Thursday, February 22, 2007

Wilmington NC

Route
I 40 East, Holly Shelter Rd, US 177 South, US 17 Business North, US 74 West, US 421 North, I 140 East, US 17 North, US 17 Business South, Military Cutoff, US 76 West, US 117 South, US 421 North, US 76 West, NC 87 North, I 95 Business North, I 95 South, I 95 Business North, NC 87 North, US 15/501 North
Notes
There has been a discussion in the US highway mapping forum over what route US 17 Business takes through Wilmington after US 17 was routed over I 140. To answer this question and reclinch the US highways in Wilmington that were rerouted, I took a roadtrip to Wilmington and crisscrossed the city to check everything out.
In NC, when a town is bypassed by a US highway, the original routing is converted to a Business Route. As time goes on, some towns grow up around the bypass and a new bypass for the same highway is built. Then, usually, the old Business Route is decommissioned and the main route is converted to a new Business Route. However, this is not what happened in Wilmington. The original US 17 Business is still part of the new Business Route. The previous main routing of US 17 along Dawson from 3rd to 17th and along 17th was decommissioned. The rest of the main routing across the bridge and on Market from 17th to I 140 was added to the Business Route.
US 17 Truck Route appears to be decommissioned. I could find no signs for the route.
There is a BEGIN banner on an I 140 shield on the entrance ramp from US 421. There is an END banner on an I 140 shield just east of the I 40 bridge.
I took a side trip from NC 87 over to the Elwell Ferry, but the fog on the river was too heavy and the ferry was not running. I love these old two car ferries.
NC 87 is being divided from Elizabethtown to I 95.
The NC 87 freeway in Fayetteville has numbered exits, starting with exit 100 for the airport exit to 104B for Hay Street. The NC 87/24 exit is not numbered.
Results
Clinch I 40, I 95 Business. Mileage on US 17, US 74, US 117, US 311, US 421, NC 87.
Count Bladen, Columbus counties.

Friday, February 09, 2007

Danville VA

Route
NC 86 North, US 29 North, US 58 Business West, US 29 Business South, US 29 South, NC 700 West, NC 770 North, VA 863 North, US 58 Business East, VA 86 South, VA 360 North, US 58 Business East, US 29 South, NC 86 South
Notes
Went up to Danville to get the new State Highway maps for Virginia and North Carolina. The Visitors Center off US 29/58 had 2006-2008 Virginia maps. The Visitors Center on NC 700 only had 2006 NC maps. Drove through Danville twice, once to clinch the US Business routes and once to check out the architecture on East Main Street. Danville has a bunch of old bridges over the Dan River that I had not seen before. US 58 Business runs under the bridges and is a bridge enthusiast's dream.
NC 700 finished clinching state highways in Caswell County. I thought that I would clinch NC 700 when I planned the route, but NC 700 does not end at NC 770 but multiplexes with NC 770 to NC 87/14. When I head up that way to check out the US 311 from Madison to Eden question, I'll pick up that section of 700.
There are signs for US 29 and VA 86 with TRUCK banners on US 58 Business with arrows saying to exit onto US 29 Business/VA 86. Since US 29 has a bypass of Danville (which through trucks on US 29 should take), this indicates a Truck Route for Business US 29, to keep trucks off of Piney Forest Highway. Having a Truck Route for a State Highway is rare, but not unknown.
There is a sign on US 58 Business East pointing up the ramp onto US 29/58 Bypass that simply points to Chapel Hill. It does not say Chapel Hill NC. Since neither route on the Bypass goes to Chapel Hill, it seems a little odd.
Results
Clinch US 58 and 29 Business Routes in Danville VA. Clinch state highways in Caswell County. Added miles for NC 700 and 770.