Gribblenation

If you are driving along Interstate 77 near the New River, you may have noticed a single stone tower atop the hillside to your east.  While modern Interstate traffic flies by, this over 200-year-old, 75-foot-tall stone tower was used in the early 19th century to provide ammunition for local settlers. The limestone tower, known as the Jackson's Ferry Shot Tower, is the centerpiece of Virginia's Shot Tower State Historical Park.  Built in 1807, the shot tower is a combination of a 75-foot tower and a 75-foot vertical shaft into the cliffs overlooking the Neuse River.  Lead shot was manufactured here for 32 years, from 1807 to 1839. The location of where a kettle full of cool water would catch the falling hot spheres of lead shot. To make the shot, lead from nearby mines was melted in a kettle at the top of the tower.  Then, it would be poured through a sieve, dropping 150 feet into a kettle full of cold water.  This process, and the size of the sieve, would create...

....if the stars align. Earlier this week, the Charlotte Ledger had a story about the possible extension of the I-77 Toll Lanes south to the South Carolina line.  Recently, Cintra, the company that built the toll lanes from Uptown Charlotte to Mooresville, submitted an unsolicited bid to construct and operate the toll lanes themselves . Cintra says that if awarded a contract, they could have the toll lanes up and running by 2029. They would then operate the toll lanes on a 50-year lease.  NCDOT says it would be in 2029 that they could begin to acquire the right of way.  NCDOT also estimated it would take another 15 years to secure all the funding necessary to start construction.  Apparently, the state has rules on the available amount of money that can go to a specific project or corridor at one time. This news led to major heartburn for local leaders, who conceded that on a road that currently averages 160,000 vehicles per day with traffic at or above capacity seve...

When I posted about NCDOT receiving unsolicited plans for toll-managed lanes along I-77 from the Berkshire Freeway to the South Carolina State Line, a few commenters in various forums said it was obvious who the "anonymous" bidder was.  It would be Cintra - the same firm that built the infamous I-77 Express Lanes north towards Lake Norman. Well, they were right.  It was Cintra that submitted the proposal - and WCNC-TV in Charlotte was able to get a look at it.   The CINTRA proposal would build 9.4 miles of toll lanes at the cost of $2.3 Billion (with a B).  This proposal would include two tolled express lanes.  Cintra would not add any general purpose lanes to Interstate 77 - something that was and continues to be a sticking point with North Mecklenburg residents. The plan would be to start construction in 2024 and complete the project in 2029.  Of course, that is, if the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) approves and re...

Is a possible extension of the I-77 Express Toll Lanes in Charlotte in the works? Could more toll lanes be on the way for commuters in Charlotte?  It's certainly possible.   The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) recently received a bid from a yet-to-be-named company proposing to extend the I-77 toll lanes southwards.  This extension would run from where the toll lanes currently end at the Brookshire Freeway (NC 16/US 277) to the South Carolina State Line. There are not a lot of details about the proposal - from the possible cost, design, and who submitted the proposal.  NCDOT received the proposal unsolicited, and DOT officials shared general details during a meeting of the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) this past Wednesday. The plan would be a public-private partnership, but beyond that, not much more is known.  The 14-member CRTPO board voted 8 to 6 in favor of studying the proposal and later recommendati...

In October 1961, the United States Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) authorized a southern extension of Interstate 79 from Washington, PA to Charleston, WV.  This nearly 160-mile addition to the interstate system in West Virginia didn't come as a surprise, but where it ended did.  The consensus was that the two-state extension of the Interstate would follow US 19 and end at the West Virginia Turnpike in Beckley.  After three years of lobbying by Pennsylvania and West Virginia - why and how did this change? History: When the Interstate Highway System was authorized in 1956 - a north-south route linking the Pittsburgh area to Erie, PA was included in the mileage.  This route would be known as Interstate 79 and terminated at Interstate 70 in Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle.  Interstate 70 would follow Pittsburgh's Parkway West to near Roslyn Farms and then head south to Washington, PA.  Alignment and designation changes throughout the 1960s would eventually have I-79...

Interstate 77 through the Virginias and Carolinas was not an original Interstate Highway proposal.  In 1957, Interstate 77 was born as an over 400-mile southwards extension of a previously approved Cleveland to Canton, Ohio Interstate.  The new road would extend through four states before terminating at Interstate 85 near Charlotte, North Carolina.  This extension would bring an additional north-south highway connecting the industrial Midwest to the South.   During the early planning stages of Interstate 77 from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, North Carolina and Virginia had different plans routing the Interstate that took over five years to settle. While the new Ohio to Charlotte Interstate would follow the WV Turnpike to its terminus at US 460 near Princeton, its route through the remainder of West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina was uncertain.  The route south from Princeton into Virginia and to Interstate 81 near Wytheville consisted of two...

NCDOT's plan to convert the existing I-77 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes and extend them suffered a major setback earlier this month when the Federal Highway Administration did not award any TIGER II grant money for the project. NCDOT had asked for a maximum of $30 million in grant money for the project.  2,500 applications were made for the $400 million in grant money.  Only 42 projects were awarded grant money. The project would convert the existing I-77 HOV lanes to toll lanes and extended the single restricted lane northwards to Davidson (Exit 30).  The toll lanes would work similarly to HOV lanes as vehicles with two or more passengers, buses, and vanpools would be able to access the lanes for free.  Vehicles with one passenger would have to pay a toll. The project is slated to be completed by 2014. As a result of not receiving the funding NCDOT will have to come up with another plan to convert and extended the res...

Yes, I am blogging like crazy today. I'm catching up after a few busy weeks and besides I don't leave for the Hurricanes game until 5:45. So blog, clean and laundry. Oh, and I keep getting interrupted by watching the State/Duke game. Anyways... Could Charlotte see HOT Lanes by 2020? Well, according to a study done by the City of Charlotte, the NCDOT, and PB Associates - there are a few excellent locations for the Toll High Occupancy Vehicle (High Occupancy Toll) lanes in the Greater Charlotte Area. Specifically, I-77 from Uptown Charlotte towards Iredell County and Charlotte appears to be the most likely choice for these lanes. And with reason, currently there is one free HOV lane in each direction on I-77 from the future I-485 interchange near Huntersville southwards to Uptown. The current HOV lanes begin and end near Brookshire Blvd. Another possible choice is Independence Blvd. (US 74) east of Uptown. As the highway has been converted to an urban expressway, the DOT ha...