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And we're off... welcome to Fast Forward, an online complement to the News & Record's weekend transportation column. We hope to post up-to-date travel information as it congests our desks and e-mail in-boxes, as well as the column itself each Saturday.

More about us
Eric Townsend, 25, hails from Newark, Del. He drives a Saturn with 140,000 miles. When not at work, Eric can be found running through Guilford Courthouse National Military Park - or, more specifically, TRYING to run through the park. Some of those hills are real killers. Contact him at 373-7008 or etownsend@news-record.com

Amy Dominello, 27, lived in the New York, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. regions before moving to High Point two years ago. As a road warrior in Guilford County, Amy gives thanks everyday that she no longer spends significant portions of her time sitting on the D.C. Beltway in her Ford Focus. It did, however, make her an expert in road rage. Contact her at 883-4422, ext. 248, or adominello@news-record.com

I always thought New Year's Eve took top honors in fatal accidents. Nope.

"July Fourth had ... an average of 12 more deaths than any other day of the year. This day also had a high number of deaths involving alcohol."

"The second worst day was July 3 ... Six of the 10 worst days clustered around holidays — July 2-4, Dec. 23, Jan. 1, and Sept. 2 (on or near Labor Day)."

This comes courtesy of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which published its findings in the most recent edition of Injury Prevention.

Does talking on cell phones impair young motorists behind the wheel? Shalewa Moore, who admits to gabbing non stop even while driving, doesn't notice a difference.
"I can't drive in general," the UNCG freshman said with a laugh.
Ask her friends the same question and there's no sugarcoating the response.
"She'll speed up. She'll miss a turn. She won't see a stop light change red," said Tameika Williams, who sat with Moore and freshman Maegan Tucker at the school's dining hall Thursday night. "She might miss a turn, but she won't miss a beat on her cell phone."
Wow. Them's fighting words, right?
Maybe not.
David Strayer and Frank Drews, two educators at the University of Utah, published a study this winter in which they likened young drivers using cell phones to elderly motorists driving without them.

For everyone who tried posting feedback: We've fixed the problem and are now ready for your observations, criticism and - most welcome of all - praise.

AAA put out its list of worst North Carolina road bridges and, wouldn't you know it, Forsyth and Guilford counties represent. For the fourth consecutive year, the Interstate 40 Business bridge above Liberty Street in Winston-Salem takes top honors.

Buried in Chicken Little's press release is this gem: "None of the bridges in North Carolina are in danger of collapsing and none pose an imminent threat at this time to motorists." It's funny how AAA's list comes out as the state legislature reconvenes and begins budget deliberations.

Read more here...

Dude, you want to get to Dell?
OK, we're tired of the Dell jokes too, but the Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation will talk Wednesday morning about how to get workers to and from the new computer plant off Union Cross Road.
The meeting is at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the ECPI College of Technology, 7802 Airport Center Drive, in Greensboro.
PART's staff is proposing a new connector service from its current PART Express stop in Kernersville.To figure out how to get to the Kernersville PART Express stop from Greensboro and High Point, click here.

Grabbing some shut-eye on American Airlines is about to get that much harder. What's next? Removing the minibar from the cockpit?

Road work faces delay due to lack of savings
Road construction in the Triad and across the state could be delayed because the state has spent its savings for road projects faster than anticipated over the past two years.
The N.C. Department of Transportation is trying to cut the amount of money it will spend on road contracts this year by at least $560 million.
Read the article

PART agrees to transport Dell workers
Dell employees could use public transportation to get to the new computer plant in Winston-Salem, but just how they will get there has yet to be determined.
Read the article

Thank goodness the government knows what's best for me. Space travel? Dangerous? Get outta here...

Bus 394 pulled away from Alamance Elementary School Tuesday afternoon hauling backpacks, lunch bags, loud children - and a state trooper.
Chris Knox sat directly behind bus driver Cindy Comito, his starched uniform in stark contrast to the ruffled school kids headed home.
"He's not here to take you to jail," Comito told her students before leaving the school. The thought seemed to amuse her. "He's here to watch traffic."
As the bus bounced north along Liberty Road, another trooper, Honda Martin, trailed in an unmarked police cruiser.
Knox and Martin had a combined mission: ticket any driver who passes Bus 394 as it unloads children. Keep these children safe.
The troopers saw no violators on different route Monday, their first day of the week long assignment. Would today be the day?

The airport will soon begin building a bridge that will transport airplanes over what is now Bryan Boulevard.

The taxiway bridge will connect Piedmont Triad International Airport's existing runway with the new runway that will be built as part of a FedEx overnight hub at the airport. The $516 million hub is expected to open at PTI in 2009.

W.C. English Inc. of Lynchburg, Va., bid the lowest for the project and will construct the taxiway bridge for $9.6 million. The Airport Authority approved the contract Tuesday and the Federal Aviation Administration will reimburse the airport for 95 percent of the cost.

The taxiway will be constructed in three phases. The bridge will bring planes over Bryan Boulevard. As part of construction of the
FedEx hub, Bryan Boulevard will be relocated. Construction on the bridge could begin within two months, said Mickie Elmore, the airport's director of development.

Update: Here is a map that ran in the newspaper in November. It shows the new Bryan Boulevard route, but not the bridge.

The North Carolina Turnpike Authority board voted Wednesday to study four potential toll road projects, The Associated Press reports:

* a 9 1/2-mile bridge across the Cape Fear River that would connect the U.S. 17 Bypass to U.S. 421.

* the 20-mile Garden Parkway, also known as the U.S. 321/74 Bypass, would connect Interstate 485 near Charlotte/Douglas International Airport with I-85 west of Gastonia.

* the Monroe Connector would link the U.S. 74 Monroe Bypass and I-485 in Union and Mecklenburg counties.

* the fourth proposal would parallel Interstate 40 in the Triangle area and extend from the Durham Freeway to I-540.

There is no timeline yet for any of the projects.

Finally figured out how to maneuver the southern section of the Urban Loop?

Well, forget about it. At least for about a month.

The N.C. Department of Transportation plans to announce today that it will have to close the Southern Bypass section of the Urban Loop to build two bridges at Interstate 85 needed for the western section of the Loop, said Mike Mills, lead engineer for the N.C. DOT in Greensboro.

The road, which opened in February 2004, will be closed from Feb. 26 to March 23, said Brad Wall, the division construction engineer for the Greensboro area.

Officials will provide details on the closure and alternative routes at a news conference planned for this morning.

The 13.5-mile Southern Bypass connects Interstate 40/85 east of the city with I-85 south of the city. The bypass makes it easier for drivers to make the trip from Raleigh to Charlotte.

A short piece of the Loop from U.S. 70 to I-40/85 will remain open, Mills said.

- Amy Dominello

We've got some updates on the month-long closure of the Southern Bypass of the Urban Loop.
Some local drivers will have limited access to certain portions of the bypass.
Check out the story and information from the N.C. Department of Transportation.

It's time once again to tackle questions that have come my way during the past month. As always, feel free to call or e-mail me your observations.

No "Exit Only?"

Jane Dovan of Greensboro called with two questions about things she and her sons, Andy and Ian, have noticed while driving. Here's one; the other comes next week.

"If you enter (eastbound Bryan Boulevard) from Fleming Road, that right lane, if you stay in it, goes out to New Garden Road and there’s no sign that says 'exit only' or any arrows that show you must turn right," she said. "If you’re in that right lane and aren’t going off that exit, you’re in trouble. We wondered about that, why there's no warning there?"

Always wanted to know what a collector street is and why it's important?
Well, beginning Tuesday, you can find out the answer. That's when Greensboro's Department of Transportation will begin holding a series of public workshops on one of their street plans.
Read the story or visit Greensboro's Web site to find out more.

I like hybrid car technology as much as the next tree-hugger. But do these overinflated Hollywood egos really think I'm planning to buy a Toyota Prius because they'll be sporting their own at the Oscars? Nothing irks me more than celebrity endorsements.

Try this slogan instead: "Pick the Prius. You'll save gas money." Short, simple and to the point.

This is just funny.

I'm beginning to feel like a broken record.
But in case you've been living in a cave, the Southern Bypass of the Urban Loop will close at midnight tonight. Check out the details.

Today begins a month-long migraine for commuters who use Interstate 85 to skirt traffic through Greensboro, aka the city of 1,000 interchanges. Road crews closed the highway to erect two bridges southwest of the city.

Work runs through March 23. In the meantime, expect longer commutes in both directions of Business 85, which some folks call "Death Valley" because of its traffic patterns. Local traffic does, however, have limited access to the closed road.

What does this mean for your travel times? Not too much.
In a "scientific" experiment on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, Fast Forward clocked both routes.

Getting ready to give your kid his or her first car? Eric Peters, a Washington-based freelance automotive columnist, offers some tips.

A cool $9 million buys you a little piece of aviation/oceanic history. Better hurry, though. You only have five days left.

Air travelers can say buh-bye to their bathroom smoke breaks. At least we'll know what the REAL odor is coming from lavatories.

Courtesy of the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON - Airline passengers can no longer bring cigarette lighters onto planes or in any secure areas, the Homeland Security Department announced Monday.