Death Valley (North Carolina)
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"Death Valley" in North Carolina is a nickname for a stretch of 6-lane freeway in Greensboro carrying six routes: Business I-85, Business I-40, U.S. Highway 29, U.S. Highway 70, U.S. Highway 220, and U.S. Highway 421. This 2.5 mile corridor, which also bears the name Preddy Boulevard, begins in the west at the Business I-40/Business I-85/Randleman Road interchange and ends in the east at the U.S. Highway 29/70/220/421/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard junction. Both of these interchanges are quite unusual in design and are often operating at above full capacity, leading to frequent traffic jams and traffic incidents.
One major problem with the highway is that the U.S. Route 29/220/70 southbound lanes merge from the right, and exit to the left. Thus, through traffic on Business I-40 and US 29 (a major route from Virginia to Charlotte) must all merge to the other side of the freeway.
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[edit] Interstate rerouting
Conditions at Death Valley have improved dramatically. The 2004 completion of the southeastern section of the Greensboro Bypass (Urban Loop) allowed I-85 to be rerouted along this bypass loop, easing traffic through the dangerous stretch. Once the southwestern segment of the Greensboro Urban Loop was completed in 2008, Interstate 40 was also rerouted to the south and the old route through Death Valley became Business I-40, further reducing the amount of through traffic. Death Valley is currently tied at six for the record for the most concurrent national routes on a stretch of road in the United States with Interstate 465 in Indiana.
[edit] History
The nickname "Death Valley" was originally given to the 2.5 mile segment of I-85 in Greensboro in 1963 after seven people died in accidents there the previous year. In 1964, the state unveiled a plan to eliminate Death Valley's flaws. After numerous construction projects, conditions improved along the corridor, but the nickname remained. Over the years, increased traffic through the area has given the nickname "Death Valley" new meaning. The nickname is well known by locals, news reporters, and frequent travelers, similar to Malfunction Junction in Knoxville, Tennessee.
