View NC 12 & NC Ferry Routes in a larger map

NCDOT will hold a final public hearing next Wednesday in Pamlico County -- and accept public comment until Thursday, Feb. 16 -- on its  plans to set higher rates for ferry tolls and commuter passes starting April 1.

Under orders from the General Assembly, NCDOT will start charging tolls on two commuter ferries now toll-free, and it will increase rates collected on three ferries where riders pay now (see 1/11/12 story with reader comments and more in 1/4/12 blog post - and more comments and photos with 2/5/12 story).

At the Feb. 15 meeting in Grantsboro, DOT officials will hear public comment after they outline the options they're considering:

Currituck - Knotts Island (Currituck Sound)
Free ferry, 45 minutes. Will remain toll-free. ... [MORE]

View NC 12 & NC Ferry Routes in a larger map

Ferry patrons will have two chances this week to speak out at public meetings -- tonight in Morehead City, Tuesday night in Southport -- about DOT plans to set higher rates for ferry tolls and commuter passes starting April 1.

Under orders from the General Assembly, DOT will start charging tolls on two commuter ferries now toll-free, and it will increase rates collected on three ferries where riders pay now (see 1/11/12 story with reader comments) and more in 1/4/12 blog post).

At this week's meetings and another one Feb. 15 in Grantsboro, DOT officials will hear public comment after they outline the options they're considering:

Currituck - Knotts Island (Currituck Sound)
Free ferry, 45 minutes. Will remain toll-free.

Swan Quarter - Ocracoke (Pamlico Sound)
Toll $15 for car & driver. 2 hours 30 minutes.
Proposed new toll $25 to $33, plus possible $5 passenger fare.
One-year commuter pass (now $150) proposed $300, $400 or $500.

Hatteras - Ocracoke (Hatteras Inlet)
Free ferry, 40 minutes. Will remain toll-free.

Bayview - Aurora (Neuse River)
Free ferry, 30 minutes.
Proposed new toll $10 or $12 for car & driver, plus possible $2 passenger fare.
Proposed one-year commuter pass $200, $400 or $500.

Cedar Island - Ocracoke (Pamlico Sound)
Toll $15 for car & driver. 2 hours 15 minutes.
Proposed new toll $25 to $33, plus possible $5 passenger fare.
One-year commuter pass (now $150) proposed $300, $400 or $500.

Cherry Branch - Minnesott Beach (Neuse River)
Free ferry, 20 minutes.
Proposed new toll $4 or $7 for car & driver, plus possible $1 passenger fare.
Proposed one-year commuter pass $150, $400 or $500.

Southport - Fort Fisher (Cape Fear River)
Toll $5 for car & driver. 35 minutes.
Proposed new toll $10 or $12, plus possible $2 passenger fare.
Proposed one-year commuter pass $200, $400 or $500.

Here are the public meeting locations:

Tonight (Monday, Jan. 30), 7 p.m.
Morehead City-Beaufort, NC No. 1710 Elks Lodge
400 Miller Farm Road, Morehead City
 
Tuesday, Jan. 31, 7 p.m.
I.L.A. Union Hall
211 W. 10th St., Southport

Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m.
Pamlico Community College
Ned Everett Delamar Center Auditorium
5049 Highway 306 S., Grantsboro

View US 70 Clayton Bypass in a larger map

The state Department of Transportation says it will continue for the next several years an unusual traffic lane change put in place last September as an experiment on westbound Interstate 40 at the U.S. 70 Clayton Bypass:

To make the morning rush hour run more smoothly, DOT closed one of three lanes on I-40 and one of two lanes on U.S. 70 as it merges with I-40. The lane slimming was called temporary in September, but DOT will install lane markings to make it semi-permanent on Wednesday.  Traffic studies indicate that the morning drive runs a bit smoother and faster with two lanes than it did with three lanes. ... [MORE]

View NC 12 & NC Ferry Routes in a larger map

The state Department of Transportation is steaming ahead with plans to end free rides on two of its coastal ferries, and to charge sharply higher fares on three other ferries, starting in April. [Update: see 1/11/12 story with reader comments.]

Public hearings are planned in late January on options for toll rates outlined in a new consultant study (see draft copy below).

“We want to present this to the public and let them weigh in on it,” said Ted Vaden, a deputy DOT secretary.

DOT officials will decide how high to set tolls for individual vehicles, whether to start adding charges for each vehicle passenger, and how much to charge for an annual commuter pass.

The legislature last year ordered DOT to increase ferry revenues by $2.5 million a year (correction posted 11:45am 1/5/11), and to start collecting tolls on two river ferries, now toll-free, that are used heavily by coastal commuters ... [MORE].

View US 70 Clayton Bypass in a larger map

In September, NCDOT tried an unusual approach to ameliorate a problem created when it opened the U.S. 70 Clayton Bypass: to help rush hour traffic move more smoothly on westbound Interstate 40, engineers reduced the road from three lanes to two lanes.

The idea was to eliminate the delays around a bottleneck that often formed when the three-lane stretch (about 2 miles long) ended and drivers in the two outer lanes were forced to merge into one lane.

So how's it working? Has this counterintuitive change improved your morning commute? Is it better to keep I-40 two lanes wide than to add a third lane temporarily?

Please let me hear from you, by phone (919-829-4527) or email. Be sure to include your name and your daytime phone number.  Thanks.

View US 70 Clayton Bypass in a larger map

Three lanes bad, two lanes better? 

NCDOT says its traffic engineers will launch an experiment, starting Sunday, to see if they can make westbound I-40 run more smoothly at rush hour by slimming it from three lanes to two lanes near the U.S. 70 Clayton Bypass. What do you think? [9/14 update: see today's story.]

Westbound I-40 swells from two to three lanes as it approaches the U.S. 70 interchange (Exit 309) in southeastern Wake County. During the morning rush, lots of drivers move into that new outside lane and speed ahead.  But this third lane disappears after about two miles, causing a regular rush-hour bottleneck when drivers struggle to merge back into the original two lanes.

So the question to be tested is: Would the morning traffic flow more smoothly without that temporary third lane? ... [MORE]

View Triangle Expressway construction in a larger map

Now that the NC 147 Durham Freeway southern spur from I-40 to Alexander Drive is closed forever, thousands of RTP commuters are trying to find the least inconvenient alternate route to work each day.

NCDOT suggests this one, marked in blue on my map: From I-40 go south on NC 55, then go east on NC 54 to Alexander Drive.

Durham commuters also can reach Alexander Drive by exiting the north end of NC 147 onto Cornwallis Road (or onto Alexander Drive).  Raleigh folks can exit I-40 on Page Road or Davis Drive, then head west on NC 54 to Alexander Drive.  Got it? ... [MORE]

View Triangle Expressway construction in a larger map

Starting this morning, thousands of RTP commuters must find a new way to work because the southern spur of NC 147 (Durham Freeway) from I-40 to Alexander Drive has been closed - forever (see Aug. 19 story with reader comments).

What's your new route?  How will the change affect your commute? Please share your thoughts below or let me hear from you (don't forget your daytime contact info). [6pm update: DOT suggests alternate routes, and announces nighttime lane closings on NC 147 and I-40.]

It was the 279A exit from I-40. The road was especially convenient, and its loss will be a particular hassle, for workers at the EPA and NIEHS, and other offices on Alexander Drive south of N.C. 54.

The N.C. Turnpike Authority closed the convenient connection because it overlaps with the northern end of the Triangle Parkway toll road, now under construction.  The Triangle Parkway is scheduled to open in December.

As the N.C. Turnpike Authority moves toward the opening late this year of the Triangle Parkway, I'm reporting on how RTP-area commuters are affected by the construction and the new toll road.

EPA, NIEHS and other folks will be affected when some existing routes are changed.  Is this making it harder for you to get to work in the morning and home at night?

Will North Carolina's first modern toll road give you an easier drive each day?

Please let me hear for you: call me at 919-829-4527 or email me, and don't forget to leave your full name and daytime contact info.  Thanks.

Twenty-ten is a relatively low-turnout year for the Triangle-wide SmartCommute Challenge, and the campaign has been extended a couple of weeks.

Now you have until May 31 to take part, and to put your name in the virtual hat for prizes including two drawings of $1,500 each, weekend getaways, bikes, a laptop and assorted gadgets and gift cards.

So far a total of 8,474 folks have taken the challenge this year, down by several thousand from previous years.

This is a three-county campaign for people who commute to jobs or college in the Triangle.... [MORE]