Gribblenation

These are excerpts from an article in today's Winston-Salem Journal, link to entire article in blog title above: "The N.C. Department of Transportation wants to work with local elected officials and business leaders to find ways to get construction started on the Northern Beltway, but the state still won’t have any money to pay for project until 2020. That’s the message that Transportation Secretary Gene Conti delivered to about 70 people last night at a meeting about transportation issues in Forsyth County . The Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce sponsored the meeting of elected officials and business people. It was held in the law firm of Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice on West Fourth Street.... Officials in Raleigh , Wilmington and Fayetteville will use tolls to pay for sections of their urban loops, Conti said. However, the DOT is still using state money to pay for the remainder of these projects’ costs. Don Flow , the owner of Flow Automotives Cos. , asked C...

If you click the title you will be taken to an article written a few days ago (August 26) about efforts to redevelop Main Street through downtown High Point. The main point of the article is that when the street is no longer designated as US 311 Business, the city and local development groups can take control of the road and move ahead on efforts to revitalize the corridor. Most of the efforts currently involve slowing traffic down through reducing speed limits, possibly narrowing the road from 4 lanes to 2 with wider sidewalks and medians, plus other traffic calming measures which all believe will help stimulate the local economy. The story is based on one big assumption though, that NCDOT hasn't given back Main Street to local control. But, in fact it has. Last November NCDOT submitted an application to remove the US 311 Business designation from Main Street to AASHTO's US Route Numbering committee. They approved the application. According to the NCDOT application, upon AASHT...

With others in the blog crew busy, or away for Labor Day, I decided to see what progress has been made on the Durham section of the Triangle Expressway, the Triangle Parkway since July. I'll wait for when others from the Wake County contingent are interested to explore progress on the part to the south, the Western Wake Freeway. The tour starts from the northern end of the parkway at I-40 and works down to the end at NC 540. The following of note was seen: 1. I-40 Interchange Some progress has been made in building a more high-speed off ramp from I-40 East. The ramp roadbed continues along the jersey barrier to the south, which I assume will become a merging third lane. Notice the I-40 overhead exit sign. It is one of the new 'highly reflective', needs no lighting, signs that have gone up along the Durham Freeway. The new sign, however, does not have an exit number. 2. NC 54 Bridge From the previous visit, the impression of the construction was that it was simply going to b...