Gribblenation

The end of another year, and quite an eventful one for followers of the progress in building I-73 and I-74 (and other new interstates) in North Carolina. A summary of what happened: I-73 It was quite a banner year for I-73, or should I say a removal of banner year, since by the end of 2017, for the first time in the routes existence, there was no section signed as Future I-73.  The I-73 shield was removed from the Future Route sign beyond the I-40 exit in Greensboro Two segments of the route north of Greensboro were completed adding 12 miles, or about 15%, to the route's total mileage. First was the I-73 Connector from the Bryan Blvd. at the PTI Airport to NC 68 construction which included a new taxiway bridge over I-73. I-73 Connector north lanes about to go under Airport Taxiway bridge in Greensboro. The new I-73 roadway crosses over NC 68 then crosses back with 2 separate exits for Greensboro/High Point and Oak Ridge traffic. Overhead signage for both...

These are excerpts from an article in today's Winston-Salem Journal, link to entire article in blog title above: "The N.C. Department of Transportation wants to work with local elected officials and business leaders to find ways to get construction started on the Northern Beltway, but the state still won’t have any money to pay for project until 2020. That’s the message that Transportation Secretary Gene Conti delivered to about 70 people last night at a meeting about transportation issues in Forsyth County . The Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce sponsored the meeting of elected officials and business people. It was held in the law firm of Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice on West Fourth Street.... Officials in Raleigh , Wilmington and Fayetteville will use tolls to pay for sections of their urban loops, Conti said. However, the DOT is still using state money to pay for the remainder of these projects’ costs. Don Flow , the owner of Flow Automotives Cos. , asked C...

I was sent the above title link from a contact in the Myrtle Beach area. It was about information in a question and answer column that says there's been a revival of talks from local officials about bringing I-20 to Wilmington. Since SC has been against upgrading US 76, the new proposal would send I-20 north on I-95 to I-74 near Lumberton then east on an upgraded US 74, so SC wouldn't have to do anything but put up a few signs: "Transportation planners say connecting Atlanta with Wilmington with one interstate number (I-20) would create the perception that it's easy to travel between the two cities, even if no new roads are built. That could help the N.C. State Ports Authority - and perhaps other businesses in the region - by allowing it to market the fact that two interstates serve the Wilmington area. A great deal of ocean cargo to and from Atlanta goes to ports in Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga., both of which have limited capacity. The idea would be to add the ...