Traffic Congestion and Highway Construction

[KJHburg]

485 express lanes and widening to Providence Road continues to move along nicely.  New bride steel framework up for Elm Lane West.  Today.  New sound walls which are really needed along this stretch.  

[KJHburg]

Concord Mills flyover today getting closer to opening on this stormy day. 

[Skyybutter]

https://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/traffic-index/ranking/

I just spent way to much time on this site. It is insane the traffic data they have! Real time included. Anyone else familiar with this site?

[KJHburg]

1 hour ago, Skyybutter said:

https://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/traffic-index/ranking/

I just spent way to much time on this site. It is insane the traffic data they have! Real time included. Anyone else familiar with this site?

Actually I agree with this list.  I do think Nashville for example is more congested than Charlotte and I have said the same about Charleston even though it is a much smaller metro.  

[Skyybutter]

5 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Actually I agree with this list.  I do think Nashville for example is more congested than Charlotte and I have said the same about Charleston even though it is a much smaller metro.  

I'm more interested in watching how traffic is quickly reaching pre-covid levels in major cities. Looking at yesterday, Charlotte suddenly saw a huge swing in traffic congestion.  Check out Austin though! Wow.

[Hushpuppy321]

Really cool Tool that Tom Tom Site is.  I guess this means we actually need to appreciate NCDOT for their work expanding existing road network capacity and building new highways throughout the State.  I'd still like to see even more focus on NC Urban Areas and better funding to support Rail Transit (commuter & local) from them.

[KJHburg]

I-77 southbound bridge replacement Rock Hill and I am going northbound.  1-2 minute delay northbound today but the traffic was backed up more southbound. 

To SC DOT: I would close the lanes much further in advance as there was a lot of last minute lane merging it seems. 

[KJHburg]

from SC DOT twitter

Crews working on the new I-77 southbound bridge deck crossing the Catawba River began pouring concrete this morning Monday, May 10, 2021. Concrete is being poured on the cleared sections while demolition continues on other segments of the old deck pavement.

 

 

 

[smeagolsfree]

On 5/4/2021 at 8:58 PM, KJHburg said:

Actually I agree with this list.  I do think Nashville for example is more congested than Charlotte and I have said the same about Charleston even though it is a much smaller metro.  

Agree 100% and our state government does not want to help in any way with the congestion other than build more lanes from the outlying counties into the city without doing anything to the inner loop. The State government here also ties the hands of the Nashville Metro Gov when they try and find solutions by not allowing BRT lanes only on state roads as a means of political punishment.

So in effect until we get a mass transit plan here we are so screwed because the state will not help in any way. Its a Us vs Them scenario. to much politics being played in this state.

 

As far as that list goes I would put Cincinnati over Birmingham any day. Been to both during rush hour and Birmingham has nothing on Cincy! 

[CltFlyer]

21 minutes ago, smeagolsfree said:

As far as that list goes I would put Cincinnati over Birmingham any day. Been to both during rush hour and Birmingham has nothing on Cincy! 

I 100% agree with this statement

As someone who lives in Lexington, KY (about an hour and half south of Cincinnati, but have traveled many times through each of Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, Greenville/Spartanburg, Birmingham, Huntsville, Louisville, etc...most during rush hour on occasion), nowhere I've been has consistent stop and go traffic as much as Cincinnati does (the worst seeming to be in the portion in Northern KY right before you cross the Ohio River).  

The only of section of interstate with consistent traffic that really compares for me is the portion where 40/75 are together in Knoxville.  Good look getting anywhere quickly during rush hour there.  

Atlanta is always busy, but in general the traffic seems to move well.  I went through Atlanta every time I traveled to/from home and college, and rarely was it ever completely stop and go and typically I would stay on 75/85 as opposed to taking 285.  (i when everywhere tries to avoid 75/85 due to hypothetical traffic.  It actually caused 285 to have more traffic than 75/85 on average.

Edited May 11, 2021 by CltFlyer

[tozmervo]

13 hours ago, CltFlyer said:

As someone who lives in Lexington, KY (about an hour and half south of Cincinnati, but have traveled many times through each of Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, Greenville/Spartanburg, Birmingham, Huntsville, Louisville, etc...most during rush hour on occasion), nowhere I've been has consistent stop and go traffic as much as Cincinnati does (the worst seeming to be in the portion in Northern KY right before you cross the Ohio River).  

You do need to own up to Nicholasville Road, though 

[CltFlyer]

13 minutes ago, tozmervo said:

You do need to own up to Nicholasville Road, though 

Touche!  Luckily a road I don't have to use that often.  If you have to go anywhere near it in rush hour,  it's best just to find an alternative route.  For your own sanity.

[tozmervo]

1 minute ago, CltFlyer said:

Touche!  Luckily a road I don't have to use that often.  If you have to go anywhere near it in rush hour,  it's best just to find an alternative route.  For your own sanity.

When I'm visiting family there, I only go Nicholasville Rd to get Trader Joe's-branded bourbon to restock my house bourbon here at the house. That's a worthwhile detour!

[KJHburg]

I-485 expansion and express lanes from Matthews to Rea Rd construction drive bys today.  I wonder if the delay in completion is due to getting steel or other building material delays.  Close up of bridge is at Ballantyne Commons Pkwy. 

[KJHburg]

Great news from Joe Bruno's Twitter

Bridge construction on I-77 in South Carolina is wrapping up days early. 77 will be back to normal by 9 pm. As a reward, SC is providing the contractor $180,000 for finishing early. All of that money will go directly to employees 
@wsoctv

[nicholas]

Anybody know what the deal is with the I-85/US-29 interchange in Concord?  The bridges have long been completed, but there are still construction cones everywhere and it looks like 29 still needs a final coat of pavement, and it's been that way for at least a year now.

[KJHburg]

7 minutes ago, nicholas said:

Anybody know what the deal is with the I-85/US-29 interchange in Concord?  The bridges have long been completed, but there are still construction cones everywhere and it looks like 29 still needs a final coat of pavement, and it's been that way for at least a year now.

I noticed just the other day they had repaved the entrance ramps and it is almost done LOL. 

[KJHburg]

this evening in Iredell County  from Iredell Firewire  I-40  mile marker 142 this can not be good for traffic.   Looks like the cab is ahead of the trailer.  who knew ice cream was so flamable?

WEST IREDELL, CATAWBA, MONTICELLO - WORKING TRACTOR TRAILER FIRE - TRAILER FILLED WITH ICE CREAM - I40 EB @ 142 MM

UPDATE - ALL EASTBOUND LANES SHUTDOWN & 1 WESTBOURNE LANE SHUTDOWN

 

Edited May 26, 2021 by KJHburg

[DownEast]

Rocky Road?

[KJHburg]

37 minutes ago, DownEast said:

Rocky Road?

too soon LOL 

[videtur quam contuor]

38 people died and many more injured in a highway fire in the Mont Blanc Tunnel in Italy/France from a truck carrying margerine. 

Liquified animal fat or any fat can become like jet fuel when at high temperatures.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Blanc_tunnel_fire

Edited May 27, 2021 by tarhoosier

[southernnorthcarolina]

There are three planned highway projects which will affect my neck of the woods (I live off Providence Road, in Weddington, just south of where Providence narrows from four lanes to two).

The three projects are 1) the extension of Rea Road across Providence to NC 84; 2) the widening of Providence from Rea Road to Waxhaw; and 3) the new Weddington Road interchange with I-485.

All are badly needed, and in fact should have been done years ago.  The two-lane part of Providence between Weddington and Waxhaw is a nightmare during the morning and evening rush, and it's getting that way mid-day weekdays, too.  And it's going to get worse.  Waxhaw is booming; Waverly (retail, office, and residential) is still growing;  the 485 improvements will bring more traffic; and the new exit from I-485 onto Weddington Road will dump more traffic onto Providence.

All three projects have been on the planning maps for years, nay, decades.  But they all seem to be stalled.  Does anyone here have any inside information, or even informed speculation, as to when these projects are likely to get underway? 

[tozmervo]

If they are ncdot funded, all projects that weren't already under construction across the state have been pushed back. Ncdot's budget got massacred between hurricanes and then covid hit on gas tax revenue

[kermit]

21 hours ago, southernnorthcarolina said:

There are three planned highway projects which will affect my neck of the woods (I live off Providence Road, in Weddington, just south of where Providence narrows from four lanes to two).

The three projects are 1) the extension of Rea Road across Providence to NC 84; 2) the widening of Providence from Rea Road to Waxhaw; and 3) the new Weddington Road interchange with I-485.

All are badly needed, and in fact should have been done years ago. 

/lobs grenade/

I wonder how NCDOT plans to offset the additional carbon and particulate pollution produced by these (and their other) projects?

/ducks behind a parked Buick/

One possibility for mitigation is NCDOT could fund transit in Meck in an effort to offset increased VMT in Union. There are probably cheaper options, but I do hope NCDOT is thinking about what those might  be.

Edited June 1, 2021 by kermit

[SgtCampsalot]

18 hours ago, kermit said:

/lobs grenade/

I wonder how NCDOT plans to offset the additional carbon and particulate pollution produced by these (and their other) projects?

/ducks behind a parked Buick/

One possibility for mitigation is NCDOT could fund transit in Meck in an effort to offset increased VMT in Union. There are probably cheaper options, but I do hope NCDOT is thinking about what those might  be.

Sometimes when I venture out and drive around this City's metro (and so many others) I get a little sick at just how ruined so much of our landscape is by the many follies of modern planning and industry, and how unlikely it is to change for most places anytime in my lifetime. 

Edited June 1, 2021 by SgtCampsalot