Should NC build I-30

[Creasy336]

Has anyone else thought of skipping the I-30 tagline and using one that hasn't been used.

This would eliminate the need for AR, TN, and AL to hang I-30 signs.

Also there are interstates (74) that are in pieces and not yet put together. option also.

Suggest I-32 or I-28 Neither is in use.

Start at Wilmington and go through charlotte towards Asheville and Cherokee area.

No one can complain about it 'connecting' to anything.

Route in Monroe is north of the city on the planned bypass which will enter I-485 just east of current US74.

It could join I-485 on the south side around past I-77 and to I-85 near the airport ? ( possible connection there), and join I-85 south.... etc.

Charlotte is not going to complete Independence Blvd into a freeway. Far too much build up to the road line.

Thoughts aobut alternate numbering?

Either way, lets get this thing moving - traffic, smog, waste of gas in the area is expensive.

I agree a new interstate designation would make it signage simple.

[dubone]

That is interesting, and possibly worthwhile.

I'm not sure having an I30 designation here would require any signs in the interim states. I30 is better as it would help extend a coast to coast number in the national numbering system, which only goes now between Dallas and Little Rock.

It could be extended over time, closer to a coast to coast route as cities between i20 and i40 grow and need a more direct connection (I'm thinking in the next 25-50 years). There will likely need to be an east-west connection between Chattanooga, Huntsville, and Memphis at some point in the future. It also seems conceivable that a more direct connection might eventually be needed between Dallas, Lubbock, and Albuquerque. And who knows, possibly even a more direct connection between Albuquerque and Phoenix. And even more of a who knows, a direct connection between Phoenix and Las Vegas.

I'm not saying any of those need to happen. But they are certainly gaps in the cross-country interstate system that require traffic to go a long distance out of the way due to lack of direct connection. Each of the cities and regions I have mentioned have grown tremendous amounts since the original interstate system was developed. Direction connections would likely be planned in the coming decades no matter what due to their own need. Having a predefined number and corridor helps to string them together so that they have both national and regional usefulness.

Again, I'm not really saying all of these need to done, but why not build out a system whereby these any needed sections can help complete a cross country corridor. That was the spirit of the original interstate system.

[Jerseyman4]

Abiliene, TX to Wilmington should be I-30. West of Abiliene should be different interstate numbers

[dubone]

Any reasoning to share?

Could I sell you Abilene-Lubbock-Albuquerque as I30? It is predominantly East-West, and is between I20 and I40.

[Jerseyman4]

Could I sell you Abilene-Lubbock-Albuquerque as I30? It is predominantly East-West, and is between I20 and I40.

you can sell your proposal if you include Pheonix

The Las Vegas to Pheonix route really should be another number because it is a north-south route. Most travelers would be sticknig with I-40 west of Albequerque towards US 95 to get to Las Vegas.

[cranberries]

you can sell your proposal if you include Pheonix

The Las Vegas to Pheonix route really should be another number because it is a north-south route. Most travelers would be sticknig with I-40 west of Albequerque towards US 95 to get to Las Vegas.

I think probably the worst planning/development boo-boo is the interstate 70. It ends in the middle of nowhere. It was suppose to go to Fresno, but never was completed.

Asheville-Charlotte-Wilmington is in desparate need of something in the near future.

I see plans to start in 2012. My my my, it might be completed in 2030? Think delays etc.

example - 1989 quake in SF. Decided to rebuild the bridge, it took 12 years to even start due to bickering, and last minute design changes, second design change after half length is built, etc. Now slated to be finished 2015 - 26 years after it was suppose to start. Yikes.

[pack-man]

I-30 seems to be a complete waste of an interstate, it is merely a manipulation of I-40 across the country. It isn't necessary. However, in North Carolina, it does make sense to have some sort of an interstate between Charlotte and the NC beaches. We are losing too much NC money to other states ie. S. Carolina and GA from Charlotte. I'm sure I-74 will help when it is completed, however, the NCDOT should consider an Interstate from Rockingham to Charlotte.

[cranberries]

I-30 seems to be a complete waste of an interstate, it is merely a manipulation of I-40 across the country. It isn't necessary. However, in North Carolina, it does make sense to have some sort of an interstate between Charlotte and the NC beaches. We are losing too much NC money to other states ie. S. Carolina and GA from Charlotte. I'm sure I-74 will help when it is completed, however, the NCDOT should consider an Interstate from Rockingham to Charlotte.

True. I-30 is very close in proximity to I-40 on most of the route. I don't care what number they use, just something consistent.

With the I-74 route on parts of the Charlotte-Wilmington route there won't be a single interstate route...meaning, it will be Interstate 74 and then the numbers jump to something else between Rockingham and Charlotte and then something else maybe to Asheville.

Can we just pick a NEW interstate number that isn't being used for Wilmington to Charlotte to Asheville and to where ever (Cherokee) along US 74?

Perhaps something similar to the I-26 routing. Not all interstates have to be from coast to coast to be useful or do their job. I would think it would be an easier trip with just one interstate number from Asheville to Wilmington.

I think the $$$ is there for repaying for the job with the port income and revenue from tourist and increased jobs and such.

I lived in Charlotte years ago (18) and I would go to Charleston for vacation mainly because of the horrible trip getting to Wilmington. Others probably have the same reasoning.

[Jerseyman4]

I think the $$$ is there for repaying for the job with the port income and revenue from tourist and increased jobs and such.

I lived in Charlotte years ago (18) and I would go to Charleston for vacation mainly because of the horrible trip getting to Wilmington. Others probably have the same reasoning.

The I-77 to I-26 ride is NOT bad at all between Uptown and historic Charleston so I could see where you are coming from. Still, you have many Charlotteans over at the Brunswick County/New Hanover County beaches. Some people believe it or not use SC 9 and then jump back into NC to get to Holden, Ocean Isle or Sunset. SC 9 moves well once you get past Nichols with bypasses all the way to N.M.B

[DCMetroRaleigh]

On the map enclosed in Dubone's posting, the upgraded Highway 74 seems to be an entirely new road from the Outerloop to West Rockingham. I thought they were just planning a bypass around Wadesboro and Monroe, not an entirely new Highway 74 freeway from the Outerloop to Rockingham. Anyone have any confirmation?

[davidals]

That is interesting, and possibly worthwhile.

Again, I'm not really saying all of these need to done, but why not build out a system whereby these any needed sections can help complete a cross country corridor. That was the spirit of the original interstate system.

Some thoughts on the map.

Several sections illustrated here are under some kind of consideration for upgrades - not necessarily interstates, but as "high priority corridors," in the federal transportation lingo; meaning some would be interstates, some limited access US highways. The Chattanooga-Huntsville-Memphis section is one; though with the Future I-22 (Memphis-Tupelo-Birmingham) nearing completion, I'd guess the seond project might not be an interstate.

A Dallas-Wichita Falls-Lubbock-Tucamcari project has also been discussed, as a possible interstate (I-32), though it doesn't look like much action has been taken thus far. There are freeway upgrades slowly happening along US 93 between Kingman AZ and Las Vegas as well.

A 1970 proposal to extend I-70 was put forth by officials in Nevada; the idea died shortly thereafter, for reasons unknown to me. I would guess the energy crises of the 70s killed a lot of the planned, unbuilt expansions of the interstate system (1970 proposals).

This link (http://www.aaroads.com/high-priority/table.html) will give you a list of the 80 "high-priority corridors" proposed is 4 pieces of federal legislation between 1991 and 2005; ultimately I'd only expect to see a few of them built, over many, many years, and not all of those will be completed as interstates. Everything from energy crises, the health of the auto industry, environmental issues, money, political whims and pork-barrel legislative wrangling could advance or sink any of them in coming decades. The stuff at the link is sourced from federal legislation, state DOTs and/or varied bits of journalism. A number of both potentially useful, and potentially goofy projects are on the list. The discussed I-101 up parts of the East Coast (Raleigh-Elizabeth City [via US 64], Elizabeth City - Norfolk [via US 17], Norfolk to Wilmington DE [via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel/US 13) is one of the more far-fetched, but actually practically useful, as a relief route for I-95.

I actually emailed a suggestion to a few legislators to lobby for having the freeway upgrades to US 74 between Charlotte and Rockingham (I-74) to be signed as an I-x74 spur, but who knows if anyone will think it a good idea; I actually also suggested something similar for the Garden Pkwy/US 321 (321 between Dallas and Hickory) as an I-x40 spur (640 is again available). In both cases, upgrades to interstate standards and design tweaks would be required.

An Asheville-Charlotte-Wilmington was and is needed, but I doubt it would be I-30; an interstate route between the cities was another of those 1970 proposals that died later in the decade, and it has since been co-opted by several other projects. The validity of I-73 and I-74 is still not set in stone either; out of the Carolinas, they are mostly unfunded, with projected routes that zig-zag all over the place (the planned routing of 73 north of NC is uniquely creative; this road won't directly connect anyone with anyone), which defies the original logic behind the interstate system. Connecting I-74 in the midwest and in NC won't happen for decades, if ever.

[flith]

A US 1 relocation will be very difficult/impossible to build in Southern Pines. A lot housing is built to the east and many golf communities are to the west. All of US 1 in no doubt will be all freeway at some point if NCDOT continues to plan for that but in and around Southern Pines may never happen.

All they need to do is build a bypass from just North of Camp Mackall to the back end of Ft. Bragg along the So. Pines/Ft. Bragg border then reconnect it to the US 1 somewhere south of Vass. That would miss most of the Houseing and that land on post in that area is not used for Ranges or Drop Zones. It would be similar to what they are doing with the Fayetteville Loop. The maps I've seen put the loop on Bragg just out side of the the houseing along the Riley and Yadkin gates.

[Jerseyman4]

All they need to do is build a bypass from just North of Camp Mackall to the back end of Ft. Bragg along the So. Pines/Ft. Bragg border then reconnect it to the US 1 somewhere south of Vass. That would miss most of the Houseing and that land on post in that area is not used for Ranges or Drop Zones. It would be similar to what they are doing with the Fayetteville Loop. The maps I've seen put the loop on Bragg just out side of the the houseing along the Riley and Yadkin gates.

You have two problems:

1. You have residential development encroaching the Fort Bragg line along Indiana Ave. Many people that live out in this part of Southern Pines between NC 211 and downtown SP that will put up a fight including even some Aberdeen'ites. Connecticut Ave will also be an issue.

2. It will be an even tougher fight to relocate US 1 around Youngs Road because the horse country farm owners of Southern Pines & Lakeview will NOT want to see a highway in their backyard. However, it will be easier to claim the northern end of Youngs Road; Furr and Aiken Roads.

The only way this highway will ever be built if it was to be built inside Fort Bragg and away from Southern Pines as much as possible. Aberdeen and western Hoke County shuold not see much opposition as this was the case with the US 1 Vass-Cameron bypass however wetlands (richmond/moore border and near Addor) will again be an issue like it was at the southern extents of the US 1 Vass-Cameron Bypass. This will be a proposed highway that will take a lot of discussion, debate and constant changing design-study procedures for many years. The current status of US 1 through Southern Pines and Aberdeen along restaurant row is not tedious and does not warrant a new bypass between Southern Pines and Pinebluff. Planning 30+ years down the road however, Right-Of-Way acquisition with no doubt should be pursued.

[cranberries]

Abiliene, TX to Wilmington should be I-30. West of Abiliene should be different interstate numbers

The interstate from Phoenix to Las Vegas should/could then swing over to US 395 and continue north to Reno. There already is an agressive upgrade on 395 to freeway standards, possibly not much more needed to meet interstate standards.

Perhaps I-9 or I-11. I-7 is being used in CA for a replacement of CA Route 99 through Bakersfield to Sacramento - so I-9 or I-11 would be right insync with the other numbers... it is also west of I-15.

Sometimes I look at the numbers that are given out and wonder who is in charge - if anyone. Example I-3, I-99....

[davidals]

Sometimes I look at the numbers that are given out and wonder who is in charge - if anyone. Example I-3, I-99....

At the risk of veering further off topic; it became evident that any cohesive planning for expanding the interstate system was abandoned quite a while ago; the routing of the proposed I-73 was an early, solid indication. In NC it isn't so bad (aside from the freeway labyrinth the Triad will be turned into), but this road is such an easy target, swerving east, west, north, and - at one brief point - southwest as it veers all over Virginia, W Va and Kentucky. Perhaps if we consider it an extremely expensive piece of comedy or performance art...

I-3 and 99 - what could be said to defend them? I'd bet 3 won't be built entirely as planned; officials in SW NC have already registered their complaints about it. The idea for 3 came from Ga, and was (in routing it through Augusta) an offspring of the planned I-14 (Vicksburg or Alexandria LA to Augusta) - stretches of the deep South are SO economically depressed, and this is a desperation move. So who knows what will happen with it; the gain for some areas will be at the expense of mostly transportation plans and logic, which are already compromised. 99 is another nonsense highway, but it's there, and your tax dollars paid for it, so the best we can do at this point is refresh the memories of our legislators as to the correct sequence of numbers from 0 to 100, which we all know can sometimes be easily forgotten.

[bigboyz05]

Does Interstate 30 already exist between Interstates 20 in Texas and 40 in Arkansas?

I think another east/west interstate from Chattanooga to the Carolina coast would be a great idea. I think it is possible to build some interstate-grade highway from Andrews over to Hendersonville, but that is just an idea.

You're right. There's an I-30 that runs from Ft. Worth up through Texarkana to Little Rock where it ends. If they build an I-30 in NC I wonder will the 2 30's ever be linked together?

[dubone]

The idea is to either multiplex 40 through Tennessee, or else to label the corridors that are planned through northern Mississippi and Alabama to be a new I30 corridor.

[cranberries]

Haven't kept up with this. What are the chances it gets built?

Here is a link to NCDOT where the section just outside Charlotte on US 74 is to be 'rerouted' wiith a new freeway. http://www.ncdot.org/projects/us74/ This also has the pic below, neither page has a really good view of it. The new 'bypass' will go North of Monroe.

That section needs to be completed ASAP.

[Cybear]

The idea is to either multiplex 40 through Tennessee, or else to label the corridors that are planned through northern Mississippi and Alabama to be a new I30 corridor.

Building I-30, through whatever means, solves a multitude of traffic problems. One would think that the legislative delegations and chambers of commerce in all of the states, counties and muncipalities which would be affected could figure out that a unified effort might just make this thing happen.

Imagine: Wilmington to Chattanooga without having to go around one's posterior to get to one's elbow (which is to say through Raleigh and Asheville). On second thought, this makes entirely too much sense ever to happen.

[Jerseyman4]

After being in the western part of the state along US 64 & 74 not too long ago, an I-30 designation could be a shot in the arm to help the western counties out economically speaking. The smokey mountain expressway helps expedite traffic between Murphy and I-40 but a Chattanooga-Charlotte connection would ease the traffic loads on existening highways, especially trucks.

[flith]

Imagine: Wilmington to Chattanooga without having to go around one's posterior to get to one's elbow (which is to say through Raleigh and Asheville). On second thought, this makes entirely too much sense ever to happen.

The alternative to that would be Columbia, Augusta, Atlanta.

[AuLukey]

Let me just tell you, I-30 would have come in very handy tonight. My friends and I just got back from a road trip that ended up landing us in Florence, SC buying fireworks at 11:30pm for no apparent reason. We were going to hit up Wilmington to see some friends and drive back to Charlotte in the morning, but decided against it because of the travel time we'd have to undertake in the morning. I'm home at 3:45am because of this. This does not make Luke very happy. On a positive note, I do feel better about living in Charlotte now. We drove through every major city in SC aside from Myrtle and I was left with a feeling of emptiness after reading all the hype about those cities on here. I had a blast though, so I can't complain, I just feel good to see the skyline again.

[Creasy336]

If the Garden Parkway connected to US 74 headed toward shelby on the west side of Gastonia it would make alot more sense. Can anyone explain why they won't be connected if the Garden Parkway is built?

[Cybear]

If the Garden Parkway connected to US 74 headed toward shelby on the west side of Gastonia it would make alot more sense. Can anyone explain why they won't be connected if the Garden Parkway is built?

Please don't get us started on Shelby. As long as local politicians have there way, nobody will got through Shelby other than by going through Shelby. But at least there's Bridges' Barbeque.

[Durhamite]

I-30 should have been built in the 60's or 70's. I-40 wasn't completed from Raleigh to Wilmington until the late 1980's. IMO, interstates that connect Charlotte to Wilmington and Raleigh to Wilmington should've been of the highest priority in the state from the inception of the interstate concept.

Why an interstate does not exist from Charlotte to Wilmington is absurd - even though Charleston serves as the major port to the area.

If federal funds did not exist for this project, a state supported toll road should've been built. As a kid, I remember the road trip to Carowinds from the Wilmington area and it was a mess (Rockingham, etc). Portions of the road have been upgraded to interstate status but they've got a long way to go.

I'd venture to say that most people who frequently make that journey would support a NJ style parkway/tollway. A couple of bucks to save an 1 hour or more of driving time is a no brainer.

Eventually, NC will have to institute toll roads to maintain any acceptance of quality considering the unprecedented growth and quirky road development laws.