Terry Sanford's 1964 North Carolina Interstate 13 Proposal

In October 2014, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory announced that he supported a plan to build an interstate highway from Raleigh to Norfolk. Basically this would follow US 64 from Raleigh to US 17 in Williamston and follow 17 north into the Tidewater region. NCDOT last year took somewhat of a first step when they petitioned and was granted the Interstate 495 designation from I-440 in Raleigh to I-95 in Rocky Mount. This hopeful interstate corridor has been promoted by the Raleigh Regional Transportation Alliance for sometime as "Interstate 44".

But this isn't the first North Carolina to Norfolk interstate proposal. Researching a long time ago on another item, I came across an article from the Wilmington Star-News that dates back to 1964. Titled, "Sanford Backs New Road Plan," the story talks about then Governor Terry Sanford's endorsement of an interstate corridor from Norfolk to Interstate 95 in Fayetteville. This corridor which pretty much followed US 17 to Williamston and US 13 from Bethel to Fayetteville was proposed by NC State Senator Robert L. Humber of Pitt County. Humber stated that it would be named Interstate 13. The article continues to state that the Division of Highways chairman, Merrill Evans said that he had not endorsed any proposal for a north-south interstate in Eastern North Carolina.

It appears that this one article documented both the birth and death of the Interstate 13 idea in North Carolina.

So was this a good idea, the route basically would have given a direct link from Norfolk to Interstate 95. This possibly could have resulted in larger port in Norfolk and having a negative impact on both of North Carolina's ports in Morehead City and Wilmington. Militarily, it would have linked the numerous military installments around the Hampton Roads Area to Fort Bragg.

Also, would this be a good idea today? Feel free to comment below

Comments

WashuOtaku said…

This is similar to the defunct I-99 that was proposed along the US 17 corridor from South Carolina to Maryland. It's a nice idea, but not needed.

4:00 PM

Anonymous said…

I like the idea of extending the route through Raleigh and down the US 1 freeway, then southwest towards Charlotte. Maybe even continue west to Asheville from there.

10:17 PM

Anonymous said…

Why is there no interstate from Wilmington to Charlotte (to Asheville)??

This seems inexplicable to me.

4:42 PM

Bleriot Ferry - Alberta

Alberta operates six ferries scattered throughout the province. Roughly twenty to twenty-five kilometers up the Red Deer River from the town of Drumheller is one of the most scenic ferry crossings in all of Wild Rose Country, the Bleriot Ferry. Using the North Dinosaur Trail (Alberta Highway 838, or AB 838), the Bleriot Ferry provides a scenic river cruise of sorts in the Canadian Badlands. The Bleriot Ferry started operating in 1913 as the Munson Ferry when a few bridges crossed the Red Deer River. The ferry was started by Andre Bleriot, the brother of famed early aviator Louis Bleriot, who became famous for being the first person to fly over the English Channel. At the time, the Alberta provincial government commissioned local residents to run the ferries. There were several ferries along the Red Deer River, and not only did they serve as vital transportation links, but they also served as local social hubs, since everyone had to take the ferries to go places. Over time, as the...

The Pollasky Bridge

The Pollasky Bridge near modern day Friant is a ruined highway bridge which was completed during early 1906 as part of the Fresno-Fresno Flats Road. The structure is one of the oldest known arch concrete spans to have been constructed in California. The bridge briefly carried California State Route 41 following the destruction of the Lanes Bridge in 1940. The Pollasky Bridge itself was destroyed by flooding during 1951, but the ruins can still be found on the Madera County side of the San Joaquin River. Pictured as the blog cover is the Pollasky Bridge as it was featured in the 1913 book "The Concrete Bridge." The structure can be seen crossing the San Joaquin River near Friant below on the 1922 United States Geological Survey Map. Part 1; the history of the Pollasky Bridge The Pollasky Bridge site is near modern day Friant of Fresno County. The community of Friant was established as Converse Ferry during 1852 on the San Joaquin Rive...

I-73/I-74 and NC Future Interstates Year in Review 2024

Welcome to another annual review of progress in constructing North Carolina's New and Future Interstate routes. While 2024 was not too exciting, with no new segments of major routes opening, there was 1 new interstate signing, another proposed new interstate route, and the near opening of a new segment for 2 routes. As tradition, I will start off with a review of what happened with I-73 and I-74 and then move on to the major news of the year about the other new and future routes. Work continued on the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass through the year. The last few months have been hoping for news of its opening before 2025, without luck. Signs of its near completion included the placement of new signs, many with interstate shields uncovered, along the Bypass and intersecting roadways. For example, these went up along US 74 East: Overhead signage at Business 74 exit which contains the future ramp to I-73 North/I-74 West. Signage was also updated heading west on US 74 approaching the unop...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog