Well, maybe it wasn't even close. But it's a relief to learn that the US 70 Clayton Bypass did NOT win a prize as America's most innovative transportation project this year.

Yes, it's pretty. Yes, it provides a quicker path to the beach for U.S. 70 drivers.

But:

* The project was delayed for years and the pricetag grew enormoously because of DOT environmental dithering,
* It makes the weekday drive WORSE for many I-40 commuters, and
* Its innovative technology is broken. DOT folks didn't realize this until they read it in the N&O. They're still trying to repair it.

So it would have been embarrassing to win undeserved honors from AAA, the US Chamber of Commerce and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

DOT Secretary Gene Conti lobbied Johnston County residents, construction moguls and even his own 12,000 employees to stuff an online ballot box with enough mouse clicks to earn honors as the "People's Choice" project.

We got out-clicked by fans of a Florida project: "The 95 Express Miami Project is a $63 million High Occupancy/Toll lanes arrangement that encourages carpooling and rewards travelers with lower fares for traveling during off-peak hours."

And a group of judges gave the top prize to the Minnesota DOT for the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis -- not the one that collapsed in 2007, but the replacement that was designed and built in 14 months.

DOT planners are hosting an informational workshop today, Tuesday Oct. 13, on plans to widen Interstate 40 from the Raleigh Beltline (Exit 301) east to N.C. 42 (Exit 312).

The meeting takes place from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Comfort Inn meeting room, 126 Cleveland Crossing Drive, just off the I-40 interchange with N.C. 42 (Exit 312).

DOT now plans to start buying right-of-way for the I-40 widening in 2014. If you can't make today's meeting, contact DOT for more info:

Robert Deaton, DOT Project Development and Environmental Analysis Branch
1548 Mail Service Center, Raleigh 27699-1548
Phone: 919-733-7844 ext 323
E-mail: rdeaton@ndcot.gov

View US 70 Clayton Bypass in a larger map

The real-time traffic info sign on US 70 east of Clayton told me that if I took the old 70 Business route through town, it would take 11-15 minutes to reach I-40 Exit 306.

It was 7:30 a.m. on a workday Thursday. The sign flickered and said 12-16 minutes, then toggled back and forth between that and the shorter time. 

But how long would it take if I drove the Clayton Bypass -- the $123 million road that is supposed to make the morning drive faster? 

The sign was supposed to show those numbers, too, to help drivers decide. But the sign is broken, along with most of the other smart info technology that was installed with this project (see today's Road Worrier column). 

I chose the bypass.  When I reached I-40, the traffic was mostly stop-and-roll north from Exit 309 to Exit 306.

Drive time to Exit 306: 23 minutes. Your minutes may vary.

The US 70 Clayton Bypass is a contender for national honors as an innovative highway project that was constructed and opened to traffic ahead of time.

The question for commuters is: Does it get you to work ahead of time?

Your online vote can help decide the winner in this national contest.

Please let me hear about your experience with the new US 70 route around Clayton to I-40, which opened in June 2008:
- Has it quickened the pace of your daily drive, or did it merely relocate your traffic jam?
- Does the extra technology -- speed information signs, cameras etc -- help you?
- Did they do this one right?

Call me at 919-829-4527 or e-mail me. Don't forget to include your workday contact info.

The AAA motor club and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) have named the Clayton Bypass as one of 10 finalists in the 2009 America's Transportation Awards competition. Judges will make the final call in late October, and the public also is involved in online voting for the "people's choice" favorite. ... [MORE]

Perhaps you Clayton Bypass commuters already appreciate the pretty scenery that moves past your windshield in a green blur as you motorvate through the hills of western Johnston County.

NCDOT wants everybody to notice that nice view. So it has added the new U.S. 70 route around Clayton to the N.C. Scenic Byways Program.

Nine other road segments around the state also were added to the list. Most of the others are back roads, and they're out in the sticks. The Clayton Bypass is surely the busiest of the group. Details with pretty pictures are here.

DOT started the Scenic Byways Program in 1990 for highways with "unique, exceptional or outstanding historical, cultural or scenic characteristics."

DOT officials broke ground in Wayne County today on the first 3.9-mile section of a planned U.S. 70 bypass around the north side of Goldsboro.

Barnhill has a $65 million contract to build the section marked as BA on this map, from west of I-795 and U.S. 117 to east of Wayne Memorial Drive.  The work is to be finished by the end of December 2011.

The entire 20.5-mile bypass, planned as a four-lane expressway, will cost an estimated $300 million.  Construction is expected some time after 2015 on the other sections.

Channel 5 repors that inbound I-40 was a bit trafficacious this morning for Triangle commuters who have the bad luck to live in Johnston County and points east.

So?

Slow traffic is newsy because today's bottleneck was in the vicinity of the new US 70 Clayton Bypass, which opened for business yesterday.

The question:

Was this just another dreary I-40 day -- better than some mornings, worse than others? Or did the new bypass make it worse?