Skip to main content

More NC Highway Oddities on the way - Hello NC 36 and a Split NC 42

Image
By

North Carolina is building a lot of new Interstates - personally, there are too many to keep track of - so we have Bob for that.  But as a result of new highways and new highway numbers, there's going to be conflict.

And that's the case with NC 42 and the soon-to-be-signed Interstate 42 in Johnston County.

Concerned about driver confusion and safety and first responder response, NCDOT has proposed that a small segment of NC 42 in Johnston County be redesignated as NC 36.  The new NC 36 designation would follow the existing NC 42 from NC 50 in Cleveland to the current US 70 Business east of Clayton.

When the US 70 corridor from Clayton east to Morehead City was approved as an Interstate nearly a decade ago, North Carolina requested Interstate 36 for the corridor.  Part of the reason was that the I-36 designation would not conflict with any existing state highways.  Unfortunately, the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO) disagreed.  They recommended Interstate 42 - as the newly designated corridor would run north of Interstate 40.  NCDOT accepted the ruling, and as a result, the conflict of two routes that would intersect each other and I-40 within miles of each other.

NC 36 will be routed through Clayton bridging the two NC 42's.

The plan to renumber NC 42 through Clayton should resolve that.  However, I believe the NC 36 change should continue eastwards to Wilson.  The reason is that NC 42 and Interstate 42 will intersect Interstate 95 about 19 miles from each other.  That's close enough, in my opinion, to continue with driver confusion for long-distance travelers along I-95.  I left a comment with NCDOT with my suggestion.  Will they listen to me? Stay tuned.

More Changes:

In addition to renumbering NC 42 through Clayton, NCDOT has proposed eliminating US 70 Business through Clayton and replacing it (or re-replacing it) with vanilla US 70 - or what used to be signed through the area until the Clayton Bypass opened 15 years ago.

The signage for Exit 306 will need to change.  Business US 70 East - will now be simply US 70 East.

This change will now eliminate the bried US 70/Interstate 40 multiplex between exits 306 and 309.  Exit 309 - the Clayton Bypass - will now be only Interstate 42.

NCDOT estimates that the changes will be signed in about a year.

The Local 4042 Nominclature:

Exit 312 - known locally as '4042' - will now be for NC 36.

For nearly 40 years, Exit 312 on Interstate 40 was known as '4042' by local residents.  As Johnston County grew, the 4042 interchange area added new restaurants, hotels, services, and of course traffic.  The interchange has been redesigned a few times. A current construction project is giving the interchange a total makeover - it will now become a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) and a new interchange for nearby Cleveland Road is being built to take some of the pressure off the area.

The interchange was so well known that a local community news and information website was named after it - 4042.com.  In 2015, 4042.com became JohnstonCounty.today.

It will be interesting with Exit 309 being the new 40/42 interchange - what locals may now call Exit 312 - '4036' does work.

Sources & Links:

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dillon Road

By
Dillon Road is a 34.2-mile highway located in northern Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California.  Dillon Road begins at Avenue 48 on the outskirts of Indio and ends to the west at California State Route 62 near San Gorgonio Pass.  Dillon Road was developed the 1930s as a construction road for the Colorado River Aqueduct.  Dillon Road serves as a northern bypass to much of the development of Coachella Valley.  Dillon Road is known for it's frequent dips and spectacular views of San Gorgonio Pass.   Part 1; the history of Dillon Road Dillon Road was constructed as a haul road for the Colorado River Aqueduct through Coachella Valley.  The Colorado River Aqueduct spans 242 miles from Parker Dam on the Colorado River west to Lake Mathews near Corona.  Construction of the Colorado River Aqueduct began during January 1933 near Thousand Palms and was made functional on January 7, 1939.  West of Berdoo Canyon Road the alignment of Dillon Road is largely concurrent with the Colorado
Post a Comment
Read more

Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road

By
Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road is an approximately 21-mile highway located in southeast Kern County.  Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road begins at Tehachapi Boulevard (former US Route 466) in Tehachapi and crosses the Tehachapi Mountains via the 4,820-foot-high Oak Creek Pass.  Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road enters Antelope Valley of the wider Mojave Desert and passes by the historic stage station of Willow Springs to a southern terminus at Rosamond Boulevard.  Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road has historic ties to the Havilah-Los Angeles Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road due to the once reliable presence of water at Willow Springs. Part 1; the history of Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road Oak Creek Pass and Willow Springs were known to the local tribes of the Tehachapi Mountains for generations.  The first documented European crossing of Oak Creek Pass was during 1776 as part of an expedition by Francisco Garces.  Oak Creek Pass is as used again by John C. Fremont during an 1844-1845 expedition to e
Post a Comment
Read more

The 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge

By
The 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge is a derelict structure located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of Placer County, California.  The 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge can be found between the communities of Colfax and Iowa Hill.  The 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge is a wire suspension structure which spans the North Fork American River.  The 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge was replaced by a modern span and converted to pedestrian use following floods during 1963.   Part 1; the history of the 1928 Iowa Hill Road Bridge During 1853 gold was discovered at what to become Iowa Hill.  The gold mining claims soon led to a small community known as Iowa City being established.   By 1854, Post Office Service began at the mines of Iowa City.  By 1856 gold production at Iowa City was estimated to be around $100,000.  Iowa City was burned in fires during 1857 and 1862 but the community was rebuilt with more modernized structures.   The location of Iowa City can be seen as "Iowa Hill" on the 1873 Bancroft
Post a Comment
Read more