Last month, President Obama submitted a budget proposal calling for greater investment in projects that strengthen our infrastructure and create jobs. And one state that is achieving both of those goals is North Carolina, where a trio of high-priority projects is underway to improve safety and reduce traffic congestion along the Charlotte area's major east-west commercial route.
The projects will complete the Charlotte Outer Loop and feature the state's first turbine-style interchange and a pair of double-crossover--or diverging diamond--interchanges designed to reduce risky left turns among drivers and cut traffic jams by as much as 60 percent. In addition, according to estimates by the North Carolina DOT, using these innovative interchange designs will save taxpayers more than $50 million.
Administrator Mendez (middle) with Project Manager Barry Moose (left) and NCDOT Secretary Gene Conti (right)
These projects will also save area drivers something even more valuable: time. One of the three projects, widening seven miles of I-85, will reduce congestion at one of North Carolina's worst bottlenecks. Used by 118,000 drivers each day, this section of I-85 is prone to traffic delays that, during rush hour, can last more than 60 minutes. That's no good for commuters and no good for the truck drivers hauling loads to markets.
We're not just saving time for drivers on the road; we're also speeding up how quickly we can get men and women to work on project jobsites. Two of the Charlotte Outer Loop projects--the I-85/I-485 Interchange and the I-485 Loop completion--utilized design-build finance, an innovation that allowed construction to begin four years earlier than originally estimated. That means the folks using the roadways will see the benefits of these improvements much sooner.
Design-build is one tool in Administrator Mendez's Every Day Counts initiative, an approach that seeks to speed up project completion in every stage of the process from planning through construction. It's just one way the Obama Administration is trying to streamline and simplify delivery of key projects.
President Obama called on us to rebuild America by putting people to work improving the nation's roads and bridges, and that is exactly what we're doing.
And we can do even more if Congress passes a good, long-term transportation plan that states like North Carolina can count on to support key infrastructure investments like the three terrific projects near Charlotte.
President Obama, this DOT, and states like North Carolina want to build an America that lasts. We've got work to do; let's get busy.
NC plans an innovative Double Diamond Interchange.
It always surprises me how much opposition bills that add support to infrastructure are often confronted with in congress.
Creating more logistics and trucking jobs can really help strengthen the country's economy, and this is one section of the economy that is increasingly hit with regulations (at a time when we should be offering more incentives for people to enter the logistics industry and thus lower overhead for small businesses).
Thanks for all you do to promote these innovative highway projects that will make it easier for their supporters in congress to gain more favor and pull, and hopefully address some of our economic problems while making the highways safer for everyone
Posted by: Jake Johnston | March 30, 2012 at 04:33 AM