Junction Roads * USA - Uncertain future for interchange

Tight, accident-prone turns at the hectic 77 and 85 interchange eyed for redesign

Charlotte,NC,USA -The Charlotte Observer. by Steve Harrison -Jun. 29, 2009: -- It's the busiest interchange in the state. It's also one of the most poorly designed. The junction of Interstate 77 and 85, built in 1976, doesn't have soaring flyover ramps found on more modern interchanges. Instead, it has a number of tight, cloverleaf turns – two of which have proved particularly accident prone... To keep trucks from tipping and to reduce accidents, the N.C. Department of Transportation has tried a number of measures to get people to slow down... It has installed a special warning sign. It installed white-and-yellow plastic markers to designate the boundaries of the ramp. And last year it installed a flashing sign that gives motorists their real-time speed, encouraging them to slow down... The interchange will likely need to be rebuilt in the next 20 or 30 years... Randy Rorie is an instructor at the Charlotte Truck Driving Training School on Hovis Road... He said some inexperienced drivers may tip over or lose loads because they are trying to keep up their speed on the ramp so they can easily merge into traffic... But it's unclear if those fixes will be enough – or if DOT will need to build a new flyover ramp to make the interchange safer... (Photo from the Charlotte Observer, by TODD SUMLIN - The ramps on I-85 to I-77 have long been a problem for truckers. This curved ramp, from northbound 85 onto northbound 77 has been the site of many overturned tractor-trailers over the years. An 18-wheeler hauling cash overturned in July and a Ryder truck overturned there Monday, December 29)