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Crosstown Traffic
Crosstown Traffic is all about getting around in the Triangle. Bad drivers and traffic hassles. Gas taxes and transportation politics. Public transit and other auto alternatives.
The blog is maintained by N&O transportation reporter Bruce Siceloff, whose Road Worrier column is published each Tuesday.
This traffic is two-way. What do you think? Leave a comment or email Bruce with questions, links, tips or gripes.
DOT signs West Raleigh I-40 widening contract
S.T. Wooten Corp. of Wilson received a $49 million contract from NCDOT today to widen a 6-mile stretch of I-40 in West Raleigh, a long-sought project that will ease congestion in the Triangle's worst commuter bottleneck.
I-40 will grow from two to three lanes each way between Wade Avenue and the US 1/64 interchange. The added interstate lane also will reduce confusion at the chaotic split between Wade and eastbound I-40.
Plans call for extra wide shoulders and bridges that will make it easier in future years to add a fourth lane in each direction.
After the work is finished in mid-2011, thousands of I-40 commuters will have a quicker round trip each day.
“There are about 160,000 drivers using that facility each day, and each of them get delayed about 20 minutes a day because of the congestion there,” said Ed Johnson, director of CAMPO, the Raleigh area transportation planning agency.
That adds up to 53,000 hours wasted in traffic on that part of I-40.
“If you attach $10 an hour to the cost of a person's time, that's a half-million dollars a day this chokepoint is costing the region now in terms of time that could be better spent elsewhere,” Johnson said.
Wooten also will have the job of updating signs around Raleigh's Beltline. The old Inner/Outer Beltline designations will disappear, replaced by new markers dividing the Beltline between east/west I-40 and east/west I-440.
Bruce Siceloff
Bruce Siceloff reports on traffic and transportation. An N&O reporter and editor since 1976, he took over the Road Worrier column in 2003. Lately he drives I-40 with the cruise control set at 62 mph. E-mail Bruce or call him at 919-829-4527.
Comments
More of the same
Wed, 07/01/2009 - 20:54 — NativeTHeelI can't believe money being poured into a widening project while Charlotte is told there's no money for completion of the outer belt started over twenty years ago. Thanks for nothing Bev.
Not from Raleigh Uh?
Thu, 07/02/2009 - 08:21 — warrior5011I've lived in both cities and dealt with two different bad commutes. I lived in Huntersville and commuted to downtown Charlotte (via I-77), it was no fun and yes completing 485 would help the situation. But, to commute from the other side of RTP to south Raleigh everyday, is an utter nightmare. I'm guessing you haven't had to do it very often.
Considering there is one bottleneck that ties up essentially the entire region, (were talking over a million people), it needs to be expaned from two to three lanes. This section of highway has plaqued the triangle for the last 20 years. It wasn't designed properly from the beginning and no changes have been made since.
They really should go ahead and expand the whole section to four lanes instead of three. Construction for roads will never get cheaper than they are currently. I haven't seen the costs analysis, but I would think it would be much cheaper NOW to go ahead and expand to four than open up the project ten years later and add one more lane. Were talking huge savings for NC taxpayers. Maybe even enough to help get 485 finally completed around Charlotte.
It's about time.
Wed, 07/01/2009 - 18:46 — TooKatzBut why not build out to 8 lanes now, rather than in 5 more years when the cost to revisit the project is greater?
I-40 widening: 6 now, 8 later
Tue, 07/07/2009 - 09:10 — BruceSiceloff (author)FYI, DOT and local folks compromised on widening that four-lane bottleneck known as I-40 in West Raleigh.
For now, they will make it 6 lanes wide. But the project starting this summer includes extra wide bridges that will accommodate 8 lanes in the future, and there's something about extra wide shoulders that also will make it cheaper to expand to 8 lanes in the future.
I understand the original
Thu, 07/02/2009 - 12:46 — jcaptainI understand the original planning called for exactly that but, as you might guess, it is significantly more money. Instead of waiting an extra 3 to 5 years to fund the bigger project, the DOT wisely decided to add one more lane each way, while also planning for the additional lanes later.
I think you have to agree that we need relief now! Budgets are tight these days and there are plenty of needed projects around the state. It's good that one of ours is getting attention.
DOT
Wed, 07/01/2009 - 16:48 — heavyeWhy even have a NCDOT if we are paying other companies to do their work??? I wonder why the state is broke......
Do a little brain work, please...
Wed, 07/01/2009 - 18:47 — TooKatzIn NC, as in all states, the DOT designs, manages and oversees transportation projects but by state law must contract out almost all its construction projects to the private sector (to in-state companies, hopefully) except for minor road repairs, for example. Have you not heard of the state bidding process? Would you really want the state DOT to be the even larger bureaucracy that would be required to actually handle its own construction needs? And I'm sure that competitive bidding by the private sector holds down construction costs far below what the DOT would end up spending if it was left to its own construction. JUST THINK.