NC DOT Picks Orange Route for NC 540

A little bit of an apples to oranges comparison wayne, IMO. CSX is a for profit company vs the state highway system which is viewed as good for all people and built with tax dollars.

 

The rail transportation was the major means of commerce until the highway system and is just as good for all people given the transport of products is the primary focus of the project. The railroads have always been built using public resources and this case is no different. The comparison is more a comparison between Granny Smith and Red Delicious especially since this will be a toll road which makes it more for profit than not.

 

BS, {WAS, UNTIL} being the key words. BTW, I'm for bringing it in, but don't **** down my back and tell me it's raining. CSX seems to have come in like a bully instead of a friend. They should be asking , not telling folks what they are gonna do, IMO.

 

Great job. Is the orange route the one land has been set aside for since the 80's? Following your route it actually has very little impact, which is I guess, due to the long range plan. Build it now. I could get to work from 50/42 to 55/54 in 30 minutes.

 

More than half the impact of the other choices, but still a lot of people being impacted.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article58125663.html

An estimated 281 homes and businesses would have to be removed for the chosen route – but 12 of the 16 other routes would have forced more than 400 relocations apiece.

 

Freight is moved by rail, water, pipeline, truck, and air. The rail network accounts for approximately 40 percent of U.S. freight moves by ton-miles (the length freight travels) and 16 percent by tons (the weight of freight moved).
On the rails, in general, bulk freight, such as grain and coal, ships in rail cars and consumer goods, such as items found at a neighborhood store, ship in containers or trailers called intermodal traffic. Intermodal traffic refers to the transport of goods on trains before and/or after transfers from other modes of transportation such as planes, vessels, or trucks. It has been the fastest growing segment of the freight rail industry since 1980.
Source - https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0362

While rail is a private company, it is a vital piece of our economy. Without it, the price of goods you buy would be much, much higher. So therefore, it takes a similar priority to our highways.

 

The same could be said for truck stops, private driveways and even parking lots, but they don't enjoy imminent domain. A railroad is already here. It's not going to disappear without the new hub.

 

Would you mind posting the link to this entire map?

 

If you don't think that railroads should have the power of eminent domain, then you should contact your state representatives and petition them to change the law. The reason they have eminent domain is because it is not as easy to change the route of a rail line. Trains can't make sharp turns and to maintain a decent speed, they need straight lines. Putting rail yards next to rail lines is also a necessity. Having a rail yard 20 miles away from a rail line doesn't exactly make sense if the trains can't get these.

All of the DOT maps can be found here, caution though, they are HUGE files, most of them are 80-125 MB each. I wouldn't try to download them on my phone lol. - https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/PDEA/Web/Complete540/maps/

 

I have done so , you are correct.

Nobody is asking to change the route. The reason they have it is because when the rail lines were built, they needed it. I feel the law is outdated.

Nobody suggest they put it 20 miles away. The track runs North to South and Selma is not the only place close to the track or close to I95 and/or I40.

 

[QUOTE="poppin cork, post: 685012, member: 73076" Nobody suggest they put it 20 miles away. The track runs North to South and Selma is not the only place close to the track or close to I95 and/or I40.[/QUOTE]

It is the only place with an interchange, with minimal impacts to construction, and with minimal impact on the number of people if you actually look at the topography. The same situation as the Orange Route, but with fewer numbers of people impacted.

 

On point and exactly right.

If you think you have a better location for a few hundred acre rail yard that is close to both I95 (and an interchange) and the CSX rail line, then I'm sure everyone would like to hear it. From what I can tell though, there are not many places to choose from that will impact less people and property. Just like the Orange Route.

 

Just to throw in some history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Military_Railroad

"The U.S. Military Railroad (USMRR) was established by the United States War Department as a separate agency to operate any rail lines seized by the government during the American Civil War."

The Railroad was not always in such control by the government and Lincoln set the precedent.

 

Hi Spy

 

I wish they could build 540 as design build, with about 5 contracts being released at the same time. get it done in about 3-4 years.

 

Agreed, back in 1942 they built 1700 miles of the ALCAN Highway in about 6 months, through some of the roughest terrain any road has ever been built on. Here in NC in 2016, it takes 15 years to build a 20 mile road.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/alaska-building/

 

I remember seeing the history channel modern marvels on the building of the ALCAN

 

More of a trail than a highway:

Unfinished for Years
The rough trail was a grand accomplishment, but it was not finished. The next spring many of the bridges washed out. In the next few years, the Public Roads Administration oversaw the construction of a paved roadway, employing civilian contractors. The Alaska Highway as it appears today was completed following the war.

 

It was paved by 1948, so still 6 years to pave and built over 1500 miles.

 

Yep with a war budget and manpower for much of that time .... and with no property rights, impact evaluations, or even traffic to deal with ... Maybe Wake County could declare war and speed it up.