Skip to main content

I-73 Route through Greensboro now 'Official'

Image
By
Based on an article published on July 4, apparently NCDOT has officially come to the decision as to where I-73 is to be routed in Greensboro. I know what you're saying, but haven't they already decided on that based on the signage put up for the Urban Loop? Yes and no. Obviously the route using the Loop was decided upon, but what had not been officially agreed to was how I-73 was to get from the Loop to the NC 68-US 220 Connector.

According to a previous story that appeared on July 1, NCDOT was still deciding between the Bryan Blvd. route and a route that would take a path from the Connector directly to the Loop. The NCDOT official quoted in that story cited only problems for this last route, environmental and higher costs, that implied the Bryan Blvd. route, that coincidentally has appeared in NCDOT publications for the past 5 years, would be chosen. Now that it is officially official, I-73 North will take an upgraded Bryan Blvd. west from the Loop to NC 68. It will then follow an upgraded NC 68 north to the vicinity of Pleasant Ridge Road where the Connector will begin and it will follow this north and east to an upgraded US 220, creating a somewhat semi-circular route.

Dates cited in the article for construction are:
2010 - For the first phase of the Connector (the upgrading of US 220 from the Connector to where NC 68 intersects US 220) which will not be built to interstate standards.
2013 -For the actual connector itself which will be built in two phases, after which the US 220 segment (above) would be modified to interstate standards.
After 2015 - Final construction needed on Bryan Blvd and NC 68 to bring them up to interstate standards.

Story: Greensboro News & Record (7/4/08)

Commentary: In the article the writer indicates that NCDOT can now replace their 'Future I-73' signs along the Urban Loop with actual interstate signage and sign other parts of the official route up to interstate standards as I-73. This is questionable, since an interstate is supposed to at least end at a National Highway System route, and I don't know if Bryan Blvd. fits that definition. However, since NCDOT has already signed I-74 on a freeway that does not touch an interstate route at all at this current time*, this could be the case here. I will update my site with the above information within the next 10 days.

*I'm referring to the freeway from Laurinburg to east of Maxton that won't connect with I-95 until later this year, this may also be the case between Winston-Salem and High Point where there is a construction project noted by NCDOT on their Travel Information page that indicates they are closing lanes on the US 311 freeway to put up new signage, what kind they do not say, though I-74 won't connect to I-85 until 2011.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

By
After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley.  To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker.   Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa.   The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language.  The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246.  CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County.  CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward.  South of CA 127 ...
4 comments
Read more

Finding the Pre-Emption Road of New York State

By
  The Pre-Emption Road (or rather a series of roads named Pre-Emption Road) follows a survey line called the Pre-Emption Line, drawn in the early days of the United States. The story begins with Massachusetts and New York having competing land claims to modern day Western New York State that have their roots in colonial charters granted by the British. After the Revolutionary War ended, this land became the frontier of the nation and its settlement became a priority for the new American government. During this era, there were a lot of competing land claims that needed to be settled. It was no different with the land claims between New York State and Massachusetts. On November 30, 1786, Massachusetts and New York sent representatives to Hartford, Connecticut to resolve their competing land claims. In less than three weeks, the representatives had reached a compromise. Massachusetts would receive pre-emption rights, meaning the right to sell the land after the Indian title ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

By
  Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...
Post a Comment
Read more