Interstate 74 in North Carolina
| I-74 | |||
| Get started | Mount Airy | ||
| End | Lumberton | ||
| Length | 106 mi | ||
| Length | 170 km | ||
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Interstate 74 or I -74 is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The highway runs in the north and center of the state over several segments. The total route is 170 kilometers long, which is signposted as individual I-74. Another section is largely double -numbered with Interstate 73 between Randleman and Rockingham.
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Travel directions
The beginning of I-74.
The highway begins at the Virginia border, double -numbered with Interstate 77. The route then heads south and after 6 kilometers turns off as an individual highway towards Mount Airy and Winston-Salem. The route then heads east and ends after 20 kilometers on US 52 at Mount Airy. US 52 forms the remainder of the highway to Winston-Salem.
A second part forms the still incomplete bypass of the city of Winston-Salem. This section is located between US 158 and US 421, which is not yet connected to other Interstate Highways and is temporarily signposted as State Route 74.
A third begins at the interchange with Interstate 40 at Winston-Salem and continues southeast along High Point, crossing Interstate 85 and ending at Interstate 73 at Randleman. This section of the highway is predominantly 2×2 lanes, with some shorter, wider stretches of 2×3 to 2×4 lanes around High Point.
Between Randleman and Rockingham, the highway is also numbered Interstate 73. This is a highway that runs north-south through the center of the state, through densely wooded areas past the town of Asheboro, where it intersects US 64. The highway ends on the north side of Rockingham on US 220.
The fourth section runs east-west through the south of the state, beginning at Hamlet and continuing a short distance from the South Carolina border. Via Laurinburg, the highway continues southeast to interstate at Lumberton with Interstate 95, before ending at Lumberton.
History
Because of its diagonal location in a grid, I-74 has multiple US Highways that preceded the highway. Between Mount Airy and Winston-Salem this was US 52. Between Winston-Salem and Asheboro US 311, between Asheboro and Rockingham US 220 and between Rockingham and Wilmington US 74. This route had relatively little significance for through traffic in the 1950s, but the rapid growth of the state of North Carolina from the 1970s made the corridor more relevant for traffic, although it has mainly retained a regional character.
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Planning
The 1956 Interstate Highways plan included I-74 on a route from Davenport, Iowa to Cincinnati, Ohio, located entirely in the Midwestern United States. North Carolina at that time was still relatively sparsely populated and there was no Interstate Highway in this corridor at the time. I-74 emerged as a potential new corridor in the 1980s and was incorporated as High Priority Corridor 5 with the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, along with Interstate 73. The history of I-74 is therefore closely linked to that of I-73, the oldest parts between Rockingham and Randleman were also double-numbered. In 1996 AASHTO. judgednumber I-74 well, although there was little sight of a connection from I-74 in North Carolina to the rest of I-74 at Cincinnati. In 1997, the first section of I-73/I-74 was signposted around Candor.
Construction history
Interstate 74 is partially routed over pre-existing highways. In 1977, the double-numbered section of I-77 opened between Bottom and the Virginia border. The US 220 highway route between Pilot Mountain and Winston-Salem was opened in the late 1960s and extended to Mount Airy during the 1970s. At the end of the 1960s, the bypass of Asheboro also opened, this part is double-numbered with the US 220 and I-73. The bypass from Mount Airy to I-77 was constructed in the 1990s. In 1994, the first 2 miles opened from I-77, which was extended east for 5 miles to US 52 on June 30, 1999, connecting Winston-Salem to I-77 via a freeway.
On September 26, 2008, a 19-mile (31 km) stretch opened between Maxton and Lumberton, extending just beyond I-95. On November 22, 2010, some 10 miles opened at High Point, including an interchange with I-85. On June 7, 2013, the highway continued to open as far as I-73.
Opening history
| From | Unpleasant | Length | Date |
| 5 | 6 Mount Airy | 2 km | 00-00-1994 |
| 6 Mount Airy | 17 Mount Airy | 18 km | 30-06-1999 |
| 194 Maxton | 213 Lumberton | 31 km | 26-09-2008 |
| 71 High Point | 79 Cedar Square Road | 13 km | 22-11-2010 |
| 79 Cedar Square Road | 86 | 11 km | 07-06-2013 |
| 50 Reidsville Road | 53 Salem Parkway (US 421) | 5 km | 05-09-2020 |
| 48 New Walkertown Rd (US 311) | 50 Reidsville Rd (US 158) | 3 km | 23-12-2020 |
Future
The plan is to upgrade US 52 to I-74, and “Future I-74” signs have already been placed on the route from Winston-Salem to Mount Airy. The highway is to be built via a newly constructed northern bypass around Winston-Salem, then intersect US 421, I-40 and US 311 at Kernersville to join existing US 311 at High Point. The US 311 between Glenola and Randleman also needs to be upgraded.
In the south of North Carolina, the route between Ellerbe and Rockingham has to be converted to a highway, this route is 15 kilometers long. At Rockingham, I-73 and I-74 will split. To the east, a stretch between Hamlet and Laurinburg has to be converted to Interstate, which is about 16 kilometers long. East of I-95, the route from Lumberton to Chadbourn needs to be upgraded, a stretch of more than 20 miles. I-74 will then use the existing highway around Whiteville, after which the existing US 74/US 76 to Wilmington will have to be converted to Interstate.
The Rockingham western bypass works were awarded $146 million on November 5, 2019. This includes 12 kilometers of new highway between US 220 on the north side of Rockingham and US 74 on the west side of Rockingham. The highway is due to open by the end of 2023.
Winston-Salem Northern Beltway
The northeastern portion of the Winston-Salem North Beltway becomes part of I-74, between current US 52 northwest of the city and current US 311 southeast of the city. On November 7, 2014, contracts were signed for the construction of the first 5 kilometers, a solitary section between US 158 and US 421 in the east of Winston-Salem. This section was originally scheduled to be completed in November 2018, but the project has been delayed for nearly two years. This part was finally opened on September 5, 2020. The construction of this section cost $158 million and has 2×3 lanes. This section is signposted as State Route 74 until the entire bypass of I-74 is complete.
In April 2018, contracts were awarded for seven miles of the Northern Beltway between US 158 and I-74 north of Winston-Salem. On December 23, 2020, a short stretch of it between US 158 and US 311 has already opened. The section between US 311 and I-74 is to open in July 2022.
Traffic intensities
On the east-west portion in the south of the state, 12,000 vehicles drive east of I-95 at Lumberton daily, and 11,000 to 15,000 vehicles between I-95 and Laurinburg. After that, 17,000 to 19,000 vehicles will run between Laurinburg and Rockingham.
Every day 13,000 vehicles drive north of Rockingham, rising to 16,000 to 22,000 vehicles south of Asheboro and 36,000 vehicles pass Asheboro. After that, 39,000 vehicles will drive to the junction with I-73 and 13,000 to 15,000 vehicles will drive to I-85 at High Point. Thereafter, 23,000 vehicles drive up to US 29 at High Point, peaking at 44,000 vehicles through High Point.
Then, 30,000 to 35,000 vehicles drive up to I-40 near Winston-Salem. The Winston-Salem passage has 66,000 vehicles between I-40 and I-40 Business, 97,000 vehicles at Downtown Winston-Salem and 75,000 vehicles at the airport. North of Winston-Salem, the intensities drop from 50,000 to 31,000 vehicles at Mount Airy.
