Expressway Site North Carolina

North Carolina...

US 220:

Summary:

Segment	Current Type of Highway
Virginia State Line to NC 704 south of Madison	4-lane Expressway
NC 704 to NC 68	4-lane Arterial
NC 68 to Summerfield	2-lane Road
Through Summerfield to the Greensboro city limits	2 lane highway with many turn lanes
Greensboro city limits (Battleground Ave / US 220) to Wendover Ave	5-7 lane boulevard (all with continuous center turn lane)
Wendover Ave to US 29	Jersey Freeway
US 29 to I-40/Business 85/US 421	An urban-type freeway right in / right out interchanges
I-40/Business 85/US 421 to US 220/Freeman Mill Road	Substandard interstate
Freeman Mill Road/I-40/US 421 to US 220A (three miles south of NC 211)	Freeway. Some parts are substandard, while others are up to interstate standards: Freeman Mill Road/I-40/US 421 to Randolph/Guilford Co. Line is INTERSTATE STANDARD. Randolph/Guilford Co. Line to Vision Drive in Asheboro; SUBSTANDARD. Through Asheboro, has shoulders and guardrails, but is still not up to interstate standards due to narrow medians, short merge lanes and left-side exits. McDowell St Exit to US 220A/NC 134 exit; SUBSTANDARD. Between is INTERSTATE STANDARDS, as this is the true I-73/74. US 220A Ether/Steeds Exit to 3 miles south of NC 211; SUBSTANDARD.
US 220A to the beginning of the 4-lane highway 4 miles south of Ellerbe	2 lane highway with I-73/74 under construction along another alignment
4 miles south of Ellerbe to Aslington / 2nd Ave	4 lane expressway (several driveways permitted) /Future I-73/74 alignment with minor re-alignments
Aslington / 2nd Ave to US 1	4 lane expressway with no driveways.

Detailed Description:

US 220 in North Carolina has a long and interesting history, but it will eventually be completely superseded by I-73 and, in some sections, I-74. Originally, it was a two-lane major highway passing through many municipalities. These municipalities were later bypassed by freeway or expressway alignments, downgrading the original mainline to alternate or business US 220. Some segments that were signed as alternate or business routes were later decommissioned, such as Level Cross in Randolph County and Stoneville in Rockingham County near the Virginia border. The remaining two-lane segments which do not have bypasses or multi-laned segments are through Summerfield in Guilford County (north of Greensboro), Emery in Montgomery County, and Northern Richmond County.

From the Virginia state line to NC 68, NCDOT will upgrade nearly the entire current expressway to interstate standards with some small modifications instead of building a new parallel interstate highway for the entire distance. The biggest undertaking of the I-73 project is from a point south of NC 68 to I-40, where it is as of yet undetermined of what path it will follow. One way or the other, it will rejoin US 220 again. Through Summerfield and then Battleground Ave in Greensboro, the current US 220 follows along a boulevard then a jersey freeway (Wendover Ave). US 220 then multiplexes with US 29 SOUTH which then gets tangled up along "Death Valley" at its junction with I-40 and GREEN I-85. US 220 then departs as a freeway going towards Asheboro and points south with the I-73 designation.

At the US 311 interchange the future I-74 designation magically appears, since there is no determined interchange in place yet for I-74 multiplexing with I-73 and US 220 southward. Passing through Randleman, Asheboro, Seagrove and the string of towns in Montgomery County, the roadway is up to interstate standards from US 220A / NC 134 to the Ulah / Steeds exit at US 220A. Stretches that have not been mentioned only have 3 to 5 foot shoulders and will need widened shoulders to comply with current interstate standards. Construction is underway to build several new miles of I-73/74 through Southern Montgomery and Northern Richmond counties around the towns of Emery, Norman and Ellerbe. The old US 220 routing will give way to the probable southern extension of US 220A. The current US 220 arterial south of Ellerbe will be upgraded to interstate status. There is a proposed I-73/74 interchange around the vicinity of Ellerbe Road where the new interstate will veer away from US 220 towards the US 74 bypass. The strict controlled access expressway exists between Ellerbe Road to US 1, all within Rockingham.

The NCDOT intends to designate US 220 as Green I-74 south of the proposed I-73/74 interchange. Lou Corsaro states his opinion on this proposed designation:

How many green intrastates does North Carolina need? Green intrastates are being used throughout the tar-heel state along many different types of roadways. Recently, the former mainline I-85 through the infamous "death valley" area is now a green intrastate which is entirely freeway with all grade separations and absolutely no driveways. However, spotty inadequate shoulders and closely placed interchanges with short accell/decell lanes have been the blame for de-designated the mainline I-85, as well as growing traffic volumes which no longer can handle "Death Valley" anymore. Designating Green I-74 along US 220 does not provide any amenities for motorists such as gas and food until making a left turn onto US 74 BUSINESS where its Rockingham's main drag of amenities of motorists. This "great detour" the NCDOT has decided upon will force travelers to travel several miles before ever seeing any traveler services. The NCDOT must have not learned their lesson even after demoting Green 95, which used to run along US 301 between I-95 in Kenly, Johnston County to the northern reaches of Rocky Mount, then back to I-95 via NC 4 in Nash County.

As a courtesy, please do not get confused with the county of Rockingham in the north central part of the state and the city of Rockingham in the south central part of the state -- US 220 travels through both.

Current and Future Improvements:

Segment	Proposed
From the current junction with NC 68 to NC 150.	Widened to 4-lanes with construction starting in 2008.
Between US 220 near NC 150 to the current north end of the NC 68 freeway.	Starting in 2010, a 4-lane connector will be built.
From the NC 68 connector to the existing 4-lane portion in Greensboro.	Starting in 2007, existing US 220 will be widened to 4-lanes. This segment will not serve through traffic, so it will probably not be up to expressway standards.
From Ellerbe to the current southern end of I-73 / I-74 south of Briscoe.	Construction is currently taking place on a new freeway.
Rockingham Bypass	Construction will begin after 2010.

Junction Log:

Junction	Type of Access	Location
Enter Rockingham County. Leave Henry County, Virginia.
BEGIN EXPRESSWAY
NC 770	Diamond	Stoneville
US 220 BUSINESS	Diamond	Stoneville / Mayodan
NC 135	Diamond	Mayodan
US 220 BUSINESS/NC 704	Diamond	Madison
NC 68	At-grade, no signal (NC 68 begins straight as a 2 lane highway; US 220 turns left as a two lane highway)	Southern Rockingham County
End Rockingham County Expressway Segment.
Continues as a 2 lane highway briefly into Summerfield then a boulevard in Greensboro then a freeway towards Emery. Becomes a 2 lane highway towards Ellerbe. Then south of Ellerbe begins the expressway segment of US 220.
Begin Richmond County Expressway Segment
Future I-73/74 (New stretch of interstate counter clock wise around Rockingham to US 74 BYPASS) -- this is in the Ellerbe Road vicinity	Interchange proposed	Northern extents of Rockingham (I-73 will one day treat US 1 the same way as US 220 while future I-74 multiplexes with US 74)
AFTER Future I-73/74, its strict controlled expressway to US 1. NO DRIVEWAYS
Aslington Ave/2nd Ave	At-grade	Rockingham
Cross Seaboard Railroad
Despite being close to downtown, US 220 retains its expressway status instead of reverting to a boulevard or even to an arterial status.
Lee St.	At-grade	Rockingham
Green St.	Signal	Rockingham
Franklin St.	No Connection	Rockingham
US 74 BUSINESS	Signal	Rockingham
Cross Seaboard Systems Railroad
Midway Road	Half diamond interchange	Rockingham
US 1	Triangular intersection, no signal	Rockingham
END EXPRESSWAY. End US 220. Continue south on US 1

Pictures: (courtesy of Lou Corsaro)