newsobserver.com blogs -- crosstown

Speed traps: A good thing? Discuss.

BruceSiceloff — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:59:22 -0500

Triangle drivers noticed on Wednesday that I-40 in Wake and Durham counties was teeming with cops. State troopers, county deputies and local police pointed their speed guns at a lot of drivers, and they wrote a ream of tickets.

This uncharacteristic spurt of enforcement marked the start of a two-week statewide anti-speeding campaign. It involves two agencies and two slogans: Operation Slow Down (Highway Patrol) and No Need 2 Speed (Governor's Highway Safety Program).

They handed out 169 speeding tickets in just two hours. One guy clocked at 90mph was cited for reckless driving and child endangerment, for having an unrestrained child in the front seat.

It's about time, some people say. We need to crack down on speeders.

What do you say? Have you been ticketed for speeding? Is law enforcement too lax on speeders? Too harsh?

In the past, police rarely ticketed speeders unless they exceeded the posted limit by at least 10mph. Is that still true?

Let me hear from you: bruce.siceloff@newsobserver.com. Don't forget your daytime contact info.

How to fix I-40 / NC 54 congestion in Orange-Durham: Workshop tonight in Chapel Hill

BruceSiceloff — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:01:42 -0500

The NC 54 - I-40 interchange has the worst traffic congestion in Orange and Durham counties. What to do about it?

Come to a public workshop this evening in Chapel Hill to find out what transportation planners are thinking -- and to give them the benefit of your thoughts.

It's from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Friday Center on NC 54 on the east side of Chapel Hill. For more info call Leta Huntsinger with the Durham Chapel Hill Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization, 560-4366 ext 30423 (email: leta.huntsinger@durhamnc.gov). Let her know if you'd like to join a citizen contacts panel for this effort.

Learn about the NC54 - I-40 corridor study online at http://www.nc54-i40corridorstudy.com/

Let's keep talking about ethanol and flex-fuel cars ...

BruceSiceloff — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:14:06 -0500

The campaign to pump more and more ethanol into our cars is fueled by a conspiracy of good intentions -- the Corn Belt agribiz lobby, the environmental lobby, and the political powers who listen to them.

It might seem hard to argue against renewable energy, reduced greenhouse emissions and reduced fossil fuel imports. But there are powerful arguments on both sides of the ethanol issue.

Admittedly, today's Road Worrier column gave scant space to these big questions. Instead, it focused narrowly on the risks of pumping E85 (85% ethanol) into a car that simply can't stomach it. (Read today's Road Worrier, with lots of reader comments.)

In fact, most of our cars can't run on E85. But most drivers are not aware that E85 can damage our cars, and that we easily can put it into our cars by mistake. The words "warning" and "damage" do not appear in the advisory labels on E85 pumps.

In addition to comments posted online with today's column -- many of them sarcastic attacks on clueless car owners, evil ethanol, or Al Gore -- I received e-mail from the ethanol industry, from another driver who damaged his car with E85, and from other folks. I'd like to hear more.

Below are the addresses of Triangle-area E85 stations, and links to online resources on E85, flex-fuel cars and renewable fuels.

First, this note from an ethanol industry executive. Phil Lampert, marketing vice president for Growth Energy Inc. of Jefferson, MO, comes down hard on the careless motorist who puts E85 into a non-flex fuel car. He seems to favor punitive action -- fines levied by the EPA -- against motorists who damage their own cars with ethanol. This is an unusual marketing strategy.

First: There is an assumption that drivers can read the English language. What part of “For FFVs ONLY” is not clear? “STOP-Not gasoline” is also pretty clear…………..but to the point, many people fail to heed speed limits, Yield signs, etc. When motorists violating other signs are noticed by law enforcement, they may be fined.

Secondly: What you don’t mention is that the U.S. EPA can, and should, also fine motorists that fail to heed the warning labels on E85 pumps and misfuel their vehicles-----intentionally or not! “Oh Officer, I didn’t know that I was driving 85 mph,” is the same as “oops, I thought this was regular gasoline.”

Next, Conrad Chin describes what happened when he mistakenly put E85 into his car at C-Mini Mart Shell on US 64 in Apex, at Lake Pine Drive.

It started jerking and quitting at stop lights right away. After a couple of days, the check engine light came on. I took it to the Honda dealer and they said the fuel sensor was bad (I did not provide them the information of pumping the high ethanol gas).

They said it would cost me about $300 to replace the sensor. I declined and paid for the $50 diagnostic fee. After I consumed that tank of "bad" gas, I refuelled with high-octane gas, and the light subsequnetly went off.

My question is: it seems this high ethanol gas is bad for a lot of cars. Then why is the gas station selling it?

Here are the three Triangle-area stations that sell E85 to the public. Not included on the list are E85 pumps that service government vehicle fleets.

C-Mini Mart - Shell
902 US 64 W (at Lake Pine Drive)
Apex NC 27523
Phone: 919-462-8332

Carlie C's IGA
604 S Wall St
Benson NC 27504
Phone: 919-207-0744

Cruzers #20
1914 Sedwick Rd (off NC 55)
Durham NC 27713
Phone: 919-806-3458

And here are online resources for folks who want to learn more about flex-fuel vehicles, ethanol, other E85 stations, and other renewable fuels.

Triangle Clean Cities Coalition - www.trianglecleancities.org
N.C. Solar Center Clean Transportation – www.cleantransportation.org
National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition – www.e85fuel.com
Renewable Fuels Association - www.ethanolrfa.org
US EPA Alternative Fuels - www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/fuels/altfuels/altfuels.htm
US Dept of Energy Alternative Fuels - www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/

New report counts many teens who text and phone while they drive

BruceSiceloff — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:18:31 -0500

One out of every four American teens aged 16 or 17 have texted while driving, and more than 40 percent have talked on the phone while driving, according to a new report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

They'd better stop. All cell phone use is illegal for drivers under 18 in North Carolina, and starting Dec. 1, texting is illegal for drivers of all ages in the state. (See Oct. 13 Road Worrier column on texting teens.)

The report released today, "Teens and Distracted Driving: Talking, texting and other uses of the cell phone behind the wheel," also says:

- 82% of U.S. teens aged 16-17 own cell phones, and 76% of these cell-phoners use them to send or receive text messages.

- 34% of texting 16-17 yr olds say they have texted while driving. That means 26% of all teens aged 16 and 17. Among teens aged 12-17, 48% say they have been in a car while the driver was texting.

- 52% of cell-phoners aged 16-17 say they have talked on the phone while driving. That means 43% of all American teens in that age group.

Weekend road work will force an I-40 / Beltline detour

BruceSiceloff — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:49:38 -0500

View I-40 / southern Beltline work in a larger map

Repaving work on Raleigh's southern Beltline this weekend will close lanes and send some drivers on a detour.

The state Department of Transportation will close the exit ramp from westbound Interstate 40 to the eastbound I-440 Outer Beltline from 9 p.m. tonight to 5 a.m. Monday.

A marked detour will send drivers west to the Rock Quarry Road exit, where they will be directed to loop back onto the eastbound lanes of the Outer Beltline.

Also this weekend, the Outer Beltline will be reduced to one lane from Rock Quarry to Poole Road.

A separate paving project on thenorthern Beltline will close some lanes on Sunday between Wade Avenue and Wake Forest Road, so road crews can apply permanent stripes to the pavement. The work will affect traffic between 9 a.m. Sunday and 6 a.m. Monday.

A quiet half-opening for Wendell Falls Parkway interchange

BruceSiceloff — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:55:04 -0500

You might have expected hoopla for the opening of a $25.5 million highway project in eastern Wake County -- with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting and a bunch of grip-and-grin photos.

Far from it. David Bone, the Wendell town manager, buried the news in a sentence on page four of his weekly memo to the town board of commissioners:

ITEM 14. OTHER
A. The Wendell Falls interchange opened on Wednesday, November 4th.

Wendell Falls is or was a planned 1,400-acre suburb off U.S. 64/264 between Knightdale and Wendell. It was supposed to have 4,000 new homes. The developer, Mercury Development Co., spent a lot of money to lay in water and sewer lines and to build the new interchange on U.S. 64/264, midway between the exits for Smithfield Road and U.S. 64 Business / Wendell Boulevard.

Besides serving as the main road through the new Wendell Falls community, the parkway was touted as a new back way into the town of Wendell itself.

Then the real estate business tanked last year, followed by the rest of the economy. No lots have been sold and no homes have been built.

But NCDOT made sure the new U.S. 64/264 interchange, financed entirely with private money, was finished. The new interchange opened earlier this month, but only half-way.

If you take the new exit, you can turn west toward Knightdale on Knightdale-Eagle Rock Road. There are barricades on the east side of the overpass because the seven-lane-wide Wendell Falls Parkway hasn't been finished.

Greg Ferguson, a founding partner of the builder, Raleigh-based Mercury Development, still hopes to make it all happen in 2010.

“There are a number of things in motion right now, and all these things have to fall one after the other," Ferguson said today by phone. "It’s still a very challenging time in the economic environment.

"We still have a plan under way that would get us back under construction and open for business in the first half of the year.”

Meanwhile, Mercury Development's website has been wiped clean of any reference to Wendell Falls.

And when I look for info on the web address formerly dedicated to this project, www.wendellfalls.com, my browser tells me there's nothing there. I get a message that the website (not the development) is

Under Construction

Raleigh-Cary rated sixth most dangerous metro area for pedestrians

BruceSiceloff — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:33:43 -0500

A new study rates the Raleigh-Cary area the sixth most dangerous metro area in the nation for pedestrians.

Forty-three pedestrians died in traffic accidents here in 2007 and 2008, a rate of 2.02 pedestrian deaths for every 100,000 residents, according to a report released today by Transportation for America, a coalition of more than 300 national groups that lobbies for transportation improvements.

In a suburban area where only 1.6 percent of local residents walk to work, that high death rate gives Raleigh-Cary a Pedestrian Danger Index of 128.6, according to the Transportation for America report.

The danger list, which ranked the nation’s 50 largest metro areas, was dominated by fast-growing suburban regions where fewer than 2 percent of workers commute on foot.

The Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord area, also with 43 pedestrian deaths in 2007-08, ranked 12th on the danger list. Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord had 1.29 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 residents, in an area where only 1.2 percent of workers walking to work.

440 Beltline traffic will get squeezed Sunday to allow striping

BruceSiceloff — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:54:24 -0500

DOT will close one lane in each direction on the I-440 Beltline this Sunday so a road contractor can put down stripes on new pavement.

That'll be welcome news for drivers who had a hard time seeing the temporary stripes. Several folks have complained to the Road Worrier. A couple of weeks ago, Trudy Kappel asked:

Do you know if the lines painted on the newly repaved section of I440 are the final work? They vanish on a dark rainy night.

Sunday's striping work will take place between Wade Avenue and Wake Forest Road, and between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Expect delays Friday on Wade Avenue

BruceSiceloff — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:00:04 -0500

Starting at 9 a.m. Friday, Wade Avenue traffic will be squeezed again into one lane each way, while DOT crews do more work at the Canterbury Road intersection.

A sewer leak at Canterbury prompted Raleigh and DOT officials to close the lanes for repair work Wednesday night. For an update on when Friday's work will end and the lanes will reopen, call 511 or check DOT's Triangle travel info site online.

DOT is repaving Wade this fall between Faircloth and Oberlin. That work is not supposed to impede rush hour traffic, weekdays from 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m.

The Umstead access issue isn't going away

BruceSiceloff — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:16:18 -0500

The state Division of Parks and Recreation toyed for a year with the idea of opening a third automobile entrance to Umstead State Park (at Graylyn Drive), and it received a few hundred comments expressing sharp opinions on both sides.

The Raleigh City Council's Public Works Committee struggled this year with calls to erect "No Parking" signs in residential neighborhoods where Umstead users leave their cars There were sharp, competing opinions here, too.

State and city agencies helped create these problems. The Umstead maintenance gate at the corner of Trenton and Reedy Creek Roads became an even more appealing destination for park users after the city and the state extended the Reedy Creek Greenway west from the NC Museum of Art -- and stopped it there. The closest parking lot is two miles away at the art museum.

NCDOT banned parking on the state roads outside the Graylyn and Reedy Creek Road maintenance gates -- after it justified paving Graylyn by using high traffic counts that had been generated by those same parked cars.

Both the city and the state are wary of taking steps that will set uncontrollable precedents, cost money and perhaps create new sets of environmental, legal and political problems.

So the parks division refused this week to open the Graylyn gate. And the city council said it wasn't ready to discuss the committee's proposal to ban parking on one side of the street only, in a residential neighborhood near the Reedy Creek Road gate. (See today's story, with reader comments and map.)

This "No Parking" half measure is a compromise recommendaton that already is making both park patrons and home owners unhappy -- and it has not stopped them from blaming each other for the problem. Meanwhile, residents of other neighborhoods are waiting in line to demand equal treatment.

"It's not that we don't want people coming here," says David Messerly, who lives near the Reedy Creek Road gate. "We'd love to see a parking lot put in, so five times as many people could come here to use the park. I don't think it's fair to ask us to house 20 or 40 cars every day, parked on our streets by people who come to use a state facility nearby."

Umstead is a wonderful rural park that thousands of urban residents want to use. The main entrances aren't sufficient. Access to the most desired trails is slow from the Glenwood Avenue gate, and it requires a long slog through the woods for people who use the Harrison Avenue gate.

The so-called "neighborhood access" maintenance road gates are appealing to lots of hikers, bikers and runners. They need places to park, other than on residential streets nearby.

It'll take a couple of mayors (this is a Cary issue, too -- Old Reedy Creek Road is next in line for paving and 'No Parking') and a few legislators to convene all the city and state agencies that share responsibility for this urban park problem.

"I know it's not an easy decision," Messerly said. "It may be difficult and expensive. But they need to do the hard thing, and find some place for people to park."

Umstead's Graylyn gate stays shut, and parking ban at Trenton is widened

BruceSiceloff — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:07:58 -0500

Runners and cyclists hoping for easier access to the state's busiest urban state park lost ground today:

State officials said they won't turn dead-end Graylyn Drive into a third automobile entrance to Umstead State Park.

And the Raleigh City Council prepared to post more No Parking signs on neighborhood streets near an Umstead gate on Reedy Creek Road. [Update 5 p.m. Tuesday: The council delayed action on the No Parking proposal, sending the matter back to committee for more deliberation.]

Lewis Ledford, the state parks director, announced a plan to improve a bumpy gravel road inside the park that provides access from the Glenwood Avenue entrance to the Sycamore Bike and Bridle Trailhead (see map). The road will be paved when funds are available, and the trailhead parking lot will be expanded.

He rejected an option, floated a year ago, to let park patrons drive to the same trailhead on what is now a maintenance road with a locked gate at the end of Graylyn Drive off Ebenezer Church Road.

“Our overriding philosophy must be to minimize the development footprint at Umstead as one way to protect the wild and natural landscape of this state park,” Ledford said in a news release.

The Graylyn entrance proposal had been endorsed by park patrons who were barred two years ago from parking their cars on Graylyn, where they found it convenient to slip inside the maintenance gate to use park trails.

Ledford said the Graylyn option would pose security issues; increase traffic in nearby neighborhoods; invite unauthorized, after-hours entry into the park; and threaten natural areas with further pressure to enlarge the entrance. He said cyclists and pedestrians will still be allowed to enter the park by walking around the Graylyn gate, and he will recommend that the city improve access by building a sidewalk along nearby Ebenezer Church Road.

Also today, the City Council is expected to ban parking on one side of Trenton Woods Way and Tree Side Court, in the Trenton Woods subdivision near a maintenance gate on the east side of the park at the intersection of Trenton and Reedy Creek roads.

Homeowners unhappy with Umstead patrons who park near their houses had petitioned the council for a total on-street parking ban. A council committee concluded that parking should still be permitted on one side of the two streets and on cul de sacs in the neighborhood.

The council also is expected to approve a plan adding a paved two-foot-wide shoulder for 630 feet along Trenton Road, to provide more room for cyclists, joggers, and neighborhood residents pushing baby strollers. [Update: This item was approved today.]

Martians land in Duke Forest

BruceSiceloff — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:46:45 -0400

There are unconfirmed reports of a spacecraft landing in Duke Forest.

Tune into WKNC FM (88.1) from 7 to 8 p.m. tonight for details -- with sound effects.

No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as men busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. ...

Yet across the gulf of space, minds that are to our minds as ours are to those of the beasts that perish, intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us. ...

A close call on the Clayton Bypass

BruceSiceloff — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:52:44 -0400

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.

Expect delays on Halloween highways

BruceSiceloff — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:00:36 -0400

You can count on road crews to park their bulldozers on Thanksgiving and other major holidays -- but watch out when you're driving around the Triangle this Halloween.

NCDOT engineers say that, weather permitting, they'll be at work Saturday on a number of repaving and road improvement projects that could cause traffic backups.

Lane closings are likely on the I-40 widening project in West Raleigh (at the Wade Avenue bridge), and for paving jobs on:

    - I-540 north of I-40,
    - I-40 between I-540 and Wade,
    - I-440 and
    - US 64 / 264.

DOT engineers sometimes provide road work schedule updates on their travel information website and 511 phone service. Unfortunately, DOT does not publish daily details on exactly when and where you can expect to find construction delays.

Turn clocks back, turn on headlights

BruceSiceloff — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:11:45 -0400

Daylight savings season ends Sunday at 2 a.m. That means the sun will set an hour earlier -- so, starting next week, we'll all have a darker drive home from work each day.

In a DOT press release, the state's chief traffic engineer warns us to be careful:

“For many people, it will be almost dark or dark when they leave work, making it more difficult to see bicyclists and pedestrians, as well as other vehicles,” said Kevin Lacy, state traffic engineer for the NCDOT. “As days grow shorter, drivers should also stay alert for school children at bus stops in the early morning hours.”

“Additionally, commuters should be on the lookout for deer, which are most active this time of year especially at dusk,” added Lacy.

This is a good time to make sure your headlights, tail lights, brake lights and signal lights are working. Every night on my drive home, I see drivers who don't realize they need to replace a bulb or two.

Watch the skies ... for red balloons

BruceSiceloff — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:12:10 -0400

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency -- DARPA, the folks who say they invented the Internet 40 years ago -- today announced a new technology competition in the spirit of Internet technology and social networking.

It sounds fiendishly simple: Be the first person or team to determine the locations of 10 large red weather balloons, and win $40,000.

The 10 balloons will be moored in plain sight, visible from nearby roadways, in locations across the continental United States on Dec. 5. The winner will be the first to post the latitude and longitude for each of the balloons on the contest website.

People interested in competing can register on the DARPA web site starting Dec. 1. (You can read details there now.) There, they can find contact info for other people with whom they might team up to find the locations of all 10 balloons.

DARPA calls its Network Challenge "a competition that will explore the role the Internet and social networking plays in the timely communication, wide area team-building and urgent mobilization required to solve broad scope, time-critical problems. "

This is a bit different from DARPA's last big contest -- a robot automobile race.

JetBlue adds two more Boston flights

BruceSiceloff — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:37:08 -0400

JetBlue Airways, which offers one daily flight from RDU Airport to Boston Logan, said today it will add two more next summer.

That will bring JetBlue's RDU service to seven daily flights, including three to Boston. JetBlue now has three daily flights to New York JFK, one to Boston and one to Fort Lauderdale.

Park and Ride stickups -- twice -- at RDU

BruceSiceloff — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:26:38 -0400

Twice during October, armed robbers have struck a parking lot booth at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, making off with hundreds of dollars in parking collections.

A man with a handgun took $240 in cash from an attendant at RDU’s Park and Ride Lot 3 off Aviation Parkway on Oct. 3, shortly after 1 a.m., according to an RDU Police report.

A woman with a handgun took $571 from a different employee at the same parking lot shortl before 10 p.m. on Oct. 25.

No one was injured in either incident. Detailed descriptions were not available.

“It’s been years” since a parking lot attendant reported being robbed at RDU, said Mindy Hamlin, airport spokeswoman.

Repaving will make Wade slower now, smoother soon

BruceSiceloff — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:57:15 -0400

View Wade & Glenwood repaving in a larger map

NCDOT will start work Monday on a project, funded with federal stimulus dollars, to repave Wade Avenue inside the Raleigh Beltline.

All lanes will stay open during the weekday rush hour, 6-9 a.m. and 4-7 p.m.

But some lanes will be closed and traffic will be slowed at other times of the day and night, DOT says. Wade carries about 30,000 cars and trucks each day.

NCDOT also awarded a $1.2 million contract this summer to repave Glenwood Avenue inside the Beltline, but that job now is scheduled to start in March.

The Wade job is scheduled in two phases under terms of a $1.3 million contract with Rea Contracting of Charlotte.

The stretch from Faircloth Road to Oberlin Road is to be finished by Dec. 26. Work will resume in March, to finish repaving Wade from Oberlin to Capital Boulevard by June.

Football tonight: Expect delays on I-40, try park-and-ride in Chapel Hill

BruceSiceloff — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:57:48 -0400

View Tar Heel Express in a larger map

If you're one of 60,000 football fans heading to Chapel Hill for the Florida State game this evening, remember these words: park and ride.

Most Carolina football fans are familiar with all the places around town where you can leave your car and board a Tar Heel Express bus that will deliver you to Kenan Stadium for the 8pm kickoff.

The bus makes your ride easier, and it cuts down on traffic hassles for everybody else.

And the combination of football and rush hour guarantees that there will be traffic delays this evening.

Football traffic in Chapel Hill Thursday night could be worse than U2 traffic in Raleigh

BruceSiceloff — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:28:55 -0400

Carolina is hosting Florida State in Kenan Stadium Thursday night, so we can expect the usual evening traffic hassle to be ten times worse around Chapel Hill and on I-40 in Durham County.

Chapel Hill isn't such an awful place on football Saturdays. They know how to do park-and-ride in that town.

But the roads will have lots of extra traffic Thursday evening, and university employees will have to knock off work early to clear out all those parking spaces for football fans.

Kickoff is a little after 8 p.m.

Turnpike Authority turns its eye to south and east Wake

BruceSiceloff — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:17:10 -0400

Now that construction is under way on a toll road to extend the 540 Outer Loop through western Wake County, the N.C. Turnpike Authority has started planning the proposed 30-mile southern and eastern sections that would bring the loop full circle around Raleigh.

The 18-mile Triangle Expressway will run from Interstate 40 at Research Triangle Park to Holly Springs in southwest Wake. Drivers will pay tolls electronically when it is completed in late 2012.

Commuters and truckers, weary of rush-hour congestion on I-40 through Wake County, have been eager to see the state build the proposed Southern Wake Expressway from Holly Springs to I-40 near Garner.

There has been less support for the Eastern Wake Expressway from Garner to Knightdale, where it would meet the existing 540 loop.

Traffic forecasts produced by turnpike engineers Wednesday suggest that building the southern section as a toll road would ease congestion on I-40 in Raleigh, and on east-west routes such as Ten Ten Road.

And it would bring more paying customers to the Triangle Expressway.

“The logic of building Southern Wake is that it makes a strong connection for I-40,” sad Steve DeWitt, the turnpike authority’s chief engineer. “Making a business case for constructing a project is stronger on the southern side than on the eastern side.”

Joe Bryan of Knightdale, a Wake County commissioner who chairs the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, said he hopes the upcoming study will confirm his belief that the Eastern Wake Expressway is an essential part of the loop.

“It just seems from a system standpoint it would be very appropriate to have a complete circle versus an arc or half circle,” Bryan said.

No decisions have been made about when or whether to build the proposed roads.

Glenwood @ Westgate revisited: more unintended consequences

BruceSiceloff — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:21:51 -0400

View Glenwood Ave. @ Westgate Road, Raleigh in a larger map

Uh oh. Duffy Heath says it could be happening again: a safety fix that introduces new danger at Glenwood and Westgate.

DOT traffic engineers recently made changes intended to improve safety at the Glenwood Avenue intersection with Westgate and Lumley roads in northwest Raleigh (see this week's Road Worrier column).

But Heath says the changes contributed to a scary brush with death there recently. He inadvertently ran the red light and nearly got creamed by two cars rushing down the off-ramp from westbound Glenwood.

Back in April 2005, a different DOT effort to improve safety at this same locale had the opposite effect -- it sparked a series of 16 red-light crashes in 23 days, which ended after DOT undid the changes.

Now DOT traffic engineers are trying to cut the number of drivers on Westgate who run the red light at westbound Glenwood. Among other things, they have raised the signals themselves a few feet higher above the roadway.

So high, Heath says, that the signal disappeared from his view after he stopped for the red light there on Oct. 7:

I was headed south on Westgate after dark and stopped for a red light. I did not notice that when I pulled up to the intersection the light disappeared from my windshield, obscured by the roof of my car.

I was tired from being out of town for three days and preoccupied with a song on the radio. After I sat there for a short period, I noticed the green light at the intersection of the eastbound lane of the off ramp onto [Lumley] Road.

It was the only traffic signal in my line of vision so I took off. As I entered the intersection I noticed two cars [hurtling] down the westbound off ramp. I did not have sufficient time to clear the intersection so I stopped in the middle.

One car passed in front of me and the other behind me.

I was almost killed. Granted it was my fault but the height of the traffic light directly contributed to the sequence of events.

Heath has asked DOT engineers to reconsider their solution to the problems at Glenwood and Westgate.

Meanwhile, two other readers recall that DOT used to add white strobe lights to call attention to some red lights that drivers seemed to ignore. Maybe these flashing lights could help here, too?

Perdue BOT picks have varied political alliances

BruceSiceloff — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:34:00 -0400

Campaign finance records reveal varied political pedigrees for Gov. Beverly Perdue’s newest picks for the state Board of Transportation.

Perdue is reappointing one board member who was a major contributor to her run for governor.

She is naming four new members including one who supported her Democratic primary rival -- and never contributed to Perdue’s campaign.

J. Gary Ciccone of Fayetteville, to succeed Mac Campbell in Division 6. Ciccone, a commercial real estate developer, chairs a bank board and has been a political contributor to two of its members: Sen. Tony Rand of Fayetteville, the Senate majority leader ($1,000 in 2008), and former Sen. Oscar Harris, who was Perdue’s campaign treasurer ($500 in 2004).

Ciccone gave heavily to former Gov. Mike Easley and then backed Perdue’s Democratic rival, Richard Moore, before giving Perdue’s campaign $1,000 in late 2007.

David L. Burns of Laurinburg, an agribusiness executive, to succeed G.R. Kindley in Division 8. Burns supported Easley and gave Moore’s campaign $1,000 in 2007, but records show no contributions from Burns to Perdue.

Burlington Mayor Ronnie K. Wall, assistant superintendent for Burlington-Alamance schools, to succeed Tony Dennis of Norwood as at-large board member for government-related finance and accounting. Wall gave Perdue’s campaign $1,000.

Sam Halsey of Jefferson, to succeed Arnold Lakey in Division 11: Halsey, a Christmas tree farmer and retired auto dealer, was a major Easley backer. He gave Perdue $200 in 2000, when she ran for lieutenant governor, and $500 in March.

Stan White of Nag’s Head, reappointed to Division 1: White, a builder and Realtor, and his wife gave Perdue $6,000 in 2007 and 2008.

Perdue picks four for NC Board of Transportation

BruceSiceloff — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:49:33 -0400

Gov. Beverly Perdue has made her picks for four more seats on the state Board of Transportation.

Perdue notified members of a legislative oversight committee Wednesday of her intention to reappoint Stan White of Nag’s Head to the board’s Division 1 seat, and to appoint four new members:

Division 6 seat, previously held by Mac Campbell: Gary Ciccone of Fayetteville. Ciccone is a partner in a commercial real estate firm and board chairman of New Century Bancorp. Other New Century board members include state Sen. Tony Rand of Fayetteville, the Senate majority leader, and former Sen. Oscar Harris, who was Perdue’s campaign treasurer.

Divison 8 seat, previously held by G.R. Kindley: David Burns of Laurinburg, former president Z.V. Pate Inc., a farming enterprise.

Division 11 seat, succeeding Arnold Lakey: Sam Halsey, 74, of Jefferson, a Christmas tree farmer and former Chevrolet dealer. In a telephone interview, Halsey said he voted for Perdue and gave her a “very small” campaign contribution.

At-large seat for government-related finance and accounting, to succeed Tony Dennis of Norwood: Ronnie Wall of Burlington.

The five will join 12 other board members. Perdue has scaled back the board's powers, removing board members from decisions on individual transportation projects.

Express bus links Zebulon and Wendell to Raleigh, starts Oct. 26

BruceSiceloff — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:59:43 -0400

View Zebulon/Wendell-Raleigh Express (ZWX) in a larger map x

The long-awaited rush-hour express bus between Raleigh and the eastern Wake towns of Wendell and Zebulon will start rolling Monday, Oct. 26.

Using Capital Area Transit buses, the Zebulon/Wendell-Raleigh Express primarily will serve commuters who work in downtown Raleigh and East Raleigh, running weekdays 6-9 a.m. and 4-7 p.m.

Morning buses leave a Zebulon park-and-ride lot at 5:55, 6:55 and 7:55 a.m., to arrive an hour later at Moore Square in downtown Raleigh.

Along the way they stop at a Wendell park-and-ride lot, in East Raleigh near WakeMed and Wake County Human Services, and at four state government complex stops. There are three afternoon buses making the reverse trip, leaving Moore Square at 4:10, 5:10 and 6:10 p.m.

The eastern Wake park-and-ride locations are in Zebulon at Compare Foods, 410 W. Gannon Ave., and in Wendell at East 4th Street and Oakwood Avenue. The route map is online.

In addition, three morning buses will make the trip east from Raleigh, leaving Moore Square at 5, 6 and 7 a.m. Two afternoon buses will depart Zebulon for Raleigh at 5:05 and 6:05 p.m. The schedule is online.

Triangle Transit is sponsoring the new service, with help from Raleigh and the towns of Zebulon and Wendell. The service will run fare-free for the first five weeks, and then riders will start paying Tuesday, Dec. 1.

A single trip costs $2.50 each way, with discount fares and passes available. Many government and private employers provide free or discounted transit passes to employees.

New 4-way stop: Cheek Rd @ Burton Rd, Durham

BruceSiceloff — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:30:57 -0400

View 4-way stop: Cheek Rd @ Burton Rd, Durham in a larger map

This week NCDOT will convert a rural intersection east of Durham -- Cheek Road (SR 1800) @ Burton Road (SR 1818) -- to a 4-way stop.

Drivers on Burton now stop at that corner. New signs will be installed to make drivers on Cheek stop, too.

Who goes first at a 4-way stop? It depends (first) on who gets there first and (second) on who is to whose right. DOT offers helpful reminders on the proper etiquette at 4-way stop intersections.

As drivers approach the intersection, they are advised to follow these right of way rules:

· The first vehicle to the intersection has the right of way ahead of any vehicle that has not yet arrived;

· When two or more vehicles reach an intersection at the same time, the vehicle to the right has the right of way;

· The vehicle with the right of way may move straight ahead or, if legal and after signaling, turn left or right;

· When two facing vehicles approach an intersection at the same time, both drivers can move straight ahead or turn right. If one driver is going straight while the other wants to turn left, the driver who wants to turn left must yield. The driver who is traveling straight ahead has the right of way; and

· Even with the right of way, remember to use the appropriate turn signals and be careful to avoid hitting other vehicles and/or pedestrians.

Wake-Johnston I-40 widening is workshop topic today

BruceSiceloff — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:57:05 -0400

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

RDU prepares to defend ban on newspaper racks

BruceSiceloff — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:33:40 -0400

Lawyers for Raleigh-Durham International Airport have struck out after three attempts to have a federal judge consider new evidence they say would justify the airport’s long-standing ban on newspaper coin vending racks.

Now they’re getting ready for oral arguments Oct. 27 in Richmond, Va., where they will appeal a November 2008 ruling by U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle that the ban violates newspapers’ First Amendment right to distribute the news.

The U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments from lawyers for the airport and for The News & Observer and three other newspaper companies that want to sell papers from coin boxes in the RDU passenger terminals.

Boyle refused in April and again last month to consider new evidence offered by RDU to bolster its argument that airport travelers have ample opportunity to buy newspapers from newsstands and bookstores. The Fourth Circuit rejected a similar request Thursday.

Airport officials contend that newspaper boxes would cause visual clutter, security risks and pedestrian traffic obstacles in the passenger terminals, and that they would reduce revenues for airport shops and the airport itself.

RDU also is appealing Boyle’s order to reimburse the newspapers for their legal expenses, which were pegged last spring at $200,000. In May, RDU said its own legal bills in the case had reached $400,000.

Boyle’s ruling against RDU was based on a 1993 decision by the Fourth Circuit appellate court. In that case, the Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C., airport lost its effort to defend a ban on news racks.

Wednesday is a good day to Walk to School

BruceSiceloff — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:07:17 -0400

Wednesday is the 13th International Walk to School Day.

It's a good day for parents to walk with their kids to school -- to promote healthy exercise, pedestrian safety and family togetherness.

Learn more here.

Deer dangerous for two-wheelers, too

BruceSiceloff — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:02:16 -0400

Lots of readers have stories to tell about run-ins with deer, and near-misses (see today's Road Worrier column, with reader comments).

Deer can be especially dangerous if you're riding on only two wheels.

Ned Kennington of Durham was riding his bicycle on U.S. 70 near Duke Forest in August 2008 when a gorgeous buck flashed across the road in front of him. Unfortunately, the buck was not traveling alone:

As I turned my head to the right to try to catch a glimpse of him as he disappeared into the woods, a tremendous force stuck my shoulder from the left side where the buck had come from. The impact from the second, previously unseen deer threw me off the bike to my right and swung my head back to the left where I rubbed noses with the doe before flying across a lane of traffic to end up sprawled across the highway.

He still carries scars from the crash.

Vincent Doran of Zebulon was driving his Trumph motorcycle on Mitchell Mill Road in September 2008 when a deer crashed into him:

His head hit me square on my left calf, and then he bounced off me. The bike jumped sideways about 6 inches to the right( I was traveling about 50 mph), but I was able to stay upright on the bike. The impact took the left rear turn signal off, and left a large bruise on my calf. Needless to say, I consider myself extremely fortunate.

A couple of readers said they suspect North Carolina's official deer-crash count (19,693 in 2008) is too low. They're probably right -- this is the number of deer run-ins reported to troopers and police. Not everybody bothers to dial 911.

State Farm Insurance estimates a much higher figure for North Carolina: 42,126 deer crashes expected this year.

Meanwhile, here are deer safety tips for drivers, from UNC Highway Safety Research Center.

Oh! Deer! Did you hit one?

BruceSiceloff — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:43:36 -0400

Deer hunters who use guns must wait until Oct. 17 in Eastern North Carolina (Nov. 14 in central counties) -- but for automobile drivers, deer season is under way.

Cars kill uncounted deer each year on North Carolina roads. And, since 2006, deer have killed 18 people in cars.

Fall is the worst season for deer crashes. Total crash numbers have declined on North Carolina highways in recent years -- but car-deer collisions have increased.

Have you had a run-in with deer? Please share your story. E-mail me at bruce.siceloff@newsobserver.com or call me: (919) 829-4527. Please include your name and contact info (home and work) so I can call you back.

Meanwhile, let's be careful out there. The UNC Highway Safety Research Center has good advice to help you steer clear of deer.

Wade, Glenwood repaving will cause traffic backups while smoothing bumps

BruceSiceloff — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:47:35 -0400

View Wade & Glenwood repaving in a larger map

NCDOT is preparing to start work this fall on long-awaited, inside-the-Beltline Raleigh repaving jobs that will smooth bumpy rides for a combined 60,000 drivers each day on Glenwood and Wade avenues.

Rea Contracting of Charlotte was awarded a $1.3 million project this week, paid for with federal stimulus funds, to mill and resurface 2.5 miles of Wade Avenue from Faircloth Street to Capital Boulevard, including the ramps from Wade to Glenwood Avenue and Capital Boulevard.

The Wade job could start as soon as Oct. 26 and is to be finished by mid-June 2010. No lanes will be closed during weekday rush hours – 6-9 a.m. and 4-7 p.m. – but traffic backups are likely on this busy road at other times of the day and night.

The same hours will apply – lane closings possible except during rush hour – when C.C. Mangum of Raleigh starts work on an $1.8 million contract to resurface 2.7 miles of Glenwood from Woman’s Club Drive to Wade Avenue.

Mangum has the option to start work as soon as next week, with a mid-June completion date. Construction schedules have not been announced.

I-540 lanes will close for nighttime work in northeast Raleigh

BruceSiceloff — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:45:44 -0400

View 540 Outer Loop - East in a larger map

Nighttime drivers on a northeastern arc of Raleigh's 540 Loop will squeeze into a single lane in each direction, starting tonight, as DOT begins concrete inspection work that had been postponed recently.

The lane closings will slow both east- and west -bound drivers on 540
between Triangle Town Boulevard and U.S. 64 Business (New Bern Avenue)
in northeast Raleigh. The work, which had been delayed because of rain and technical problems, will affect traffic only between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. The work is expected
to be finished in a couple of weeks.

Radar will be used to check the locations of steel connecting rods that stitch together the parallel lanes of concrete. The bars are supposed to be buried about six inches deep in the 12-inch slabs, but an inspection found some of them close to the surface.

If more rods are in the wrong place and repairs are needed, DOT and the concrete contractor agree that taxpayers will not be saddled with the bill. It's the contractor's responsibility.

Turn off your laptop and drive. It's the law (tomorrow).

BruceSiceloff — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:19:49 -0400

Starting Wednesday, it’s against state law to watch TV, look at a laptop, or stare at a DVD player while driving.

Don’t worry, it’s still legal to mesmerize yourself with all sorts of other distracting gadgets. And still dangerous.

You can still gaze at GPS and other navigation gizmos, audio system displays, and that cute little screen that tells drivers of some cars what kind of gas mileage they’re getting. It’s OK also to look at one of those video images designed to keep you from backing the car over a tricycle in your driveway.

The new law is an update of an ancient ban that only covered live television broadcasts received via TV antennas. It’s not clear whether the new law restricts our freedom to fiddle with our iPods as we drive.

What about texting while driving? That’s still legal until Dec. 1, when a new ban takes effect. Talking on the phone is still legal, too -- except for school bus drivers, and for all drivers under 18. And still dangerous.

Here’s the new law that takes effect Wednesday:

No person shall drive any motor vehicle upon a public street or highway while viewing any television, computer, or video player which is located in the motor vehicle at any point forward of the back of the driver's seat and which is visible to the driver while operating the motor vehicle.

This section does not apply to the use of global positioning systems; turn-by-turn navigation displays or similar navigation devices; factory-installed or aftermarket global positioning systems or wireless communications devices used to transmit or receive data as part of a digital dispatch system; equipment that displays audio system information, functions, or controls, or weather, traffic, and safety information; vehicle safety or equipment information; or image displays that enhance the driver's view in any direction, inside or outside of the vehicle.

The provisions of this section shall not apply to law enforcement or emergency personnel while in the performance of their official duties, or to the operator of a vehicle that is lawfully parked or stopped.

Clayton Bypass repairs lag behind national campaign effort

BruceSiceloff — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:13:45 -0400

View US 70 Clayton Bypass in a larger map

Engineers at the state Department of Transportation are still trying to repair all the broken technology on the U.S. 70 Clayton Bypass – and DOT is still trying to engineer victory in an online vote for the nation’s most innovative transportation project.

Transportation Secretary Gene Conti urged his 12,000 employees Tuesday to stuff an online ballot box with their votes for the $123 million freeway in a competition with nine other projects picked by judges for three organizations including the AAA motor club, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce:

“U.S. 70 Clayton Bypass in the running for national award - cast your vote today!"

That was the boldface headline on an e-mail Conti sent to all DOT employees at 3:14 p.m. Tuesday. Conti continued:

"The U.S. 70 Clayton Bypass project is one of 10 finalists in the running for the People’s Choice Award for America’s Best Transportation Project. The project with the most votes wins, so cast your vote today for the Clayton Bypass by clicking here: www.americastransportationaward.org/Voting.aspx.”

The Road Worrier reported Sept. 15 that the Clayton Bypass has made rush-hour congestion worse on Interstate 40 in Johnston County while it provided a fast, scenic drive on U.S. 70.

DOT officials were unaware that several high-tech features unique to the new freeway – heavily hyped in DOT’s campaign for national honors – have been broken for months.

Traffic cameras on the bypass and a parallel route, U.S. 70 Business, are out of commission.

Electronic message boards are supposed to display current travel-time estimates to help drivers choose the quicker route, but several of the signs are dark. One of them shows only the time for U.S. 70 Business.

“We are addressing the concerns that have been raised, particularly relating to the message boards,” Ted Vaden, a DOT deputy secretary, said Tuesday. “And we expect to have those fully operational quickly.”

Meanwhile, DOT’s election campaign extends beyond the walls of the state Highway Building. Vaden said DOT is urging state business and construction industry leaders, Clayton and Johnston County civic groups to help win a prize for the Clayton Bypass.

“We feel like there are a lot of people who benefit and appreciate the road, and so we want to make them aware of that competition,” Vaden said.

Feds approve more Triangle & Raleigh transit stimulus grants

BruceSiceloff — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:05:20 -0400

Ray LaHood, the US transportation secretary, announced approval today of more federal stimulus funds for transit improvements in the Triangle:

$4 million for Raleigh to help start building a bus operations and maintenance center for Capital Area Transit, and

$900,000 for Triangle Transit to buy a van and three 40-foot buses.

Raleigh and Triangle Transit were among the recipients of additional stimulus grants announced in July.

Try Transit week starts Monday with prizes, gifts, free rides

BruceSiceloff — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 09:04:57 -0400

Try Transit Week starts Monday, and local transit operators will do everything they can to lure passengers onto their buses.

Triangle Transit will have prize drawings all week in a Go Triangle Scavenger Hunt with prize clues distributed to GoTriangle followers on Twitter and Triangle Transit Facebook fans. Prizes include gift cards, mp3 players and Carolina Panthers tickets.

Durham Area Transit Authority, Triangle Transit, Capital Area Transit and Cary’s C-Tran are pitching in to pitch these offers:

Tuesday: Rack & Ride Day. Bike riders ride the bus, with their bikes on the rack, for free.

Wednesday: Stuff the Buses for the Food Bank of Eastern and Central North Carolina. Bring canned food to donate when you ride the bus.

Thursday: Ride for free, all buses, Triangle-wide.

Friday: Operations Appreciation Day. Say thanks to your bus driver and fill out comment cards.

540 Outer Loop will be squeezed at night in northeast Raleigh

BruceSiceloff — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:52:36 -0400

View 540 Outer Loop - East in a larger map

DOT has to do some testing to look for possible pavement problems on a section of the 540 Outer Loop -- so drivers will be squeezed into one lane each way at night for the next couple of weeks.

The lane closings will slow both east- and west -bound drivers on 540 between Triangle Town Boulevard and U.S. 64 Business (New Bern Avenue) in northeast Raleigh. The work, postponed today to start next week, will affect traffic only between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. The work is expected to be finished by mid-October.

A DOT engineer said radar waves will be used to determine whether steel connecting bars were buried deeply enough in the concrete when the road was paved in 2006. The bars connecting side-by-side travel lanes are supposed to be six inches deep. If they're too shallow, they could corrode and cause maintenance problems in the future.

The freeway opened to traffic in January 2007.

After an inspection in 2006 found a few bars poking through the surface of the concrete, DOT withheld final payment to the contractor and refused to accept the $67 million project as finished. That means the contractor will be responsible for any cost to fix the road now, or to cover future maintenance costs related to any problems with the steel.

Sometimes it's faster not to Bypass Clayton

BruceSiceloff — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:20:38 -0400

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.

New traffic flow should speed Carter-Finley departure after Saturday's NCSU game

BruceSiceloff — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:25:17 -0400

Football fans leaving Saturday's NCSU game with Murray State should watch out for officers who will be pointing to unfamiliar exit routes from some Carter-Finley Stadium parking lots.

The new egress routes should speed the flow and get fans home sooner, NCSU said today. The plan is intended to send all exiting traffic away from the stadium, and to avoid sending any lanes back into other exiting traffic.

Cars leaving Gate B will turn south along Youth Center Road, then right onto Hillsborough Street.

Cardinal Gibbons traffic will exit from the rear of the lot onto Trinity Road only, and not onto Edwards Mill Road. The NCSU veterinary college parking lot will empty onto Hillsborough instead of Blue Ridge Road.

West Chase traffic will be reduced from three to two lanes before it turns left onto Blue Ridge.

Read the detailed plan for all parking lots here.

Fresh white paint helps left-turners on US 15-501 @ I-40

BruceSiceloff — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:05:05 -0400

You can't ask for much better than same-day service, and that's what DOT provided this week.

In Tuesday's Road Worrier column, Debra Aycock explained a paint problem that makes navigation difficult for left-turn drivers at the big, busy U.S. 15-501 interchange with I-40 in Durham.

By the end of the day Tuesday, a DOT paint crew was out there putting down fresh "mini-skips" -- the two-foot-long lane divider lines that are supposed to guide drivers from the I-40 off-ramp as they curve across 10 lanes of traffic on U.S. 15-501. Aycock pointed out that heavy traffic had erased the lines, leaving drivers confused about how to make that turn and how to end up in the correct lane on 15-501.

Joey Hopkins, DOT deputy division engineer for a 7-county area that includes Durham, said a DOT crew freshened up the mini-skips at this interchange on Tuesday -- and also at a similar trouble spot on the 540 Outer Loop in Wake County, where some left-turn drivers were flying blind.

“We had some on 540 at Creedmoor Road they had to re-do, too,” Hopkins said today.

Aycock was glad to see the improvement, but she suggested it could have been done even better.

DOT added a single curving line as guidance for drivers in two side-by-side left-turn lanes. If you're in the right lane, you'll see the bright white markings to your left as you are looking left and turning your wheel to the left, Aycock said.

But if you're in the left of those two left-turn lanes, she said, you don't get much help from the markings on your right side -- because you're looking the other way.

“I guess it helps, but I don’t think it’s the entire solution," Aycock said today.

"You’re less likely now to bump into each other when you have two cars turning left. But I still saw some drivers in that left lane drifting too far over to the left as they turned,” ending up trapped in one of the left-turn lanes that takes traffic back onto I-40, she said.

A national prize for the US 70 Clayton Bypass?

BruceSiceloff — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:02:51 -0400

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.

Judges evaluated 50 projects from 33 states. The Clayton Bypass and another North Carolina offering, an Ocracoke Island bridge replacement project, were tapped as two of the best five in the southeast.

NCDOT included some innovative features when it built the Clayton Bypass, including extra technology to help drivers figure out the best route to take to I-40 each day -- the old US 70 Business route, shorter but punctuated with 11 stoplights, or the new four-lane freeway. Other innovations are supposed to provide environmental protection for the scenic streams the bypass crosses.

But let's check the hype here. Did they finish construction ahead of time? Yes, but the start of construction was delayed for years, and the pricetag was increased, because of environmental problems.

And how much time does it save for drivers?

NCDOT's recent announcement about southeastern regional honors said motorists on US 70 "can expect to save about 15 minutes of travel time by using the new bypass."

But the AASHTO-AAA announcement doubles this claim. Its promotional tag for the Clayton Bypass contest entry is "Trimming 30 Minutes from Commute."

I don't care what they say. I want to know what you say.

I-85 Yadkin bridge: If we start planning to build it, maybe the money will come

BruceSiceloff — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:12:40 -0400

The scary old I-85 bridge over the Yadkin River near Salisbury is woefully overdue for a $350 million replacement. Agreed. But who wants to pay for it?

North Carolina wants President Obama to pay for it.

I-85 is the main road between Richmond and Atlanta. Only a fraction of the 70,000 cars and trucks that ratle across the narrow bridge every day are local. But under the General Assembly's "equity" formula for distributing highway dollars, the Yadkin bridge is just another local project.

If NCDOT officials agreed to pay for a new Yadkin River bridge with regular state and federal road money, that's $350 million that would not be available in coming years for local road improvements large and small -- in a five-county area that reaches all the way north to Winston-Salem.

Winston-Salem people, and Salisbury people too, have their own truly local highway needs. The equity formula pits them against interstate travelers on I-85.

The state applied this summer for federal stimulus money under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to buy a new bridge.

To meet the ARRA requirement that stimulus money be spent on projects that are ready to start construction soon, NCDOT took the unusual step this week of inviting contractors to start writing their proposals to design and build the new bridge -- even though the state does not have money to award the contracts. The work would include widening several miles of I-85.

“I-85 is a vital corridor for commerce throughout the Southeast,” Transportation Secretary Gene Conti said in a press release. “We are optimistic about receiving ARRA funds for this important project and we are going to be ready to put people to work quickly.”

If the Obama administration turns thumbs down on North Carolina's Yadkin request, our backup plan is to make it a toll project. The N.C. Turnpike Authority would borrow the money, build the new bridge, and then collect tolls from I-85 drivers for the next 30 to 40 years.

Meanwhile, take heart: The General Assembly has promised to launch another study of the equity formula.

More travel or less travel for Labor Day? Both, AAA says.

BruceSiceloff — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:33:44 -0400

Will North Carolina highways be busier this Labor Day weekend? Or less busy? The answer is: Compared to what?

AAA is saying it both ways.

The AAA Motor Club put out its national holiday travel forecast on Aug. 26 and said Labor Day travel will be 'way down compared to Labor Day 2008. About 876,000 North Carolinians plan road trips this year, compared to 1.02 million last year, AAA said. Bad news.

Then on Sept. 1 the AAA Carolinas subsidiary, based in Charlotte, reported that Labor Day travel will be 'way up -- compared to Memorial Day 2009 travel. Good news.

It's hard to know which comparison is more appropriate. And it's hard to know how much faith to put in AAA travel forecasts, anyway.

Until this year, AAA's numbers came from pre-holiday surveys conducted by AAA and the Travel Industry Association. They asked people whether they planned to take trips for the holidays.

But apparently AAA never came back later to ask people whether they actually made those trips. Each year's forcast was compared to last year's forecast -- not last year's actual travel numbers.

Now AAA's forecast is based on different research and survey methods from a group called IHS Global Insight. And now we have numbers from IHS on how many people actually traveled for Labor Day last year.

Last year AAA predicted that 720,300 North Carolinians would travel by car for Labor Day. Now AAA says the actual number was 1,016,000 -- that's 41 percent more than the forecast.

This year, gas is cheaper than it has been for any Labor Day since 2004, and $1.11 a gallon less than it was last year. But AAA says fewer of us will take holiday trips (compared to the actual Labor Day 2008 numbers, anyway).

To reduce highway construction delays, the state Department of Transportation will suspend road work across the state this weekend, with four exceptions that might cause some bottlenecks:

* Interstate 85 in Vance County, one lane open in each direction between mile markers 206 and 214.

* Exits 25 and 33 on I-95 in Robeson County, closed for bridge repair.

* I-85 at N.C. 62, Exit 113, near High Point. One of three lanes closed in each direction.

* U.S. 220 South at the Randolph / Montgomery county line. One lane closed in each direction.

State troopers will be ticketing speeders and aggressive drivers on the state highways this weekend. During the 2008 Labor Day weekend the Highway Patrol investigated 1,140 crashes involving 582 injuries and 13 deaths.

Dial 511 or visit www.ncdot.gov/travel/ to check traffic conditions.

Dial *HP (star 47) on a mobile phone to report problems to the Highway Patrol.

Commuters, get ready for Thursday night football

BruceSiceloff — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:33:12 -0400

View Carter-Finley Stadium, RBC Center in a larger map

N.C. State University has a football game at 7 p.m. Thursday in Carter-Finley Stadium, so let's get ready for a special pre-game feature on the streets of West Raleigh:

A rush-hour traffic contest between fans and commuters.

Football fans will try to claim the home-field advantage — even before they park their cars for the game between NCSU and the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Commuters who usually travel through West Raleigh on Interstate 40, Wade Avenue, Blue Ridge Road and other nearby streets should consider playing an away game instead. Stay as far away from Carter-Finley as possible.

The game will go to the driver who starts out early — or is willing to risk arriving late.

Fans

Parking gates at Carter-Finley open at 2 p.m. Thursday, with more parking available at nearby lots after 5 p.m. The football team's Walk of Champions, in front of the Murphy Center, is at 4:30 p.m.

Kickoff is at 7:03 p.m. NCSU encourages fans to be in their seats by 6:30 p.m.

Stats: Carter-Finley, with 57,583 seats, is sold out.

Commuters

Football traffic will be noticeable in the Carter-Finley neighborhood well before 5 p.m.

The long way home might be a faster way than your usual route through West Raleigh.

Think South Saunders Street or even Interstate 540.

Stats: On a normal day, Wade Avenue carries 57,000 cars and Blue Ridge Road carries 25,000, according to state Department of Transportation counts in 2007.

540 Outer Loop repaving starts this week

BruceSiceloff — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:06:03 -0400

View I-540 repaving in a larger map

Nighttime repaving work starts Wednesday night on a 3.8-mile section of the 540 Outer Loop in western Wake County, from I-40 to U.S. 70.

C.C. Mangum Co. of Raleigh has the $2.2 million contract, funded with stimulus money from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to resurface the roadway and ramps and to rebuild the freeway shoulders.

The work will take place at night only between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., with at least one lane of traffic open at all times. The repaving is to be finished by May 2010.

If this project goes like a recent repaving job nearby on I-40, traffic backups will be possible even late at night with freeway traffic squeezed into a single lane.

Call 511 or check online at www.ncdot.gov/travel/ for construction traffic updates.

Crosswalk safety tips for drivers and pedestrians

BruceSiceloff — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 09:30:57 -0400

Some Road Worrier leftovers (see today's column, with reader comments, about drivers who make school crosswalks unsafe):

CROSSWALK SAFETY TIPS

Pedestrians:

Always use marked crosswalks.
Obey pedestrian signals. Look left-right-left.
Make eye contact with the driver.
Look before walking past stopped cars, to make sure other lanes are clear.

Drivers:

Observe school zone speed limits, and watch for pedestrians and cyclists.
Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks and at corners.
Come to a complete stop if pedestrians are preparing to cross, and wait until they finish crossing.
Never pass another car that is slowing or stopped at a crosswalk.

Learn more at hsrc.unc.edu.

RDU goop news flash: the lemon juice works 'perfectly and easily'!

BruceSiceloff — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 10:08:34 -0400

The jury is still out on a proposal by Mark Hangen to protect cars in RDU's parking garage by hanging cookie sheets from the ceiling above them.

But one reader of today's story on the RDU mystery goop went out and tried Hangen's tip for cleaning her gooped-up car -- et voilà! No more goop!

I've parked at RDU a lot over the last 5 years. I had some of this goop on my car, but I did not know where it came from until I started seeing articles about it in the N&O. Washing and waxing never removed the goop. This morning I tried the lemon juice suggestion that was mentioned in the article above. It worked perfectly and easily. The goop is gone. -- bgriset

Previous clean-up tips mentioned a home product called Lime A-Way. But this stuff has been reported to turn steel black, so be careful.

Perdue signs local-option transit sales tax bill

BruceSiceloff — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:33:37 -0400

Today the governor's signature turned legislation into state law: Triangle residents now have new options to pay for ambitious bus and rail transit improvements, with $86 million a year from sources including a half-cent sales tax hike.

The whole state is affected, but the biggest impact of the new legislation is in the Triangle (see Aug. 14 story with reader comments).

"We commend Governor Perdue for signing this bill into law," said Berry Jenkins, co-chair of NC Go, a statewide transportation advocacy group. "This isn't a tax, but the freedom for communities and citizens who consider public transportation a priority to hold a vote. If a community is not ready, voters won't approve. But they should have that option."

If county commissioners in Wake, Durham and Orange agree, and if voters give their approval in a referendum, the three counties would collect an estimated $73 million a year from a half-cent sales tax that would be dedicated to local transit. No vote is expected before late 2010 or 2011.

Other new transit revenue streams would come from increased vehicle registration fees and a special property tax hike only in Research Triangle Park. In addition, Triangle cities also have new transit revenue powers, from legislation authorizing hikes in local car registration fees.