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I agree that the 485 loop should have been completed by now. Also, I cannot understand why I85 in Concord up to Kannapolis is not being six lanes. It would be very easy to put extra lanes there....there is a whole HUGE grassy median most of the way. It makes zero sense. You are driving on a 4 lane highway into the 18th largest metro in the US? I don't get that.
It is ridiculous that I-485 is not complete yet. It is impossible not to blame Mecklenburg some, but the state holds a lot of the responsibility.
The Equity Formula for road funding needs to be updated badly. This formula has helped rural NC have great roads and encourage development throughout the state, but the time has come to focus more money towards the grossly under-funded urban regions in the state, primarily Charlotte and the Triangle.
I travel all over the state, and while I tend to believe the Charlotte area gets shafted the worst, the Triangle has places that are in need of road upgrades as well. So while it is fair to blame the politicians in Raleigh, the city of Raleigh isn't living as high on the hog as far as road funding as other places are.
Eastern NC is blatanly over-funded when it comes to roads, and no one living there could dispute that if they are being honest. Goes back to the undue political influence they still have in Raleigh based on population.
Charlotte and the Triangle are 2 of the fastest growing urban areas in the country, and our state legislature needs to make changes to account for that. The Triad does pretty well given its population IMO.
I-485 needs to be finished ASAP along with widening the southern leg. I-77 should be widening through LKN to exit 36 in Mooresville. I-85 should be widened to 3 lanes throughout all of Cabarrus County
Union County, where I grew up, is the most under-funded county in the state for roads. Union County is the only county in the state with a population over 200K w/o a interstate grade road through it. The Monroe Bypass should have been completed 10 years ago
I agree! That equity formula is so outdated and needs to be replaced! NC is becoming a more urbanized state and the needs of our metropolitan cities such as Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham should be a higher priority than some podunk area down east! It is encouraging that 485 is getting closer to the finish line! Although I'm disappointed that the 85/485 interchange won't resemble the 77/485 interchange, but it may be better in that it may make for more dense development in that area as opposed to encouraging sprawl!
I agree that the 485 loop should have been completed by now. Also, I cannot understand why I85 in Concord up to Kannapolis is not being six lanes. It would be very easy to put extra lanes there....there is a whole HUGE grassy median most of the way. It makes zero sense. You are driving on a 4 lane highway into the 18th largest metro in the US? I don't get that.
I think I-85 from the Yadkin River into Charlotte, maybe into Gastonia, should be 8 lanes, IMHO! I agree that Gov. Perdue is doing a better job in retructuring the state transportation funding, but we all know that more funding should be going to the Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham regions, b/c those 2 regions are the main economic engines in this state, instead of having the bulk of the funding going to those rural areas down east, but it's a good start!
I agree! That equity formula is so outdated and needs to be replaced! NC is becoming a more urbanized state and the needs of our metropolitan cities such as Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham should be a higher priority than some podunk area down east! It is encouraging that 485 is getting closer to the finish line! Although I'm disappointed that the 85/485 interchange won't resemble the 77/485 interchange, but it may be better in that it may make for more dense development in that area as opposed to encouraging sprawl!
The interchange on the south side works it blends in with Carowinds. The problem with this kind is more money and it ices over faster since its a bridge.
I think this new interchange will be smooth entering & exiting. I hope they decorate it up with wildflowers.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Originally Posted by prwfromnc
I think I-85 from the Yadkin River into Charlotte, maybe into Gastonia, should be 8 lanes, IMHO! I agree that Gov. Perdue is doing a better job in retructuring the state transportation funding, but we all know that more funding should be going to the Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham regions, b/c those 2 regions are the main economic engines in this state, instead of having the bulk of the funding going to those rural areas down east, but it's a good start!
I agree that she's doing a good job. There are 2 projects slated for Kings Mountain & to the state line, on I 85. One is going on now & is creating backups that would do 485 proud.
I agree that 85 should be 8 lanes through Gastonia. Yesterday I was at CMC then went to the university area, & came back at the beginning of rush hour. There is no letup in the traffic as you enter Gaston County, you just lose a lane.
I got off I 85 in Gastonia & then got back on just west of town, to take care of several stops while I was out. After Gastonia, 85 drops down to 4 lanes & the traffic is pretty much the same. I'm not sure, but I think that the 2nd project involving KIngs Mountain may include widening to the state line. If they widened to 8 lanes to Gastonia, it would probably be wise to just continue to Exit 8. If you add the present populations of the city & township together, Kings Mountain currently has ~28K people.
There's no point in taking 8 lanes to the border. Until Greenville/Spartanburg starts expanding into Cherokee County, SC is not going to widen the road on that side of the border.
Last edited by southbound_295; 03-04-2011 at 10:11 AM..
The interchange on the south side works it blends in with Carowinds. The problem with this kind is more money and it ices over faster since its a bridge.
I think this new interchange will be smooth entering & exiting. I hope they decorate it up with wildflowers.
I agree! They say this new "turbine" interchange design is rare in the U.S. so far and Charlotte is one of a few cities getting this new type of interchange, so this is a good thing!
A NCDOT news release from today states that the I-485 widening in southern Mecklenburg County will begin in 2012 - two years sooner than scheduled - "due to available cash and cost savings from a favorable construction environment."
There are no plans for widening I-85 through Gaston County, and won't be as long as the Garden Parkway boondoggle remains funded. The current work is only pavement rehabilitation. There are no plans for widening to the South Carolina line either.
There is one remaining project (I-3802) to widen I-85 between N.C. Hwy. 73 in Cabarrus County (where the upcoming I-85 widening project will stop) and the eight-lane section south of Salisbury. It is currently scheduled to begin construction in 2017. After that project is completed, I-85 will be six to eight lanes from U.S. 74 at Kings Mountain to north of Durham.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Originally Posted by cowboy_wilhelm
A NCDOT news release from today states that the I-485 widening in southern Mecklenburg County will begin in 2012 - two years sooner than scheduled - "due to available cash and cost savings from a favorable construction environment."
There are no plans for widening I-85 through Gaston County, and won't be as long as the Garden Parkway boondoggle remains funded. The current work is only pavement rehabilitation. There are no plans for widening to the South Carolina line either.
There is one remaining project (I-3802) to widen I-85 between N.C. Hwy. 73 in Cabarrus County (where the upcoming I-85 widening project will stop) and the eight-lane section south of Salisbury. It is currently scheduled to begin construction in 2017. After that project is completed, I-85 will be six to eight lanes from U.S. 74 at Kings Mountain to north of Durham.
You got me thinking. I would have sworn that I saw something about widening & road rehab in Kings Mountain on I 85 then rehab to the state line. So I went to NCDOT & checked. No widening., but I kept looking & the whole double bypass, which would have started later this year is now defunded. In addition, the current 74 bypass in Shelby was supposed to be widened. That's also defunded. There ya go, there's the funding for finishing 485. Enjoy.
If I remember correctly, 85 was going to be widened from 4 to 6 lanes from the Gaston line to exit 5, Dixon School Road, which takes a weird turn & Kings Mountain Blvd starts, & Kings Mountain Blvd was going to be widened & extended to 74 & after crossing 74 would become the new Shelby bypass.
.....I agree that Gov. Perdue is doing a better job in retructuring the state transportation funding, but we all know that more funding should be going to the Charlotte and Raleigh/Durham regions, b/c those 2 regions are the main economic engines in this state, instead of having the bulk of the funding going to those rural areas down east, but it's a good start!
.... Real change with the NCDOT and funding forumlas will have to come from the NC Legislature. Furthermore if federal funding is being used for a highway project, it is almost always granted towards a given project and can't be redirected elsewhere by the state government. That money is sometimes granted by an federal earmark whose passage is dependent upon the status of the legislator in the US congress. This is one of the reasons that you see such odd spending decisions in a state as large as NC.
At least the new Speaker of the House for the NC Legislature is from Mecklenburg. That should hopefully improve the area's chances for more fair funding.
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, but I kept looking & the whole double bypass, which would have started later this year is now defunded. In addition, the current 74 bypass in Shelby was supposed to be widened. That's also defunded. There ya go, there's the funding for finishing 485. Enjoy.
