Monroe Bypass Construction: aerial pics of progress

[TheEmissary]

I enjoyed looking at those pictures! The sad thing is ...this road wouldn't need to exist if 74 had been designed properly, instead of creating a road that was considered already obsolete when it opened in 1959! In the design of roads, North Carolina does a poor job in anticipating future growth. 74 should have been 4 or 5 lanes in each direction with overpasses and cloverleafs instead of stop lights. You should have be able to travel from Monroe (and further East) to Charlotte at 65 miles an hour without seeing a traffic light ...and be able to have businesses and malls on the side that can still be easily accessed. It's not an impossible engineering feat! But the "we're not going to spend a lot of money on roads" mentality prevailed and now we have to live with the short-sighted expensive mess!

[appstate1998]

Originally Posted by MrChillax

A much more stable aircraft than the 172 for sure; additional benefit of Monroe Bypass construction is providing area pilots an excellent smooth dirt emergency landing site in case of problems! I wonder what negative effects the bypass will have on the 74 Monroe businesses. Will it go like the parts of Independence that turned limited access? Sadly, I probably won't think twice about it as I drive 70 towards OIB....

Have you ever flown from Charlotte to OIB? How long did it take you?

[MrChillax]

Originally Posted by appstate1998

Have you ever flown from Charlotte to OIB? How long did it take you?

With calm winds, in a basic 172 or PA-28, about 75 minutes from Monroe or Concord. Same for Myrtle. Charlotte has 5 great small airports around it, all with flight schools and rental fleets. We say "Flying is the ULTIMATE Monroe Bypass!"