Skip to main content

What's in a name? Interstate 540 or Triangle Expressway

David McDowell over at the No Tolls on I-540 website writes about the official decision to call the 540 toll road the "Triangle Expressway" or the "Tri-X". He writes:

...they officially approved a motion to call the road the "Triangle Expressway" and to nickname it "Tri-X", which is what they hope traffic reporters will call the road. There you have it, the road will not be called 540 if the NCTA has their way.
You can see the full post here.

Well he's kinda right. From everything I have read and been told it will continue to be Interstate 540. even though it will be part of the "Triangle Expressway". Just like you have the Durham Freeway as NC 147. Or specifically related to I-540, the Southern Wake Expressway or the Western Wake Expressway etc. More than likely, I-540 will be signed as Interstate 540 Toll. Just like they do in Greenville, South Carolina with the toll section of Interstate 185.

Here's an example of how it may be posted.

Photo credit: Carter Buchanan, 2001.

And don't forget, when the entire loop is finished, I-540 is supposed to be redesignated as I-640. Now how the NCTA will sign the extension of NC 147 - the part of the Triangle Expressway that runs from I-40 to I-540, is unknown.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Crescent City Connection (New Orleans, LA)

The Crescent City Connection is a massive dual-span steel truss bridge that spans the lower Mississippi River at downtown New Orleans, about 95 river miles upstream from the mouth of the great river at the Head of Passes Light. If counted as a single bi-directional highway bridge, the parallel spans combine to form the single busiest bridge on the Mississippi River and its importance as a linchpin in the region’s transportation network cannot be overstated. While there have been various schemes over the years to construct bridges downriver from Algiers Point, this bridge has been the southernmost bridge on the Mississippi River since its initial construction in the 1950s. The years immediately following the end of World War II were a transformational period in the history of New Orleans. Already one of the great economic and cultural centers of the American Deep South, it was recognized at this time that major changes and improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure would b...

Old US Route 99 through Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch

This summer I had a look into the alignment history of US Route 99 through the Tulare County communities of Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch.  While this slab below might seem like much it is one of the few remaining reminders of how US Route 99 was during the 1920s in Tulare County. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch Tipton and Tulare were both founded in 1872 as sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The Southern Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for development of southern San Joaquin Valley.  Previous to the Southern Pacific Railroad travel via wagon or foot in Central California tended to avoid San Joaquin Valley in favor of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road.  The Stockton Los Ange...

Winnemucca to the Sea Highway

The Winnemucca to the Sea Highway was conceived as an idea to establish a continuous, improved route branching from what was then US Highway 40 (now I-80) in Winnemucca, Nevada to the Pacific Coast in Crescent City, California . This highway was to span 494 miles as it crossed through deserts, mountains and forests on its way to the Pacific Ocean. Community leaders from points along this proposed highway formed the Winnemucca to the Sea Highway Association, which worked with state and local governments to obtain funding for the planning, construction and upgrade of the highway. The original proposal was to create one highway, numbered 140, which was to be applied to the complete route as the parent major US highway was coast-to-coast US-40, the Victory Highway. However, this idea never fully came to fruition. Currently, a traveler driving on the Winnemucca to the Sea Highway actually follows seven different highway numbers, which are US 95, NV 140, OR 140, US 395, OR 62, I-5, US 19...