Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
New projects have been submitted to the 2018-2027 draft STIP. Here's a quick list from some of the projects in the Charlotte metro:
* New interchanges at Providence Road and Brookshire Boulevard on I-485.
* Add new lanes to I-77 between Cornelius to I-40.
* Widen the rest of I-85 from US 321 to US 74 to eight lanes and widen I-85 from US 74 to the South Carolina border to six lanes.
* Complete the rest of the Shelby bypass, along with upgrading US 74 to interstate standards from I-26 to the Shelby bypass.
* Upgrade US 74 from the Monroe Expressway to I-74. This includes bypasses around Marshville and Wadesboro.
For non-road projects:
* Gateway Station.
* Renovations to the Charlotte Transportation Center.
* ACWR relocation in NoDa.
* Purchase of six new buses for a new line that would connect the UNCC Station on the BLE to the CK Rider in Concord Mills (possible blueprint for a future extension of the Blue Line).
* New greenway link along Briar Creek from Plaza Midwood to Chantilly, with a tunnel under Independence.
Note: Being submitted to the draft STIP doesn't guarantee the project will be funded once they finalize the STIP for this round. Most of the projects on the map won't, and some were originally submitted for the prior round of funding. But this should give you a pretty good grasp on what major projects will happen in the nearby future.
NCDOT will probably apply to AASHTO and FHWA for US-74 to be designated an interstate once US-74 is upgraded from I-26 to I-85 or, at least, I THINK that's the plan. It would give Charlotte and Asheville an interstate connection without having to backtrack up I-77 and I-40. It would probably be a 3-digit spur of I-26 (ex. I-426). The only even number spur of I-85 available is I-685 and there's a very slim chance NCDOT might be saving that number for the US-1 corridor between I-540 in northern Raleigh and I-85 in Henderson if US-1 ever gets upgraded.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
23,813 posts, read 34,657,307 times
Reputation: 10256
Quote:
Originally Posted by LM117
NCDOT will probably apply to AASHTO and FHWA for US-74 to be designated an interstate once US-74 is upgraded from I-26 to I-85 or, at least, I THINK that's the plan. It would give Charlotte and Asheville an interstate connection without having to backtrack up I-77 and I-40. It would probably be a 3-digit spur of I-26 (ex. I-426). The only even number spur of I-85 available is I-685 and there's a very slim chance NCDOT might be saving that number for the US-1 corridor between I-540 in northern Raleigh and I-85 in Henderson if US-1 ever gets upgraded.
Shelby has been pushing the conversion for a long time. Right now most of 74, from I 85 to western edges of Shelby, is already bypasses. I 85, starting at exit 10, functions as a bypass for Gastonia. The lunacy of the Garden Parkway boondoggle was that it would have created problems rather than solve problems.
Any news for the new toll road on I77 starting from exit 31? When will it be finished?
Besides, what will be the plan to improve the traffic on the bottle neck from exit 35 to exit 25 ?
What is the likelihood of improving and rebuilding Interstate 85 exit 10 (United States Route 70/United Sattes Route 29 north)?
They'll have to do something with the US 74 overpass over the southbound lane of I-85. There's not enough room for another lane, unless they eliminate the US 74 southbound ramp onto I-85, which wouldn't be a good idea. I'm in favor of the interchange being upgraded, especially if it helps prevents weaving.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LM117
NCDOT will probably apply to AASHTO and FHWA for US-74 to be designated an interstate once US-74 is upgraded from I-26 to I-85 or, at least, I THINK that's the plan. It would give Charlotte and Asheville an interstate connection without having to backtrack up I-77 and I-40. It would probably be a 3-digit spur of I-26 (ex. I-426). The only even number spur of I-85 available is I-685 and there's a very slim chance NCDOT might be saving that number for the US-1 corridor between I-540 in northern Raleigh and I-85 in Henderson if US-1 ever gets upgraded.
I've always been in favor of upgrading the entire US 74 corridor between Asheville and Wilmington as an interstate. There are plenty of unused even numbers in the 30's that could be used for such a corridor, though I like I-30 the most, since it wouldn't be completely impossible to link with the existing one in the Midwest (but that's not necessarily a requirement). The one thing that could prevent this from happening is the Monroe Bypass/Expressway. If the toll road is being funded by dollars from the feds, then it's not likely that stretch of US 74 can become an interstate. If that happens, US 74 between I-26 and I-85 should become I-226, and US 74 between the end of the Monroe Expressway in Wingate, to I-74 in Rockingham, should become I-174.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chillax
Any news for the new toll road on I77 starting from exit 31? When will it be finished?
Besides, what will be the plan to improve the traffic on the bottle neck from exit 35 to exit 25 ?
The project should be completed by late 2018. I don't think the project will do much to alleviate the congestion on that stretch, as I doubt most people will use the toll lanes. Too bad the Red Line didn't happen, as that could have been a great alternative to I-77.
Yep, the I-77 toll lanes aren't to reduce congestion. They're just a way that they've discovered that they can profit off of it.
I mean, think about it, nobody is going to use the toll lanes if the free lanes are moving along fine. The DOT now has a financial incentive to make sure the free lanes are a total gridlocked cluster 24hrs/day.
NCDOT will probably apply to AASHTO and FHWA for US-74 to be designated an interstate once US-74 is upgraded from I-26 to I-85 or, at least, I THINK that's the plan. It would give Charlotte and Asheville an interstate connection without having to backtrack up I-77 and I-40. It would probably be a 3-digit spur of I-26 (ex. I-426). The only even number spur of I-85 available is I-685 and there's a very slim chance NCDOT might be saving that number for the US-1 corridor between I-540 in northern Raleigh and I-85 in Henderson if US-1 ever gets upgraded.
3-digit spur and loop numbers can be repeated in different states (I-495 in NY, DC and MA), so everything except for 485 and 785 are available for use in NC. I-785 has already been designated for use north of Greensboro.
For I-485 @ Providence Road, any new re-configuration would be version 3.0 of this interchange. The first version had left turn entrances. If they want to increase capacity, they need to consider eliminating the left turns at the exits as well.
so everything except for 485 and 785 are available for use in NC.
No, they're not. NCDOT already got I-285 designated for US-52 from I-85 in Lexington to I-40 in Winston-Salem and plans to sign it once construction to bring it up to Interstate standards is done. I-885 is planned to be used for NC-147 and Durham's East End Connector from I-40 near Research Triangle Park to I-85 in Durham. The only even number left is I-685.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
