News-Record.com

The state Board of Transportation approved $10 million worth of construction contracts in Guilford County today. Most were for road repairs and a couple of bridge replacements.

Here is the rundown:

The board awarded contracts to:

Replace a bridge over Deep River on High Point Road in Guilford County – Smith-Rowe Inc. of Mount Airy for $3.1 million. Work can begin in February with completion set for December 2007.

Replace a bridge over Deep River on Sandy Ridge Road in Guilford County – R.E. Burns & Sons Company, Inc. of Statesville for $529,000. Work can begin in June with completion set for September.

Replace a bridge over Rush Creek on Lewiston Road in Guilford County R.E. Burns & Sons Company, Inc. of Statesville for $667,000. Work can begin in June with completion set for September 2007.

Resurface 24 miles of highway and secondary roads in Guilford County including two sections of N.C. 62 – Thompson Arthur Division of APAC-Atlantic Inc. of Greensboro for $1.7 million. Work can begin in April with completion set for June.

Resurface 20 miles of highway and secondary roads in Guilford County including two sections of N.C. 61 – Thompson Arthur Division of APAC-Atlantic Inc. of Greensboro for $1.4 million. Work can begin in June with completion set for September.

Resurface and widen 17 miles of highway and secondary roads in Guilford County – Vecellio & Grogan Inc. of Beckley, W. Va. for $3.1 million. Work can begin in May with completion set for October.

Jonathan Swift suggests using orphans for food... Fast Forward suggests paving a sidewalk between Davie Street and South Elm Street near Natty Greene's.

I know, I know. There's already a walkway leading from Davie south toward the railroad tracks and then back up toward South Elm, a semicircle if you will, that does the job. But the mud path cutting across the small grassy area enclosed by the current sidewalk is evidence enough of the "shortcut" people use to access the brew pub from Davie Street.

I'll grab a digital camera in the coming days to take a few shots of the path and can post the images here. And I'll try to get details on whether the land is public or private.

Anyone out there have an answer or suggestion?

Check out this cool site. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer gives readers a heads up on where they're likely to be ticketed on a regional interstate. The corresponding story is linked here.

It's looking increasingly less likely that the Triangle Transit Authority will be able to fund its planned light rail system between Raleigh and Durham.

A few weeks back North Carolina's senators sent the transit authority a letter that wasn't exactly supportive.

Beginning Monday, February 13, Hickory Grove Rd. will be closed until further notice from W. Wendover Ave. to Guilford College Rd. for the Piedmont Parkway extension project, according to the city of High Point.

Only local traffic will be allowed to use Hickory Grove Rd.

The Greensboro Department of Transportation was set to close Rudd Station Road between Lees Chapel and Townsend Roads this morning, starting at 9 a.m., for about five hours. This closure is for Norfolk Southern Railroad to perform maintenance on the railroad crossing.

A detour around the area using Rudd Station Road to Corporate Park Drive to Bryan Park Road to Townsend Road is set up. Drivers are advised to use caution and slow down when approaching the work area, follow the posted signs and expect delays.

On a side note: Sorry this wasn't posted yesterday, but due to ongoing e-mail problems at the News & Record it wasn't received until this morning. -- Jonathan

Dilworth Road is set to close between Bickford Road and Squire Davis Road beginning 8 a.m. tomorrow (Wednesday, Feb.15) until about 4 p.m. Thursday, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The closure should allow work crews to replace a pipe in the area.

Traffic will be detoured using Bickford Road to Payne Road ( to Squire Davis Road (to Dilworth Road and in the reverse direction.

Drivers should use caution and expect delays when approaching this area.

The Greensboro Department of Transportation plans to briefly close the northbound lane on N. Elm Street and one westbound lane on Friendly Avenue on Thursday (February 17th) so Time Warner Cable can install a cable into a manhole at the intersection of N. Elm Street and Friendly Avenue downtown. The closing will begin at 7 p.m. and should be complete by 8 p.m. Drivers are advised to use caution and slow down when approaching the work area.

N.C. 770 at the Dan River is closing immediately.

The N.C. 770 Bridge located over the Dan River near Eden will be closed today beginning at 4:30 p.m. and will remain closed until approximately 4 p.m. on Saturday, according to the NCDOT.

Traffic is being detoured around this area using NC 135 to Washington Street to Hamilton Street to NC 770 and in the reverse direction.

Drivers should use caution and expect delays when approaching this area.

Friendly:
Friendly Avenue will have one-lane traffic in each direction near Stage Coach Trail beginning at 9 a.m. Monday until 4 p.m. each day through Feb. 24, 2006 so that work crews can install pipe.

Old Oak Ridge:
Old Oak Ridge Road will have one-lane traffic between Inman Road and Muirfield Drive from 8:30 a.m. Friday until about 5 p.m. so the pavement can be repaired.

Burnt Poplar:
Burnt Poplar Road will be closed from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily between Swing Road and Chimney Rock Road starting Monday, February 20, 2006 and lasting for about two weeks so crews can set bridge steel for the Urban Loop.

A new state report shows that overweight trucks are costing $77 million a year in damages to state roadways. Legislative leaders haven't exactly welcomed the report with open arms. It's much lower than the $130 million price tag DOT gave in October.

The report comes out about ten months after The News & Observer in Raleigh did an investigative report examining the effects of the many exemptions to truck weight limits that the state has provided to specific industries.

The two right eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 will be closed from 11 p.m. Saturday until 11 a.m. Sunday so crews can fix potholes.

The lanes will be closed at U.S. 52 (exit 193), according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.

The exit ramp from I-40 east to U.S. 52 north and the exit ramp from U.S. 52 South to I-40 east will also be closed.

Detour signs will be provided.

Then you might find these videos a bit entertaining. I'll put them below the jump so you can avoid having them play at work if you don't want.

It's three purported VW commercials linked from YouTube (quick warning: some YouTube users upload adult-themed videos, so be careful what you click on if you're easily offended, or are at work). The videos show German engineers "Un-Pimping" a few tweaked-out cars in the vein of MTV's Pimp My Ride. I don't know if they're real, but they're pretty darn funny. And if you're like me and you find the concept of suping up some of these small coupes into a pseudo-sports car laughable, well you'll find it even funnier.

We found them at LeftLaneNews, a blog about the car industry, after being pointed in that direction by a fellow some of you may know.

N.C. DOT announced a couple of closings in Davidson County for next week.

I-85 North at milemarkers 100 and 101 -- near Thomasville -- will have a couple of lanes closed Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day so the pavement can be repaired.

U.S. 52 at milemarkers 89 and 90 -- near Lexington -- is set to have one northbound lane closed from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. so pavement can be repaired.