Greensboro Urban Loop

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 This article contains information about a planned or expected future road.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change as the road's construction or completion approaches and more information becomes available.
Painter Boulevard
Greensboro Urban Loop
Maintained by NCDOT
Length: 14.4 mi (23 km)
Formed: 2004; To be completed: 2014
West end: Bryan Boulevard in Greensboro
Major
junctions:		 I-40 / I-40 Bus. / US 421 in Greensboro
I-85 / I-85 Bus. / US 29 in Greensboro
I-73 (Future) / US 220 in Greensboro
I-40 / I-85 / I-40 Bus. / I-85 Bus. in Greensboro
East end: US 70 in Greensboro
North Carolina highways

The Greensboro Urban Loop (also known as Painter Boulevard) is a planned 41-mile (66 km) beltway around Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. The loop carries Interstate 40 along the southern portion, Interstate 85 on its southeastern section, and Interstate 73 from U.S. 220 to Bryan Boulevard along the west side of Greensboro. Finally, it will carry Interstate 785 from I-40/I-85 east of downtown to U.S. 29.

The parts of Urban Loop that are currently open are:

  • the southern half (signed as Interstate 40-73 on the southwest section, and Interstate 40-85 on the southeast section);
  • a portion of I-840 that runs 2 miles (3 km) from I-40/I-85 east of downtown to U.S. 70;
  • a 3-mile (4.8 km) section of I-840 (co-signed with I-73[citation needed]) on the west, between I-40 and Bryan Boulevard, which will provide better access to the Piedmont Triad International Airport. This section is signed with a FUTURE plate above the shield, as it does not yet connect to any major roads.

Construction is completed on the southwest part of the beltway, which opened February 21, 2008. The next section to be constructed is between U.S. 70 and U.S. 29, to begin in 2013. Work on the remaining section, between Bryan Boulevard and U.S. 29, is currently not scheduled to begin until at least 2014.

This is one of five freeway corridors in the Greensboro area to include the word "Boulevard" in its name. What is now Business I-85 is also known as Preddy Boulevard, what is now Business I-40 west of downtown is also known as Fordham Boulevard, and part of I-73 is planned to follow Bryan Boulevard. O. Henry Boulevard carries U.S. 29 east of downtown Greensboro.

In April 2005, the city of Greensboro voted to approve annexation of the Urban Loop into the city of Greensboro. The annexation took effect in June of that year.[1][2]

A small portion of Interstate 73 is completed and signed along the Urban Loop, and there is a wrong-way concurrency with Interstate 85 for approximately one mile. However, as a result of the freeway's unusual design, I-85 North and I-73 South do not share the same roadbed.

Contents

[edit] Exit list

This exit list covers the entire Greensboro Urban Loop that is constructed so far.[1][2][3]

Mile # Destinations Notes
19 US 70 Counterclockwise exit and clockwise entrance
21 I-40 east / I-85 north – Durham, Raleigh No exit number counterclockwise
21 I-40 Bus. west / I-85 Bus. south – Greensboro
129 Youngs Mill Road
128 Alamance Church Road
126 US 421 – Sanford Signed as exits 126A (south) and 126B (north)
124 South Elm-Eugene Street
122C US 220 north – Greensboro Clockwise exit and counterclockwise entrance
122B US 220 south – Asheboro Signed as exit 220 counterclockwise
219 I-85 Bus. north / US 29 north / US 70 east to US 220 north – Greensboro Counterclockwise exit and clockwise entrance
122A Groometown Road to Grandover Parkway Counterclockwise exit is part of exit 218
218 I-85 south / US 29 south / US 70 west – High Point, Charlotte No exit number clockwise
214 Wendover Avenue
1 I-40 Bus. east / US 421 south – Greensboro Signed as exit 212B clockwise
1 I-40 west / US 421 south – Winston-Salem No exit number clockwise
2 West Friendly Avenue
3 Bryan Boulevard – PTI Airport Clockwise exit and counterclockwise entrance

[edit] Interstate 840

Interstate 840
Future route of the Interstate Highway System
Length: 5 mi[4] (8 km)
Formed: Summer 2007 (planned)
South end: I-85/I-40/I-85 BUS/I-40 BUS in Greensboro, NC
North end: US 70 in Greensboro, NC
North Carolina highways
< NC 801 NC 901 >

Interstate 840 (abbreviated I-840) is a planned 21-mile (34 km) east-west auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System, forming the northern half of a beltway around Greensboro, North Carolina.

The only parts of I-840 that are currently open are a segment running 2 miles (3 km) from I-40/I-85 east of downtown north (signed west) to U.S. 70 and a 3-mile (5 km) stretch on the west side between I-40 and Bryan Boulevard which was opened on 18 December 2007. This section will provide better access to the PTI airport.[3] Both are signed as Future Interstate 840 (the western section is also signed as Future Interstate 73) with a FUTURE plate above the shield, due to neither section connecting to any significant roadways. The next section to be constructed is from US 70 north (west) to US 29, this is to start in 2011. The rest of I-840 is not set to be finished until at least 2015.

When Interstate 785 is completed it will use the portion of I-840 from US 29 south to reach I-85. It will be the second occurrence in the nation of two three-digit interstates running concurrently, the other being Interstates 271 and 480 near Cleveland, Ohio.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ NCDOT: Greensboro Urban Loop, Project Photos
  2. ^ NCDOT: Greensboro Urban Loop, Project Photos
  3. ^ NCDOT: Pdf Document
  4. ^ Interstate 840 North Carolina -Greensboro Loop AARoads.com

[edit] External links

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