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Silly me thought that if head up 77 north that traffic would not be a problem where the hov lanes ends and the right lane ends at the same spot pretty much.
If you are in the far right lane, the lane that ends before the Huntersville exit begins do you ride the lane all the way out or do you merge over early?
Why is it so hard for people to comprehend Huntersville Gilead exit only and make another mistake and not realize that the sign means ONLY when it states ONLY and end up having to merge over way to late when the sign states that the lane is for the exit only .
Since occassionally I forget off exit prior like exit 18 or find an alternative that I deal with from time to time.
If I find myself in an Exit Only lane and I can't get over without messing up another driver, then I'll just get off at the exit and get back on the highway. I don't see why the other drivers should suffer from my error. I love it when people are so determined to get back over that they block the exit only lane while they wait to squeeze in.
Last edited by Stripes17; 08-01-2008 at 02:49 PM..
Reason: Correction
Silly me thought that if head up 77 north that traffic would not be a problem where the hov lanes ends and the right lane ends at the same spot pretty much.
If you are in the far right lane, the lane that ends before the Huntersville exit begins do you ride the lane all the way out or do you merge over early?
Why is it so hard for people to comprehend Huntersville Gilead exit only and make another mistake and not realize that the sign means ONLY when it states ONLY and end up having to merge over way to late when the sign states that the lane is for the exit only .
Since occassionally I forget off exit prior like exit 18 or find an alternative that I deal with from time to time.
Traffic was TERRIBLE today! But I still got home in 39 minutes thanks to my old trusty route!
To answer your questions though, I'm the "jerk" that rides the lane up until a few hundred yards before the actual exit. There's no need to have a "exit this lane only" lane for over 2 miles. Besides, that sign could mean that you can only exit to Gilead in that lane, not necessarily only drivers exiting to Gilead are permitted to using it.
But since I had a Good Samaritan deed earlier, I feel the need to balance my good deed with a bad one. Plus, I feel like ruffling some feathers today...
Here's an old thread of mine: (and to all the haters out there, your commute today probably took over an hour if you're going to LKN; mine took 25 minutes from downtown. Oh wait, you might still be on the road...sorry! )
This post will be my attempt to explain the traffic woes on I-77 North from Charlotte to the Lake Norman Area (LKN) in order to help locals find easier routes and newcomers to understand what they are getting into if they work downtown but live in the LKN area, namely Huntersville and Cornelius (Sorry Mooresville and Davidson, unless they build a bridge across the main channel, I can't help you out ). You might ask why I am I giving away my secrets? Well, it's simple and selfish at the same time, yet also generous to those who would like to know—today was the last day I had to drive through the madness. I hope this post benefits all who read and have to deal with this pinball machine. So, here goes...
Scenario: rush hour in Charlotte typically begins around 4pm. It can start as early as 3-3:30pm on Fridays. My route begins at Randolph/Billingsley Road where I proceed to Wendover Rd. headed towards Hwy. 74 (Independence Blvd.). Traffic sometimes rather thick from the McDonalds on Wendover to just after you cross over Monroe Road. I continue to gain access to Hwy 74 and head into town towards I-277. I then take 277/Brookshire Blvd to I-77N. I suggest not getting into the right lane exit until after you have gone over the crest of 277 and can see the exit for I-77N. It's a zoo at this junction, so take your time, put your signal, and someone is sure to let you in the exit lane. Once you take the exit, get over to the left of I-77N as soon as possible so to avoid traffic trying to gain access to I-85 North and South. Once you pass I-85 (mile marker 12 or 13), you can expect nicely flowing traffic for several miles until at the minimum exit 16 Sunset Blvd, but sometimes exit 18 Harris Blvd. But for this scenario, we'll say there is just typical traffic. Continue passed exit 18's on ramp to 77N and merge into right lane. You can take this lane all the way up to about mile marker 21 when the lane ends. Why people sit in the other lanes I don't know, but the lane is there and it is legal. I'm not worried about people thinking I'm rude, because like I said, it's legal. So, after you've merged into the next lane, stay in this lane all the way to exit 23. Again, I don't know why people stay in the Left 2 lanes, but it works for me and I take this lane all the way up to exit 23 then merge left. Once you merge left, you can expect traffic to be lighter and reach your destination exit 25 in about 5 minutes.
I know my driving habits won't be popular for some on this board, because you are probably cussing at me while I'm doing my merging, etc, but that's ok because it's all perfectly legal to do, and you can save your comments to this post because I will be laughing all the way to my house quicker than you...hehe...d
So, that's the scenario on an ordinary day...
So what about bad traffic days? Well, everyday I check the traffic reports at Charlotte.com before I leave from work. Then, I listen to 1110 WBT AM for up to the minute traffic. What I listen for is traffic issues for I-77 Northbound. Sometimes they are kind of vague when they say interstates are heavy. Take this to mean you should take an alternate route. They could also be more specific with saying “backups starting at exit 18, exit 16, or south of Huntersville exit 23. Also listen for accidents at exit 25, 28, or exit 30 Davidson.
The traffic gurus will tell you to take alternate routes such as Hwy 115 or Hwy 21. In my opinion, NEVER take these routes! You might as well stay on the interstate.
So, let me give you some alternatives. If you know traffic is going to be bad, say from 277 on, go ahead and take the Brookeshire to Beatties Ford Road and take that all the way up to Hwy 73, which is exit 25. You may hit traffic when you get to 73, but it will only be about 5 minutes worth.
But my favorite route home sans traffic is the following and is good for exit 23, 25, and 28 people: You can take exit 16 or 18 depending on how bad traffic is. From exit 16 or 18, you can takes Reames Road passed North Lake Mall where it turns into Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road. After you cross over Alexandra, take next left onto Hambright Road, which you will take to stop sign. Make left on McCoy Road to make a left onto Gilead Road. Make next right on to Ranson Road. Make left at stop sign on to Stumptown Road, which will turn into North Cross and takes you all the way to Highway 73, which is exit 25 off of I-77. It's a guaranteed 15 minutes, as opposed to gambling on I 77 with either 10 minutes (from exit 18 to 25) or 45 minutes on a bad day.
The bottom line: listen to the traffic reports on 1110 AM. But since they can be vague sometimes, you need to use your own instincts as well. If you must avoid 77, never take 115 or 21, but utilize Beatties Ford Rd. or the Reames Road route. Personally, I haven't used Beatties Ford since I discovered Reames Road, so maybe Beatties Ford will work best for Lincoln County people.
Also, with the Reames Road route, do not take it all the way to Hwy 21 which puts you out near exit 23. This will bottleneck you, and again, you might as well have stayed on the interstate.
I know this has been a lot of reading, but it's been my attempt to lay it out as I see it and have experienced it. I'm gonna go ahead and post this then review if for errors, but if anyone has any questions, just lemme know!
I thought I would been safe around 3:30 especially since it was smooth sailing to this merge point.
This merge point I notice today since I had time to read sitting happens right about the point where the first sign says Huntersville Gilead exit 2 miles and a sign beside it says right lane ends in 1000 feet .
Im curious since I never really look at the road due to wondering what the late mergers are going to do does the right lane really end or technically does it really just continue on but just becomes the Huntersville exit?
Can I just continue on or does the pavement actually forces you into the inner lane?
Btw I like the instructions above and I should know better by now but it just a habit.
Today sit idle time was not to bad it just added 20 minutes more to my travel time but I feel for those who was in it about 30 minutes later.
I had to head back uptown around 6:30 p.m and the opposite traffic was still backup but this time to exit 18 like it normally is around rush hour but not normal for that time of day.
The Gilead Road exit is actually quite a nice drive if you bear right off of it & drive out towards Vermillion.
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)
). You might ask why I am I giving away my secrets? Well, it's simple and selfish at the same time, yet also generous to those who would like to know—today was the last day I had to drive through the madness. I hope this post benefits all who read and have to deal with this pinball machine. So, here goes...
