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Wilson-Goldsboro Freeway
First Proposed: 2001
Route Approved: 2007
Full Interstate Signed By: Summer
2008?
The Route: Former US 117 from US 70 near Goldsboro
to US 264 near Wilson to I-95, 25.4 miles
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Interstate 795 is the new
designation for a freeway between I-95 at the US 264 interchange
in Wilson and US 70 in Goldsboro, with full signage to be up sometime in
2008.
Map courtesy of NCDOT
This soon to be fully signed
current interstate highway starts at the current I-95 interchange
(Exit 119) with US 264 near Wilson and proceeds 4 miles
east along the US 264 freeway to the interchange with the new formerly
US 117 freeway (finished in 2006). The route then travels south 21 miles
to the last freeway exit at US 70 in Goldsboro. Getting the US 117 freeway
designated as an interstate has been a long-range goal by Goldsboro
and Wayne County officials. The route number was first proposed in 2001.
(1) AASHTO conditionally approved the number for the highway
on September 28, 2007 after several months of negotiating with the FHWA
and NCDOT. The condition was largely getting word from the FHWA that they
approved the interstate route, see below for details. It seems trucks larger
than 48 feet could not use the route due to a lack of an interstate designation,
and so many trucks were fined by the NC State Police for using it. With
the AASHTO approval, on October 8 the route became an interstate according
to state troopers, which then allowed 53-foot trucks to use the road without
fear of getting a ticket. (1, 2) AASHTO removed the conditional approval
tag on October 22. (3) The officially signing of the road started on November
8 (again, see below). The allowance of large trucks though has apparently
caused a swift deterioration in the pavement of the 2-year old route, which
was first reported on in January 2008 along a 2.5 mile segment. Speculation
was that due to the design, which used a thinner layer of asphalt typically
used for US routes, not a thicker slab typical of interstate highways, the
road surface had not held up to the heavy trucks. (4) In April 2008, the
FHWA used a specialized truck to try to detect whether the rest of the roadbed
has deteriorated, or just that short section. Their findings will determine
how much it will cost to fix the highway, tentatively scheduled for this
summer. (5)
AASHTO's approval
comes after a rejection earlier that year at the May 4, 2007 meeting of
AASHTO's Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering. That committee
listed the reason for its rejection the belief that the interstate
application was premature as that the proposed route did not appear on
the FHWA's list of future interstate corridors. Correspondence with the
FHWA sent to AASHTO in April 2007 indicated that agency would probably
approve the route if NCDOT improved a section of the US 117/264 freeway which
was prone to accidents in wet weather. NCDOT indicated a contract to do
so would be let in May. (5) The contract, W-5007 was listed in the 2007-2013
State TIP as costing $800,000, (6) however, it never appeared
on that month's letting list or any list since then. Nor was it listed
as an active construction project by NCDOT's Construction Progress Report. The FHWA approval though seems
to indicate that the contract was completed. The US 117 freeway part of I-795
is up to interstate standards and won't need any new construction.
NCDOT announced on November
8, 2007 that I-795 signs would start going up along the roadway within
the next two weeks. Signage was put up along the highway and at most exit
ramps on November 28. Mileposts and revising signs at the interstate's endpoints
will take a little longer but the press release indicated these would
be installed by Spring of 2008. However, a trip to I-795 in early May
2008 showed no further progress. Exit numbers and mileposts had not been
changed to reflect I-795's mileage.(7) US 117 signs were taken off the freeway
when the I-795 signs went up and put back up on its old alignment that
was now called US 117 Alternate. The end of US 117 reverted to its previous
end at US 301 and all US 117 signs along the US 264 freeway portion were removed.
In what could be be at least called a slight miscalculation on NCDOT's part,
AASHTO rejected moving US 117 back to its old alignment in May 2008 citing
a provision where a US route cannot be put back on an alignment inferior
to its current one, in this case going from a 4-lane freeway back to a 2-lane
road. (8) What NCDOT plans to do, whether to ignore, comply, or appeal the
decision, is unknown at this time. Moving all the signs back would cost money,
something NCDOT is short of at the present time. Whatever the final freeway
is designated, here are some pictures showing what was described above:
Here's the
first I-795 shield after the I-95 interchange
Here's
signage heading toward I-95
Here's an
end I-795 (north) sign just before the I-95 interchange.
Here's I-795 signage heading
south toward Goldsboro and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, which seems to
be busy with all the contrails in the sky above.
The end (south)
I-795 sign just before the US 70 exit in Goldsboro.
A further I-795 extension? Original proposals for
an interstate route along US 117 had the interstate continue south from
Goldsboro to connect with I-40 near Kenly(?). NCDOT spokesman in 2005
though indicated this proposal was too costly since it would require massive
reconstruction of the route through Goldsboro, though Goldsboro and Wilson
officials would like an extension of the route down to I-40 to help truck
and local traffic. (7,9)
For a Future I-795
(US 117) Exit List go HERE.
Current exit numbers are based on US 117 mileposts, these will
be changed to match I-795 mileposts, as US 117 will be placed back on its
old alignment.
Here's
a photo from along the future I-795 corridor taken before the new signage
went up in October 2007:
Signing looking south along
US 301, to be compared with future signage when interstate 795 shields
replace US 117 (October 21, 2007).
The only thing
that changed by May 2008 was the addition of a Junction I-795 sign, and additional
signs at the on-ramps. (May 4, 2008)
A similar situation is found at
the interchange with I-95, the 'To' is not really necessary since the route
technically began with the off-ramp (May 4, 2008)
Sources:
(1) WRAL.com. 2007. "Highway Renamed to Handle Big Rigs."
WRAL.com. May 3. Downloaded from http://www.wral.com/news/news_briefs/story/1888643/
(2) Whittle, Matthew. 2007. "U.S. 117 Get Allowance to Allow Trucks."
News-Argus (Goldsboro, NC). October 2.
(3) AASHTO. 2007. Special Committee on Highways, Committee Action,
September 28-29 meeting. Downloaded from http://cms.transportation.org/
?siteid=68&pageid=1540, 10/24/07.
(4) Siceloff, Bruce. 2008. "I-795 Asphalt Cracks Already." News &
Observer (Raleigh, NC). January 31. Downloaded from http://www.newsobserver.com/
news/growth/traffic/story/914478.html 1/31/08.
(5) WRAL.com. 2008. "Crumbling I-795 Could Cost Millions to Fix." WRAL.com
website. Downloaded from http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2704633, April
21.
(6) NCDOT. 2007. Schedule Change Request, Contract W-5007, dated 4/3/07.
Downloaded from http://www.ncdot.org/Planning/development/ Scheduling/change/schedule/archive/April2007/w-5007.pdf,
10/14/07.
(7) NCDOT. 2007. State Transportation Improvement Program,
2007-2013. Division 4, p. 4-45.
(8) AASHTO. 2008. Special Committee on Highways, Committee Action, May 4-7
meeting. Downloaded from http://cms.transportation.org/ , 5/12/08.
(9) NCDOT. 2007. "NCDOT to Begin Installing I-795 Signs in Wayne, Wilson
Counties." Press Release. November 8.
(10) Thuerk, Sarah. 2007. "New Blue Route." Wilson (NC) Times. November
8. Downloaded from: http://www.wilsondaily.com/LocalNews/ Story/New_blue_route__
, November 16, 2007.
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Site created: 10/3/07
Site Updated: 5/26/08
