Skip to main content

Goodbye Interstate 495; Hello Interstate 87

Image
By
If you live in or drive in Eastern Wake County - you'll be seeing a lot more of sign combinations like this one soon.
It seems like yesterday when I blogged about new Future Interstate 495 signs that were going to be installed along US 64 along the Knightdale Bypass and along the way to Rocky Mount.  Well after just three years, Interstate 495 is officially no more.  This week NCDOT crews began to install Interstate 87 shields along the Raleigh Beltline and Knightdale Bypass from Southeast Raleigh to Rolesville Road in Wendell.  The new interstate designation follows Interstate 440 west from I-40 near Garner leaving the Beltline at the Knightdale Bypass and following US 64/264 about another 12 or so miles until the six lane portion of the Knightdale Bypass ends just beyond Business US 64.

Eventually, Interstate 87 will continue east along US 64 past Zebulon, Rocky Mount and Tarboro to Williamston where it will head north and northeast along US 17 into Virginia and Norfolk.  The new signs reflect the first official section of Interstate 87 in North Carolina - as the Knightdale Bypass meets national Interstate standards.

This introduction and installation of Interstate 87 signs onto the Knightdale Bypass will be a multi-step process.  The first step is what you see on the highway now - new Interstate 87 shields on the ground along the main highway.  Surface streets, like New Hope Road, Hodge Road, Smithfield Road and Wendell Falls Parkway, that have interchanges with the new Interstate will also see I-87 signs pop up as they approach the highway.  The last step will be updating or replacing existing overhead signs along I-40, I-440 and I-540 with the new designation.  So for a few weeks, maybe months, you'll still see some Interstate 495 shields and signs in the area.

Speaking of the overall signage plans - there will also be another major change to the signage along the Knightdale Bypass (and eventually US 64).  The exit numbers will be changed to reflect Interstate 87's mileage.  There will be new exit numbers for the interchanges at I-440, New Hope Road, Hodge Road, I-540, Smithfield Road, Wendell Falls Parkway, Wendell Blvd./Business 64 and Rolesville Road.

Interchange Old Exit # New Exit #
Interstate 440 West 419 3
New Hope Road 420 4
Hodge Road 422 6
Interstate 540 423 7
Smithfield Road 425 9
Wendell Falls Parkway 427 11
US 64 Business / Wendell Blvd. 429 13
Rolesville Road 430 14

This may be slightly confusing as it appears that the next exit east - Lizard Lick Road/Wendell - will remain with its current number, Exit 432.  Though eventually those exit numbers will also change.

A contact of mine at NCDOT passed along to me the overall signage plans for Interstate 87 along the Knightdale Bypass.  A few samples are below.

New signage for I-87 at the I-40 Beltline Merge in Southeast Raleigh.  I-87 and I-440 will both end at I-40. (NCDOT)

Proposed signage for Interstate 87 at the junction of the Knightdale Bypass and the Raleigh Beltline (I-440). You can see how the exit numbers for US 64 (Exits 419, 420 etc.) are being changed to reflect Interstate 87 (3, 4, 6, etc.) (NCDOT)

Interstate 87 signs at Hodge Road and Interstate 540.  (NCDOT)

Signs along Business 64 at the Knightdale Bypass. There will only be updates to signs for US 64/264 West to include Interstate 87 - as I-87's temporary end is at this interchange. (NCDOT)

Proposed Interstate 87 signage plans along US 64/264 West approaching Rolesville Road.  This will be where Interstate 87 will begin.  I am unsure if exits east of here will be updated or remain with US 64's mileage (430 and higher) (NCDOT)

Labels:

Comments

Unknown said…
What in you opinion would I-87 in NC/VA connect to its older Northern neighbor I-87 in New York City? Does it take Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel or use I-64 to I-95 in Richmond?
7:00 AM
Steve said…
@John

I would estimate that it would use US-13 across the CBBT (should it happen of course). They are already in the process of upgrading the Thimble Shoals Channel Tunnel to 4 lanes, and sometime within the next two decades, the Chesapeake Channel Tunnel will get upgraded as well.

Now my vision, I-87 would follow current I-464 in Chesapeake up to Norfolk, then I-264 after that into VA Beach. The problem from there is how would they handle converting that section of U.S. 13 in VA Beach leading to the CBBT into a freeway, plus the interchanges required to do so.

So that is probably why they won't bother... at least for a VERY LONG TIME.
2:15 AM
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