Traffic Congestion and Highway Construction

[dubone]

I crossed the new bridge for the first time ever this week coming back from the northeast after the holidays.   I gotta say, it was so amazing.  I crossed the old bridge hundreds of times and always felt in danger, so the new wide bridge was such a relief. 

 

 

Here is NCDOT Communication's badass sequel to the trippy bridge update:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbnFKWCHYtc&list=PL5B88C14EC9C4AFAD&feature=c4-overview-vl

 

 

DJ Steve and Lil' Heather!!  

[grodney]

The I-beams for the new flyover at Johnston and 485 are in place.  They did it over 5 consecutive nights last week.  You can see the supports in the Google Maps aerial.

[Matthew.Brendan]

Yup. Also, the 2 new sets of traffic lights at Exit 4 on/off ramps are operational. This is where Tangers is going in, which is visible from the highway.

[mad_park]

An interesting look at Charlotte's regional transportation issues in the wake of the debacle in Atlanta - I don't think we are immune to something similar (on a smaller scale).

http://cltdevelopment.blogspot.com/2014/01/three-questions-atlantas-snowmageddon.html

[teeg]

We did have a surprise mid-day blizzard in 2004.  The gridlock was stunning.  I believe that was one of the reasons why the city developed its uptown evacuation plan.  

 

Hopefully, I type with my fingers crossed, the fact that our school systems are generally very conservative with respect to weather closings will help us avoid some of the trouble that the Atlanta-area saw.  

Edited January 30, 2014 by teeg

[Matthew.Brendan]

Can anyone please provide details on the overpass that is being built between Johnston and Rea?

Note this is not the flyover at Johnston, but rather a brand-new overpass being installed between the two roads. It would appear to be a brand-new Road extension on both sides.

[southslider]

^North Community House Rd

[grodney]

Yeah, I just noticed that this morning.  I knew it was planned, but didn't know it was being done at the same time.  It was supposed to be part of X million dollars worth of road improvements in the Ballantyne area -- that is, it isn't part of the 485 widening and flyover.  Seeing them working on it made me wonder if it's the same company doing it, or if they just worked it out to go ahead and piggyback the construction with the already disrupted 485.

 

Edit: Here you go: http://www.thecharlotteweekly.com/news/2014/01/second-wave-of-road-construction-coming-soon/

Edited February 5, 2014 by grodney

[go_vertical]

If growth in Ballantyne continues at this pace for the foreseeable future how long before Bissell revisits the older section to the west of Johnston and replaces the vast lots with decks and denser offices? Or will we ever see that?

[Guest]

If growth in Ballantyne continues at this pace for the foreseeable future how long before Bissell revisits the older section to the west of Johnston and replaces the vast lots with decks and denser offices? Or will we ever see that?

I have always wondered that myself. There HAS to be a way! Its just such a scar on the Charlotte Urban Landscape.

[tozmervo]

Everyone ready to start photographing Charlotte-area #sneckdowns?

[Urbanity]

Ok - I believe this is the NCDOT befind this tallying of votes.   If so that speaks volumes of how they decide things.  CBJ:  Charlotte property owners vote against noise walls but unreturned ballots count as ‘yes’

 

My favorite example:  "However, the walls were approved for property owners in Fourth Ward, which only sent in 58 percent of the ballots — again, largely voting against."    

[Madison Parkitect]

Yeah, that's the most ridiculous thing, and it's an obvious scam by the NCDOT. Let me guess, putting up noise walls will be cheaper and easier for them than trees? Never mind what looks better, contributes to a better city, or is wanted by the people.

[DMann]

Yeah, that's the most ridiculous thing, and it's an obvious scam by the NCDOT. Let me guess, putting up noise walls will be cheaper and easier for them than trees? Never mind what looks better, contributes to a better city, or is wanted by the people.

Trees don't like breathing that air any more than I do.

[cltbwimob]

Ok - I believe this is the NCDOT befind this tallying of votes.   If so that speaks volumes of how they decide things.  CBJ:  Charlotte property owners vote against noise walls but unreturned ballots count as ‘yes’

 

My favorite example:  "However, the walls were approved for property owners in Fourth Ward, which only sent in 58 percent of the ballots — again, largely voting against."    

I encourage all who are upset by these walls to voice their displeasure on the Secretary of Transportation Tony Tata's Facebook page. If you choose to do this, please be respectful. He is actually very reasonable and is very good about directly answering those who wish to communicate to him via this medium.

[Miesian Corners]

Does anyone here know anything or anyone with streetlights in Charlotte?  CDOT has a mis-mash of lighting types on streets around the Bearden Park and BB&T Ballpark.  Some are LED, some are sodium vapor.  Likewise, some of uptown (a good part of College St) is lit with LEDs, but the rest of uptown is still sodium.  Is there a method to the city's (and Duke Power's) madness?  

 

On a related note, I just returned from a biz trip to Los Angleles, Des Moines, and Auburn, AL where nearly every major street I drove on in all three cities had LED streetlights.  Even my hometown of Cheraw, SC has replaced its sodium and mercury lights with LED.  Why can't Charlotte do more than one street?

[dubone]

Better yet, Friends of Fourth Ward supposedly standardized, they came in and replaced a bunch of the old 70s boxes, but left a few random ones with the old.  

 

Let's hope the city at least creates a project to convert to LEDs as a standard in the city.   Replacing all existing is tough, but it is a shame we have to have so much variation from lack of coordination and policy.  

[Bikeguy]

Does anyone here know anything or anyone with streetlights in Charlotte?  CDOT has a mis-mash of lighting types on streets around the Bearden Park and BB&T Ballpark.  Some are LED, some are sodium vapor.  Likewise, some of uptown (a good part of College St) is lit with LEDs, but the rest of uptown is still sodium.  Is there a method to the city's (and Duke Power's) madness?  

 

On a related note, I just returned from a biz trip to Los Angleles, Des Moines, and Auburn, AL where nearly every major street I drove on in all three cities had LED streetlights.  Even my hometown of Cheraw, SC has replaced its sodium and mercury lights with LED.  Why can't Charlotte do more than one street?

 

Well... it might have something to do with the fact that Duke owns our streetlights and are in no rush to curtail the enormous cash flow from the City of Charlotte.

[Miesian Corners]

I understand how it can take a while, but when new poles have been installed around the ball park and park, it seems kind of dumb to not use LEDs on them (when they've already done other areas of uptown).  But in true Charlotte fashion, it will probably end up where they install sodium lights this week and then take them down two months later.    

Edited March 9, 2014 by Miesian Corners

[Guest]

I understand how it can take a while, but when new poles have been installed around the ball park and park, it seems kind of dumb to not install LEDs on those when they've already done other areas of uptown.  But in true Charlotte fashion, it will probably end up where they install sodium lights this week and then take them down two months later.    

Probably from a contract carved in stone during the carter administration that doesn't expire for a century. 

[NCMike1990]

Construction is moving right along on the 85/485 interchange project: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ncdot/13287041644/in/photostream/

[dubone]

http://www.businessinsider.com/here-are-the-grid-orientations-of-major-american-cities-2014-3

 

I had no idea where to put this, but I thought it was fascinating, and highlights with an actual METRIC on what I have always viewed as a negative in the lack of grids in this city versus most civilized cities I have been in my life.   

 

This particular article is not necessarily a value judgement on it, but it is basically showing the degree to which a city is designed with an organized grid.  

[orulz]

just a heads up that the draft prioritization results from NCDOT under the new funding formula is here. A few small Triangle area projects occupy many of the very top spots on the statewide tier, but it seems most of the large projects towards the top of the list are in the Charlotte area.

The highest ranking project in the state over $30m is converting Independence to a freeway from Sardis Road North to I-485, a $109m project at #13 on the list.

The 2nd most expensive project on the list, Managed Lanes on I-40 near Raleigh, is close behind at #14 which is an impressive achievement for a $3/4 billion project.

[Matthew.Brendan]

Any projected time frame on Independence to 485? That includes rail down that corridor as well, right? I kid, I kid...

[orulz]

So far the prioritization process has only resulted in a draft, ranked list of projects. Presumably though since the Sardis Road to I-485 project ranks so highly, the answer would be "pretty soon."