Skip to main content

Details of the NC68/US 220 I-73 connector

NCDOT was gracious to send me their plans of the proposed NC 68/US 220 Connector that will one day carry Interstate 73. The blog's Bob Malme also attended tonight's public workshop and was able to get additional details on the project and will be included below.

First, the entire project is 13 miles in length and will consist of three segments. The connector, which will be built totally on a new alignment, is approximately 8.5 miles in length and will be built to Interstate standards and a 70 mph design speed. Previously, it was thought that the road would be built just short of Interstate grade and upgrades made over time, but that is no longer the case.

The Connector itself is broken down into two sections (A & B). Going west(South I-73) to east (North I-73), there will be interchanges at NC 68, NC 150 in Summerfield and US 220.

Under the original plan, Interstate 73 was to follow NC 68 South to Interstate 40. But those plans have changed, I-73 will briefly bump NC 68 before turning south and east to connect with Bryan Blvd. near Piedmont-Triad International Airport. From there, I-73 will follow Bryan Blvd. until joining the Greensboro Urban Loop/I-840.

The change to the routing of I-73 has drastically changed how I-73 intersects NC 68. The new plans have the NC 68/I-73 interchange that will include flyovers that will carry I-73 South traffic over NC 68 as it heads towards Bryan Blvd.

Bob, who was able to see much larger versions of the plans in person, explains, "[I-73] from Bryan Blvd. will meet NC 68 south of the Connector, but they probably won't run together more than half a mile northbound and less southbound where a flyover ramp will take I-73 over NC 68 in the vicinity of today's Sedgefield Road intersection and have it merge about a 1/4 mile further south. The part of NC 68 that will be I-73 and the Connector will be built to 70 MPH/Interstate standards with 2 lanes in each direction."

Figure 1. The I-73 Connector tie in with NC 68. I-73 North will run left to right. (Larger pdf file accessible here.)

Figure 2. The I-73 Connector east of NC 68. I-73 North will run left to right. (Larger pdf file accessible here.)

Figure 3. The I-73 Connector continues east towards US 220. I-73 North will run left to right. (Larger pdf file accessible here.)

The connector ends at a partial interchange with US 220 just south of the Haw River. Bob describes the partial interchange, "The interchange will feature a flyover for US 220 South which will go over the river and I-73 as it turns right onto the Connector, there will be no access from US 220 North to I-73 South, I-73 North will just meet 220 on its current path."

Figure 4. After a diamond interchange with NC 150, the connector ends with a partial interchange with US 220 as I-73 turns north. (Larger pdf file accessible here.)


From there, Section C of the project begins. Section C will build a four lane limited access highway northwards paralleling the current two lane US 220. The project length is 4.5 miles and is currently built to a 60 mph design speed. According to Bob's discussions with Section C project engineers this evening, "Since no federal money is [currently] involved, it will be built as initially as a 60 MPH speed limited access highway, with interchanges for NC 65 and US 158 (which already exists) and NC 68 at the northern end (could not tell if you could access 68 from north I-73). They hope to get federal funds once the Connector construction is underway in 2014 to upgrade the road to interstate status by the time the Connector is finished around 2017."

Construction on the connector is scheduled to begin in 2014 with completion by 2017.

For more details:
Residents can review N.C. 68 connector plan ---Greensboro News&Record
Interstate 73 Progress Page - Sections 2 & 3 ---Bob Malme

Comments

James Mast said…
"Figure 1. The I-73 Connector tie in with I-68. I-73 North will run left to right. (Larger pdf file accessible here.)"

I think you ment NC-68 instead of I-68. lol.
Adam said…
Thanks! Blogging so much that I-68 and NC 68 starts to run together!

Popular posts from this blog

Old River Lock & Control Structure (Lettsworth, LA)

  The Old River Control Structure (ORCS) and its connecting satellite facilities combine to form one of the most impressive flood control complexes in North America. Located along the west bank of the Mississippi River near the confluence with the Red River and Atchafalaya River nearby, this structure system was fundamentally made possible by the Flood Control Act of 1928 that was passed by the United States Congress in the aftermath of the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927 however a second, less obvious motivation influenced the construction here. The Mississippi River’s channel has gradually elongated and meandered in the area over the centuries, creating new oxbows and sandbars that made navigation of the river challenging and time-consuming through the steamboat era of the 1800s. This treacherous area of the river known as “Turnbull’s Bend” was where the mouth of the Red River was located that the upriver end of the bend and the Atchafalaya River, then effectively an outflow

Interstate 10S and the original Interstate 110 in California

Interstate 10S is a short spur of Interstate 10 along San Bernardino Freeway in downtown Los Angeles.  Interstate 10S begins at the Santa Ana Freeway (US Route 101) and extends east to Interstate 5 where it merges into mainline Interstate 10.  Interstate 10S is one of the oldest freeway segments in Los Angeles having been part of US Routes 60, 70 and 99 when it was part of the corridor of the Ramona Expressway.  The current corridor of Interstate 10S was assigned as Chargeable Corridor H following the passage of the 1956 Federal Highway Aid Act.  Interstate 110 was a short-lived designation which comprised the segment San Bernardino Freeway from US Route 101 to Interstate 5 between 1964-1968.  The original Interstate 110 was dropped as a Chargeable Corridor during 1965 and consolidated as Interstate 10S during 1968.   The original Interstate 110 can be seen as the blog cover photo as it was featured on the 1964 Division of Highways Map.  Below the entire 0.65-mile length of Interstate

Vicksburg Bridge (Vicksburg, MS)

  Located a few hundred feet downriver from the Old Vicksburg Bridge, the Vicksburg Bridge, or the “New” Bridge, serves as the city’s vehicular crossing of the Mississippi River on the main highway connecting Vicksburg with northeastern Louisiana to the west and the state capital of Jackson to the east. The completion of the original Vicksburg Bridge in 1930 was seen as a huge success and the bridge proved to be a profitable entity for both road and railroad interests along the path of the Dixie Overland Highway and the subsequent US Highway 80 corridor. In the years after the creation of the National Interstate Highway System, planning commenced on a new bridge at the site that would relieve the congestion on the existing bridge while providing for a more modern crossing of the river that would be safe for all vehicles. The construction of the new bridge at Vicksburg was completed in 1973 and its design intentionally mimics that of its predecessor nearby. This was due in large part