Traffic Congestion and Highway Construction

[AuLukey]

Does anyone know the timeline for the 85 widening in Cabarrus County? I drive it all week and I must say they work constantly on it. Saturdays and even overnight. I just hope it is finished ASAP!! The traffic jams are all the time.

Try traveling through University back in 2003/2004 when they widened 85 from Concord Mills to essentially Sugar Creek (redoing 29/49 interchange was officially the end, but the project went further south.) That was back before taking 485 was a viable alternative.

The traffic this time around really isn't anything more unusual than the normal traffic patterns through that stretch save the lane closures and complete closures (which I experienced last night) during off-peak times. The travel should be much easier (and smoother) once the framework for all the new bridges are complete and traffic is diverted to the center new lanes of the interstate which are nearing completion in some areas.

[dubone]

Really, it's the normal complaints during construction. 2y of inconvenience for 50y of improved infrastructure. It's worth the temporary pain as long as the design is appropriate.

[Third Strike]

Just a quick question on the current section of I-485 that's under construction.

I noticed this section of I-485 is going to be an eight-lane highway, but do they plan to make the two inner lanes HOT lanes? I know they plan to widen the southern portion of I-485 to eight lanes, with the inners being HOT, I was also wondering if the same would be done to the northeast section as well. I've kinda suspected that I-485 would one day be completely widen to eight lanes, but will only some sections have toll lanes?

[dubone]

http://ww.charmeck.org/fastlanes/

The Fast Lanes website by the city does not have the northern 485 as being studies for HOT, so I think the answer is that it won't be HOT, since they'd need to work fast and I don't think they can make that change to the design that quickly.

[southslider]

I know of only 3 corridors currently being studied for HOT lanes-- 1) I-77 North, 2) US-74 East, and 3) I-485 South.

However, I do think any expressway with four or more lanes, such as I-85 E/W and I-485 NE, would be good candidates for converting one lane to a HOT lane. After all, if I-485 South will only ever have 3 free lanes in either direction, why not other corridors?

Edited July 30, 2012 by southslider

[NLP]

http://www.ncdot.gov...lotteOuterLoop/

(Scroll to lowest section for 85).

It'll be done around November 2013.

To add to this post, since government projects always go over deadline/budget:

https://apps.dot.state.nc.us/traffictravel/progloc/ProgLocSearch.aspx

Contract #C202522, the 85 widening project. Estimated completion is now mid-March 2014 and it's 2.29% over budget. That doesn't seem like much, but it's a $125M budget. As for finishing 485, the half that runs from 85 to 115 (Contract #C202521) is about 2 months behind schedule and 4% over budget. The east part that syncs up the existing part of 485 (Contract #C202523) is currently on budget and on schedule (knock on wood, jinx doesn't count).

Not really a gripe post because as stated previously, the benefits will be amazing.

[Skyybutter]

To add to this post, since government projects always go over deadline/budget:

https://apps.dot.sta...gLocSearch.aspx

Contract #C202522, the 85 widening project. Estimated completion is now mid-March 2014 and it's 2.29% over budget. That doesn't seem like much, but it's a $125M budget. As for finishing 485, the half that runs from 85 to 115 (Contract #C202521) is about 2 months behind schedule and 4% over budget. The east part that syncs up the existing part of 485 (Contract #C202523) is currently on budget and on schedule (knock on wood, jinx doesn't count).

Not really a gripe post because as stated previously, the benefits will be amazing.

Yuck. I drive pretty much the whole construction route. From Concord Mills Exit 49 up to Hwy 73 exit 55. For some reason I was imagining by next summer at the latest. I hope they are putting lights up. I would hate for this new stretch to be dark at night.

[southslider]

It's a shame the section of I-85 under construction is over budget. At least, with the indefinite delays to the Monroe Connector/By-Pass and Garden Parkway projects, NCDOT should still be seeing some savings in the near future. And maybe these other savings could go towards speeding up the unfunded widening of I-485 from Rea Road to Independence, as well as the unfunded widening of I-85 between the current project and China Grove.

[Skyybutter]

85 south will be detoured next thursday and friday nights around the new 485 turbine interchange.

Traffic on I-85 south detoured late next week

By: Independent Tribune Staff {sodEmoji.|} Independent Tribune

Published: August 16, 2012 Updated: August 16, 2012 - 1:52 PM

» 0 Comments {sodEmoji.|} Post a Comment

CONCORD, N.C. -- Motorists will be forced to take a detour around the work zone on Interstate 85 Thursday, Aug. 23, and Friday, Aug. 24, as crews work to set bridge girders for the future I-85/I-485 interchange in Charlotte.

The N.C. Department of Transportation will work with contractor Lane Construction to set the bridge girders 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. both days, weather permitting.

The existing junction will be converted to a turbine interchange, the first of its kind in North Carolina. The work is part of $92.2 million I-85/I-485 interchange project.

Learn more about the turbine interchange design here: http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/CharlotteOuterLoop/.

In order to safely place the bridge girders, traffic on I-85 South must be detoured around the work zone, according to state officials. Motorists will be detoured to the I-485 Outer Loop (Exit 48) to U.S. 29 South to Mallard Creek Church Road back to I-85 South. All lanes on I-85 North will remain open each night.

This project is one of three concurrent jobs to complete the Charlotte Outer Loop. The interchange is scheduled to be completed in June 2014.

N.C. Department of Transportation reminds motorists to watch signs for construction information, stay alert and obey the posted speed limit.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

I would like to add that the NCDOT Construction Progress Reports are not always accurate or kept updated. Project budgets and schedules are hard to estimate and can change at any time. I imagine the relatively rainy summer has played a key role. When an afternoon storm pops up and you have workers on the clock during a downpour doing nothing, that's a huge hit to payroll. The recent increase in oil prices has probably had an impact as well. They budget fuel at a fixed rate in the contract.

The project completion date is also 100 percent, every single thing done. You can have traffic on the new lanes by November, but still have other work to finish (signage, final lane markings, drainage, demobilization, etc.).

Edited September 7, 2012 by cowboy_wilhelm

[tozmervo]

For lack of a better thread, here seems good. MUMPO - Mecklenburg Union Metro Planning Org - is expanding to include Iredell County, more of Union and parts of Lincoln. It will continue to "relinquish control" to existing POs in Gaston, York, Cabarrus, etc.

[dubone]

That is good for planning purposes. But hopefully it does not dilute the needs of the core city in the region. It is smart, though, to have planners consider the needs of the contiguous urban areas, so that is a good thing overall.

[Third Strike]

Looks like the widening of I-485 between I-77 and Rea Road could start in a couple of weeks, and finish by late 2014.

http://charlotte.new...idening-project

But correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't they going to build two extra lanes in both directions, with a HOT lane included?

[southslider]

^There will only be one new general purpose lane initially, though also an auxilarily (exit-only) lane in places. The pavement depth will be built to support a second new lane, so that a future widening could be implemented cheaply with just re-striping. However, at this time, the Feds won't allow a second lane, since that's against the region's Congestion Management Plan.

[ah59396]

$83 million!?!??!??! Why are we spending this money!?!?! Big government, ahhhhh!!!

/sarcasm/

[dubone]

I think the goal was 8 lanes, but obviously if the fed is disallowing it, then it is what it is. The 8 lanes would have been much more expensive with a lot more changes to bridges, etc.

Even though people are often tunnel vision about wanting bigger and wider for a stretch of road, if it isn't part of a total plan, it simply moves congestion over to another road.

The auxiliary roads will help, though, in getting cars off the through lanes to the exits for light rail and alternate routes.

I seriously think this stretch of interstate is screwed in the long run without starting to plan to extend the Lynx to Ballantyne, but the HOT lanes would have been a positive thing for that area.

[southslider]

^Another "BLE" to Ballantyne should be the next regional rail priority. Since the geopolitics of MTC's make-up favors projects leading to other towns, hopefully Pineville would back such a "BLE-2". Otherwise, the North Towns and Matthews will continue to push respectively for their pet Red and Silver Lines as the region's next priority.

As for HOT lanes, the trouble with I-485 is what to do with them when they reach I-77. For that matter, as long as I-77 remains as-is north of Arrowood, the widening of I-485 to Rea Road may actually make that overall morning commute worse.

Similarly, the I-85 widening through Concord will just send more folks faster in the morning to the bottleneck of merging onto I-77 from a slow-speed, sharp-turning ramp.

[SentioVenia]

Did anybody know that the section of I-85 around Concord Mills was named Jeff Gordon Expressway?! I missed that one.

[Otto]

The ultimate vision for Metrolina should be a region that has multi-lane freeways connecting the regional core with the surrounding counties. These freeways should be supplemented by high capacity commuter rail utilizing existing rail corridors. There should also be a balance of light-rail, improved bus, and park and rides to enable efficient transition to the different modes. In order to realize that vision.....

- The public recognizing that roads are just as subsidized as rail and bus transit....thus a more positive view of public transit.

- Public officials and the public recognizing that though new and wide roads are more "sexy" than transit.....roads alone are note going to solve the transportation problem. Just as transportation companies such as Fedex and UPS recognize the benefit of using multiple modes to get parcels from point A to B, the public and individuals in government, planning, engineering, and development have to understand that it is also beneficial in moving people.

- The public understanding that there is a trade-off of living in the suburbs....and one of those is a longer commute. The choice is whether to spend that commute in a car or in some form of public transit.

- Developers and local planners realizing that there are not a lot of people who can spend $450K for a 2-bedroom condo in transit-oriented developments. Prices are going to have to be reduced to encourage more people to change their lifestyle and live along transit corridors.

- Individuals must also understand that the role of government, in regards to transportation, is not to plan for the current situation, but the sustainable future. There must be emphasis on utilitzing existing transportation infrastructure and seeking to get as much efficiency out of it as possible. Efficiency means consolidating more people per trip. Thus, the goal should not be to only focus on automotive travel. There is a need to create policies that encourage sustainable development and efficient use of our transportation network....meaning that it may result in a less car-friendly environment.

[Windsurfer]

The ultimate vision for Metrolina should be a region that has multi-lane freeways connecting the regional core with the surrounding counties. These freeways should be supplemented by high capacity commuter rail utilizing existing rail corridors. There should also be a balance of light-rail, improved bus, and park and rides to enable efficient transition to the different modes. In order to realize that vision.....

There is a need to create policies that encourage sustainable development and efficient use of our transportation network....meaning that it may result in a less car-friendly environment.

I just wish the commuter rails and freeways were they, themselves, built with sustainability in mind. Habitat fragmentation is the number one cause of animal extinction in N.C. Not hunters and not pollution. People on urban planet always scoff at the idea of mono rail...that's fine, but raising rail a mile or two over undisturbed habitat, or elevating highways over wetlands instead of draining large areas of habitat, would go a long, long way towards sustainability. Highway 64 east of Raleigh has such places. Kudos to those thoughtful designers.

[southslider]

Charlotte is just catching up to other metros in building freeways. But thankfully, there will never again be a time like the present with so many miles programmed at once. North Carolina has maxed out on gas taxes. Any future capacity will be toll lanes.

[Third Strike]

Has there ever been any talks of a direct Charlotte-Raleigh/Cary highway? The mileage between Charlotte and Cary is a lesser distance than using I-85/40, and it could link some of the rural towns to the major metros, like Albemarle. It could also help with better access to the Uwharrie Forest, and provide a center-state junction with I-74/73, allowing access to all three major metros in NC. I suppose they could run a highway that would run parallel with NC-24/27 (or convert it to interstate standards, with bypasses around the major towns), and then link up with US Route 1, which would run directly into Cary. I think the biggest problem would be the Uwharrie Forest, which might be the one part that doesn't become a highway, or they can simply add two more lanes to NC-24/27, with limited access.

I don't think this is a project needed in the near future, but it would be nice to see after all of the current highway projects are done. I thought about this after seeing how the Triad and Triangle have so many highways that link in several different directions, but outside of the interstates, and eventually US-74, the Charlotte area doesn't really have anything like this.

[Sabaidee]

Has there ever been any talks of a direct Charlotte-Raleigh/Cary highway? The mileage between Charlotte and Cary is a lesser distance than using I-85/40, and it could link some of the rural towns to the major metros, like Albemarle. It could also help with better access to the Uwharrie Forest, and provide a center-state junction with I-74/73, allowing access to all three major metros in NC. I suppose they could run a highway that would run parallel with NC-24/27 (or convert it to interstate standards, with bypasses around the major towns), and then link up with US Route 1, which would run directly into Cary. I think the biggest problem would be the Uwharrie Forest, which might be the one part that doesn't become a highway, or they can simply add two more lanes to NC-24/27, with limited access.

I don't think this is a project needed in the near future, but it would be nice to see after all of the current highway projects are done. I thought about this after seeing how the Triad and Triangle have so many highways that link in several different directions, but outside of the interstates, and eventually US-74, the Charlotte area doesn't really have anything like this.

I don't feel like looking for this info, but it was on the news a few months ago. NCDOT wants make NC 24/27 through Albermarle into an expressway, however expressway in NC has many meanings.

[orulz]

Has there ever been any talks of a direct Charlotte-Raleigh/Cary highway? The mileage between Charlotte and Cary is a lesser distance than using I-85/40, and it could link some of the rural towns to the major metros, like Albemarle. It could also help with better access to the Uwharrie Forest, and provide a center-state junction with I-74/73, allowing access to all three major metros in NC. I suppose they could run a highway that would run parallel with NC-24/27 (or convert it to interstate standards, with bypasses around the major towns), and then link up with US Route 1, which would run directly into Cary. I think the biggest problem would be the Uwharrie Forest, which might be the one part that doesn't become a highway, or they can simply add two more lanes to NC-24/27, with limited access.

I don't think this is a project needed in the near future, but it would be nice to see after all of the current highway projects are done. I thought about this after seeing how the Triad and Triangle have so many highways that link in several different directions, but outside of the interstates, and eventually US-74, the Charlotte area doesn't really have anything like this.

It's planned and has been studied to some extent but not on the route you suggest. The route studied is the US 64 - NC 49 route.

[southslider]

^If US-74 were upgraded to an expressway from Charlotte to Rockingham, the only remaining gap would be from there to Sanford via I-73/74 and US-1.