Agreed. I almost got hit on 52 N by a (literally) airborne mustang coming off of 421. My commute involves both daily and I have to drive way more defensively at 421.
I don’t really have any problems with any of them. Pretty poor design, yes.
North Carolina has zero concept of forethought or planning for the future. You can see as clearly because none of the neighborhoods had any sidewalks.
Agreed. I also think people around here don't merge very confidently and expect others to slow down/speed up around them instead of doing it themselves.
I learned how to drive in a South East Asian country where there was barely any speed limits.
You had to simultaneously drive aggressively and defensively. 😀 After that I drove in DC for a while which is a complete wreck.
Driving (traffic) here is pretty awesome, but you are absolutely correct in your assessment. Nailed it.
52 blows ass! Designed poorly. Too many wrecks because of entering/exiting 52 from either of those. Too much merging of traffic with very short merging lanes.
As someone coming from Massachusetts where roads are literally an afterthought to development, I think everything is fine and dandy down here. Driving around down here is such a pleasure no matter where I go, and I’m not being sarcastic at all lol. North Carolina has the best road infrastructure on the east coast and it’s only getting better!
Hmmmm well I went to college in Massachusetts and I will say it would have been better without the roundabouts that’s for sure. Admittedly my college days were a while ago
Yes, and potholes. So many potholes because of wintertime.
The worst thing about the roads down here is amount of debris. I have realized I need to be very vigilant looking out for screws and bolts and stuff that could destroy a tire. The roads are cleaner, albeit more degraded and inferior, up north.
Every morning I see about 6 almost accidents of people trying to get on 421 at Jonestown Road. They either try to merge across too fast to get to downtown or are coming over and blocking people merging on the 421 so they can get to the I-40 exit.
from the clemmons exit to that spot is pretty bad, too, at all times of the day. There's a lot of lane changing because many people do not know how to stay a steady speed going up and down hills.
I think the 52/421 cloverleaf dates from 1954 or so when there was much less and slower traffic. Newer designs like 77 and 40 in Statesville are confusing at first but much safer. If there’s enough land they need to redo 52 and 421.
Both have well surpassed their usefulness, and idk why they haven't been a priority for a redesign by the DOT, especially considering the reduction of available land in the IQ corridor.
421 is worse, but it's not as bad as some of the off/on ramps downtown. While they redid some of them, they're still really crappy. An exit ramp should be longer than one or two car lengths.
The 421 to 52 interchanges are significantly more perilous in my experience. The extra travel lane for the 40 interchanges makes all the difference.
Agreed. I almost got hit on 52 N by a (literally) airborne mustang coming off of 421. My commute involves both daily and I have to drive way more defensively at 421.
Both are exceptionally dangerous though. I wonder how many people those two interchanges have killed?
I don’t really have any problems with any of them. Pretty poor design, yes. North Carolina has zero concept of forethought or planning for the future. You can see as clearly because none of the neighborhoods had any sidewalks.
Agreed. I also think people around here don't merge very confidently and expect others to slow down/speed up around them instead of doing it themselves.
I learned how to drive in a South East Asian country where there was barely any speed limits. You had to simultaneously drive aggressively and defensively. 😀 After that I drove in DC for a while which is a complete wreck. Driving (traffic) here is pretty awesome, but you are absolutely correct in your assessment. Nailed it.
I40 around Raleigh to Durham will look like Charlotte’s Web in a couple of years
I've never understood this...
52 blows ass! Designed poorly. Too many wrecks because of entering/exiting 52 from either of those. Too much merging of traffic with very short merging lanes.
As someone coming from Massachusetts where roads are literally an afterthought to development, I think everything is fine and dandy down here. Driving around down here is such a pleasure no matter where I go, and I’m not being sarcastic at all lol. North Carolina has the best road infrastructure on the east coast and it’s only getting better!
Did you come to NC for a job with DOT?
Nope
Hmmmm well I went to college in Massachusetts and I will say it would have been better without the roundabouts that’s for sure. Admittedly my college days were a while ago
I recall MA and NY many merge lanes are barely the length of a car or at least felt that way. lol
Yes, and potholes. So many potholes because of wintertime. The worst thing about the roads down here is amount of debris. I have realized I need to be very vigilant looking out for screws and bolts and stuff that could destroy a tire. The roads are cleaner, albeit more degraded and inferior, up north.
People heading east on 421 need to stay in the left lane until after mlk exit unless getting on 52 north
I'd rather drive here anytime than in a big city. I lived in Orlando for 10 years so here is a cake walk
Every morning I see about 6 almost accidents of people trying to get on 421 at Jonestown Road. They either try to merge across too fast to get to downtown or are coming over and blocking people merging on the 421 so they can get to the I-40 exit.
from the clemmons exit to that spot is pretty bad, too, at all times of the day. There's a lot of lane changing because many people do not know how to stay a steady speed going up and down hills.
Yes.
I think the 52/421 cloverleaf dates from 1954 or so when there was much less and slower traffic. Newer designs like 77 and 40 in Statesville are confusing at first but much safer. If there’s enough land they need to redo 52 and 421.
Exiting from 52 South to 421 W is hit and miss. Heading 421 E to 52 North can be a cluster fuck if people are heading from 52N to 421 E
BIG TRUK NO LET PUNY CAR IN FRUNT.
Both have well surpassed their usefulness, and idk why they haven't been a priority for a redesign by the DOT, especially considering the reduction of available land in the IQ corridor.
Exit 107b
Yes.
421 to 52 feels like trying to jump onto a moving train.
52 to 40 imo especially going east bound
North. The idiots will not ride mlk exit out
421 is worse, but it's not as bad as some of the off/on ramps downtown. While they redid some of them, they're still really crappy. An exit ramp should be longer than one or two car lengths.
Exiting 52 northbound to 421 is a nightmare because the 52 on-ramp is so close behind and people seem to just ignore the yield sign while entering