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I'll bet that I could have made it all the way to Gorman (10 miles) with my cruise control set to 70 mph.
I actually did this tonight. I left RTP (Airport Blvd) at 4:30pm on a Friday evening. . .. set my cruise control for 70 mph. . . .and went all the way to the Gorman Street exit, which is about 10 miles away. That's Friday rush hour traffic AND there was an accident on the left shoulder at the Wade Avenue split. I'll admit that I did disengage the cruise for 30 seconds while I went past the accident, but I doubt that I slowed to below 60 mph. I-40 is no longer an issue, as far as I'm concerned.
Now if they could only do something with Chapel Hill Blvd through Morrisville and all of the streets that connect it to Davis Blvd.
My "horrible traffic" is exit 293 to 1 South. It's very badly designed IMHO. But again, it's nothing compared to MD/DC. Even if it's backed up badly, it's not even stop-and-go, usually the traffic is just crawling slowly. And it just means that my commute would be 5 min. longer.
Within Cary limits, there are some bottlenecks I know of (traffic around the center of downtown where Walnut meets Kildaire and also where Walnut becomes Holy Springs and loses one lane), but even that is far cry from "horrible". Cary Parkway is very nice.
I actually did this tonight. I left RTP (Airport Blvd) at 4:30pm on a Friday evening. . .. set my cruise control for 70 mph. . . .and went all the way to the Gorman Street exit, which is about 10 miles away. That's Friday rush hour traffic AND there was an accident on the left shoulder at the Wade Avenue split. I'll admit that I did disengage the cruise for 30 seconds while I went past the accident, but I doubt that I slowed to below 60 mph. I-40 is no longer an issue, as far as I'm concerned.
Now if they could only do something with Chapel Hill Blvd through Morrisville and all of the streets that connect it to Davis Blvd.
I'm also convinced that no one actually goes into work in RTP on Fridays. My office is a ghost town compared to the other 4 days a week due to telecommuting. IMHO, Monday/Tuesday evening rush is worse than Friday.
I also 2nd Durham Freeway for worst major artery right now. I have driven it every day for the last 5 years into downtown Durham, and not sure why they are doing anything to it. It used to flow fine until they started the paving project.
I think it is funny when people complain about the traffic in Cary. In my 6 years here the worst traffic I have ever experienced is when I am travelling on 15 / 501 in Chapel Hill.
I agree. I think that CH feels much more congested than Cary, but I rarely hear that mentioned.
There may be a few particular routes that are bad at certain time, but overall the traffic here is just not on the same order of magnitude of that in DC, Chicago (and I am imagine LA, though I have never lived there).
I also 2nd Durham Freeway for worst major artery right now. I have driven it every day for the last 5 years into downtown Durham, and not sure why they are doing anything to it. It used to flow fine until they started the paving project.
I *think* there are two different things going on: repaving the shoulders and the concrete joints, and also (I think) some adjustments to be ready for the interconnection of the Triangle Expressway toll road coming through RTP. I know the former for sure but think some of this is tied to the latter too... looks like the NB part of 147 near I-40 will widen to allow more traffic to merge in.
Eventually 147 will be six-laned, though traffic demand models in the past have put this in the 2020s/30s. On the other hand, since I moved here in 2005 the level of traffic has picked up as more companies have located downtown.
The easy solution is to avoid the commute -- says the person with a 5 minute drive, 15 minute walk or free bus ride between the house and American Tobacco! (Though the wife has to deal with the commute to RTP each day.)
I will be relocating to Cary from the Northern NJ/NY area. One of the crucial aspects of my daily life, which I was looking forward on leaving behind, is the traffic. So, what exactly describes 'horrible traffic'? Is it a 30 min or less commute? Or will it still be the same torture I endure now?
Horrible traffic?
Somewhere between "Legend" and "Myth," a block or two from "Fantasy," you might find "Horrible."
Not easy to do if you are absolutely turned off by the area near where you work and are absolutely in love with an area not near where you work.
Ditto! No way I'd give up my house in Oxxford Hunt to live in/near downtown Durham! Unfortunately my company relocated there from a much more convenient location - I seriously doubt I would have taken the job had it been 22 miles from my house from the start. Oh well, I don't plan on working there forever, but I do plan on retiring in my house. :-)
But back to 147 - it really sucks when I am just a bit late getting out of the house in the morning and hit it at 8:59AM when they are setting the cones out. It also really sucks if I have to leave work early to meet a repairman at my house, and get stuck in construction backups heading south. It also takes the joy out of leaving work an hour or two early on a Friday afternoon.
*Sigh*
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