Driving on Interstate 77 through Entire State of North Carolina in 4k

Описание: nterstate 77 begins at the South Carolina state line, near Fort Mill, in concurrency with US 21. I-77 goes through the city of Charlotte as a major north–south corridor, connecting the Center City with the suburbs of Pineville, Huntersville, Cornelius, and Davidson. Shortly after entering North Carolina, it expands to six lanes. Between I-485 (exit 2) and I-277 (exit 9), the highway experiences massive traffic congestion during weekday rush hours (7:00-9:30 a.m./4:00-6:30 p.m.) due to commuter traffic. Just north of Center City, I-77 makes a unique interchange configuration with Interstate 85, with north and southbound lanes crisscrossing briefly. Between I-85 (exit 13) and I-485 (exit 19), I-77 features the state's only HOV lanes. After I-485, I-77 reduces to five lanes (three lanes northbound), then to four lanes after Gilead Road (exit 23).

At Lake Norman, I-77 crosses into Iredell County and becomes a more suburban interstate, passing by Mooresville and then Statesville, where it intersects with Interstate 40. It turns more rural outside of Statesville and becomes entirely rural after exiting Iredell County. For the rest of I-77's stretch through North Carolina, the only possible rest stop is the town of Elkin; the speed limit through this area is 70 mph (110 km/h). The final 5 miles (8.0 km) of I-77 is concurrent with Interstate 74 to the Virginia state line (where I-74 ends), all within view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Express lanes

The I-77 Express lanes were financed, developed, constructed and are operated and maintained by I-77 Mobility Partners, in a public-private partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The express lanes replaced the first and only high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes in North Carolina, which existed from 2004-2015.

The 26-mile (42 km) high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes are contained entirely within the median of I-77, with various connecting points to-and-from the general purpose lanes and direct access to northbound I-85 and southbound I-277/NC 16 (Brookshire Freeway). The express lanes begin with four lanes (two-lanes for each direction) at Brookshire Freeway (exit 11), in Charlotte; reduce to two-lanes (one-lane for each direction) at Catawba Avenue, in Cornelius; and end at NC 150 (exit 35), near Mooresville. The tentative maximum speed limit is 65 mph (100 km/h) with a minimum speed limit at 45 mph (70 km/h).

Only vehicles with two axles or motorcycles are allowed on the express lanes. Emergency vehicles when responding to emergencies and mass transit vehicles are exempt and are not tolled.

On June 1, 2019, the first portion of the I-77 Express lanes opened between Hambright Road in Huntersville and NC 150 in Mooresville. The remainder of the I-77 Express lanes south to I-277 in Charlotte were open in November 2019.
Tolls

The express lanes uses all-electronic tolling, with tolls payable with valid transponder (NC Quick Pass, E-ZPass, Peach Pass or SunPass) or Bill by mail, which uses automatic license plate recognition and charge a higher rate with additional fees. Toll rates are based on a congestion pricing, which means the tolls will fluctuate based on a number of factors, including congestion levels, time of day, and maintaining an average travel speed of 45 mph (70 km/h) or faster; toll rate changes may occur as frequently as every five minutes, though drivers will only pay the rate displayed when entering the express lanes.

As of September 2018, the express lanes will use a fixed rate based on segment and time-of-day for the first 180 days of operation, with a cost between $0.30 and $11.00 one-way with valid transponder.
HOV3+
Vehicles with three passengers or more may use the express lanes for free, provided they have a E-ZPass Flex Transponder or notify via the HOV mobile app/website, with at least 15 minutes before traveling. Violators are subject to a fine of up to $100 plus court costs; as well as two points against their driver's license for each HOV infraction. Motorcycle drivers with a valid transponder may use the express lanes for free.