40/42 Interchange Construction

Yeah, at last check, those ramps are have been open all week. It would help traffic so much if they left the ramps open to/from Raleigh, though.

 

Diverging diamond was open this morning at 6 am. (40/42). Seemed to be moving smooth and getting on 40 west from 42 east was easy. Looking at google maps just now (7:45) it shows it all closed again. not sure why.

 

Google Maps is still showing it closed 15 hours later. It is not. Google Maps is just dumb sometimes.

 

a few questions.
1. I know if you are on nc 42 west and want to circle back to dunkin donuts, there is a u turn in front of the metal bldg. shopping center. if you are on NC 42 east, where do you turn around to come back to shell station? or do you just turn around at Smithfield BBQ light?
2. can you only get to Shell station from 42 west? they had lost the entrance from Glen rd. when we were by last night.

 

Smithfield is the next turnaround on their drawings. And Yes, Shell only shows the 42 entrance on the drawings.

 

Google Maps still thinks 1) you cannot go across the I-40 bridge from west to east, and 2) that the Cleveland Rd exits are open. It is wrong on both counts.

 

Its much faster getting from the Clev Rd /42 intersection onto I 40 West.

 

I hope they either 1) plan on reevaluating the stoplight timing in the area, or 2) open up exit 312B pretty soon. The 40/42 exit regularly backs up onto I-40 down to Swift Creek during afternoon rush hour now. It rarely did that before they implemented the DDI. Today, the traffic was backed up on NC-42 westbound so much that traffic was stuck in the intersection with the I-40 exit when the light changed. Basically, almost gridlock.

I know a DDI is supposed to move more traffic, but there's got to be somewhere for that traffic to go once they get past the intersection.

And speaking of 312B, why isn't it open?! It doesn't appear they have done a single thing to the ramps since it was temporarily open last month. So why shut it down again?

 

5 years ago, Tomorow (June 5, for this post) no wonder it seems like that exit 312 has been a mess so long. 5 years down, getting close?

 

Funny, we were just saying the other day that it seems so much smoother and better than it was before.

 

During times of light traffic? Yeah, it is a lot smoother. Rush hours and Sunday mornings (the Bojangles/Cracker Barrel rush?), not so much.

 

DOT update
Hey, folks, Construction will be winding down soon on all of the roadway improvements in the Cleveland community at Exits 312A/B. Here is the latest completion estimates: ⏺️ Exit 312A (N.C. 42) to be fully opened by the end of July ⏺️ Exit 312B (Cleveland Road) to be fully opened by the end of July ⏺️ All of the I-40 widening project from Exit 301 to mile marker 314 to be completed by the end of September. Please continue to drive carefully in this work zone.
NCDOT: I-40 Widening - Southeast Raleigh to Clayton

 

Has anyone actually seen them doing something to the 312B ramps that would justify them being closed? It seems to me they could have been open all this time.

Also, I saw they were tearing up the carefully crafted center-median curbing on Cleveland Rd right by West View Elementary. I guess they realized something was installed wrong and they had to tear it up and start over?

 

I'm thinking after they remove the median and get the lanes correct, they will open the ramp. Probably mid to end July. My guess.

 

Went through 40/42 at 5:15pm yesterday, didn't think it was all that bad. Even with all the construction still going on and lanes closed, it moved fine across the highway.

 

DOT just issued update:
Construction Update on I-40 @ Exit 312A/B We've got some important updates as part of the I-40 widening project in the Cleveland community of Johnston County (Exit 312A/B). The details follow (dates are subject to change): ⏺️ After July 17 for I-40 westbound: The two Collector-Distributor lanes will open, so you must take them to either exit at Cleveland Road (312B) or at N.C. 42 (312A). ⏺️ After July 25 for I-40 eastbound: The two Collector-Distributor lanes will open, so you must take them to either exit at N.C. 42 or Cleveland Road. ⏺️ When these new lanes are opened, the Cleveland Road interchange (Exit 312B) will be fully opened, hopefully, by July 26. ⏺️ We plan to have all eight lanes on I-40 opened in this vicinity by this fall.

 

I'll just stay on Cornwallis road and get on to I-40 at Buck Jones Road until the end of the year. People driving through the construction area drive like they are Dale Earnhardt. And we all know what happened to him.

 

Well, another missed deadline. Go figure! Sure would be nice if they would issue an update when knowing they are not going to meet a published schedule. When they posts “subject to change” we shouldn’t have to find out about it on social media!

 

DOT update: (from last week)
Look at this week's forecast -- that's a lot of 70% and 80% chances of rain every day. Unfortunately, we won't be able to fully open the Cleveland Road interchange (Exit 312B) on July 26 as we had hoped. I'll keep you posted when I have more info.