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As soon as I saw the headline on WITN I thought, "Just when the interstate talk from last week died down" LOL
Hey, I'd be happy if it happens. Looks like the state is finally trying to take care of the East.
It seems that they didn't go through Congress after all, like they did for I-42 and I-87. Now that I think about it, NCDOT choosing to use the administrative option through the FHWA is actually a very good thing for Greenville. Future interstates that are not written into law by Congress are required by FHWA to be upgraded to interstate standards within 25 years or lose the designation. If US-264 had been designated by Congress, the state could take as much time as they want. Hell, US-264 would likely be upgraded and finished long before I-42 and I-87 are done. Given the scale of the projects on those two corridors, that's likely why the Congressional option was chosen for those.
Given that shoulder widening is all that US-264 needs, and the fact that most of it already meets interstate standards in Wilson County, I guess NCDOT felt that it could be upgraded within 25 years. It would probably be the cheapest interstate upgrade in NC.
It turned out to be a good thing Greenville was last in line for a requested interstate approval in the East, since there won't be any opposition from Kinston this time, now that they have I-42, and US-264 couldn't become an I-87 spur without I-87.
True to fashion on most of WITN's articles, there are already complaints, especially this gem.
Quote:
And what does interstate status do for us? For much of eastern NC, it may have a negative impact. In particular, the agricultural industry will be affected through lower load limits for transporting harvested crops and different licensing requirements. When 117 was reclassified as interstate 795, the DMV was relentless in harassing the farmers who had previously relied on the road to take their crop to market
Yeah, the farmers along I-795 previously relied on a NEWLY constructed road....
264 wasn't always there...it was built for high speed travel, not for farmers who can use secondary roads and go at low speeds.
To answer the guys question...the Interstate status can help agriculture through different agri-businesses...think about the Avoca plant in Bertie County that employs hundreds of people and handles local Sage harvests. It will be within a few miles of an Interstate at some point, which may keep the operation from moving. There is more potential for businesses like that to come to ENC and be close to the growers with the Interstates in place.
And yes, cheapest Interstate ever...will benefit Wilson and Washington as well.
It seems that they didn't go through Congress after all, like they did for I-42 and I-87. Now that I think about it, NCDOT choosing to use the administrative option through the FHWA is actually a very good thing for Greenville. Future interstates that are not written into law by Congress are required by FHWA to be upgraded to interstate standards within 25 years or lose the designation. If US-264 had been designated by Congress, the state could take as much time as they want. Hell, US-264 would likely be upgraded and finished long before I-42 and I-87 are done. Given the scale of the projects on those two corridors, that's likely why the Congressional option was chosen for those.
Given that shoulder widening is all that US-264 needs, and the fact that most of it already meets interstate standards in Wilson County, I guess NCDOT felt that it could be upgraded within 25 years. It would probably be the cheapest interstate upgrade in NC.
It turned out to be a good thing Greenville was last in line for a requested interstate approval in the East, since there won't be any opposition from Kinston this time, now that they have I-42, and US-264 couldn't become an I-87 spur without I-87.
True to fashion on most of WITN's articles, there are already complaints, especially this gem.
Is is it a fact that shoulder widening is all 264 needs? I assume it is true, but it would suck if bridge height was too low, or something like that.
North Carolina is seeking federal approval to designate U.S. 264 as a future interstate from the U.S. 264/64 split in Zebulon to Greenville, the governor's office announced on Wednesday.
State transportation officials will submit an application by Sept. 16 to the Federal Highway Administration and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, a news release said. These groups will consider the application and cooperatively make a decision on the designation. That decision is expected by the end of the year.
“Greenville is the state’s largest metropolitan area currently not served by an interstate,” Gov. Pat McCrory said in the release. “Receiving this designation for U.S. 264 would support greater economic development in the Greenville area, and improve accessibility to the university, medical center and surrounding communities.”
Receiving future interstate designation opens new possibilities when marketing Greenville and Pitt County to companies looking for new locations, Greenville Mayor Allen Thomas said.
"What it formally signals is the state of North Carolina and the Federal Highway Administration are prioritizing us as an interstate in terms of funding and planning an interstate in the coming years," Thomas said. "Just by simply being designated a future interstate corridor allows us to put up a future interstate shield and allows us to market this community with that resource and it gets up to the top of the list when we are out recruiting.
"Highway 264 is already built within 90 percent of interstate specifications so we can market it immediately," Thomas said.
Earlier this year, North Carolina gained two future interstate designations: I-42 for the U.S. 70 Corridor between I-40 and Morehead City and I-87 for U.S. 64/17 between Raleigh and the Virginia state line. The new request begins where Future I-87 splits from U.S. 264.
Is is it a fact that shoulder widening is all 264 needs? I assume it is true, but it would suck if bridge height was too low, or something like that.
All I can say is that based on my own 2 eyes, they didn't look too low. They're no different than US-64. Even on the slim chance that they are too low, the bridges wouldn't need replaced. NCDOT could just lower the highway instead, which is what they're currently doing on sections of I-85 between Henderson and the VA state line.
I highly doubt the bridges would be an issue. Once AASHTO posts submitted applications online, there should be some kind of chart on the application that NCDOT has to fill out, regarding current lane and shoulder widths. It would mention any feature that keeps US-264 from being interstate standard, including bridge clearances.
None of them have clearance warnings that I remember seeing. I assume that means they are the proper height.
In most cases, yeah. I don't recall ever hearing problems of semis plowing into bridges on US-264.
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