Confusion about 540 expansion.

[NewUser]

Originally Posted by SaucyAussie

Certainly the most contentious option was the southern most route through Holly Springs, Sunset Ridge and Bass Lake. This option would require the purchase of many expensive homes and would be the most expensive. I expect this to be eliminated immediately.

Funny. . . . . .at the Wake Tech meeting on Tuesday, an engineer told me that the southern route was "gaining traction". I guess they are also polititians

[SaucyAussie]

Originally Posted by NewUser

Funny. . . . . .at the Wake Tech meeting on Tuesday, an engineer told me that the southern route was "gaining traction". I guess they are also polititians

Well, yeah, I think the more northern route was pretty much a done deal until somebody realized they had forgotten something, the conversation might have gone something like this -

DOT Guy #1: Oh my god, we forgot about Fuquay!

DOT Guy #2: Fuquay? No, that can't be in Wake County, it is miles from anywhere, I read it on City Data!

DOT Guy #1: No, here, look at this map, it's just 5 miles south of Holly Springs!

DOT Guy #2: Oh crap, we better come up with some alternate routes so it looks like we knew that all along...

DOT Guy #1: Don't worry, we will put the alternate route straight through the middle of Sunset Ridge and Bass Lake, there is no way that will ever happen...

DOT Guy #1 and DOT Guy #2 (high fiving): Genius!!!

[NewUser]

I actually question the need for the southeast extension altogether. I mean really, the population density and commercial development north of Ten-Ten can't increase that much due to the watershed limitations. The freeway will run east-west. . . giving people in southern Wake quicker access to what? Holly Springs and Clayton? Big deal. I do see the need for I540 in North Raleigh, and the western extension out by Cary, Apex, and Holly Springs, due the amount of traffic going into RTP from these areas. If they REALLY want to help traffic getting into and out of RTP they should concentrate on widening Morrisville's roads and fixing their traffic lights. If built at all, I think that the road would be best placed somewhere equidistant between NC55 in Fuquay and Ten-Ten. Unfortunately, the road was planned 12 years ago when Fuquay was a speck on the map.

[wizard-xyzzy]

Will help with access to Wake Tech from the north half of the county. Also gives long-haul trucks headed to/from I-95 or Wilmington an alternative; they won't have to take I-40 along the southern edge of downtown Raleigh. Similarly, gives Johnston County residents an easier way to reach RTP, Chapel Hill, Durham, etc.

It's not just about residents F-V and Holly Springs.

[architect77]

1) That 80,000 miles NCDOT maintains isn't including roads within city limits as far as I know. If youlook at a transportation map, you can agree that so many rural roads in every county probably add up similarly to capillaries in the human body(supposedly thousands of miles).

2) You think Georgia, of all places, has built more new 4-lane divided highways than NC since 1990? I don't believe that's anywhere near correct, but I will look further.

3) I still believe that NC has far more roads to take care of, regardless of whose reponsibility it is. NC's counties struggle with Medicare, I doubt they could take on maintaining hundreds of miles of county roads also.

[boardmember10000]

The HS town council video from the 9/21 council meeting is up and the council is in agreement. They are going to push for the original corridor. It's the 2nd to last video link at the bottom of this page - Streaming Video, 8/16 Town Council Meeting, Holly Springs, NC (http://www.hollyspringsnc.us/media/sep21/index.htm - broken link)

[bobbis]

Hard time believing they'll pick the route that goes through Bentwinds and Woodlake in Fuquay. More oldtime millionaires in this pocket than you'd believe. Tons of established 800k+ homes and a private golf club to boot.

[margarethe]

Mark is right. North Carolinians scare me.