Friday, November 17, 2006

Beaufort County NC

Route
I 40 East, NC 24 East, NC 24 Business West, US 258 North, NC 11 North, NC 102 East, US 17 North, US 264 West, US 301 South, US 70 Business West, NC 210 West, I 40 West to Chapel Hill
Notes
NC 24 has an extremely rare multiplex with I 40 bypassing Warsaw and Kenansville. The only other multiplex of Interstate and NC state highways that I know of is NC 150 and I 40 Business from Kernersville and downtown Winston-Salem. Old NC 24 is now NC 24 Business through Warsaw and Kenansville.
Earlier this year, I posted on seroads a question about the numbering and signing of the new Jacksonville bypass. The bypass is eventually going to connect to US 17 north of town and carry US 17 mainline around town. However the bypass begins at US 258/NC 24 west of US 17 South and is only finished up to NC 24 east of town. The section east of US 17 will be US 17 mainline, but what is the short section west of US 17 be numbered? My proposal was to move US 258 onto the bypass and perhaps continue it to Morehead City. However, the state decided to move NC 24 onto the bypass and leave US 258 alone. Now, the old routing of NC 24 through town is, starting from the west: US 258/NC 24; US258/NC 24 Business; US 17/NC 24 Business; NC 24 Business; Freedom Way Boulevard. NC 24 Business turns off of Freedom Way on a new connector to the bypass. This makes two new business routes for NC 24. North Carolina has been historically eliminating business routes for state highways. This is a new trend.
When the bypass is completed to US 17 North, US 17 through town will become US 17 Business. The Business blades are already installed on the US 17 reassurance signs through town, but the the blades are covered up. Now, on the BGS's on and around the bypass, there is no indication of US 17, not even space for adding US 17 shields. All of the BGS's will have to be changed out then.
US 264 has a peculiar interchange with itself west of Greenville. It is currently a three way cloverleaf. US 264 runs on the west and north branches of the interchange, while the east branch exits to a city street signed to Downtown. US 264 exits to itself in both directions, with the eastbound exit being a tight cloverleaf. If US 264 were to become an Interstate this interchange would be the obvious end for it with US 264 exiting north.
The 264 freeway bypass of Greenville has a 70 mph speed limit west of US 13. It is a fairly narrow carriageway and seems a little dangerous.
Results
Beaufort County NC.
Additional mileage on US 264, US 258, US 17, US 301, NC 210.
Photographed western terminus of NC 118 and eastern (northern) terminus of NC 210.