Traffic, Freeways and Road Construction

[dubone]

CDOT wants to extend the HOV lanes to 5th Street, but the bigger picture is they want to build a complex HOV structure between the Belk and Brookshire freeways, but that's isn't in the near future, beyond 2025.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

the need to get from far left to far right is the major reason that HOV has dashed lines (full enter/exit) rather than the double white for the whole way south of 85. If you plan to get on Brookshire, you better start getting right just as you pass 85. people going further down 77 can take the HOV until they end and get right later.

If you look, they barely had enough ROW to squeeze in the lane itself, there will be no way they will ever have enough land to build an entrance ramp to brookshire from the median for HOV. They will have to be very efficient with their right of way in this area because of the cemetary, the stream, JC Smith University, and the lower income neighborhoods right around there. Environmental impact studies could scuttle almost any plans to widen that freeway beyond a certain point.

[Norm2]

Lets threaten to go burn down the state capital if our legilation cant figure out how to improve our road money.

[Sabaidee]

Our Mayors and our General Assembly delegations know what's wrong with the state transportation funding laws, it's the equity formula that the big metro has to also pay for the rural communities's projects.

[A2]

Our Mayors and our General Assembly delegations know what's wrong with the state transportation funding laws, it's the equity formula that the big metro has to also pay for the rural communities's projects.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed. The state really needs to get their Priorities straight. It is really quite ridiculous. I am not knocking rural NC, but when your main Tax Base is in your Urban Regions (ie Charlotte, Raleigh, etc) you need to place them at the top of the list for funding. Commerce is essential. And roads are a vital component. If it compromised then economic development slows, leaving you with less money that you would have had on the Tax rolls.

Someone needs to really lobby at the State level to change the inadequate funding laws that are currently in place. It is very antiquated and should have been changed decades ago.

A2

[monsoon]

Neat site.

Smartlink

[Sabaidee]

I wish Smartlinke would include more cameras for I-85 and Independence

[peaceloveunderstanding]

that is pretty neat, both technically and just for the neat factor.

[A2]

Is it me MB or does Raleigh's roads look better than any other city's roads on the map?

Hmmmmmm. I betcha Raleigh gets road money no problem. I sometimes wish we were kind of like Atlanta, in that not only are they the largest metro in GA, but they are also the capitol, giving them a leg up on Road funding. I am not saying Raleigh is being biased towards their own city (yes I am ), but it just seems to me that Charlotte gets put on the back burnner.

A2

[peaceloveunderstanding]

let us start a petition to move the capital to charlotte.

...

Ralieghs road are not too nice in my experiance.

[monsoon]

LOL, you are just asking to get a lecture from the RDU people.

[Norm2]

Our legislation does not seem veyr interested in changing th funding formula anytime soon. We need to lobby the state oruselves for something to be done. If we can get enough people to lobby then maybe the state will finally do something about it. Also, for NC being the size that it is and it having the 2nd most roads to maintain in the nation is rediculous.

[dubone]

how in the world is the legislature going to vote to get less money for their counties? only a handful of counties would gain from changing the formula to favor urban areas. It just isn't going to happen.

I think a safer option is to request NEW local option gas taxes. Not only would that prevent the state from reallocating the money away from transportation, but the new taxes would be raised and spent locally. As we could keep 100% of that local revenue, we actually get the benefit of the fact that we have lots of cars/people/money here ... right now the high gas tax revenues just benefit the rest of the state as we pay in much more than we get out.

By having the local gas tax available to spend locally, high priority corridors could operate on a much shorter waiting list, as they would compete only with the other high priority local needs. That means that our long term, less urgent needs can be put on the state waiting list to get built a decade from now. Our immediate needs, however, like completing 485, widening the congested stretches of freeway (like 77 in north meck, and 485 in south meck) or widening certain surface streets in high growth areas can be on a much shorter funding cycle.

[A2]

No....I really love Raleigh , its the polititians I am putting on the chopping block.

A2

[f0xym0p]

I think a safer option is to request NEW local option gas taxes.  Not only would that prevent the state from reallocating the money away from transportation, but the new taxes would be raised and spent locally.  As we could keep 100% of that local revenue, we actually get the benefit of the fact that we have lots of cars/people/money here ... right now the high gas tax revenues just benefit the rest of the state as we pay in much more than we get out. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think that's a great idea, but you know everyone is outraged at the mention of a tax increase.

[dubone]

i agree...but many people around here realize there is no way out of our predicament with new money.

Sadly, as seen in the dianne whitacre article, we have a very high gas tax in north carolina... it is just that more of nc's gas tax goes into the balancing the budget (non-transport expenses) rather than being truly a Highway Trust Fund.

[Miesian Corners]

Is it me MB or does Raleigh's roads look better than any other city's roads on the map?

Hmmmmmm. I betcha Raleigh gets road money no problem. I sometimes wish we were kind of like Atlanta, in that not only are they the largest metro in GA, but they are also the capitol, giving them a leg up on Road funding. I am not saying Raleigh is being biased towards their own city (yes I am

[Raintree21]

[Sabaidee]

NC's fees are extremely low compared to many states especially up north, my friends in Boston and Baltimore have to pay like $35 to $60 for a new license.

[Raintree21]

Anybody rode on Brookshire lately? It rocks! Nice, new, smooth pavement. Why can't they do other road projects that quickly with such good results? I just hope they didn't do a piss poor job and it breaks up into pot holes in less than a year.

[Norm2]

ACtually no one died while constructing the empire state building. predictions were that one person would die for every floor built, and no one died. wish i could say the same thing for the golden gate.....

[Sabaidee]

In the hardcopy of the Observer, I'm somewhat satifised that our most needed projects are all scheduled for 2012. I-85 widening from Speedway Blvd to Rowan County will also start. That bottleneck from Charlotte to Rowan County will be gone. Also Independence will be widen with two interchanges at Sharon Amity and Idlewild by 2012.

Yea Brookshire looks quite good, that new asphalt is to the one on Rock Hill's I-77, it will reduce sprays and standing water, it's more corse than the regular apshalt in NC, but less corse than SC. I was coming from Commonwealth but I almost took Independence to get to Uptown then I realized there's back up caused by the repaving projects, the backup on Outer Brookshire was crazy.

[Skyybutter]

I cannot believe that 85 widening in Cabarrus county will not start until 2012. I live in Cabarrus county and I can tell you it is a nightmare. The NCDOT has their heads so far in the sand its scary.

[Sabaidee]

Urgh, I know what you mean, I hate coming home on Friday afternoons from WSSU, it's a nightmare. What piss me off the current I-85 widening in Charlotte from I-485 to Speedway Blvd is just a temporary widening, 3 lanes on Northbound I-85. I guess NCDOT wants to coodirnate I-485 Northeast Leg with the I-85 Widening in Concord.

[dubone]

I cannot believe that 85 widening in Cabarrus county will not start until 2012. I live in Cabarrus county and I can tell you it is a nightmare. The NCDOT has their heads so far in the sand its scary.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

don't forget that much of the local priorty setting is done locally. Kannapolis and Concord opted for their westside bypass money before their 85 widening if i'm not mistaken.

[Sabaidee]

Wasn't the Westside bypass agreed in 1998? Concord voted in favor to speed up the bypass because either way the widening of I-85 would be delayed due to lack of funding.