News-Record.com

NCDOT is going to close Interstate 40 East overnight Monday (Dec. 5) from the Lewisville-Clemmons Road exit to the I-40 Business exit so that an overhead sign can be removed.

The closing is scheduled from 11 p.m. Monday until 5 a.m. Tuesday.

Traffic will take a detour at the Lewisville-Clemmons Road exit (Exit 188) onto U.S. 421 South. That'll bring people back to I-40 East/I-40 Business.

You get the feeling there's something the Feds aren't telling us? Yeah, me too. "Pilot program" my you-know-what...

Gut instinct tells me the folks over at PTIA won't be happy in a few short months. Independence Air is canceling even more flights from various destinations. Is the Triad next?

The Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation plans to meet with representatives of the area’s regional bus services — the Greensboro Transit Authority, the Winston-Salem Transit Authority and High Point’s Hi tran bus service — and the N.C. Department of Transportation to talk about ways the bus services could combine efforts.
PART’s board of trustees authorized its executive director, Brent McKinney, to invite the groups together.
The meeting early next year would be a pre cursor to a “ bus efficiency study” that would examine ways the four bus services could work together to cut costs, such as using similar compatible equipment to help trim repair costs.

The Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation extended its taxing authority Wednesday to Surry County and then set a 5 percent tax on rental cars, trucks and motorcycles.
The tax will begin April 1 and will partially pay for commuter bus service from Pilot Mountain and Mount Airy in Surry County. The buses should start running by the end of September.
The Surry County Board of Commissioners previously approved the tax, which is similar to one that already exists in Guilford and Forsyth counties.
The routes are part of a long-range plan to create a bus service corridor along U.S. 52 from Surry County into Winston-Salem and down to Davidson County. Davidson would have to consider the new tax as well.

From a DOT press release:

The N.C. Department of Transportation will temporarily close the outside lane of I-40 West at Hanes Mall Boulevard (Exit 188) in Winston-Salem beginning Friday, Dec. 16, at 7 p.m. until Saturday, Dec. 17, at 3 p.m., weather permitting.

The lane closure is necessary to replace the outside shoulder as part of the project to build an additional bridge and widen the existing bridge on Hanes Mall Boulevard over I-40.

NCDOT reminds motorists to stay alert, travel at non-peak times and use alternate routes when possible. Plan ahead before driving by visiting the NCDOT Traveler Information Management Web site at www.ncsmartlink.org or call 511, the state’s free travel information line for current travel conditions.

Congratulations to the cities of High Point and Eden, two winners in a AAA program that I doubt anyone not elected to office or who wears a badge cares a heckuva lot about.

I stumbled upon this yesterday. The Daily Traveler devotes time to, well, traveling, though not so much "transportation." I like it. Much more consumer-friendly. But like a lot of blogs, author James Gilden posts to other MSM sources with not as much original reporting. His favorites appear to be the L.A. Times and Wall Street Journal, judging by a quick read of his recent posts.

I also notice that few -- actually, NO -- comments have been posted to his entries. Just like Fast Forward!

Driving sleepy is like driving drunk. I can honestly say I've never gotten blitzed before climbing behind the wheel, but driving exhausted? Guilty as charged.

For college students who read this blog -- somehow I doubt there are many of you -- here's a story that gives some helpful advice for hitting the road after a stressful week of final exams. (Hat tip to Al Tompkins over at Poynter)

Rest in peace, Sen. William Proxmire. This is the kind of guy that all journalists must've loved. Golden Fleece awards? Fantastic! My favorite in this New York Times obituary:

Senator Proxmire was fervid in his opposition to unnecessary spending. His Golden Fleece of the Month Award, in which he identified some "ridiculous" government outlay ...

The Federal Aviation Administration also felt Mr. Proxmire's wrath for spending $57,800 on a study of the physical measurements of 432 airline stewardesses, paying special attention to the "length of the buttocks" and how their knees were arranged when they were seated.

Another offbeat study finds that living by a church makes for safer driving, while residing close to restaurants does just the opposite.

I started laughing at what I thought was a waste of time, until I read more of the USA Today story:

The ZIP code in which a driver lives has affected auto insurance for decades. The insurance industry believes they reflect loss risks because densely populated or crime-ridden areas tend to file expensive claims. The study, however, said ZIP codes are too broad to serve as an accurate pricing gauge.

Talk about serious implications. Living in a "low-risk" ZIP code might not mean as much in the coming years if insurance companies can figure out how close you live to an International House of Pancakes versus a House of God.

Good news from the realm of personal safety. More folks than ever before are buckling up before hitting the roads. Click here for a state-by-state breakdown of seat belt use. North Carolina looks to be toward the top of the list with 86.7% of its drivers securing themselves in place behind the wheel.

Click here and here to see what happens when you don't, in fact, pull that shoulder strap across your body.

Another example of why Ford deserves its sarcastic -- and surely unofficial -- slogan.

A great Web site out of Texas with video and self-help for checking things like suspension and brakes. Fast Forward is years away from anything like this. I suppose we'd first have to get someone with real knowledge of cars. Me? I know how to fill up my gas tank.

It appears Scotty Kilmer works for KHOU-TV out of Houston.

New York police pull over a drunk guy trying to skirt their DWI checkpoint. Next thing you know, he slips off his handcuffs and steals a patrol car. Sounds like a great plot line for "My Name is Earl."