Interstate 74 in North Carolina


Interstate 74 is an Interstate Highway that is partially completed in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Currently in three distinct segments, when completed, it will traverse the state in a southeasterly direction from Virginia to South Carolina, connecting the cities of Winston-Salem, High Point, Asheboro, Rockingham, and Lumberton.

Route description

As of September 27, 2018, there is a total of of I-74, broken in three segments across the state: Mount Airy, the Piedmont Triad and Laurinburg areas.

Piedmont Triad

The first section of I-74 begins at the Virginia state line starts along a bypass of Asheboro where a project to improve US 220 to Interstate standards was completed, and Interstate signs went up in 2012.
I-74 continues concurrently with I-73 and US 220 between I-73 mile markers 68-42, the first section marked as I-74 in North Carolina in 1997. It continues south bypassing the towns of Seagrove, Biscoe and Candor. Visitor centers are located eastbound and westbound at mile marker 61. After Exit 41 U.S. 220 leaves the freeway, the route continues as I-73, I-74 for another towards Rockingham. Though this part of I-73/I-74 was completed in 2008 and is up to Interstate standards, it was initially signed as a future Interstate route because it had not been accepted into the Interstate Highway System by the FHWA by the time it was opened, necessitating the posting of future shields. This situation was remedied on July 7, 2011 when the FHWA approved the addition of this segment to the Interstate Highway System. The route was finally signed as Interstates 73 and 74 in the fall of 2013.

Sandhills

At Rockingham, Future I-73 and I-74 will separate from current US 220 along a to-be-built bypass around the west of the city and then join the existing US 74 bypass freeway, which goes south around Rockingham and Hamlet. The first section of the Bypass, four miles of upgraded US 220, is under construction with a planned completion date of March 2018. Future I-73 ends near the NC 38 exit where it is planned to be routed south into South Carolina. Future I-74 continues to the end of the freeway. Between Hamlet and Laurinburg is an at-grade expressway that will eventually be upgraded to Interstate standards. At Laurinburg, I-74 is to use the Laurinburg Bypass was at the standard North Carolina freeway grade and signed as I-74 in 2008; however, NCDOT had to remove the signage the following year when FHWA ruled against using them until the freeway was up to Interstate standards.
The third section of I-74 is officially named the American Indian Highway, completed in 2008, this section stretches from Maxton to south of Lumberton, connecting with I-95/US 301. After NC 41, I-74 ends for the final time as the highway continues on as an at-grade expressway signed as US 74/Future I-74 Corridor.

East of I-95

Future I-74 is to continue to follow US 74, going through the city of Whiteville and bypassing the town of Lake Waccamaw. While there are no funded projects to upgrade the entire highway to Interstate standards, NCDOT is funding several smaller projects to replace intersections with interchanges for several of the remaining cross streets, including for NC 72/NC 130 north of Boardman and replacing other intersections with grade separations, such as with Old US 74 near Evergreen over the next ten years. Before the town of Bolton, it will separate from US 74 onto a proposed new freeway towards Shallotte, then go west on the proposed extension of the Carolina Bays Parkway into South Carolina. This entire section of I-74 is still under a Feasibility Study with several possible routing options, it thus may take years before reaching South Carolina. Current NCDOT plans suggest that construction may not begin until after 2020, and that this will likely be the last section of I-74 to be completed.

Alternate names

Though the highway is commonly known as I-74 throughout the state, the highway does have other known names it uses locally in areas.
The Intermodal Surface Transportation and Efficiency Act of 1991 initially authorized the new high priority transportation corridor 5, tentatively known as I-73, to travel from Michigan to South Carolina. Because of several disputes to the routing, a compromise was reached in 1995, by Senator John Warner and Senator Lauch Faircloth, that extended I-74 from its then current eastern terminus of Cincinnati, Ohio, to overlap I-73. In Virginia, I-74 would follow I-77 into North Carolina, while I-73 would go east to Roanoke then south along US 220 towards Greensboro. However, when I-73 crossed a border between two states, the federal law authorizing the road required that the two states agree that their sections meet. Originally, both Carolinas selected a route running south from Rockingham, North Carolina. North Carolina had more money to spend on roads, though, and on May 10, 1995, the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved North Carolina's plan for I-73 to run eastward to the coast and enter South Carolina at North Myrtle Beach. Another compromise, between Senator Lauch Faircloth and Senator Strom Thurmond, agreed to have both interstates enter South Carolina: I-73 south of Rockingham and I-74 south of Wilmington. After later amendments and the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century of 1996, on July 25, 1996, AASHTO accepted Interstates 73/74 into the Interstate Highway System within the states of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.
The portion from south of Steeds north to south of Ulah was completed August 27, 1996, and was the first road marked as I-74. Future signage was also installed north to the Greensboro area. The remainder of of existing and new freeway between Ulah and Candor was also signed as I-73/I-74 along US 220. In 1998, NC 752, a freeway spur of I-77 was renumbered as the segment of completed I-74, from I-77 to US 601. On June 30, 1999, the freeway was extended an additional to US 52, south of Mount Airy. In April 2001, I-74 was overlapped with I-77 from the Virginia state line to exit 101.
In January 2008, an section of freeway was completed from Candor to Ellerbe; however, it was signed Future I-73/I-74. On November 22, 2010, a section was added between North Main Street in High Point to Cedar Square Road near Glenola. This also includes the section of new freeway that opened between I-85 Business Cedar Square Road. On October 4, 2012, I-74 was extended west from High Point to I-40, in Winston-Salem.
On June 7, 2013, I-74 extended east onto new primary routing from Cedar Square Road to I-73/US 220, near Randleman. Continuing in concurrency with I-73/US 220, it now connects two segments of the Interstate from Winston-Salem to Candor.

American Indian Highway and Laurinburg Bypass

On September 26, 2008, a section of I-74/US 74 was opened between Maxton to NC 41 near Lumberton, known as the American Indian Highway. The Laurinburg Bypass was also resigned I-74/US 74 at the same time. The following year the Laurinburg Bypass was removed of its I-74 designation by NCDOT, during the Summer, after a ruling from the FHWA. The reason was that the section, though a freeway by North Carolina standards, it was not up to Interstate standards. It was also at this same time that NCDOT fixed an exit number error along mile markers 181-191.

North Carolina Highway 752

North Carolina Highway 752 was the designation of the four-lane limited access highway that traversed from I-77 to NC 89, near Pine Ridge. Established in 1994, it was a freeway spur. In 1998, the freeway was extended to US 601 and was renumbered as I-74. Its short four-year existence was simply to be a placeholder for I-74.

Future

From Mount Airy to Rural Hall, US 52 is planned to be upgraded to Interstate standards. However it is currently flagged "Scheduled for Reprioritization", with no estimated cost or date established.
The section from Rockingham-Hamlet Bypass to Laurinburg Bypass is planned to be upgraded to Interstate standards. However it is currently flagged "Scheduled for Reprioritization", with no estimated cost or date established. When this section opened it was signed "Future I-74" but those signs were taken down in Fall 2016.
A proposed new freeway in Columbus and Brunswick counties would traverse from Whiteville to the Carolina Bays Parkway in South Carolina. However it is currently flagged "Scheduled for Reprioritization," with no estimated cost or date established.

Winston-Salem Northern Beltway

The eastern section of the proposed Winston-Salem Northern Beltway is planned to carry I-74 around Winston-Salem, connecting to the existing section of I-74 near High Point. It will carry the designation NC 74 until the eastern section of the road is complete from US 52 to the existing section of I-74, at which point the designation will be replaced with I-74.
The first segment to go to construction, connecting US 158 and US 421, began in December 2014 and was scheduled to open in fall of 2019. The next segment, from US 311 to US 158, began construction in 2018. A contract for the section between NC 66 and US 311 was awarded the same year, with construction beginning in 2019. The remaining section between US 421 and the existing I-74 is scheduled to begin construction in 2020 and to open in 2024.

Rockingham bypass

A western bypass of Rockingham is planned, beginning at the partially-built trumpet interchange with US 220 where I-73 and I-74 currently end, and running southwest to the trumpet interchange between US 74 and US 74 Business, which will be reconfigured to accommodate the new bypass. Construction was initially scheduled for 2026, but was rescheduled for late 2019, and is planned to last three years, costing $146.1 million. Upon completion of the bypass, I-74 will be designated along its length and along US 74 around Rockingham and Hamlet, terminating east of Hamlet at US 74 Business. The bypass will also carry I-73, which will terminate at the interchange with US 74 west of Rockingham until the section of I-73 extending into South Carolina is completed.

Exit list

Auxiliary route

InterstateCityTypeNotes
Interstate 274Winston-SalemBypassFuture designation along NC 452.