North Carolina Interstate highways

[architect77]

Originally Posted by urbancharlotte

This is the result of "one of the best DOTs"

Since 2009 Charlotte got the lion's share of funding for big projects. I-485 and I-85 North of Charlotte are the nicest freeways in the state by far.

Charlotte's NCDOT division chose a deluxe I-485 first over widening I-77. 20-30 years would pass before that much money would come back to that division.

Raleigh's outerloop will be 60% tolled once completed. I received a bill for $22 a few years ago for one trip on the existing tolled section.

These managed lanes with variable pricing have only one single purpose. That is the option to use a lane always flowing at 45mph or greater. It never gets bogged down with too many users since the price will climb to dissuade overuse at any given time.

I agree that more free lanes should be part of this project and it sucks that a foreign company will be a stakeholder for 50 years.

But with inflation and less buying power for an inadequate gas tax for a very dispersed population across NC, the available funds must be skim-coated statewide to support tourism at each end as well as the central part of the state.

[ZeusAV]

Honestly the gas tax desperately needs to be raised at the federal level and permanently pegged to inflation. There were good opportunities politically to get it done during Obama's second term and the Pre-Covid Trump years but now it would be political suicide to even suggest it.

[architect77]

Originally Posted by ZeusAV

Honestly the gas tax desperately needs to be raised at the federal level and permanently pegged to inflation. There were good opportunities politically to get it done during Obama's second term and the Pre-Covid Trump years but now it would be political suicide to even suggest it.

With the electric car revolution something will have to change pretty quickly.

It shouldn't be VMT-based because people will balk at having their driving measured.

Just take the average annual mileage, multiply it by average mpg of gas cars, raise it some for today's world, then charge that amount annually to electric vehicles.

[urbancharlotte]

Originally Posted by architect77

With the electric car revolution something will have to change pretty quickly.

It shouldn't be VMT-based because people will balk at having their driving measured.

Just take the average annual mileage, multiply it by average mpg of gas cars, raise it some for today's world, then charge that amount annually to electric vehicles.

Or just build an interstate freeway system with reasonable tolls for commercial vehicles only. For multiple logistic reasons small and major fleets would gladly pay the toll to not share long distance driving with the motoring public. Catastrophic truck and car accident claims would be significantly reduced. The price of items on the shelf would be stabilized because trucking companies would incur fewer delays (the cost of these delays are passed on to the general public by the way). As it stands now quite a few single day truck trips in theory are in actuality two day trips all because the truck shares the road with the motoring public. This is an expensive and unsustainable model for the economy. At one point the vast majority of US freight was shipped by train. Today nearly 70% is being shipped by trucks and unlike trains these trucks share the road with the public.

I can see trucking companies mitigating the toll expenditures by lobbying for American road trains similar to the road trains that we see in Australia. These commercial vehicle only toll roads will become a new revenue source for the government at both the federal and state levels. If done properly I can see this thing being revolutionary to be honest.....

[architect77]

Originally Posted by urbancharlotte

Or just build an interstate freeway system with reasonable tolls for commercial vehicles only. For multiple logistic reasons small and major fleets would gladly pay the toll to not share long distance driving with the motoring public. Catastrophic truck and car accident claims would be significantly reduced. The price of items on the shelf would be stabilized because trucking companies would incur fewer delays (the cost of these delays are passed on to the general public by the way). As it stands now quite a few single day truck trips in theory are in actuality two day trips all because the truck shares the road with the motoring public. This is an expensive and unsustainable model for the economy. At one point the vast majority of US freight was shipped by train. Today nearly 70% is being shipped by trucks and unlike trains these trucks share the road with the public.

I can see trucking companies mitigating the toll expenditures by lobbying for American road trains similar to the road trains that we see in Australia. These commercial vehicle only toll roads will become a new revenue source for the government at both the federal and state levels. If done properly I can see this thing being revolutionary to be honest.....

Plus those rules limiting how many hours truck drivers can do each day. That has definitely lowered productivity and increased costs.

Maybe it has saved lives too, but I see a lot of parked 18 wheelers at night when I go back and forth to Atlanta.

[urbancharlotte]

Originally Posted by architect77

Plus those rules limiting how many hours truck drivers can do each day. That has definitely lowered productivity and increased costs.

Maybe it has saved lives too, but I see a lot of parked 18 wheelers at night when I go back and forth to Atlanta.

Agreed, the hours of service rules could definitely be revisited if fewer trucks shared the road with the public. Also, all truck on truck accidents that occured on the commercial vehicle tollway should not go against that state's insurance rating.