Traffic Congestion and Highway Construction

[davidclt]

13 minutes ago, grodney said:

Looks.....fun?

 

It still beats three traffic lights though, right? I personally wish we'd abandon all traffic lights. Roundabouts everywhere and let the gods sort it out!

[carolinaboy]

1 hour ago, davidclt said:

It still beats three traffic lights though, right? I personally wish we'd abandon all traffic lights. Roundabouts everywhere and let the gods sort it out!

It was better than three lights, yes. It just caught me by surprise because I'd never been there before.

[SouthEndCLT811]

1 hour ago, carolinaboy said:

It was better than three lights, yes. It just caught me by surprise because I'd never been there before.

We've got a few areas like that, the 485 exit to get to the Whitewater Center looks similar to your experience 

 

But this one up by Mallard Creek area is the winner

[elrodvt]

The huge roundabouts (I believe it was the A1?) around London freaked me out the first time I encountered them in the 80's. Ended up loving the challenge.

[videtur quam contuor]

I went to Gary’s for BBQ last week and encountered it. 
it replaced a troubled interconnection that was confusing.

Gary’s has good BBQ. It also appears to be the epicenter of mask-free North Carolina.

[elrodvt]

Not sure I'm up for dinner at the epicenter for mask free Carolina. ;-)

[KJHburg]

Yet another diverging diamond interchange coming now to exit 23 Huntersville

Big changes are coming to Gilead Road in Huntersville (fox46.com)

that would join the one at exit 28 one coming to exit 36 and exits 52, 55, 58 on I-85 in cabarrus county 

[TheMightyBK]

Yet another diverging diamond interchange coming now to exit 23 Huntersville
Big changes are coming to Gilead Road in Huntersville (fox46.com)
that would join the one at exit 28 one coming to exit 36 and exits 52, 55, 58 on I-85 in cabarrus county 

My old exit is growing up 🥲


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[rancenc]

$143.1 million of Powell Bill Fund monies being distributed throughout the state including municipalities within the Greater Charlotte area.

https://independenttribune.com/news/local/ncdot-sending-143-million-in-powell-bill-funds-to-help-municipalities-improve-transportation/article_6ced49dc-2152-11ec-9a51-8befb4221ef1.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1

[Crucial_Infra]

Looks like a new pave job on 77 

[Skyybutter]

On 9/9/2021 at 7:36 PM, tarhoosier said:

I went to Gary’s for BBQ last week and encountered it. 
it replaced a troubled interconnection that was confusing.

Gary’s has good BBQ. It also appears to be the epicenter of mask-free North Carolina.

FACTS all around. Southwestern Rowan County....That's a peculiar area.

[NCMike1990]

I wasn't sure where to post this but I was checking the traffic cameras and discovered a tall crane on the horizon. It looks like it's near Camp North End. Does anyone know what project the crane is for?

The crane is in the center of the pic.

Edit: Never mind, I think it's at Camp North End where construction is going on.

Edited October 2, 2021 by NCMike1990

[KJHburg]

I-485 express lanes and widening update.  Including photo of new Weddington Rd exit (back entrance to Providence Planation etc) 2nd photo. 

Supposed to open next year.

2020-i-485-project-handout.pdf (ncdot.gov)

[RJDEES81]

Here's photos of I-85 widening in Gaston County. Yeah I'm being sarcastic.  Can anyone tell me why we're paying road usage fees?  Or why the ncdot hasn't been shut down under RICO yet? 

 

[kermit]

When is the city going to begin issuing hefty punitive fines on Chick fil A every time a customer of theirs blocks a sidewalk or car travel lane while waiting to order a nugget.  I am really tired of South blvd (and Randolph and Wendover and…) being a taxpayer-subsidized drive through line for a private business. 

This seems like a perfect use case for photo enforcement.

(active CLT twitter discussion on this happening now although I had to go and make the discussion a bit more militant)

/rant/

Edited November 9, 2021 by kermit

[KJHburg]

NC Hwy 16 in Catawba county good progress most of the route now is separated by the median but not all the lanes open yet.  

Today. 

[nicholas]

Now that I live in Charlotte, and drive down Graham St every day, it reminds me how much Graham St sucks.  I don't mind the narrow lanes because it generally keeps traffic from going insanely fast, but the rest of it....ugh.  There's so much congestion, near-accidents, last-second lane-changes, etc constantly due to a complete lack of turn lanes almost everywhere.  Also several terribly-functioning intersections such as Woodward/Graham/24th and Dalton/Statesville/Graham/Liddell.

Much of what clogs up Graham St is industrial traffic not having a turn lane to pull into (especially for left turns).  I think replacing two lanes with a continuous middle turn lane would help immensely, and there should still be space left over for bike lanes and new sidewalks because the existing ones either were never built or are mostly in terrible shape.

The two intersections I mentioned would require some much more extensive construction and property acquisition, but here's what I would do if I was in charge.  I realize that the Dalton intersection would likely be impossible to build the way I drew it, but my thinking was build a better set of intersections and rebuild the homeless shelter, crisis intervention place, and Jehovah's Witness church in the green blocks, and a new park or something in the blue one.

Edited November 22, 2021 by nicholas

[tozmervo]

17 hours ago, nicholas said:

So your proposal to realign Woodward Ave with 24th Street is in the master plan document for the "Applied Innovation Corridor," which included a series of CIP projects including the streetscape improvements currently underway.  Unfortunately the link on UP's development map is dead and I'm having trouble chasing down the document. (Image below is from the development map.) 

 

 

There has not been a similar proposal for changes around Dalton, but my concern with your drawing is that it just shifts the convergence clusterF south to Music Factory Blvd - in essence just moving the problem instead of resolving it. 

[nicholas]

3 hours ago, tozmervo said:

So your proposal to realign Woodward Ave with 24th Street is in the master plan document for the "Applied Innovation Corridor," which included a series of CIP projects including the streetscape improvements currently underway.  Unfortunately the link on UP's development map is dead and I'm having trouble chasing down the document. (Image below is from the development map.) 

 

 

There has not been a similar proposal for changes around Dalton, but my concern with your drawing is that it just shifts the convergence clusterF south to Music Factory Blvd - in essence just moving the problem instead of resolving it. 

Yeah, the Dalton intersection is pretty tough. A roundabout might be the best bet there, or possibly extending Armour Dr across the tracks to Callahan St and routing through traffic onto the new connector (and removing part of Statesville Ave between Graham and Callahan St).  That would move the intersection for Statesville Ave traffic about a quarter mile up Graham St.

[KJHburg]

Finally the Concord Mills flyover is open.

Concord Mills Flyover Bridge Set to Open This Afternoon (ncdot.gov)

[dubone]

On 11/22/2021 at 4:24 PM, tozmervo said:

So your proposal to realign Woodward Ave with 24th Street is in the master plan document for the "Applied Innovation Corridor," which included a series of CIP projects including the streetscape improvements currently underway.  Unfortunately the link on UP's development map is dead and I'm having trouble chasing down the document. (Image below is from the development map.) 

 

 

There has not been a similar proposal for changes around Dalton, but my concern with your drawing is that it just shifts the convergence clusterF south to Music Factory Blvd - in essence just moving the problem instead of resolving it. 

https://charlottenc.gov/charlottefuture/CIP/aic/Pages/default.aspx

[KJHburg]

On my way to Kannapolis decided to try the new flyover into Concord Mills on this holiday with few people around.  The flyover makes has a sharp curve then splits into 2 lanes.  They really need the signage and arrows on this as it is easy to go up it too fast then have to brake hard in the curve.  DOT should have insisted the signage up before it opened. 

the new BJs Brewhouse is under construction outside the mall too.  there is also 3 turning lanes out of the mall under the bridge and I-85 is a block away which should help with leaving the mall. 

 

[nicholas]

On 11/25/2021 at 4:21 PM, KJHburg said:

On my way to Kannapolis decided to try the new flyover into Concord Mills on this holiday with few people around.  The flyover makes has a sharp curve then splits into 2 lanes.  They really need the signage and arrows on this as it is easy to go up it too fast then have to brake hard in the curve.  DOT should have insisted the signage up before it opened. 

the new BJs Brewhouse is under construction outside the mall too.  there is also 3 turning lanes out of the mall under the bridge and I-85 is a block away which should help with leaving the mall.

 

Definitely going to be ripping around that corner for fun.

[JRCLT]

Definitely going to be ripping around that corner for fun.

You’re gonna be ripping off that ledge and doing some flips.
Lol

[videtur quam contuor]

The Roadway Expansion Paradox

Motorists want expensive roadway expansions provided that somebody else foots the bill, but when required to pay directly through tolls, the need for more capacity often disappears. What should planners do?

 

https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/115395-roadway-expansion-paradox