"New Bypass Saves Time"

The commute over to Virginia on I-17 is so much quicker since the bypass was opened earlier this month.

I've used the new route a couple times now, and it's already saving a lot of time for the trips out there. They're expecting the service roads to take another year before they'll be connected, but the straight shots from here to Virginia are the part we were most concerned with.

Once you get on the bypass the speed limit is increased to 65 MPH, so that's helping to make the drive quicker too. I've noticed that the road has fences on each side to prevent wildlife from crossing into it. I've already had my run in with a doe that lost in a game of chicken, so the new fencing is a load off my mind at that speed.

The biggest savings of time is not having to slow down to 45 MPH's going through Elizabeth City, and not having the catch every stop light along the way. I seem to always catch the lights on red when coming through there.

Some people make the commute a lot more than we do, but we'll enjoy the trips now that this bypass is finally open for traffic. It won't help when we need to stop at Wally World, but maybe it'll prevent some of the side trips we would have made before.