Some of you guys take Charlotte for granted

[SCP]

That reminds me, my good ole boy network meeting has been moved from tonight to next Thursday due to a conflict with the In the Heat of the Night marathon watch party. Gotta go to the store on the way home to pick up some smoked gouda for the fellas. There will be a yard dart tourney before the marathon starts so I also need to get something to throw on the grill.

[4Corners]

I was just in Akron for 4 days....ugh...

Charlotte rocks!

[Zaximus]

They say that the new interchange where 485 meets 85 near the Mallard Creek exit is supposed to be only the second one like it in the country. Supposedly it is designed to where there are no merging slow downs whatsover regardless of the amount of traffic and all merging will be done at 65 mph. .

I'll believe it when I see it. I don't doubt the concept, just the drivers. Everyone around here slams on their breaks before getting in merge/off lanes and just sit there. Hopefully it works though.

[Scrumtrilescent]

I should be able to drive 100+ miles in any direction from downtown Charlotte on a major interstate on 3 or more lanes of highway. The fact that 485 and I-77 and I-85 are still two lanes in places is a joke.

I mean let's expand I-77 N to three lanes right up until exit 23 WHERE ALL THE PEOPLE LIVE.

Don't forget 485 dumps off right there, too. So you basically have 5-6 lanes of traffic merged to 2 in the span of 1/2 a mile.

[Scrumtrilescent]

They say that the new interchange where 485 meets 85 near the Mallard Creek exit is supposed to be only the second one like it in the country. Supposedly it is designed to where there are no merging slow downs whatsover regardless of the amount of traffic and all merging will be done at 65 mph. .

Living in Charlotte and working in K-town, I at least go against traffic but it still sucks until it's done. Lane says they'll get it done in time. We'll see. If you think this intersection is weird, look at what they have planned for the Poplar Tent/85 intersection. Until people get it figured out, there will be fatalities. You can't throw complicated traffic patterns at bumpkins.

[Porn Shop Clerk]

there really is no easy way in or out of charlotte during peak traffic hours, but hey, we have an outer loop!

[Herbert The Love Bug]

All things Tennessee suck ass.

East Tennessee is my favorite place in the world

[Herbert The Love Bug]

The traffic in Nashville is the worst ever though. I fuging rage every time I go through Nashville

[Cat]

When the traffic study was done in the mid-80s for that leg of 485, it was all farm land out there. They assumed a reasonable rate of traffic growth but they didn't/could have never foreseen the ballantyne/arboretum/rea road/johnston road population explosion.

The trouble with major new highway projects is that it takes about 20 years from conception to finish.

/our DOT is pretty good compared to most

Exactly

The thing that pisses me off is how long it's taken to finish the last leg.

[Scrumtrilescent]

That's because the state withheld the money from Charlotte for years. Sounds vaguely familiar.

Lather, rinse, repeat. :(

[pstall]

Jr I think its like a double diamond design. It came from Germany or Itay. Or something like.

[Jase]

Jr I think its like a double diamond design. It came from Germany or Itay. Or something like.

It's called a turbine interchange and while it'll be the first in NC, it's not quite that rare.

You might be thinking about a diverging diamond, which a few are going in around the area in cornelius and concord.

[Scrumtrilescent]

The diverging diamond is what they're putting at exit 52. Like I said, many bumpkins will be killed before they figure it out.

[Darth Biscuit]

That turbine thing is awesome Jase... I've seen a LOT of interchanges in my business and never anything like that...

That second one looks like a nightmare...