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Wilson-Goldsboro Freeway
First Proposed: 2001
Route Approved: September 2007
Initially Signed: November 2007
The Route: Former US 117 Freeway from US 70 near
Goldsboro
to US 264 near Wilson to I-95, 25.4 miles
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Interstate 795 is the designation
for the former US 117 freeway between I-95 at the US 264 interchange
in Wilson and US 70 in Goldsboro, though the route is official, not all
the route and exit signage (particularly needed along the US 264 section
has been put up as of January 2010.
Map courtesy of NCDOT
ESTABLISHMENT
This new but quickly infamous 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, 2007 (again, see below).
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.
PROBLEMS
A swift deterioration
in the pavement of the 2-year old route 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 use by the heavy trucks. (4) In April 2008, the FHWA agreed to
study the problem and recommend a solution. Part of the study included using
a specialized truck that sent sound waves through the asphalt to try to detect
whether the rest of the roadbed was deteriorating, or just that short section.
(5) While the FHWA continued to study the road, NCDOT patched the 2.5 mile problem area starting
in Fall of 2008 at a cost of $483,000. (7) On January 8, 2009 NCDOT released
to the public the FHWA's report, you can access it HERE.
The report indicated the width of the pavement was probably not to blame
but the quality of the pavement (that included possible air bubbles) and
the use by heavy trucks combined was probably a factor in the crumbling of
pavement in some areas. They recommended that the whole route be rebuilt
with an additional 2.5 to 3 inches of asphalt added for the future roadbed.
The total cost would run between $15 and $22 million to repair. (8) The public
was not amused by another 'botched job' by the NCDOT. The repair project
started in November 2009, an initial asphalt layer was to be placed on the
highway along the right lanes first, before the end of 2009. Then the both
lanes of the highway in both directions would receive a final layer of asphalt.
The initial asphalt has been placed on the entire affected area northbound
as of mid-January, but only partly southbound.
FURTHER COMPLICATIONS
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 were supposed to take a little longer, but as the press release
indicated these would be installed by the spring of 2008. (9) However, a trip to I-795 in early September
2008 showed no further progress. Exit numbers and mileposts had not been
changed to reflect I-795's mileage. 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
both in May and November 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. (10) NCDOT re-sent the application
again, and AASHTO finally agreed to a change of heart in December 2007 and
put online their approval of restoring US 117 back to its old route in April
2009. (11) NCDOT could now go forward with revising exit numbers and
mileposts, the exit numberse appeared on the 2009-10 NC State Map, though
they did not start changing the numbers until late 2009. The numbers are
to start at I-95 and increase as one goes south, US 70 is to be exit 24.
This is opposite standard interstate mileage practice, where mileage starts
at the southern border or highway end, but in compliance with 2009 MUTCD
standards which indicate mileage on a spur route should start at its parent
roadway interchange. Below are some pictures taken between 2007 and 2010
showing what was described above:
Here's the
first I-795 shield after the I-95 interchange, this section still has
unchanged signs and US 264 exit numbers.
If there's
any doubt which route is US 117 and which I-795, NCDOT has left large signs
indicating which is which on US 301 heading toward the I-795 ramps. (1/16/10)
Signs at the
US 301 interchange. (1/16/10)
NCDOT replaced the US 117 milemarkers
with I-795 directional mile markers every 1/2 mile, here being 6.5. The mile
markers for mile 24.5 are wrong, having the northbound marker going south
and vice versa, sorry, no photo. (1/16/10)
The revised
exit number, 9, for the first offramp going southbound, Alton Road. (1/16/10)
The next exit southbound , NC
222 is now exit 14. Notice the new pavement on the right side lanes completed
as part of the I-795 pavement repair project. (1/16/10)
The Pikeville exit is now 18. Notice that the repaving has stopped going
south, it was supposed to be complete by the end of 2009. (1/16/10)
They have not changed the exit
number for the last exit, US 70. This still has US 117 mileage. This is either
because they have not gotten to it yet, or because I-795 may end at the new
US 70 being constructed prior to this exit. Time will tell. (1/16/10)
I-795 is marked going northbound
along US 70 West, East the sign says 'To I-795'. Notice the US 117 South
sign which indicates it travels along US 70 after its intersection to the
east. The signage in the area though is not consistent. (1/16/10)
This is the first milemarker
going Northbound, Mile 24, this is before the US 70 bypass construction seen
in the distance. (1/16/10)
Again,
after the merge with US 264 there are no signage updates:
Here's
signage heading toward I-95. (December 2007)
Here's an
end I-795 (north) sign just before the I-95 interchange.
(December 2007)
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. (December 2007)
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. (7,11)
For a Future
I-795 (US 117) Exit List go HERE.
For it's brief
history the now I-795 freeway has seen a lot of signage changes:
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)
And here is
what it looks like in January 2010. (1/16/10)
A sign situation has
also not changed at the interchange with I-95, the 'To' is not really necessary
since the route technically began with the off-ramp (May 4, 2008), same
view on 1/16/10.
Sources: NCDOT. 2009-2010 North Carolina State Transportation Map.
(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) WRAL.com 2008. "Pothole Repair Begins on I-795". October 20.
(8) WRAL.com. 2009. "Repaving I-795 Could Cost
$22 Million." Downloaded from http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/4271309/
1/8/09.
(9) NCDOT. 2007. "NCDOT to Begin Installing I-795 Signs in Wayne, Wilson
Counties." Press Release. November 8.
(10) AASHTO. 2008. Special Committee on Highways, Committee Action,
May 4-7 meeting. Downloaded from http://cms.transportation.org/
, 5/12/08.
(11) AASHTO. 2009. Ballot Results and Analysis for RN-08-03 Special
Committee on US Route Numbering North Carolina Resubmission. April 15.
Dowloaded from http://www.transportation.org/sites/route/docs/USRN%20Decision%20on%20NC%20AM%202008%20Resubmissions.pdf
.
(12) 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: 1/16/10
