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Also noted in the article is that work to upgrade US-264 to interstate standards between the Wilson/Greene county line and Greenville won't begin until September 2020.
Quote:
Next year, DOT also is scheduled to begin work to bring U.S. 264 from Pitt to Wilson counties up to interstate standards as part of a project to establish the new I-587. That work is to begin in September 2020.
Even if the bypass doesn't bring the flood of business Ayden thinks it may (in full agreement with you there @Richard Martin), the roundabout still channels traffic in a predictable manner. If an intersection isn't busy, people ain't gonna stop. A traffic light or stop sign creates a condition of noncompliance, whereas the roundabout at least acknowledges that people are going to keep moving and directs it in a responsible manner.
I do think there will business that will be brought into this side of the county and along the corridor. There are already many residential developments along Stantonsburg Rd / Davenport Rd / Forlines Rd/ Old 264. A person living along this corridor could conceivably hop on the new bypass and get to a restaurant or grocery store in Ayden faster and easier than trying to get into Greenville to go to the same type of place. I think there is definitely some appeal to that.
Just remember, there was a point in time not long ago that Firetower road had single lanes and pretty much zero development. I think it will be a plus for the communities & towns along the corridor.
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"48 years in MD, 18 in NC"
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Location: Greenville, NC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by michealbond
Just remember, there was a point in time not long ago that Firetower road had single lanes and pretty much zero development. I think it will be a plus for the communities & towns along the corridor.
You can't compare Firetower to the SWB. Firetower was built as a boulevard with the intention of having development built along it. The SWB is built as an Interstate with very limited access and a 70 MPH speed limit.
Myth: Bypasses are an economic development tool that will increase the tax base.
Reality: The actual impact of bypasses on the economy of small communities is mixed. The economies of smaller
communities (<2000 population) are more likely to be adversely impacted by a bypass.
When the the best a DOT can say is "impact...is mixed," you know it's not actually good for the community. They'll recast data any way they can to be positive and justify their budgets.
Bypasses are about intermodal transportation and freight movement, which is great from a macro-level perspective, but we don't have the warehousing infrastructure or proximity to primary transportation networks and/or ports to bring those benefits down to the local level.
At the local level, expect more of exactly what we've seen elsewhere--a shift of economic gravity from downtowns to the new bypass. You get development on the new road, but at great cost to the old centers of business in the community. Net development is neutral.
This won't be a death blow to Winterville/Ayden downtowns, but it's "death by a thousand cuts" for two towns that desperately need more people driving and walking downtown, not less.
Status:
"48 years in MD, 18 in NC"
(set 11 days ago)
Location: Greenville, NC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bikepedguy
Even if the bypass doesn't bring the flood of business Ayden thinks it may (in full agreement with you there @Richard Martin), the roundabout still channels traffic in a predictable manner. If an intersection isn't busy, people ain't gonna stop. A traffic light or stop sign creates a condition of noncompliance, whereas the roundabout at least acknowledges that people are going to keep moving and directs it in a responsible manner.
I don't think anybody is catching on to what I'm saying. There is no real intersection where the roundabout is. Ivy Rd and Mills Rd are an intersection. Portertown Rd and East Firetower Road are an intersection. The road that meets with NC 102 at the roundabout doesn't even have a name. There is nothing there but dirt.
It's just like the new 4 lane divided median Laurie Ellis Rd. extension. Why?
I don't think anybody is catching on to what I'm saying. There is no real intersection where the roundabout is. Ivy Rd and Mills Rd are an intersection. Portertown Rd and East Firetower Road are an intersection. The road that meets with NC 102 at the roundabout doesn't even have a name. There is nothing there but dirt.
It's just like the new 4 lane divided median Laurie Ellis Rd. extension. Why?
Maybe they're going to widen Laurie Ellis in the future?
When the the best a DOT can say is "impact...is mixed," you know it's not actually good for the community. They'll recast data any way they can to be positive and justify their budgets.
Bypasses are about intermodal transportation and freight movement, which is great from a macro-level perspective, but we don't have the warehousing infrastructure or proximity to primary transportation networks and/or ports to bring those benefits down to the local level.
At the local level, expect more of exactly what we've seen elsewhere--a shift of economic gravity from downtowns to the new bypass. You get development on the new road, but at great cost to the old centers of business in the community. Net development is neutral.
This won't be a death blow to Winterville/Ayden downtowns, but it's "death by a thousand cuts" for two towns that desperately need more people driving and walking downtown, not less.
I understand the cautionary tale and I think leaders should give much thought to these types of projects and the type of development that is planned around them. However neither Ayden nor Winterville are >2000 people. They're also in proximity to a much larger Greenville and county of 200k. I'm not a transportation professional but isn't the by-pass and quad east about "improving proximity to primary transportation networks and/or ports to bring those benefits down to the local level"? Developing seamless connectivity from the MHC port to the transpark to the capital, possibly even to Norfolk eventually feels like improved infrastructure making the area appealing to industry.
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