A Columbus Day Construction Progress Trip

I took a trip on Monday to see what progress, if any, had been made in some of the highway projects I am following starting in Durham then heading west on US 64 to Asheboro, northon US 220 to Greensboro then back east to Durham on I-40/85.
1. The Triangle Parkway
Construction it appears has finally begun with the start of clearing of the toll road's right-of-way. The evidence is at the northern end and does not extend south to the Davis Drive (still under construction to make it a 4-lane highway) interchange on NC 540:

View heading south on NC 147 just before it turns to end at Alexander Drive.

Closer view of the area cleared and the construction equipment.

Meanwhile, all was quiet at the other end of the construction corridor where the Parkway will meet NC 540 (mostly hidden y the grass under the ramp bridges).

2. The Future I-73 (US 220)/I-74 (US 311) Interchange:
I drove northbound from Asheboro and took a few shots of progress in clearing the construction zone for the interchange over the past month:

The first clearance area, this will be for the off-ramp taking I-74 West toward High Point.

The second clearance area where the route signage is located is for construction of the flyover ramp that will take I-74 West over I-73. Here's a better look:

The cleared area may be piled with more dirt if the ramp has to be higher. Lastly, the 3rd construction area...

This will be where the flyover and onramp from I-74 East to I-73 (US 220) north will be built.

3. Some new signage in Greensboro:
I drove through Death Valley on the way back to Durham to take some photos of the new signs and or exit numbers heading east on I-40:

Here's the first new I-40 exit for Randleman Road, this number was for US 220 when I-40 was on the Loop, now it's less interesting.

The once unique six-shield sign assembly, is now down to 5. There are even fewer shields on the overhead signs-

US 421 North used to be on what is now Exit 223 and 421 South on what is now Exit 222.

The shield signs were finally corrected in August, I still don't see the need for Business 85 here.
And finally, a dichotomy of exit numbers--

The I-40 one is on the right, but the next exit is with I-85 mileposts. It would be nice if you could travel 95 miles in the equivalent of a 1/2 mile according to the sign, but then I'd miss exiting to Durham.

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

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 ...

Finding the Pre-Emption Road of New York State

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 ...

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

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...

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