Carmuda Triangle or Southern Discomfort? Vote to name I-40/440 project

The North Carolina Department of Transportation on Monday released the finalists in its competition to give the project a catchy name like Boston's Big Dig or Carmageddon in Los Angeles. Officials said about 370 people submitted names for the project, and the finalists were chosen by a panel of NCDOT judges.

Posted 8:35 p.m. Aug 13, 2012 — Updated 8:35 p.m. Aug 13, 2012

RALEIGH, N.C. — It's time for Triangle residents to vote on their favorite creative name for a three-year project to reconstruct Interstate 40/440.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation on Monday released the finalists in its competition to give the project a catchy name like Boston’s Big Dig or Carmageddon in Los Angeles.

Officials said about 370 people submitted names for the project, and the finalists were chosen by a panel of NCDOT judges.

The finalists are:

Carmuda Triangle
Crawleigh
South-Wake Remake
Southern Discomfort
Wake-Over

Residents are encouraged to vote online through noon Thursday for the winner.

The winning name will be announced Aug. 22 and used in all future references to the $168 million project, including on the project website.

The rebuild of 11 miles of I-40/440 – from U.S. Highway 1 in Cary to U.S. Highway 64/264 in Raleigh – will begin next spring or summer and last three years.

The project will require lane closures, sometimes leaving only two lanes open.

Officials said the section of highway is 30 years old, and workers need to dig down at least 2 feet to remove and replace concrete and asphalt on the road, shoulders and ramps.

Although they did not make the final five, the following entries earned an honorable mention from NCDOT: