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Thanks to language in the federal infrastructure bill, a portion of U.S. Highway 421 in central North Carolina is eligible to be badged Future I-685, bringing the promise of another interstate highway to the spine of the Carolina Core.
This will clearly strengthen the Greensboro area as an industrial hub but it would probably benefit Fayetteville more because it is disconnected from the urban centers along the Piedmont Crescent. We are going to see opportunities in Fayetteville that we've never seen before and they really need it.
Why not extend it from to I-40 without having it just end in Dunn? And considering how urbanized I-95 in Dunn is, I don't know how they are going to make a free flowing interchange there.
Why not extend it from to I-40 without having it just end in Dunn? And considering how urbanized I-95 in Dunn is, I don't know how they are going to make a free flowing interchange there.
They would have to build a bypass around Dunn, presumably connecting with I-95 somewhere south of town.
I was initially surprised that they didn't have it follow NC-87 south of Sanford and end it at I-295 somewhere between Spring Lake and I-95. Only two reasons I can think of for not doing so is:
1) They wanted to avoid any interference with Fort Bragg.
or
2) If it's true that Toyota is coming to the Greensboro-Randolph megasite, Toyota may have wanted a direct interstate connection to I-95 rather than an indirect connection via I-295.
Okay, now we need future interstate designation for US 74 from Asheville to Charlotte to Wadesboro to Wilmington.
There was some talk a while back among the counties in western NC about upgrading US-74 between I-26 and I-85, but I don't know if the state intends to follow through on their request or not. I agree that it should be done.
East of Charlotte is where getting an interstate to Wilmington will be difficult. First, even though the Monroe Bypass is built to interstate standards, it's tolled. Unless things were changed recently, a toll road cannot become an interstate if federal funds were used to build it, which is why NC-540 isn't signed as I-540. NCDOT would have to repay all federal funds that were used in order for the bypass to become an interstate (good luck with that).
Second, most of US-74 from Rockingham on east is either already signed as I-74 or Future I-74, but thanks to Congress in their infinite wisdom (), I-74 is mandated to turn southward from US-74 somewhere near Bolton, head to US-17, then follow that to Myrtle Beach. Unless Congress changes their mind (lol), the section between Bolton and Wilmington would have to become a spur of I-74.
They would have to build a bypass around Dunn, presumably connecting with I-95 somewhere south of town.
I was initially surprised that they didn't have it follow NC-87 south of Sanford and end it at I-295 somewhere between Spring Lake and I-95. Only two reasons I can think of for not doing so is:
1) They wanted to avoid any interference with Fort Bragg.
or
2) If it's true that Toyota is coming to the Greensboro-Randolph megasite, Toyota may have wanted a direct interstate connection to I-95 rather than an indirect connection via I-295.
Just spitballin' here.
And with that being said, I think I would of made an I-x95 rather than I-x85 but it's their choice.
They would have to build a bypass around Dunn, presumably connecting with I-95 somewhere south of town.
I was initially surprised that they didn't have it follow NC-87 south of Sanford and end it at I-295 somewhere between Spring Lake and I-95. Only two reasons I can think of for not doing so is:
1) They wanted to avoid any interference with Fort Bragg.
or
2) If it's true that Toyota is coming to the Greensboro-Randolph megasite, Toyota may have wanted a direct interstate connection to I-95 rather than an indirect connection via I-295.
Just spitballin' here.
Yeah, taking it out to Dunn instead of Fayetteville is a headscratcher for sure. I think the road planners are too caught up in the hypothetical weight that US highway signs used to carry, which have long shifted to interstates. I mean 421 is only two lanes between Sanford and Lillington currently, how many people are going to actually use this corridor?
Also I think 24/87/210 was recently routed farther outside Fort Bragg, so I can't imagine that would be an issue. Plus I thought part of the reason I-795 was built to Goldsboro was to provide better access to the Airforce base there.
Plus I thought part of the reason I-795 was built to Goldsboro was to provide better access to the Airforce base there.
I grew up there, and I can say that it only played a small role. The airbase allowed I-795 to end in Goldsboro, since one of the requirements from FHWA is that interstates must serve a logical purpose and end at a logical place such as a city with a sizeable population, another interstate, or a military base. Goldsboro doesn't have a large population, and US-70 hadn't become Future I-42 yet, so the airbase made it a shoe-in. I-795 wasn't mandated by Congress the way I-685 is, so FHWA had the final say.
The real reason for I-795 is to create a shortcut between I-95 and I-40 in order to benefit traffic going to/from the Port of Wilmington to/from Wilson and points north on I-95. The airbase just allows I-795 to end at Goldsboro temporarily. The FAST Act that Congress passed in December 2015 made US-117 between Goldsboro and I-40 near Faison a future extension of I-795.
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), I-74 is mandated to turn southward from US-74 somewhere near Bolton, head to US-17, then follow that to Myrtle Beach. Unless Congress changes their mind (lol), the section between Bolton and Wilmington would have to become a spur of I-74.
