Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on August 2, 2007 - 2:21pm.
Growing up in North Carolina, teachers would call North Carolina the "good road state." However, most experts now write about how North Carlina's roads are the "worst in the southeast." What happened? We probably will never know. However, I am increasingly feeling that NC DOT is rife with incompetent.
Examples:
1) I-540 and I-40 interchange. Already mentioned by several sources, it baffles me why the intersection between a 8 lane freeway (I-40) and a 6-8 lane freeway (I-540) would have ONE (1) lane? After all the Aviation Parkway and NC 54 exit ramps on both sides have at least 2 exit lanes. It doesn't take a traffic engineer to see that this is an inadequate design.
2) I-540 at Triangle Towne Blvd. The ENTIRE freeway is a minimum of 6 lanes (3 each direction). So WHY on earth did they drop I-540 westbound through the Triangle Towne Blvd interchange down to 2 continuous lanes? While not an issue now, as we grow, it is destined to be a chokepoint.
3) I-540 at US70. Why do you route the east side of the interchange through the traffic light at Westgate Road? Seems extremely inefficient
4) BL-85, I-40 at US 421 in Greensboro. Again, only 2 lanes through Death Valley for WB traffic, as opposed to 3 lanes continuous for EB lanes.
There are many more questionable designs, but the I-40, 540 interchange is one that is really inadequate!
What happened to NC being known as the "good road state?"
Growing up in North Carolina, teachers would call North Carolina the "good road state." However, most experts now write about how North Carlina's roads are the "worst in the southeast." What happened? We probably will never know. However, I am increasingly feeling that NC DOT is rife with incompetent.
Examples:
1) I-540 and I-40 interchange. Already mentioned by several sources, it baffles me why the intersection between a 8 lane freeway (I-40) and a 6-8 lane freeway (I-540) would have ONE (1) lane? After all the Aviation Parkway and NC 54 exit ramps on both sides have at least 2 exit lanes. It doesn't take a traffic engineer to see that this is an inadequate design.
2) I-540 at Triangle Towne Blvd. The ENTIRE freeway is a minimum of 6 lanes (3 each direction). So WHY on earth did they drop I-540 westbound through the Triangle Towne Blvd interchange down to 2 continuous lanes? While not an issue now, as we grow, it is destined to be a chokepoint.
3) I-540 at US70. Why do you route the east side of the interchange through the traffic light at Westgate Road? Seems extremely inefficient
4) BL-85, I-40 at US 421 in Greensboro. Again, only 2 lanes through Death Valley for WB traffic, as opposed to 3 lanes continuous for EB lanes.
There are many more questionable designs, but the I-40, 540 interchange is one that is really inadequate!