News

[note – this is a draft blog post]

The future I-685 corridor will be the Carolina Core freeway, along the US 421 corridor from Greensboro to Sanford, linking to I-95.

This freeway will link the Carolina Core counties northeast of Charlotte and southwest of Durham and Raleigh, providing essential workforce and supplier connectivity to a number of existing and future major economic developments. In addition, the corridor will provide additional direct Interstate access for several of our Research Triangle area communities and counties including Chatham and Lee. Improvements to this corridor will also be helpful because they will relieve through travel from Interstate 40.

Extending the corridor east of Sanford, connecting to I-95 …

The path for the proposed freeway has not been finalized east of Sanford. However, it sounds like there are a few potential routing options that would connect the freeway to I-95, either just south of Benson, or via Fayetteville.

While RTA has not taken a formal position on the routing of I-685 east of Sanford, my sense is that a linkage to Fayetteville and the Fort Liberty area would have particular benefits from a workforce mobility and market extension standpoint among Wake, Chatham, Lee, Harnett, Cumberland and nearby counties.

If the I-685 corridor were extended to the Fayetteville metro area, perhaps via the existing NC 87 corridor and/or a nearby new alignment that would link the corridor with I-295 and I-95, that would provide strong connectivity for the southeastern Carolina Core counties that are also part of our Research Triangle market.

… and linking to I-40.

An extension to Fayetteville and the Fort Liberty area would then lead us to another question:  could the corridor then link further east, perhaps along an upgraded NC 24 via Clinton, ending at a junction with I-40 at Warsaw in Duplin County?

This would provide a connection to a transcontinental Interstate, as well as a direct freeway link to our largest seaport at Wilmington and access to the growing southeastern North Carolina market.

We have spoken about I-685 in several prior RTA blogs, including here and here, and of investments along the Carolina Core here. RTA would welcome ongoing conversations to support an upgraded routing of I-685.

Finally, my sense is that North Carolina should at least consider a potential two digit, primary Interstate designation for a corridor that would connect Greensboro and the Piedmont Triad with Sanford, Fayetteville, and Fort Liberty, and link with I-85, I-95, and I-40.

While I-685 is a very reasonable three digit auxiliary Interstate number for the proposed corridor, if our state were to pursue a primary, two-digit Interstate designation for a freeway routing from Greensboro to Sanford to Fayetteville and then east to I-40, I would propose consideration of “Interstate 38” for the Carolina Core to Shore freeway corridor.

Why Interstates matter

For many years the Research Triangle area only had I-85 and I-40 in the heart of our region, with I-95 serving eastern portions of our extended region, and the I-440 Beltline. We have slowly added I-540 to our landscape, with I-87 from southeast Raleigh to Wendell added several years ago, and I-42 and I-587 even more recent additions.

Each new or newly-designated Interstate corridor will be a fully-controlled access roadway with bridges, ramps, and no cross streets or stoplights. Our Interstates are invariably among our safest roadways, and they attract economic development because of the quality of travel and the assurance of free-flow, reliable travel times outside of the most congested periods.

Our freeway system is vital for commerce, tourism, accessibility, and the network provides improved access to affordable housing and a variety of jobs via multiple current and future modes of transportation. In other words, our Interstates are vital for the future of our region and state, and we look forward to seeing and supporting their progress.

Let’s get moving,

Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA executive director

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