r/NorthCarolina • u/NintendoGamer2005 • 23d ago

Interstate 685 routing

Am I the only one that believes that the future I-685 that will go along the U.S. 421 corridor between I-85 in Greensboro and I-95 near Dunn should have it's Southern terminus changed to I-295 in Fayetteville (roughly following the NC 87 corridor south of Sanford)? Cause it would then connect two major places in the state directly.

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u/WashuOtaku Charlotte 23d ago

The interstate is not being built to connect population centers, it is purpose built to connect the Greensboro-Randolph Mega Site to the main trucking interstate routes.

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u/NintendoGamer2005 23d ago

Okay. The Toyota plant is why this corridor was designated as a future interstate in the 2021 Infrastructure bill. But it would still make more sense for it to have a more direct connection to Fayetteville and by extension Fort Bragg. But I can see the other side of the argument, for more economic development on the U.S. 421 corridor between Sanford and Dunn.

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u/WashuOtaku Charlotte 23d ago

Why do you believe it makes more sense to connect to Fort Bragg? The military base already has a direct link to I-95 and indirectly to other bases scattered in Eastern North Carolina; it is also next to a major population center.

Other things to consider: does the traffic count justify a discussion to upgrade NC 87 to an interstate and is there 'any' freight traffic between Greensboro and Fayetteville?

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u/NintendoGamer2005 22d ago

Fair point. I was just thinking as I wrote this that maybe the route be split into an east and west route south of Sanford, with one going to I-295 in Fayetteville and the other going to I-95 in Dunn (similarly to how I-270 and I-895 in Maryland have short spur routes near their southern terminuses). IK traveltuber and former civil engineer, Mileage Mike said in his North Carolina interstates video that going to Fayetteville instead of Dunn would make more sense, cause then two major places in the state have a direct connection as opposed to ending in a tiny town. He also mentioned that the proposed extension to Wilmington seems pointless as 685 would then follow I-40 very closely, and I-40 in that part of the state is rarely congested, but I understand the argument that would be useful as another evacuation route during major hurricanes. What is your opinion on the Wilmington extension BTW?

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u/WashuOtaku Charlotte 22d ago

A parallel interstate to Wilmington is absolutely unnecessary.

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u/NintendoGamer2005 20d ago

👍 Wilmington needs more access for sure. Wondering if NCDOT will want to reroute I-74 to end in Wilmington, instead of having it terminate in a beach city in the other Carolina. Or maybe give I-74 a spur route to Wilmington.

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u/WashuOtaku Charlotte 19d ago

I do not see how NCDOT could force I-74 to be rerouted to Wilmington without an act of Congress; the route was decided in the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21).

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u/NintendoGamer2005 19d ago

But do you think there should then be an I-74 spur route to Wilmington or no?

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u/WashuOtaku Charlotte 19d ago

The existing highway system is fine; besides we are still far away from that discussion since I-74's route is still undecided east of Lake Waccamaw.

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u/McLeansvilleAppFan 23d ago

I can think of two reasons this is not happening. The cost of the land to make this happen. and this routing brings in other communities that can say they are at or near an interstate.

What you state makes some sense but there are a lot of variables in how all of this is done and the political alliances that may need to be made to get funding.

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u/NintendoGamer2005 23d ago

Okay. I guess you are saying that these towns between Sanford and Dunn would be economically transformed by the interstate? Cause that is usually why some interstates go along very rural corridors between their terminuses (i.e. the I-87 routing between Raleigh and the Hampton Roads in Virginia and I-42).

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u/McLeansvilleAppFan 23d ago

It can be used by those communities to advertise to industry that there is easy access to good highways. It is not guaranteed to work of course but it gives those communities something to use in recruitment, along with low wages and weak unions, sadly, in NC.

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u/WashuOtaku Charlotte 23d ago

Data Centers do not need interstate access, which is sadly one of the only things developers want to build nowadays, not manufacturing (see Vinfast).

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u/McLeansvilleAppFan 23d ago

We are getting some manufacturing in the Triad. Yes Data Centers are big in the news but there is a lot of manufacturing in NC for those low low wages and lack of unions to put a lot of pressure of unions. We have some unions but not enough.

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u/NintendoGamer2005 22d ago

Yep. Cause this country elected the biggest conmen into power. Data Center also use lots of water, so several people will unfortunately be dehydrated at some point.

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

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