The Greater Raleigh Roundabout
It is a dream I have, of driving a world-class racecar around the Beltline. Just imagine topping that hill at North Hills and streaking passed the bridges and roaring down the hill towards Crabtree at over 200 mph. It could happen now in the near future.
The Greater Raleigh Roundabout would be shortened to ‘The Roundabout’. The most powerful names in the world are one word, example Le Louvre, The Heritage, Darlington, Talladega, Le Mans, Roundabout.
Finishing the outer I-540 will enable the closing once a year for of I-440 for an automobile race.
There are two American possibilities: NASCAR or an Indy type of race.
NASCAR is usually set up for only left hand turns, not right and left. The same could be said for open wheel Indy cars. My personal choice would be a Formula One race. This would capture the interest of the world in broadcasting it. It would give us a chance to exercise our International Airport at RDU (my personal name would have been DurRal International for our airport. It just sounds better). It would be great fun and add to the cosmopolitan air of our local culture if we hosted a Formula I race.
One could use the outside Beltline for the race and the other side for the Emergency vehicles. Or we might keep one side open to one way traffic. One would have to install a concrete wall such as exists now on the North Hills stretch of road. We could plant it similarly with crepe myrtles, etc and make it beautiful. It would also screen the racecars from the distracting view of the drivers. A third possibility would be closing, say, one-half of the Beltline, assuming Formula I and use both sides of the closed course for the race. The raceway would extend down one side and circle back on the other.
Pit row would be between Gorman Street and Lake Wheeler Road, and both sides could be lined with Grand Stands. Large video screens would be placed so everyone could see at least one for displaying the action, away from the Grand Stands. One would need a small edge of Raleigh’ Central Park for the garages. I am not sure how these things work, if the Race Teams pay rent for the garages all year, or could these spaces double as part of the Farmer’s Market with fresh food 51 weeks out of the year?
Each of the cloverleaves would be planted with flowers in a colorful design, visible in detail only from the air and the blimp televising the event. These cloverleaf gardens would have corporate sponsors and people’s awards would go the most favored of them. Viewers would vote over the Internet.
Traffic coming from Cross Roads would be redirected onto I-40 West over to Wade Avenue.
This would be a major inconvenience for one week, but it could be a very exciting event for the City. All of the hotels would be slammed. The City would receive a huge infusion of money through all of the services and shopping areas.
To pay for it: The hotel tax. The ‘Roundabout’ would pay for itself many times over, including more hotel tax. World T.V. proceeds would be auctioned off. As an added benefit, corporations would have a view of our Triangle Area and they might get a taste for it and wish to settle here. Why not? It is such a fun place in which to live.
Maybe some NASCAR teams might want to try Formula I and branch out. Surely some of the drivers would.
All of the major interchanges would have to be protected by high fences. After a few years, the crews should become practiced at putting these portable barriers up and down.
Larry Hopkins
8-2008 revised 10-2010
(A page from ‘Fun Ideas of the Southern Light’)
