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.
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.
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