Skip to main content

I-74/US 311 Freeway Progress for August, Part 1

Image
By
I traveled Sunday 8/29 to view the latest progress on the I-74/US 311 Freeway between Business 85 in High Point and US 220 in Randleman, plus check up on the new construction project along 220 in Asheboro. During the visit from Cedar Square Road south I followed along with Bill Travers, a local resident who has been helping me keep up to date on area construction projects. Part 1 will describe progress on Phase 1 of the project from Business 85 to Spencer Road, while Part 2 will describe progress and new locations to view Phase 2 to US 220 and remark about changes in plans for this part of highway since the Design-Build section was let.

Part 1 - Business 85 to Spencer Road
A. Baker Road
As seen in the photo below, the last grading of the temporary road has been completed, the ground now needs seeding and wet weather for something to grow on it:
The views to the south and north actually look less complete than last month due to landscaping work covering up the completed asphalt roadway. Here's a view to the north:
They also seem to be laying cable along the side of the roadway. The view to the south:
shows the need for more landscaping toward the bridge and covers for the median catch basins.

B. Jackson Lake Road Bridge
Some changes here, beginning with the landscaping around the bridge. The former truck entry road has been graded over and become a grassy area:
This is a definite sign construction is wrapping up in this area, another sign are signs, or structures to hold them placed in both directions west of the bridge:
The left gantry is for the I-85 exit, the one on the left Business 85. Remaining landscaping has to be completed as well as sign placement. Looking east also shows some landscaping work remains...
Plus catch basin work. Though there is an addition of shoulder guard rails and median guide wires.

C. Kersey Valley Road Bridge
Major progress in this area on guard rails, as one can see in the photo below:
The truck access road, seen in the foreground, is still being used. Looking south reveals more guardrail progress as well as successful landscaping that almost needs to be mowed...
They also need to put up another sign gantry, I assume this is the 2 mile sign for the Business 85 Exit. Successful landscaping along the eastbound roadway has been mixed:
You would think more effort would be made to get the slope to look good, because the Blythe Construction contractor offices are located at the top of the hill. Looking at the I-85 interchange from Dresden Road...
It appears most of the work has been completed, though this is from some distance away.

D. NC 62, Tuttle Road, and Poole Road showed little change with similar need for completing some landscaping, adding some guardrails, and completing catch basins.

E. Cedar Square Valley Bridge and Interchange
Most of the remaining paving needed to open the road has been completed, as seen looking north from the Cedar Square Road Bridge back toward the Poole Road bridge...
The eastbound off ramp is completed as well as the westbound lanes back to the Cedar Square on ramp. The view below is of the completed on ramp intersection with Cedar Square Rd...
The construction equipment in the distance is grading the remaining roadbed toward Spencer Road. This is what it looks like from the bridge:
The paving of this section has been transferred to the Barnhill Construction, the firm doing the design/build phase 2 of the project. The contractor for Phase 1, Blythe Construction was having trouble this spring purchasing enough asphalt for its many projects. The equipment seen in the distance is actually on the other side of Spencer Road. Construction from there to US 220 will be the subject of the second part of this report.
Labels:

Comments

Bob Malme said…
An update as to completion progress. According to the NCDOT Construction Progress Report, the Business 85 to Spencer Road portion was 93.56% complete as of the end of August.
11:32 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Old NY 10 and Goodman Mountain in the Adirondacks

By
  Old highway alignments come in all shapes and sizes, as well as taking some different forms after their lifespan of serving cars and trucks has ended. In the case of an old alignment of what was NY 10 south of Tupper Lake, New York, part of the old road was turned into part of a hiking trail to go up Goodman Mountain. At one time, the road passed by Goodman Mountain to the east, or Litchfield Mountain as it was known at the time. As the years passed, sometime around 1960, the part of NY 10 north of Speculator became part of NY 30, and remains that way today from Speculator, past Indian Lake and Tupper Lake and up to the Canadian Border. At one time, the highway was realigned to pass the Goodman Mountain to the west, leaving this stretch of road to be mostly forgotten and to be reclaimed by nature. During the summer of 2014, a 1.6 mile long hiking trail was approved the Adirondack Park Agency to be constructed to the summit of the 2,176 foot high Goodman Mountain. For the first 0.9 mi
1 comment
Read more

Ghost Town Tuesday; Vineland, Florida; the town killed by Disney

By
Vineland is a small ghost town located in southwest Orange County, Florida near the junction of Florida State Road 535 and Interstate 4.  Vineland is somewhat unique due to it largely being squeezed out of existence by Lake Buena Vista which is the company town where Disney World is located. Vineland was founded in the late 1800s as Englewood.  The town name of Englewood changed to Orange Center in 1911 before finally assuming the name Vineland in 1924.  Much like the rest of Orange County the community of Vineland was centered around Citrus Grove.  In the case of Vineland said orange groves were centered around Ruby Lake. The end of Vineland came as the Disney Corporation began purchasing parcels of citrus grove land to build Lake Buena Vista.  Vineland fell into a sharp decline in the 1960s but the community managed to continue to exist to modern times.  Much of the street grid of Vineland still exists east of FL 535 but most of the original structures are either gone or falle
1 comment
Read more

Oregon State Highway 58

By
  Also known as the Willamette Highway No. 18, the route of Oregon State Highway 58 (OR 58) stretches some 86 miles between US 97 north of Chemult and I-5 just outside of Eugene, Oregon. A main route between the Willamette Valley region of Oregon with Central Oregon and Crater Lake National Park, the highway follows the Middle Fork Willamette River and Salt Creek for much of its route as it makes its way to and across the Cascades, cresting at 5,138 feet above sea level at Willamette Pass. That is a gain of over 4,500 in elevation from where the highway begins at I-5. The upper reaches of OR 58 are dominated by the principal pinnacle that can sometimes be seen from the highway, Diamond Peak, and three nearby lakes, Crescent, Odell and Waldo (Oregon's second largest lake). OR 58 is chock full of rivers, creeks, mountain views, hot springs and waterfalls within a short distance from the highway. OR 58 was numbered as such by the Oregon State Highway Department in 1940. OR 58 is a del
Post a Comment
Read more