Triad Traffic Congestion and Highway Construction

[RichardC]

Sure, there could be improvement by the city, police, or hired security detail, but let’s face it, since the gates to this event opened (I hear) mid afternoon and the concert was at 8PM, I could pin the blame and responsibility on the attendees as anyone for the small percentage who experienced delay.  If you know you have spent that much money to attend an event and you know the normal travel time and distance it takes, you don’t leave at the normal time if you know there my be 30, 40, or 50,000 other people involved.  You plan ahead, and give yourself enough time to maybe get there early!

i have attended concerts and large ballgames in Charlotte and Raleigh, and the same thing happens going and coming.  Went to a high school state football championship game several years ago at Carter Finley, and the traffic on I40 backed up going into Raleigh near the airport, and by the time I reached Wade Avenue, it was gridlock and at a standstill. This is nothing new.

[HRVT]

11 hours ago, RichardC said:

Sure, there could be improvement by the city, police, or hired security detail, but let’s face it, since the gates to this event opened (I hear) mid afternoon and the concert was at 8PM, I could pin the blame and responsibility on the attendees as anyone for the small percentage who experienced delay.  If you know you have spent that much money to attend an event and you know the normal travel time and distance it takes, you don’t leave at the normal time if you know there my be 30, 40, or 50,000 other people involved.  You plan ahead, and give yourself enough time to maybe get there early!

i have attended concerts and large ballgames in Charlotte and Raleigh, and the same thing happens going and coming.  Went to a high school state football championship game several years ago at Carter Finley, and the traffic on I40 backed up going into Raleigh near the airport, and by the time I reached Wade Avenue, it was gridlock and at a standstill. This is nothing new.

Yep... you should always add an hour at the VERY least for any major event. Knowing that a 30k seat venue would host 40-50k, 2 hours ahead of what it would normally take to get there is reasonable. 

My sister went... got there 3 hours ahead... zero problems coming or going.

[rancenc]

Winston-Salem's new beltway is slowly making progress!

https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/progress-visible-along-eastern-part-of-winston-salem-ncs-northern-beltway/57225

[AlmaPinnix]

The northeastern leg of Winston-Salem's loop opened to traffic about a week ago. Fox8 News Article on it here.

Also I drive over the Church Street overpass of the Greensboro urban loop quite often. They are starting to lay down the concrete surface of the highway, and have installed the very tall lights for the Elm Street intersection. Should be another 4-6 months and the last stretch will be completed.

[KJHburg]

Big news the Greensboro Outerloop I-840 may be complete by Jan. 20 like in a few weeks.  with all the job growth SE of the city with Toyota and at the airport with Boom this makes the labor pool even larger for both allowing quicker access to both.

from the Biz Journal 

""The northern section of the Greensboro Urban Loop, also known as Interstate 840, is expected to be completed ahead of schedule, perhaps as early as the next few weeks.

Though the N.C. Department of Transportation's website lists spring 2023 as the expected completion date, Patty Eason, an NCDOT construction engineer, said completion of the final piece of the Urban Loop from North Elm Street to Interstate 40 is now expected to open this month, perhaps as early as Jan. 20.

Soon, travelers will have another option for getting from one side of Greensboro to the other without negotiating traffic and traffic signals on major east-west corridors such as Wendover Avenue/Burlington Road and Gate City Boulevard, and for bypassing traffic on Battleground Avenue and U.S. 29 from the north.

Plus, the loop will make for easy access to Piedmont Triad International Airport from just about anywhere in and around the city.

The Greensboro Loop has already been credited for major new development in southern Rockingham County, where trucks and other motorists can trim significant time off trips to the airport by avoiding traffic on Battleground, and in east Greensboro, where Publix opened a massive distribution center within a mile of the loop earlier this year.""

 

[AlmaPinnix]

I have noticed them working later hours (til 7-8pm) and things have been seemingly finishing faster.

[AlmaPinnix]

Official announcement from NCDOT says the final leg of I-840, from N. Elm St. to US-29, will be completed on January 23rd, 2023. As long as weather allows.

Edited January 11 by AlmaPinnix

[AlmaPinnix]

There is a very nice video of drone footage from the Greensboro News & Record that can be seen here -- https://greensboro.com/news/local/north-elm-street-traffic-can-use-new-ramp-to-access-i-840-on-friday/article_e091bca6-9267-11ed-bb45-e373a99e42ab.html

[KJHburg]

I have always said this about Greensboro easiest city to get around and now I have the stats to back it up. 

Greensboro residents spend the least time inrush hour driving  than any city in the country!  This is a list you want to be on the bottom of! 

https://infogram.com/1pwxmkwrynd237cvnn79v99yn5u95679dn5?live

Edited January 21 by KJHburg

[cityboi]

The entire Greensboro Urban Loop is officially open!