News-Record.com

From the city of Greensboro on gasoline conservation:

While there is not a severe shortage at this time, the city is urging conservation in order to prevent the situation from worsening.

City of Greensboro conservation efforts at this time include:
- Contacting local fuel suppliers to gather additional fuel supplies
- Encouraging city employees to carpool and to consolidate vehicle trips
- Reducing non-essential services such as mowing of parks and green spaces

Residents are encouraged to:
- Eliminate unnecessary travel - vacation at home this Labor Day weekend
- Carpool, vanpool or take public transit whenever possible
- Reduce use of gasoline-powered equipment including lawnmowers, leaf blowers, etc.

The City of Greensboro Water Resources Department will be working on sewer line systems near Wendover Avenue at Latham Road tonight.
Two eastbound lanes of Wendover Avenue will be closed from 7-10 p.m. Motorists should expect delays when traveling through the area.

I-85 Business southbound will be reduced to one lane at Holden Road from 12-6 a.m. each night Sept. 12-16, so crews can install bridge girders.
Traffic will be detoured around this area using Groometown Road to I-85 southbound.

Various eastbound lanes of Wendover Avenue will be closed between Guilford College Road and Bridford Parkway from 6 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Monday, so crews can perform paving operations.

From the Greensboro Department of Transportation:

The City of Greensboro announces temporary lane changes on S. Elm-Eugene Street beginning Tuesday ... in the area between Vandalia Road and Vivian Lane. Traffic will shift to the newly constructed outside lanes with a single lane of traffic in each direction. The shift is expected to last about three weeks as crews finish the roadwork and prepare for final asphalt paving of the new four-lane road. During the traffic change, motorists are advised to use caution in the area and obey traffic control signs and signals in the area.

From the N.C. Department of Transportation:

Due to a change in the project schedule, the closure of U.S. 311 between K-Fork Road (and Madison-Dillard Road for bridge work has been postponed again until Sept. 19 at 9:00 a.m. This closure is scheduled to be in place for approximately seven days.

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

From the city's water resources office:

GREENSBORO – The City of Greensboro Department of Water Resources announces lane closings on High Point Road near Merritt Drive on Saturday, Sept. 17 and Sunday, Sept. 18. Travel lanes will be shut down in both directions between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. as crews replace a water valve located in the intersection. Motorists are advised to use caution when driving in the area.

Jamesford Drive will be closed between Guilford College Road and Chesterfield Place beginning at approxiamately 6:30 a.m. Monday through 7 p.m. Tuesday, so crews can relocate a water line.

Detour route: Akela Trail to Jamesford Drive

All lanes of I-40 West/I-85 South are currently shutdown due to an accident at the University Drive interchange (Exit 140).
It is expected that this closure will be in place until early afternoon. Traffic is being taken off at the Huffman Mill Road interchange (Exit 141) to Huffman Mill Road to US 70 West to University Drive and back to I-40/85.

The N.C. Department of Transportation will temporarily reduce I-40 Business to one lane in each direction between Linville Road and U.S. 158 in Forsyth County beginning 9 p.m. Friday. The lane closures will be in place for approximately two months.
Wide load vehicles are restricted during the closure and should use I-40 as an alternate route.
The closures are necessary for construction of the I-40 Business rehabilitation project.

Here is today's story on Friendly Avenue.

All lanes of I-40 West/I-85 South were opened at the University Drive interchange (Exit 140) at approximately 12:30 p.m.
These lanes were blocked as a result of an accident that occurred earlier this morning. Motorists should expect slow moving traffic in this area until the backup and congestion clears.

I received an e-mail this morning asking if Fast Forward would be interested in photos of YOUR tax dollars hard at work. "Of course!" I replied. A loyal reader was kind enough to share her snapshots, which I've posted below and are also displayed on her blog. Thanks, Cathy!

Here's her e-mail, followed by the photos:

Dear Mr. Townsend,

Thank you,
Cathy von Hassel-Davies
Eli Whitney, NC

If you've ever gotten lost trying to navigate a subway system, you'll appreciate the Web site profiled in this story.

I haven't done a test drive on the site yet, but it's an awesome idea if it works.

The N.C. Department of Transportation and Rea Construction will be working on I-85 southbound in Salisbury this weekend to remove and repair a section of concrete damaged in a tractor trailer accident earlier this month.
Only one of four southbound lanes will be open in this area through the weekend.
Beginning at 1 p.m. Thursday the contractor will close the two left-hand lanes between milemarker 72, Peach Orchard Road and milemarker 68, N.C. 152 to allow for preparation work.
These lanes will remain closed until late Tuesday evening for the concrete to cure.
Crews will close the third inside lane at 9 p.m. on Friday until 6 a.m. Monday.
Delays are expected to be as much as five miles and motorists are advised to use an alternate route if possible.

Alternate Route: Take Exit 82, U.S. 29/70, off of I-85 Southbound, follow U.S. 29/70 South through Salisbury to N.C. 152 and take N.C. 152 east back to I-85 at Exit 68
NCDOT will use dynamic message signs to alert motorists of this closure.
Information: call the statewide 511 travel information system or go online at www.ncdot.org, then click “Real Time Travel.”

Not a bad idea, this "car-free day" enjoyed by Europeans on Thursday. I think Portugal's idea is great - make public transportation free for one day to encourage new riders. If GTA were to ever try such a thing, I might actually hop on a bus.

A tractor trailer is overturned on Business 85 at Surrett Drive. The Northbound lane of Business 85 at Surrett Drive will be closed until at least 11:30 a.m. Expect large traffic backup.
UPDATE: The accident has been cleared and all lanes are open.

Airline passengers should know better. Mr. Mahmoud Abouelleil is incredibly foolish (at 68... this guy wasn't a young kid playing a prank) for posing the rhetorical "bomb" question to a gate agent in Connecticut, which reinforces negative stereotypes of everyone with foreign-sounding names.

Various lanes will be closed on I-40 East at Sandy Ridge Road Wednesday thru Thursday beginning at approximatley 9 a.m. until approximatley 4 p.m. each day. These closures are necessary so that crews can perform road repairs.

Various lanes were schedule to be closed on I-40 East at Sandy Ridge Road tomorrow so crews could perform road repairs.
However, due to a change in the project schedule, this work will begin approximately 6 a.m. through 3 p.m. Sunday.

From the N.C. Department of Transportation:
The right two lanes on Interstate 40 West/Interstate 85 South just past the Mount Hope Church Road interchange (Exit 132) are blocked by an earlier traffic accident.
It is expected that these lanes will be closed until midday.

Here's what we're reporting:
One person died in this morning's wreck involving a tractor-trailer on Interstate 85, according to the Highway Patrol.
The Highway Patrol did not immediately provide other information about the fatality.
The right three lanes on I-85 southbound near Mt. Hope Church Road had been blocked after a tractor-trailer caught fire Thursday morning.
One of those lanes has since reopened.
The accident at mile marker 131 east of Greensboro had backed up traffic for miles.

In order for construction crews to install girders for the bridges on the Western Urban Loop, Bryan Boulevard between Fleming Road and Inman Road will have lane and road closures in accordance with the following schedule:

Oct.4–Oct. 6, 10 p.m.-6 a.m. Nightly

Eastbound Bryan Boulevard will be closed from 10 p.m.-6 a.m. nightly. The signed detour route will be left onto Inman Road, right onto Fleming Road and left back onto Bryan Boulevard.

Westbound Bryan Boulevard will have the left (inside) lane blocked nightly during this time.

All lanes of Bryan Boulevard will be open to traffic by 6 a.m. each morning.

Oct.7 at 10 p.m. through Oct. 10 at 6 a.m.

Eastbound Bryan Boulevard will be closed from 10 p.m. Friday night until 6 a.m. Monday morning. The signed detour route will be the same as above, which is left onto Inman Road, right onto Fleming Road and left back onto Bryan Boulevard.

Westbound Bryan Boulevard will have the left (inside) lane blocked during this time. However, due to the nature of the work, westbound traffic may have to be detoured for up to 30-minute intervals several times during this work. The signed detour will be right onto Fleming Road, left onto Inman Road and left onto Bryan Boulevard.

All lanes of Bryan Boulevard will be open to traffic by 6 a.m. on Oct.10.

Huntmaster Trail will be permanently closed at Stanley Road beginning 8 a.m. on Monday. This closure is in reference to the Greensboro Outer Loop Project.

N.C. Thinking Ahead!, a special transportation working group convened by the state, is hosting a series of regional forums across the state to gather public comment on the state’s future transportation needs.

The group will be in Greensboro from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 13. at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, 1921 W. Lee St.

In conjunction with the regional forums, N.C. Thinking Ahead! is also conducting a special Internet poll to gather public input on transportation issues in North Carolina. The poll will be available through the end of October.