Skip to main content

Road Trip to Triangle Expressway

Image
By
Last weekend I took by first return to NC road trip to southern Durham and Wake Counties to take my first trip on the Triangle Parkway section of NCTA's Triangle Expressway and to view progress in completing the rest of the toll road to the west and south.

Triangle Parkway
Since Adam has posted photos from the Parkway section, I'll only post a few that are most interesting to me. First, what I never thought I'd see on a NC highway sign:
Toll banners, with other projects underway, there will be more of these. I like the way the bridges are designed...
Brick face on the sides and the roadway number or name carved into the concrete. Upon leaving the parkway, there appears a sign that is temporary:
Since in a few month the toll road will not end. Given this is on the offramp from the Parkway, does this mean NC 540 South starts on the ramp, while NC 540 South still exists on the mainline?

Western Wake Portion of Triangle Expressway (NC 540)
Looks like they've saved a place for the future toll banner here--
The unopened portion of the road looks close to completion, and is almost ready for the next Triangle Expressway Run in August. The view from McCrimmon Parkway to the south--
The final layer of cement is down, there are guardrails and signs up, the only thing that appears missing are lane markers. This is a view looking backward towards the NC 55 exit--
If one looks closely enough, one can see the new overhead signage for the NC 55 exit in the distance. The next bridge carrying Carpenter Fire Station Road over the TriEx is open:
There is still some road work going on here. A view back toward McCrimmon shows exit signs in place:
Along with power distribution lines taking advantage of the new corridor. The view to the south looks toward the first new interchange exit sign and Green Hope School Road:
There is some work still going on toward the center of the picture. A closer view of the text in the sign above is below from just before the Green Hope School Road Bridge--
This is standard design for single exit signage, guess a simple ground mounted sign was not seen as good enough. The number for the exit is 62. 

Here's a similar sign for the NC 55 Exit on North NC 540:

A view looking further south toward the Green Level West interchange area shows work being done on testing the VMS signs:
A closer view of this interchange (and the US 64 interchange signage further in the distance) will have to wait until the next road trip. Here's closeup on the Green Hope School Road Bridge where the above photo was taken:
On the way back I spotted new sign assemblies for Exit 66 that have not been put up lying in the NC 540 median at NC 55-
These should be put up soon, the existing signs I guess could not be easily modified to have exit only tabs attached. 

From back on the open portion of the TriEx --
Showing a new VMS and new North NC 540 sign. And signage approaching the Triangle Parkway with more Toll tabs--
And finally heading under the Kit Creek Parkway Bridge and onto Toll NC 147 North--
The TriEx opening is still planned for August, I hope to get more photos before then.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park

By
  Grand Loop Road is a 140 mile loop highway which traverses the interior of Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Loop Road connects all of the major attractions and geological features of Yellowstone National Park along with the entrance roads.  Grand Loop Road is a seasonal highway and despite some conjecture never has been part of the US Route System.   Part 1; the history of Grand Loop Road The majority of history pertaining to Grand Loop Road was taken from the below National Park Service article: Historic Roads - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Yellowstone was declared the first National Park of the United States on March 1st, 1872.  The first real highway to access Yellowstone National Park came in 1873 when a tolled facility was constructed from Bozeman, Montana via Yankee Jim Canyon to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Numerous attempts were made to fund construction of roadway infrastructure during the early years of Yellows...
Post a Comment
Read more

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

By
Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway

By
From 2017 through to early 2019 I drove the majority of the California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway from CA 89 southwest to CA 99. CA 70 is an approximately 178.5 mile state highway which starts at US 395 near the Nevada State Line and travels west through the Feather River Canyon to CA 99.  CA 70 is often referred to as the Feather River Highway" given it's close association with the river.  Historically CA 70 was previously signed as US 40A and CA 24.  The Legislative Routes prior to the 1964 California Highway Renumbering that made up the current route of CA 70 are as follows: -  Legislative Route Number 21 from US 395 westward to Oroville. -  LRN 87 from Oroville south to Marysville. -  LRN 232 from Marysville to the current junction with CA 99.  CA 70 was even dual signed with CA 99 into Sacramento on what was LRN 232 for a time. The change from US 40A/LRN 21/LRN 87/LRN 232 can be seen by comparing the 1963 State Highway Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more