Triangle road & traffic thread

[ncwebguy]

On Sunday I went to Winston-Salem for a party and drove past the "one lane zone". Going west around 10 am, there was some backup as people filed into one lane, but it wasn't too bad.

Someone I knew left the party early and decided to try to make it through coming back. He said it took 1 1/2 hours to get through the construction zone. It would look like there was movement, but that was all from people exiting 40 to use side roads.

I thought about taking 15-501 to Durham Freeway, roadside signs suggested taking I-85 to Durham Freeway to I-40. I did that and there was a little more traffic than on a Sunday, but no slowdowns at all.

If this is going to keep up for the next few weekends, I'm avoiding that area at all costs.

[Jones_]

On Sunday I went to Winston-Salem for a party and drove past the "one lane zone". Going west around 10 am, there was some backup as people filed into one lane, but it wasn't too bad.

Someone I knew left the party early and decided to try to make it through coming back. He said it took 1 1/2 hours to get through the construction zone. It would look like there was movement, but that was all from people exiting 40 to use side roads.

I thought about taking 15-501 to Durham Freeway, roadside signs suggested taking I-85 to Durham Freeway to I-40. I did that and there was a little more traffic than on a Sunday, but no slowdowns at all.

If this is going to keep up for the next few weekends, I'm avoiding that area at all costs.

Where was that area again exactly? Coming from Greensboro would taking 85, then 147 back to 40 dodge that instead of the 40 straight shot?

[carynative]

yes. Going 85 n to 147 back to 40 is only one mile longer and doesn't really add any time. you'll avoid that whole area and have the chance to view durham's skyline . This may become our regular route for a while, the way thingsare going.

[ncwebguy]

The area that will be under construction/repair runs west to east from 15-501 to NC 147/Durham Freeway.

The DOT appears to pick a stretch, either on the east or westbound side, and restrict traffict to one lane from mid-Saturday through late Sunday/early Monday.

Eastbound after the I85/I-40 split, I-85 follows a northern path. 147's west end is at 85, where it starts a kind of clockwise arc above Duke's West Campus and hospital, then the west side of downtown, and an almost due south run to 40.

I should have checked the milage, but it didn't feel too much longer. I kinda miss the "carved out of rock" 40 has west of Chapel Hill, but Downtown Durham is an acceptible substitute.

[Jones_]

Thanks guys. I do also like the Durham skyline...I always have this urge to go rent a loft at West Village when I drive by and worry about paying my mortgage and commuting to work later on....wierd magnetism Durham has on me....I will enjoy the new route back to Raleigh...

[NCMike1981]

thought i'd post this, whats up with the beltline traffic at rush hour? some mornings it's backed up for no reason and some mornings it moves slowly but still moves. This happens almost every few days, wrecks don't seem to be an issue.

[ncwebguy]

What part of the beltline backs up? I take Capitol to Wade Ave to avoid getting on it in the morning.

I know 40 west backs up from the Wade Ave merge back to at least US 1, if not further east. If there is an accident anywhere near Harrison Ave., it pushes the traffic back even further.

A lot of this would be removed if Cary and Apex RTP commuters could take I-540 west from US 1, but that is years away. When the section of 540 from US 1/Capital Blvd to 64 Bypass opens up (alegedly by the end of this year), some of the New Bern to Wake Forest Road to Crabtree 440 congestion may be relived as well.

[NCMike1981]

i'd say 70% of the mornings around 8:30 the beltline is backed up heading west starting anywhere from Crabtree.Six Forks to the Wade Ave exit, however this morning traffic was fine until I hit the US1 construction zone in Cary

[NCMike1981]

2day was traffic jam from six forks to wade ave, maybe 2morrow will be smooth sailing, who knows

[jfmecca]

I drive the 64 bypass to 440 and get off at Wake Forest Road every day. Most days it's slow, and about a third of the time, it's a crawl. There never really seems to be a good reason for it. Occasionally, there's an accident that stops everything back to Poole Road, but most of the time it's just heavily congested.

No matter how heavy the traffic, the 64/440 merge is nearly always a mess. Everyone coming off of 64 is trying to merge one lane to the left, which happens to be the lane where everyone seems to be trying to merge right to get off at New Bern Ave.

Coming home, I usually get a smooth ride that takes under 15 minutes.

Once 540 opens, I'll be able to take that from 64 to Capital, and then head down Old Wake Forest Road. Probably won't cut my travel time much, but it'll certainly make the trip less of a headache.

[Cary NC]

The headaches will hopefully end in Dec when 3 major projects end. I540 to 64 bypass near Knightdale, I540 to 54 and the US1/64 in cary will be done and open as well.

We will see where the new headaches will be created with these 2 legs of I540 opening.

[carynative]

and in the spring, 540 to 55 should be done. that will really help things out.

[Tayfromcarolina]

The road appears to be nearing completion with mostly cosmetic and a few last minute things to handle. Does anyone know when it is to open to traffic and when the section near the airport and hwy 55 is to open?

At long last there will be a complete northern ARC to 540. Then we can see about the southern ARC and how to time mass transit and rail into the mix.

[ChiefJoJo]

I540 from US 1 to US 64 Bypass (east) and NC 54 (west) complete in 2 months, to NC 55 in ~6 months

[Tayfromcarolina]

Thanks, good stuff. And a long time coming.

[carynative]

I-40 Fixes On the Way

[ChiefJoJo]

N&O article on the repairs. I guess I feel bad for those employees because everyone makes mistakes, but at the same time, it was a HUGE mistake.

[blburton]

I know it was planned back in the summer that Hwy 55 from US 64 in Apex to Cornwalls Dr. in Durham would be widened and functional by now.... originally was June 2006. I moved from the area back in June and I'm wondering how much the project has progressed since.

[orulz]

Last I saw (Thursday) They're just finishing the paving and striping. Probably open before new year's.

Davis Drive is done south of Morrisville-Carpenter, but between 54 and Morrisville Carpenter, real construction has yet to begin.

[thewhister]

Our future.

Correction - our present. You would think that with all these traffic cameras that public officials would see that there is a traffic problem?!?!?!?!?!?!? I am sure they watch WRAL !?!?!?!?!

I drive 40 from Raleigh to Durham most of the time (but will hop on a TTA bus when I don't have a meeting/deadline at the office) Worst part is the evening rush - it can start early, can start at 5:00 or later. Oh and forget it if there is an event at RBC!!!!!!!

[Durhamite]

Well, you don't have to live in sprawling suburbia to have an easy commute to Knightdale, just quite.

Instead of North Raleigh, try the Longview neighborhood areas of eastern Raleigh. (The Independent Weekly recently named it one of the most promising up-and-coming areas of Ral.)

You'll be just a few minutes from downtown for fun stuff, and you can cruise down New Bern Ave (Business 64, which now has way less traffic thanks to the new bypass) to get to Knightdale.

So keep that option in mind.

It's been a while since I visited this thread, but the traffic was a nightmare all over the area last Tuesday. I was caught in the "perfect storm" as I tried every back road and everywhere was a mess traveling from Knightdale to Durham. I eventually got to the Durham Freeway via some backroad and managed my way back to South Durham.

Thanks for the info as I checked out the area and I definitely liked it. However, Durham has been home for 8 years and I seemed glued to the place.

How much more can I-40 handle? Why was I-40 in Durham only widened to 6 lanes? I'm really concerned about the decision making by the NCDOT. Why is I-77 in Charlotte only 6 lanes for the most part near downtown to the SC border? I know it's a tough business, but are Aunt Bee, Guber, Gomer and Barney running the show in Raleigh? Maybe we need a Sheriff Taylor to come to the rescue, cause these sort of mistakes will haunt us for years down the road.

[urbanaturalist]

There has been a lack of public support for rail here for a couple reasons. One is that the powers-that-be have done an astoundingly horrible job of promoting it. The media, because of this, has taken a rather "wait and see" approach to the whole thing. And that's being kind. What needs to be emphasized is the absolute need for this to be put in place by everyone involved--and for the cities to really push this.

The other aspect are many people who live here. I may be wrong about this but this is how I see it. First off, for native North Carolinians--this is all rather new. If you've never lived (until now) in a city and state that is bursting at the seams with new residents--you don't quite know how to react. All of these people are moving here--and many still aren't sure we're a big city yet. I hear this all the time---"do you really think we need this--in Raleigh?" There is a tendency here for people to look at the here and now without regard for what the future is going to hold.

Secondly, you may not be aware just how much this is needed for an area like this--and how quality of life can be impacted. No YOU may not want to ride the rail, but people aren't going to stop moving here--and that commute that's getting worse now will be beyond terrible in 15 years. Another problem are the people who move down here from the Northeast and feel like they've "got it made" with their 45-60 minute commute out to Clayton every night. They're used to sitting in traffic for 2 hours--and now it's only one--yipee! It's almost like some people think they've moved to the country all of a sudden and there's no need for a mass transit option. Well dare I say it, but you're setting a dangerous precedent when your metro is about 1.6 million and you're gaining on Atlanta or Boston in the traffic department. Those places are 3-4 times the size of it here. By the time we get to 4 or 5 million--THEN how will our traffic look?

Ultimately--I think what will happen is what the census is telling us already. Raleigh, soon enough will be large enough to establish it's own rail system. At that point, rail w/in Raleigh will be needed and we may get somewhere with that. Due to the lack of leadership between the cities of the Triangle--this seems like it may be where we're headed.

I concur.

I going to piggyback off a couple of previous posters.

Its also the basic lack of comprehensive smart growth planning and zoning in the Triangle that is making it worse and worse for future traffic and development patterns, which of course by having a TTA rail system manifested as a template would make even more viable.

I agree too that the TTA should work on getting a metro wide bus system in order and advocate for a metro wide sales tax to show some leadership, authority, and initiative to the feds and Raleigh politicos.

[ncwebguy]

It is somewhat rough, but NC 55 is now four lanes all the way up to Cornwallis!

After picking up lunch at Taco Bell, I noticed the barrells were still around, but not in the road. I guess they will add a "finishing" coat of asphalt in the spring when the temperature will allow for paving, but who knows? At least the last 40-Cornwallis bottleneck is gone!

[ncwebguy]

Today will probably be the last day I post for 2006, so I wanted to point out that the DOT's predictions of extending 540 -- to NC 54 on the west side and to 64 bypass on the east -- have not happened.

WRAL reports 540's east extention won't be done till late January, if then.

The contractor hired to do the project could face a fine up $10,000 a day for each day the project falls behind schedule. But state officials told WRAL that many of the delays were out of the contractor's hands.

The project is already $6 million over budget (from $67 to $73 million) and isn't finished yet. They had *plenty* of good, warm weather this year. With the increased budget and several delays, accountability at the DOT is a joke. I like how WRAL comments blame the delays on "environmental whacos" (sic) and "safety concerns". I'm pretty sure neither of these were a factor in the I-40 widening in Durham or western 540 south of I-40.

At least the I-40 LED signs are working now. They now give time estimates to reach the I-40/US 1 intersection in Cary on 40 W west somewhere in the Miami-Page corridor and again on the downslope before approaching Harrison Ave.

[urbanvb]

I noticed some streelights on the road from the website.