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Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO)

cityboi

By cityboi
in The NC Triad

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sax184 Hamlet

sax184

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I theorized we might see this happen a while back, but today's Winston-Salem Journal confirms the bad news:

The cost of flying out of Piedmont Triad International Airport is soaring, and analysts and local travel agents said yesterday that fares are not likely to decline anytime soon.

The average fare at PTI was 25 percent higher in the first quarter of 2006 than the same quarter in 2005

AND

Analysts and travel agents said that there are two main reasons why the airlines serving PTI have been able to raise fares - the absence of low-fare carriers and a major reduction of daily flights from 104 in 2004 to 74...The higher fares are taking a bite not only out of local travelers' budgets, but they also have contributed to a 20 percent decline in PTI's passenger boardings to 249,133 in the first quarter of 2006, compared with the first quarter in 2005.

Some of PTI's potential passengers are driving more than an hour to catch flights on several low-fare carriers serving Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte international airports.

The cycle looks like this:

1. # of flights falls and carriers leave

2. Lower competition raises fares

3. Further-away passengers chose Raleigh and Charlotte instead

4. Overall passenger counts fall at PTI

5. Airlines feel pressure to raise fares or reduce service

6. Repeat.

Looking at the 3-year chart for fuel prices, and knowing that the airlines are also feeling the pinch, the need to develop more energy-efficient intercity travel in the form of high-speed rail has never been more pressing.

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JerseyBoy Burg

JerseyBoy

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Since I currently live in Winston-Salem (moving to Charlotte) I was looking for flights on Orbitz out of PTI, RDU, and CLT. PTI was the most expensive out of all three and CLT was the second most expensive but still rather comaprable to RDU. And as most of you would guess, RDU was the cheapest out of the three. I booked an AirTran flight out of RDU to West Palm Beach for a fraction of the cost that it would have cost me with UsAir at PTI. I factor in the costs of gas and all for driving to Raleigh and Raleigh was still the cheapest. This tells me that PTI needs to get on the ball and start recruiting low cost airlines to the airport. But, the thing is is that the airport already had a few low cost airlines such as AirTran and Independence Air. I would love nothing more to fly out of PTI and support the airport but it comes down to a matter of a budget that a person has. The fact that JetBlue decined to start service at PTI really shows that the airport is in a reall dizzy and is going to have to take some real manpower to get it out of it's hole and start prospering again.

(By the way, the day I flew out of RDU JetBlue was starting service there. You would not believe the media coverage and fanfare that was there.)

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suburban george3 Town

suburban george3

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I constantly check airline prices for travel to Arizona and California thru Travelocity and Orbitz and PTI never comes close to the deals I can get out of Charlotte or occassionally RDU. I mean, I went to LAX from Charlotte in June for $183 round trip, a trip for the same dates from PTI was $338. I am getting emails now for travel to Orange County for $217 round trip and Phoenix for $152 round trip from Charlotte. I doubt PTI will be anywhere near as competitive. I do hope this situation changes....

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cityboi Metropolitan Area

cityboi

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It looks like the rerouting of Bryan Blvd near the airport will be complete soon. This section of the expressway is being rerouted to make way for the third runway being built for the FedEx hub. but according to the city, an entirely different kind of interchange will be built on this section. It sounds like it will be one of those big spagetti stack highway interchanges that you see in cities like Atlanta, Houston and Miami. The interchange will have 4 bridges and 9 ramps!! It will be th largest and most complex freeway interchange in Greensboro and in the state.

"Drawings for that system of overpasses and ramps look a little like an NFL playbook or medical diagrams."

http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...EC0101/61010018

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1968 Crossroads

1968

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This is the "new" Bryan Blvd , headed west towards the airport. The airport, not visible in this image, is off to the far left. Old Oak Ridge Rd is seen on the left side ( w/ yellow divider line), crossing over left to right. This road has the largest bridge in this project. Hope this helps.

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Jerseyman4 Burg

Jerseyman4

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Thanks!

It appears Oak Ridge Road will be reconstructed as a 2 lane highway, why not make it four lanes? If your spending all of this money for a project like this, at least plan for the future. Maybe prospective companies may want to locate along this road that may want to do business with FedEx.

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cityboi Metropolitan Area

cityboi

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This must not be the same interchange. If it is then what we are seeing in the photo is only phase 1 of the interchange and will get more complex.

"PTI officials hope to unveil the final phase during the summer of 2008, Johnson said. Drawings for that system of overpasses and ramps look a little like an NFL playbook or medical diagrams"

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NcSc74 Burg

NcSc74

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Another recent aerial looking southwest. The Y bridge on the right has some semblance of 3 layers, but not quite. It' possible that the Old Oak Ridge Rd bridge could support a 4 lane expansion, if needed later on. (photo courtesy of PTIA)

bbzq6.jpg

The more I look at this the more I don't like it. However I do understand that this interchange is not in an urban area but somehow I still believe that the result would be the same. A huge hulking earthen monster. The amount of earth moved and then replaced can't be good for the environment around that area. Not only that somewhere there is habitat that has been destroyed because of all of the earth being removed. And in its place a huge hole that supposedly the DOT says it could be used as ponds or lakes. I don't get it. Also look at the sheer complexity of this thing. A symmetrical stack would save so much land but would cost a lot more because of the extra concrete and steel. I still like that instead of tearing up the environment.

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1968 Crossroads

1968

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It's definitely changed the landscape of that area. Prior to any earth being moved, this was actually a very scenic looking corridor. The original plan, when the new runway was planned, was to have Bryan Blvd tunnel under the runway, but the costs were too high. Hence the current relocation of the roadway. IMHO, I would rather have seen the tunnel constructed.

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Roadgeek Hamlet

Roadgeek

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It's definitely changed the landscape of that area. Prior to any earth being moved, this was actually a very scenic looking corridor. The original plan, when the new runway was planned, was to have Bryan Blvd tunnel under the runway, but the costs were too high. Hence the current relocation of the roadway. IMHO, I would rather have seen the tunnel constructed.

Tunnel? Now I would have loved to see that.

I'm a little confused about this interchange. :huh: I know a lot about interchanges, but I'm still not completely sure about this one.

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blburton Whistle-Stop

blburton

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After looking at the renderings over and over, I think the interchange will be a convoluted variation of the "T-interchange". The network of ramps heading towards the left in the photo are probably the new airport access expressway. The monkey wrench to the whole project, IMO, is that Bryan Blvd and the access freeway also provide access to 2-lane Old Oak Ridge Rd. I'm assuming this will be the new Old Oak Ridge Rd Interchange? I say end OORR at Bryan Blvd from the northwest, then add a new set of ramps to continue OORR southeast on its current course from Bryan - in essence, OORR would co-exist with Bryan for a few hundred yards... or just convert OORR to limited access in that area.

As far as interchanges go, I think this one is my favorite. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/eihd/i105i110.htm

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cityboi Metropolitan Area

cityboi

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It's definitely changed the landscape of that area. Prior to any earth being moved, this was actually a very scenic looking corridor. The original plan, when the new runway was planned, was to have Bryan Blvd tunnel under the runway, but the costs were too high. Hence the current relocation of the roadway. IMHO, I would rather have seen the tunnel constructed.

yes I remember that, It would have been cool to have a tunnel. There are a number of airports that have highways going under the runway. I've always wonder though why the state like to cut cost in the Triad but then build more expensive freeways and interchanges in the Triangle and in Charlotte.

anyway depite the fact that this interchange has plowed alot of land its still a beautiful interchange the way the ramps curve.

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