Traffic Congestion and Highway Construction

[KJHburg]

Living large today and took the express lanes on and off up to Mooresville from uptown today.  with traffic increasing again people are using them and I notice many commercial pick up trucks and vans using them to get their customers.  (not big tractor trailers just smaller local businesses in pick up trucks) 

when I pass many people I count it as worth it,  running a global company time is money  of course.

Now look at traffic apps beforehand then make the decision to go on or off.  Especially around Cornelius and Davidson it gets busy in that stretch on the causeways. 

[KJHburg]

KJ traffic tip when coming from north hop on the toll lane to cross the lake  north of Langtree exit 31 and you will pass so many cars and trucks.  People travelling from up north seem to slow down and say " Mabel,  look how big this lake is"  thus slowing down traffic (only worse in summer) then hop back on the free lanes at Catawba Ave exit 28.   Passed 50 plus cars and trucks well worth my 95 pennies. 

KJ driving loss a Boss

[elrodvt]

^i think gmaps does a pretty good job telling you when's it believes it's worth it. Of course in the end whether you choose to or not is how much of a cheapskate you are. I also fear getting trapped behind your Aunt Mable and Uncle Andy.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

I can't believe they charge you to drive in a single lane. I guess it works out sometimes, but that has to be incredibly annoying. Wonder how it will be once traffic starts returning to closer to normal?

Really think there should be a General Statute or something after this debacle that an existing highway must have three free travel lanes before toll lanes can be considered, and there must be a minimum of two tolled travel lanes, because I don't see this working out in another decade.

Edited January 3, 2021 by cowboy_wilhelm

[elrodvt]

@cowboy_wilhelm, agreed.

It's so easy to get 1/2 way through your loop and it slows. What's your tag mean?

[KJHburg]

The problem up at the lake crossings without lots of fill work there was not another way to add more free or toll lanes than the 1 in each direction they did at the I-77 lake crossings between exit 28 and 31. 

[Yo Diaz!]

I’ve had some projects at the hospital in statesville recently. I found myself using the toll lanes a lot. Especially at the end of the day on the way back south starting at exit 36 at least down to the 485 interchange. It did save me collectively a ton of time. Worth it in my opinion. One time there was an accident at exit 29/30. That had a lot of people jumping into the toll lane. It still moved pretty well. I do have the sticker reader. It does suck when you get behind some people in the single lane area, but that single lane stretch isn’t that long. You can usually get around them as it opens to 2 lanes which half the time is when the car in front finally decides to speed up [emoji37].
You do have to watch all the dang state troopers hiding at different points where the the toll readers are. You can just see their lights sometimes above the concrete dividers. Others you go by them and see them in your rear view mirror ready to jump out and get you if you blow by them. Sometimes perhaps the cars are there with no one in them to though. Just a scare you deterrent. Some sit out in the open in the median down by exits 25 and 23 causing people to slam on the brakes. I have seen them pull some people over. The signs by toll readers say “traffic laws photo enforced”. Im not sure what that means if anything. A few times for the heck of it I road it all the way down until it runs out at just past exit 10.
You get a great elevated view of uptown as you take the curved over pass up over the 85 interchange.


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[videtur quam contuor]

I came south from Mooresville today and used my usual "one weird trick" to enter the toll lanes just north of the 85 intersection and follow it to the Brookshire East/277 connector and the congestion that always occurs in that extended zone is thereby avoided. 

Other traffic/off topic issue. I was on Park Road at Marsh today at about 1:20 and a motorcycle patrolman came by me in an emergency speed hurry. Sirens and lights were activated. He then stopped at Poindexter to stop all traffic except Northbound Park as another police car sped ahead, lights and siren,  and then another motorcycle policeman and then six motorcoaches. The motorcycle patrolman was waving me and other northbound traffic to continue ahead and not to stop. I realized it must be the New Orleans Saints. It could be nothing else. I continued on Scott and Kenilworth but by then the motorcade was out of sight. 

Is this how they usually escort a team to the stadium? They went right in front of my condo development and I have never heard Sunday sirens before. Why take Park Road from the airport or were they already in town at a hotel in Ballantyne, or elsewhere?

[KJHburg]

2 hours ago, tarhoosier said:

\

Other traffic/off topic issue. I was on Park Road at Marsh today at about 1:20 and a motorcycle patrolman came by me in an emergency speed hurry. Sirens and lights were activated. He then stopped at Poindexter to stop all traffic except Northbound Park as another police car sped ahead, lights and siren,  and then another motorcycle policeman and then six motorcoaches. The motorcycle patrolman was waving me and other northbound traffic to continue ahead and not to stop. I realized it must be the New Orleans Saints. It could be nothing else. I continued on Scott and Kenilworth but by then the motorcade was out of sight. 

Is this how they usually escort a team to the stadium? They went right in front of my condo development and I have never heard Sunday sirens before. Why take Park Road from the airport or were they already in town at a hotel in Ballantyne, or elsewhere?

Maybe at one of the hotels in southpark which I know some teams have stayed at in the past. 

[videtur quam contuor]

With this type of escort?

[KJHburg]

12 hours ago, tarhoosier said:

With this type of escort?

always a parade in New Orleans 

[elrodvt]

Is there light at the end of the Trump disaster years?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/pete-buttigieg-south-bend/2021/01/15/6bb014b2-55d5-11eb-a08b-f1381ef3d207_story.html

[DMann]

Good read!  I always have wanted 3rd and 4th streets, along with Church and College streets to become 2 way.  For one thing, it would discourage drag racing downtown, as well as slow down traffic in the city.

[KJHburg]

I-485 express lanes construction races towards completion (this company should have been used on I-77 north) 

Be careful when the concrete barriers are on both sides as I saw a SUV look like a pinball hitting both sides before stopping.  He was okay as I saw him jump out. 

[KJHburg]

travelling in Florida using my sticker NC Quick Pass is very efficient.  Florida takes 3-5 days for the tolls to appear on my NC account.  On several of the signs in Florida they would mention the NC Quick Pass as accepted payment. 

Driving into Miami around 5 pm  I had to take the express lanes and you better know where you are going (which I did) because once you get on you will go miles before you can exit (legally)   I saw this signs on 95 rolling into Miami Dade that said "Do Not Cross over the Plastic Poles" $250 fine or something.  Lo and behold I decide to get on the express lanes and I saw a black SUV exit in front of me.  Well he then realized the free lanes were backed up and he in a  Florida flash ran back over the plastic poles into the tolled express lanes back in front of me!  I then saw someone do  this again.  Not to say it does not happen here in Charlotte but have not seen it yet.   

first 2 photos 95 south and where the express lane arches over the Palmetto Expressway interchange.  Miami skyline on the horizon. 

3rd photo our plastic poles 77 south on the lake causeway. 

Edited January 25, 2021 by KJHburg

[Norm2]

That Miami skyline is no joke. it has grown sooo much since I was there in 2008.

[KJHburg]

Concord Mills flyover still moving along but is behind schedule I know.  Today. 

[jthomas]

Why is it that only transit projects get hit with the "boondoggle" label? Twenty-five years ago, there was nothing at this exit. Since then, auto-centric development has been allowed to run rampant, and *shocker*, the traffic is terrible! So now, the state is paying for this bridge to improve access to a single private development? Talk about throwing good money after bad.

It's impossible to undo the bad planning decisions of the past, but IMO governments should not spend another dime trying to fix the problems caused by these big-box hellscapes. Let them choke on the inherent wastefulness and inefficiency of this type of development, and pour resources into sustainable placemaking. 

[Norm2]

2 hours ago, jthomas said:

Why is it that only transit projects get hit with the "boondoggle" label? Twenty-five years ago, there was nothing at this exit. Since then, auto-centric development has been allowed to run rampant, and *shocker*, the traffic is terrible! So now, the state is paying for this bridge to improve access to a single private development? Talk about throwing good money after bad.

It's impossible to undo the bad planning decisions of the past, but IMO governments should not spend another dime trying to fix the problems caused by these big-box hellscapes. Let them choke on the inherent wastefulness and inefficiency of this type of development, and pour resources into sustainable placemaking. 

I agree, building a flyover bridge for a private business makes me a little mad.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

3 hours ago, jthomas said:

Why is it that only transit projects get hit with the "boondoggle" label? Twenty-five years ago, there was nothing at this exit. Since then, auto-centric development has been allowed to run rampant, and *shocker*, the traffic is terrible! So now, the state is paying for this bridge to improve access to a single private development? Talk about throwing good money after bad.

It's impossible to undo the bad planning decisions of the past, but IMO governments should not spend another dime trying to fix the problems caused by these big-box hellscapes. Let them choke on the inherent wastefulness and inefficiency of this type of development, and pour resources into sustainable placemaking. 

 

43 minutes ago, norm21499 said:

I agree, building a flyover bridge for a private business makes me a little mad.

If you don't like that, you REALLY won't like that NCDOT spent $6 million to build bridges on a freeway so a one-lane, private gravel road could travel underneath and connect private land to a private equestrian facility (and there's already an overpass a quarter of a mile away). "Economic development" can get you from unfunded to added to the STIP and under construction in less than two months.

Yet "there's no money" for other projects.





 

Edited January 28, 2021 by cowboy_wilhelm

[Norm2]

4 hours ago, cowboy_wilhelm said:

 

If you don't like that, you REALLY won't like that NCDOT spent $6 million to build bridges on a freeway so a one-lane, private gravel road could travel underneath and connect private land to a private equestrian facility (and there's already an overpass a quarter of a mile away). "Economic development" can get you from unfunded to added to the STIP and under construction in less than two months.

Yet "there's no money" for other projects.





 

One word.....Awful.

[KJHburg]

Interesting on the 77 express lanes now pick up trucks with single axle trailers will be allowed.  

I-77 Express will allow extended commercial vehicles starting Feb. 8 | Cornelius Today

Hopped on today for one segment and saved a lot of time somebody's tire shredded and cause this backup southbound.  I saw a slow down way in advance and hopped on and then back off and bypassed it 

 

[JHart]

Lose/lose again with this project. We're either paying to make up the lost toll money from the pandemic or they allow access to heavy vehicles which will require road maintenance even sooner. Even 2 axle commercial vehicles are up to 10X heavier than regular trucks

[kermit]

Another study confirming that living near highways (within 50-150 meters depending on traffic volume) can cause serious health problems such as Alzheimer’s, MS and Parkinson's.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200123152616.htm

Its time to incorporate these public health costs into the budgets of construction and expansion projects.

Edited February 6, 2021 by kermit

[jjwilli]

31 minutes ago, kermit said:

Another study confirming that living near highways (within 50-150 meters) can cause serious health problems such as Alzheimer’s, MS and Parkinson's.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200123152616.htm

Its time to incorporate these costs into the budgets of construction and expansion projects.

Make 77 and 85 a river. Looks like I am in trouble as my home is only about 100 meters from 77. I wonder if sound barriers also help reduce / mitigate these impacts as the green space. North of the city has them with the recent toll project but the south side won’t get them for 10+ years unless the state decides to fund them outside of a widening project.