to create it.

Tolls Along Boston's Interstate 93

2008-05-26T10:29:00.003-04:00

Tolls along I-93 in Boston? It could happen, as one top transportation official in the administration of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has hinted that the concept is worth investigating. Officials are considering the idea of tolling I-93 as a means to reduce congestion, but a formal study would be conducted first before any decision is made.

There are a number of other options on the table as well, 37 options in fact. Among the options that are also being considered are raising tolls on Interstate 90, reducing discounts for those who carpool and bringing back the toll barrier along I-90 in West Newton.

Among the options being considered if I-93 were to be tolled would be converting a carpool lane to a tolled express lane, or installing sensors that would read license plate numbers, and send a bill for the tolls owed. That is similar to the ETR 407 in Toronto. The Federal Highway Administration has stated that they do not prefer tolling plans that would tie up traffic.

Read the article...
Official signals I-93 toll on table - Boston Globe / Boston.com

Big Dig Telecommunications Ducts Go Unused

2008-05-26T10:09:00.002-04:00

In keeping with this morning's theme of cellular technology and highways. This latest news comes to us from the Hub of the Universe - Boston, Massachusetts, and a series of ducts that were constructed when the Big Dig was built. When the Big Dig was constructed, designers had drawn plans for a duct system that was meant for telecomminications wiring for cell phone technology and any other future technologies that come about. This cost about $13.9 million dollars. However, the ducts have gone unused, as cell phone companies are finding it cheaper to resort to other measures.

Read the article...
Big Dig's $13.9m ducts go unused - Boston Globe / Boston.com

Cell Service Increasing in the Adirondacks

2008-05-26T09:30:00.002-04:00

Today's Albany Times Union had an article about increased cell phone coverage within the Adirondack Park. More cell phone towers are popping up within the population centers of the Adirondacks as the technology becomes increasingly common. However, while four cell phone towers along the I-87 Northway have been approved by the Adirondack Park Agency, the cell towers have not been built yet. Those plans should be coming along later in the year.

Read the article...
You can 'hear me now' way up north - Albany (N.Y.) Times Union

Memorial Day Weekend Roadtip into Central Virginia

2008-05-25T10:01:00.018-04:00

Gas prices be damned...I went on a roadtrip yesterday.

Route: NC 50, I-85, US 15, NC/VA 96, US 501, VA 129, US 501, US 60, I-81, VA 232, US 11, VA 8, US 58, NC 86, US 158, US 15, NC 50.

Accomplishments: Clinched the Independent Cities of Buena Vista and Radford. Cliched VA 129, 262, and finished VA 8. Completed US 501 in VA and I-81 within Virginia along with adding miles to US 58, US 60 and US 11 within Virginia.

Notes:

Of course for the entire photo set on flickr, go here.

On NC 96 prior to Virgilina was this great remnant of an old highway store.

I did a quick jaunt on the very short VA 349 in Halifax. It is signed when you turn on it off of US 501 and pretty much has no real purpose.

It appears that in the past few years US 501 was slightly realigned in Volens at Secondary Route 603. The old alignment is now a Frontage Road (See below) and also is considered a 'Weight-Turn' out.

I stopped to take photos of the town of Brookneal.

Followed US 501's crazy course through Lynchburg. Including the Lynchburg Expressway, which is to my knowledge - the only non Interstate with exit numbers in the commonwealth and the only remaining sequentially numbered exit system remaining in VA.

The Lynchburg Expressway has a small at grade section with a stoplight that separates the nicely landscaped freeway above and the two lane "super-two" freeway below.

US 501's North End at US 60 is rather uneventful. There's not an 'End' sign.

Along the I-81/US 11 South Multiplex. US 11 is noted in a guide sign cutout shield. This is located just after US 11 South joins the highway. I was unable to get a shot.

Headed through Radford which is a very nice town (Downtown Radford show below). It appears that Radford University is growing as a large Fine Arts Center was being constructed just beyond VA 177.

Just outside of Christiansburg, I found at least to me an unknown set of US 11 cutouts.

Of course, I also stopped at where US 11 meets VA 8 in Christiansburg where there are a lot of excellent cutouts along with older VA shields, and already found here. But I took some photos of my own of these shields.

VA 8 is a great drive...and one of the highlights is the small town of Floyd. I stopped at Floyd for some photos and walked around. It's a charming small town with a general store, some home cookin' restaurants, and also the Floyd Country Store which is home of the Friday Night Jamboree and some great Bluegrass music. (Yes, it will be a Small Towns of Virginia feature later on.)

As you know, I am slowly putting together (still deciding on a format - website or blog?) a feature site for North Carolina Small Towns and Crossroads. I have the start of the project up on flickr. (the suggestion box is over there.) I took the photo below in Virginia for a similar project that is being started by Mike Roberson. So here's the one I did for Woolwine, VA.

South of Woolwine in Buffalo Ridge was this very unique former general store/restaurant?

Finally, once back in North Carolina. I decided to follow an old alignment of NC 86 between the VA State Line and Yanceyville. There was at least one pleasant surprise.

Also, I'll need to go back through Yanceyville as there is a great old courthouse (with a courthouse square traffic circle) along Main St. (former US 158/NC 86)

All in all a great trip with some great photos to be used in the future.

NCDOT Meets with Residents about Greensboro Urban Loop Noise

2008-05-22T18:51:00.003-04:00

Don't expect a lot of "Kumbaya" moments during tonight's public meetingabout traffic noise and the city's western loop.

Some residents along the 7.5-mile route are hoping a recent review by the state Department of Transportation will result in more noise walls being built between their neighborhoods and the new interstate bypass.

The article goes on to say its doubtful NCDOT will provide more noise walls for residents bordering the new leg of the Greensboro Urban Loop (I-40/I-73). They say legally they are not responsible for providing sound walls for people who built houses after the project was announced back in 1996. Some residents cry foul saying either NCDOT was not honest about constructing the road, calling it Painter Blvd. which implied to some a 4-lane surface roadway not a 6-8 lane freeway. Others suggest the noise analysis done for the road was flawed either due to bad design or an undercount of potential traffic, particularly trucks, using the road. NCDOT in response said they indicated all along that the route would be an interstate highway.

Story: Greensboro News & Record

Commentary:
It's easy to feel sorry for some of these people who are truly impacted by the noise. I spent one summer house-sitting. The house was about 1/2 mile from I-40 and the noise of trucks often woke me up at night. Certainly, NCDOT has had its share of under-counting urban loop traffic (e.g., I-485) so it is possible this is the major reason for the noise problems. All this, however, doesn't absolve people from some responsibility since they moved into an area where they were told a highway was being constructed, if they didn't ask what exact type of highway, this is not NCDOT's fault. Certainly plans were available for residents in the area to look at. So there's probably enough blame to go around.

One possible way to at least reduce the truck traffic would be to put up a sign recommending trucks use the Business 40 route to US 220 back to the SE part of the Loop (I-40/85). NCDOT might worry though that the trucks would stay on Business 40 to Business 85 and through Death Valley increasing traffic through that area again (of course, some traffic probably does this now anyway knowing that the route is shorter). Maybe this can serve as another catalyst to make Business 40 and 3di interstate at least to US 220, a spur of I-40 for trucks to follow. Then again an even digit I-73 3di which would take Business 40 then US 220 back to the Loop might work better. I will be interested in what is reported about the meeting tomorrow.