Re: I-40/I-73 Greensboro to become I-73 only: It IS the money only

"George Conklin" <nil@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


"John Lansford" <jlnsford@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:ide8d4dg6df0c4tiluf9ckfv3joj717m3q@xxxxxxxxxx
"argatlam_roads@xxxxxxxxxxxx" <argatlam_roads@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

[Mr. Dunlop:]

Well, I did tell y'all the reason last week -- Money. But you didn't
believe me! ;-)

I saw your post and saw no reason to doubt it was a factual account, but
it was not complete. It costs in both money and disruption to change
the signs over; meanwhile, a hidden designation would presumably save
this money and disruption. So, did NCDOT consider the alternative of
giving Business 40 a hidden designation? If it did, what were the
reasons for not adopting it?

Probably precedence; NCDOT has never created a 'hidden interstate'
designation and, knowing our local FHWA office, they might well object
to that kind of technical qualification for IM funding.

The News and Observer says,

The state Department of Transportation stands to regain about $3 million a
year in lost highway money when it returns Interstate 40 to its old route
through Greensboro's congested, crash-prone Death Valley corridor.... DOT
officials said the deciding factor was a chance to restore federal
interstate maintenance money, which the Greensboro area lost when its Death
Valley route was renamed Business 40 in February.
----
So, public safety be damned. One or two truck crashes on the old route will
pay for the "savings," but those losses ar private. Maybe what we need now
is a good lawyer to sue to the state over this issue.

IM and IR money can be used to upgrade and rehab that route too,
George. Not saying that's why I-40 got moved back, but if it was a
"business" route only or just a US route, the pool of available funds
to do any upgrades or rehab work is very small.

John Lansford, PE
--
John's Shop of Wood
http://wood.jlansford.net/
.

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