News-Record.com

Just in time for your weekend travel plans, several transportation groups compiled a report on the summer tourist destinations with the worst summer traffic delays. (The press release is here.)

The top 10:
1. The Oregon Coast
2. Tidewater region of Virginia
3. Maryland/Delaware shore
4. Branson, Mo.
5. Outer Banks of North Carolina
6. Cape Cod, Mass.
7. New Jersey shore
8. Napa Valley, Calif.
9. Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish Country
10. Catskill Mountains region in New York

Asheville made the list at number 14; Myrtle Beach ranked 23.

As I wait for the 5:00 whistle to head to Baltimore this weekend, I'm debating when I should leave - tonight or tomorrow morning. Either way, I'll bet I-95 up near D.C. will be a parking lot.

Hope everyone out there had safe travels over the holiday weekend.

If you spent any time on congested roads this weekend, you may be interested in this Wall Street Journal article on the science of traffic jams.

GREENSBORO - Gallmore Dairy Road will be closed to through traffic between West Market Street and Cessna Drive for three to four days beginning this morning so crews can widen the road.

Norfolk Southern Railroad will also be replacing the railroad crossing as part of the road widening.

An "off-road" observation, so to speak... Garry Trudeau had me on the floor with laughter this weekend. Just when I think Trudeau's lost his touch, he publishes strips like this.

From the state Department of Transportation:

Gibson Road will be closed between Lake Latham Road and Third Street so crews can replace the existing pipe beginning July 11 at approximately 8:00 a.m. until Aug. 1 at approximately 3:00 p.m.

Motorists should use caution and expect delays when approaching this area. Weather conditions may impact time of closure.

The intersection of N.C. 62 and Hunt Road will be closed from Monday to Aug. 26 so N.C. Department of Transportation work crews can improve the sight distance and install turning lanes.

The signed detour for N.C. 62 will be Branson Mill Road to Hunt Road to Neeley Road to Appomattox Road and back to N.C. 62.

The signed detour for Hunt Road will be Bantam Road to Branson Mill Road and back to Hunt Road.

Well, well, well... Turns out the answer to U.S. Airways' financial woes are its in-flight snacks. Just when you think these airlines can't get any cheaper (and I'm not talking prices), they go and pull a stunt like this. At least Northwest Airlines allows the purchase of peanuts.

Ritters Lake Road will be closed between Alliance Church Road and Pleasant Garden Road beginning Monday at 9 a.m. through 4 p.m. July 23.
Detour route: Alliance Church Road to Talbot Road to Pleasant Garden Road.

The N.C. Department of Transportation(NCDOT) has postponed the permanent closure of the Smith Street railroad crossing in Gibsonville until Aug. 8th.
The crossing was initially slated to close on July 11th, but NCDOT officials say they have delayed the closing to August at the town’s request to allow more time to consider other traffic changes in the area.

The City of Greensboro provides weekly updates on road resurfacing projects to assist motorists in and around Greensboro. The Engineering & Inspections Department will continue roadway resurfacing on various city streets through July and motorists may
encounter delays. Barring inclement weather, equipment failures, or other unforeseen problems, work will begin on the following areas during the week of July 12:

MANHOLE AND VALVE ADJUSTMENT LOCATIONS:

- Meadowview Road from High Point Road to Hardie Street
- Meadowview Road from South Elm Eugene Street to private property
- Belhaven Drive from Mosby Drive to dead end
- Eagle Road from Beechcroft Drive to Stanley Road
- Poinsettia Road from Alma Street to Romaine Street
- Alma Street from Fairfax Road to Poinsettia Road
- Chateau Court from Chateau Drive to cul de sac
- Starlight Drive from Glenoaks Drive to Brynhurst Drive
- Flagstaff Court from Denver Drive to cul de sac
- Denver Drive from Sacramento Drive to Tulsa Drive
- Shanahan Court from Rehobeth Church Road to cul de sac
- Donegal Court from Donegal Drive to cul de sac

RESURFACING – ASPHALT TOP PLACEMENT LOCATIONS

- Darlington Place from Sharonbrook Drive to Armhurst Road
- Bywood Road from Bonaire Lane to Woodbriar Avenue
- Hassall Street from Gillespie Street to Bingham Road

RESURFACING – PATCHING EXISTING STREETS:

- Industrial Avenue from Pleasant Garden Road to Thurston

What: The Sandy Ridge Road bridge over the Deep River needs to be replaced and will require the state to close that section of the road for three months next summer.

Why replace the bridge: It was built in 1956. A July 2003 inspection showed the bridge is in poor condition and should be replaced rather than repaired.

Timeline: The state began buying property near the bridge in April. Construction will begin in April 2006 and is expected to take about a year. The road will be closed for 90 days next summer while school
is closed and there is less traffic.

What: The Lewiston Road bridge over Brush Creek needs to be replaced, which will require the state to close that section of the road for three months next summer.

Why the bridge has to be replaced: It was built in 1956. An August 2002 inspection showed that it is in poor condition and should be replaced rather than repaired.

Timeline: The state began purchasing some property near the bridge in April. Construction should begin in April 2006 and take about a year. The road is set to be closed for 90 days next summer, while school is out and there is less traffic.

An overturned tractor trailer has blocked both southbound lanes of Interstate 85 at the Yadkin River bridge near Lexington early this morning.

Cargo and fuel clean-up is underway, but the lanes are not expected to reopen until 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

The accident happened in Davidson County at mile mile marker 82.

UPDATE: N.C. DOT is reporting that all lanes of I-85 are now open.

How many more studies are we going to need? Yeah, yeah... driving while talking on a phone is bad for ya. Gimme something new.

From the city of High Point:

Bentbrook Drive will be closed Monday through July 25 between Aberdeen and Old Mill roads while work is performed on the Colonial Pipeline.

Take Old Mill Road to Greenhill Drive to Impala Avenue to Bentbrook Drive.

From N.C. DOT:

RALEIGH - The N.C. Department of Transportation will permanently close the Ruffin Road railroad crossing near Reidsville beginning Aug. 15. Signs will be installed at the crossing in early August to alert motorists of the change.

The action comes as part of an effort to reduce the number of redundant and/or unsafe rail-highway at-grade crossings throughout the state. The N.C. DOT Rail Division and Norfolk Southern Railway agreed to close the Ruffin Road crossing to improve safety for motorists, rail passengers and train crews.

Road work will begin on the following areas during the week of July 18:

MANHOLE AND VALVE ADJUSTMENT LOCATIONS:
- Industrial Avenue from Pleasant Garden Road to Thurston Road

RESURFACING - ASPHALT TOP PLACEMENT LOCATIONS
- Darlington Place from Sharonbrook Drive to Armhurst Road
- Bywood Road from Bonaire Lane to Woodbriar Avenue
- Hassall Street from Gillespie Street to Bingham Road
- Meadowview Road from High Point Road to Hardie Street
- Meadowview Road from South Elm Eugene Street to private property
- Meadowview Loop from 1608 Meadowview Road to 1612 Meadowview Road
- Belhaven Drive from Mosby Drive to dead end
- Eagle Road from Beechcroft Drive to Stanley Road
- Poinsettia Road from Alma Street to Romaine Street
- Alma Street from Fairfax Road to Poinsettia Road
- Chateau Court from Chateau Drive to cul de sac
- Starlight Drive from Glenoaks Drive to Brynhurst Drive
- Flagstaff Court from Denver Drive to cul de sac
- Denver Drive from Sacramento Drive to Tulsa Drive
- Shanahan Court from Rehobeth Church Road to cul de sac
- Donegal Court from Donegal Drive to cul de sac

RESURFACING - PATCHING EXISTING STREETS:
- Industrial Avenue from Pleasant Garden Road to Thurston Road
- Meadowview Road from South Elm Eugene Street to private property

Sure, we all want to help the environment.
And there's little question that a hybrid car cuts down on pollution. But will buying a hybrid car save you money with gas prices going through the roof?
Fast Forward turned to some experts for advice.

Work crews are planning to open the Alamance County Western Loop from U.S. 70 to Westbrook Avenue at 5 p.m. Thursday.

The road, unrelated to Greensboro's Urban Loop, will create a circle around much of Burlington when completed.

The N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) will temporarily close southbound U.S. 158 from Linville Road to I-40 Business in Forsyth County beginning 10 p.m. Friday through 11 p.m. Saturday, weather permitting.
Detour:Linville Road to I-40 Business back to U.S. 158.
The closure is part of the I-40 Business rehabilitation project.

Work will begin on the following areas during the week of July 25:

RESURFACING, ASPHALT TOP PLACEMENT LOCATIONS
- Darlington Place from Sharonbrook Drive to Armhurst Road
- Bywood Road from Bonaire Lane to Woodbriar Avenue
- Hassall Street from Gillespie Street to Bingham Road
- Meadowview Road from High Point Road to Hardie Street
- Meadowview Road from South Elm Eugene Street to private property
- Meadowview Loop from 1608 Meadowview Road to 1612 Meadowview Road
- Belhaven Drive from Mosby Drive to dead end
- Eagle Road from Beechcroft Drive to Stanley Road
- Poinsettia Road from Alma Street to Romaine Street
- Alma Street from Fairfax Road to Poinsettia Road
- Chateau Court from Chateau Drive to cul de sac
- Starlight Drive from Glenoaks Drive to Brynhurst Drive
- Flagstaff Court from Denver Drive to cul de sac
- Denver Drive from Sacramento Drive to Tulsa Drive
- Shanahan Court from Rehobeth Church Road to cul de sac
- Donegal Court from Donegal Drive to cul de sac

Some etiquette for those who insist on decorating their vehicles with cheap decals.

No, this has nothing to do with transportation. But a naked tickler? How can I not point it out?

From the N.C. Department of Transportation:

RALEIGH - Gas prices may be climbing, but the cost of train travel just went down for passengers riding along three routes in North Carolina.

The N.C. Department of Transportation and Amtrak have joined together to offer passengers a 20 percent discount off the lowest available fare for travel to 12 North Carolina cities as well as other destinations along the East Coast.

The 20 percent discount can be used for daily travel on the Charlotte to New York Carolinian (trains 79, 80), Raleigh to Charlotte Piedmont (trains 73, 74) or New York to Savannah Palmetto (trains 89, 90).

Tickets must be booked by Sept. 10, but passengers can use the discount on travel through Dec. 15. Certain blackout dates apply and the special promotion cannot be used for group travel or combined with other promotional offers.

Passengers should ask for promotional code V577 when making reservations.

For more information, visit www.bytrain.org. To make a reservation, call 1-800-USA-RAIL or visit www.amtrak.com.

Highway Patrol is beefing up its speed enforcement on North Carolina interstate highways. No, I haven't crunched any local numbers, but because I flip through the citation basket at the magistrate's office each day as part of my beat, I get the impression we're not as bad off as other places around the state. Or maybe it's just because troopers knock off a few miles per hour when dishing out the tickets.

Of course, this could also be a ploy by the Highway Patrol to convince Raleigh that more troopers are needed. Their shortage was obvious enough to this speed demon a few weeks back when I flew down I-85 from Warren through Alamance counties seeing nary a blue light. Or maybe I just outran 'em...

The left lane of Northbound I-85 Business will be closed between the I-85 Bypass split/merge (Exit 120) and Holden Road (Exit 34)beginning at approximately 8 p.m. today until approximately 6 a.m.Wednesday. Closure is for construction crews to perform bridge work in the median area.

A road that would stretch from Interstate 85 in Randolph County to north of Business 40 is being considered as a way to serve the fast-growing middle section of the Piedmont Triad.

The proposal could breathe new life into High Point's plans to build a Westside Thoroughfare. That road, from I-85 to the U.S. 311 Bypass, has been on the books for years. But it has virtually stalled because the state has not provided funding.

The proposed connector would incorporate the Westside Thoroughfare, change its connection to the U.S. 311 Bypass and extend it northward, possibly as far as a proposed toll road that would connect Piedmont Triad International Airport to Winston-Salem.

The right lane of I-40 Westbound will be closed at Holden Road beginning at 8 p.m. through 5 a.m. each night Aug. 1-Aug. 5. These closures are so maintenance crews can perform bridge work.

The ramp from I-85 Business (South) to US 421 will be closed from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. each night Aug. 2-Aug. 4.
These closures are necessary so maintenance crews can perform repairs to the existing I-85 Business (South) Bridge over US 29 North.

The right lane of the I-40 Eastbound Bridge over I-85 Business (South) will be closed from 10 p.m.-4 a.m. Aug. 1.
This closure is so that maintenance crews can perform bridge work.

The left lane of I-85 Business (North) will be closed at Willow Road (SR 3032) from 8 p.m.-5 a.m. Sunday.
This closure is so that maintenance crews can perform bridge work.

What: The state plans to widen 5.4 miles of U.S. 220 from Horse Pen Creek Road to just north of Winfree Road.

Why: The road needs to be widened to ease traffic congestion in the growing areas of north Greensboro and Summerfield. The accident rate along U.S. 220 is higher than the statewide average for similar roads.

How it will be widened: The road will be expanded from two lanes to four lanes, and the state will have to buy between 23 and 25 homes and businesses to make room for the widening.
The new road will be divided by a median with breaks for U-turns.
"You won't have to go too far to do a U-turn," said Eric Midkiff, an engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation.

From the Greensboro Department of Transportation:

Beginning at 9 a.m. Monday, the city of Greensboro will close Gorrell Street between Plott Street and McAdoo Avenue.

This closure is necessary so that crews may perform maintenance work on the bridge over Murrow Boulevard. All work is expected be completed in two to three days.

Traffic will be detoured around the work area using Bennett Street to Lee Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and in the reverse direction. Detour signs will be provided.

Let me get this straight... the N.C. House passes a bill (similar to one that's cleared the Senate) where children younger than 8 can no longer ride all-terrain vehicles; helmets and safety goggles are a must; and don't you dare think about chugging that Miller Lite before firing up the engine.

One more thing: this applies only to future riders. "I hate to see the people who already bought the vehicles not be able to use them," said the revision's author, Rep. Bill Owens, an Elizabeth City Democrat.

"You wouldn't like anybody to do this to you," he said. "You're changing the rules midstream. A lot of this is not going to be enforced anyway, like the bicycle helmet law."

Our lawmakers, hard at work. Seven-year-olds should raise their Buds in a toast.

Work will begin on the following areas during the week of August 1:

RESURFACING – ASPHALT TOP PLACEMENT LOCATIONS
- Meadowview Road from High Point Road to Hardie Street
- Belhaven Drive from Mosby Drive to dead end
- Eagle Road from Beechcroft Drive to Stanley Road
- Poinsettia Road from Alma Street to Romaine Street
- Alma Street from Fairfax Road to Poinsettia Road
- Chateau Court from Chateau Drive to cul de sac
- Starlight Drive from Glenoaks Drive to Brynhurst Drive
- Flagstaff Court from Denver Drive to cul de sac
- Denver Drive from Sacramento Drive to Tulsa Drive
- Shanahan Court from Rehobeth Church Road to cul de sac
- Donegal Court from Donegal Drive to cul de sac
- Industrial Avenue from Pleasant Garden Road to Thurston Road

If it weren't for ALE, I'd organize a pool for the date this airline liquidates. The latest: a net loss of $62 million last quarter.

Love 'em or hate 'em, and for most drivers it's usually the latter, traffic lights give order to the vast network of roads in this town. In theory, at least.
Then you have what happened twice over the past three weeks around downtown Greensboro. A car wreck involving a power pole, followed two weeks later by stress on a power grid, left thousands of people - and signals - lacking electrons.
The resulting messes required patience, Advil and keen eyesight to skirt through the dark intersections. Police reported few accidents both evenings, a blessing given the circumstances.