Interstate 73/74

[Roadsguy]

When the interchange in west Rockingham is completed with US 74, are there any plans to reroute US 74 back onto Business 74 through Rockingham and Hamlet?

Having three 74s meeting at one interchange (I-74, US 74, Business 74) seems like it would invite confusion since this is where I/US 74 split from each other.

I predict they'll only do that if an east-west Interstate designation is established between Charlotte (or Columbus) and Wilmington along US 74. As-is, even after I-73 and I-74 are complete into SC (assuming I-74 doesn't get rerouted to Wilmington at some point), US 74 will still be the main long-distance east-west route through this area, so having that route exit onto local roads through towns just because an unrelated Interstate happens to run through the area would probably be even more confusing than having three 74's meet at one interchange.

By comparison, I-42 follows US 70 for the entirety of its proposed length, so US 70 is clearly the secondary route here and makes sense to be returned to its original alignment wherever appropriate. The same goes for I-87/US 64, I-587/US 264, etc.

[sturmde]

When the interchange in west Rockingham is completed with US 74, are there any plans to reroute US 74 back onto Business 74 through Rockingham and Hamlet?

Having three 74s meeting at one interchange (I-74, US 74, Business 74) seems like it would invite confusion since this is where I/US 74 split from each other.

Changing all of I-74 from I-81 to Wilmington to I-34 would have long ago been the smart move, but that's what you get from ~25 year old legislations from muckraking politicians trying to satiate everyone with false promises of a Midwest-Myrtle 73 corridor.  34 rhymes with 74, but 32, 36, or 38 would have worked, too.

Also, this is why I-41/US 41 isn't an issue since they were made to be coterminous and coexistent.  But the "74" situation is a total screw-up on NCDOT's part.  YEARS ago, they should have availed themselves instead of extending 74 west of Asheville and realigning it along the new freeway and I-26 from Charlotte to Asheville... with an EASTWARD extension of US 72 from Chattanooga instead.  If they'd done that, then US 72 would now exist as a Memphis - Huntsville -Chattanooga - Asheville - Charlotte - Wilmington route, which makes a lot of sense as a major route between US 70 and US 76 in the "big picture".  Now, it would be damn expensive to replace all the US 74 shields. 

Piecemeal might be the only way to go?  If you leave the western parts of US 74 alone, ditch it as it reaches I-40 from the west.  Then let 74-A be US 174.  The freeway when it's done from I-26 to I-85 can become I-28... From Charlotte to Rockingham can be US 174, too.  Use the Michigan US 27/127 precedent.  And then it goes into Rockingham and takes over all the alternate routes as far as you want.  A US 174 parallel to I-74 isn't so bad.

[Strider]

When the interchange in west Rockingham is completed with US 74, are there any plans to reroute US 74 back onto Business 74 through Rockingham and Hamlet?

Having three 74s meeting at one interchange (I-74, US 74, Business 74) seems like it would invite confusion since this is where I/US 74 split from each other.

Changing all of I-74 from I-81 to Wilmington to I-34 would have long ago been the smart move, but that's what you get from ~25 year old legislations from muckraking politicians trying to satiate everyone with false promises of a Midwest-Myrtle 73 corridor.  34 rhymes with 74, but 32, 36, or 38 would have worked, too.

Also, this is why I-41/US 41 isn't an issue since they were made to be coterminous and coexistent.  But the "74" situation is a total screw-up on NCDOT's part.  YEARS ago, they should have availed themselves instead of extending 74 west of Asheville and realigning it along the new freeway and I-26 from Charlotte to Asheville... with an EASTWARD extension of US 72 from Chattanooga instead.  If they'd done that, then US 72 would now exist as a Memphis - Huntsville -Chattanooga - Asheville - Charlotte - Wilmington route, which makes a lot of sense as a major route between US 70 and US 76 in the "big picture".  Now, it would be damn expensive to replace all the US 74 shields. 

Piecemeal might be the only way to go?  If you leave the western parts of US 74 alone, ditch it as it reaches I-40 from the west.  Then let 74-A be US 174.  The freeway when it's done from I-26 to I-85 can become I-28... From Charlotte to Rockingham can be US 174, too.  Use the Michigan US 27/127 precedent.  And then it goes into Rockingham and takes over all the alternate routes as far as you want.  A US 174 parallel to I-74 isn't so bad.

This one goes to fictional part of the website. There has been NO proposed I-xx routes other than I-73 and I-74 in NC when they were first proposed (way before I-42 and other new interstates) and it wasn't a screw-up by NCDOT, and it has been talked about for decades, so this one goes to fictional thread.

[The Ghostbuster]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Interstate 485-to-future Interstate 73/74 segment of US 74 between Charlotte and Rockingham gets an Interstate designation eventually. After all, North Carolina is going gangbusters on designating new Interstate corridors.

[GreenLanternCorps]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Interstate 485-to-future Interstate 73/74 segment of US 74 between Charlotte and Rockingham gets an Interstate designation eventually. After all, North Carolina is going gangbusters on designating new Interstate corridors.

Maybe, but a quick check on Google Maps shows that US 74 in that section is far from interstate grade.

[sprjus4]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Interstate 485-to-future Interstate 73/74 segment of US 74 between Charlotte and Rockingham gets an Interstate designation eventually. After all, North Carolina is going gangbusters on designating new Interstate corridors.

Maybe, but a quick check on Google Maps shows that US 74 in that section is far from interstate grade.

Yeah, a good bit of would need significant upgrading with frontage roads, interchanges, and a couple town bypasses. Although, it would be logical to upgrade that to freeway regardless, it's a major highway across the state connecting Asheville, Charlotte, and Wilmington and carries a bit of traffic.

[Strider]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Interstate 485-to-future Interstate 73/74 segment of US 74 between Charlotte and Rockingham gets an Interstate designation eventually. After all, North Carolina is going gangbusters on designating new Interstate corridors.

Except it will NOT get an interstate designation. Toll Roads in NC are not designed as interstates and will not be signed as such. After the bonds are paid off, who knows. However, the ONLY interstate designation is only proposed along US 74 section other than I-73/I-74 multiplex is the section between I-26 and I-85.

[sprjus4]

Except it will NOT get an interstate designation. Toll Roads in NC are not designed as interstates and will not be signed as such.

Assuming the FHWA's website is correct, it appears that no federal funding was used in this project. If that is the case, I believe an interstate designation is allowable should NCDOT apply for such.
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ipd/project_profiles/nc_monroe_expressway.aspx

On the other hand, the NC-540 project built around 12 years used around $86.3 million in federal funding, meaning that facility cannot carry an interstate designation, hence why it was labeled as State Route 540 instead of Interstate 540.
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ipd/project_profiles/nc_triangle_expressway.aspx

[Mapmikey]

Except it will NOT get an interstate designation. Toll Roads in NC are not designed as interstates and will not be signed as such.

Assuming the FHWA's website is correct, it appears that no federal funding was used in this project. If that is the case, I believe an interstate designation is allowable should NCDOT apply for such.
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ipd/project_profiles/nc_monroe_expressway.aspx

On the other hand, the NC-540 project built around 12 years used around $86.3 million in federal funding, meaning that facility cannot carry an interstate designation, hence why it was labeled as State Route 540 instead of Interstate 540.
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ipd/project_profiles/nc_triangle_expressway.aspx

This prohibition has ceased to be a thing.  This is from reply #20 of https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=31769.msg2753261#msg2753261

Incidentally you can check the text for years back to at least 1995 with this URL and change the year -
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-1995-title23/html/USCODE-1995-title23.htm

It appears federal $ can be used in constructing NEW toll roads that can be assigned interstate status based on the change I pointed out.

The FAQ Froggie cited clearly says new construction.

(a)(1)(F) seems to say federal $ cannot be used to reconstruct an interstate to then make it a toll road.

Designating an interstate is actually covered in 23 USC 103(c)(4) which does not say toll roads are ineligible.  The 1995 version of 23 USC 103 has less language (and is actually 103(e)).  The 103(c)(4) language has been the same since 1998.

My extensive experience with Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations is that if there is no explicit language prohibiting something, you can in theory do it.  But there could be FWHA policy that says they won't approve an existing toll road to become an interstate.  There are regulations that are in place to implement 23 USC 103.

23 CFR 470.111 governs designating interstates.  It references Appendix A and B of 23 CFR 470 (scroll down a short distance from 470.111) for criteria.  Toll roads are again not mentioned.

Drilling down further to see if FHWA policy might still preclude designating an existing toll road an interstate, I found this guidance which goes into construction-related activities including the mainstreaming of the pilot programs - https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/map21/guidance/guidetoll.cfm.  But I didn't find anything related to designating existing toll roads.  Which I conclude has always been legal, since I-240 OKC was approved; I-44's extension southwest of OKC years ago and I-335 Kansas years ago were to long-existing toll-roads.

There might be a question whether tolls roads built with federal funds when that prohibition did exist are still subject to that prohibition.

[bob7374]

I've posted several photos of progress in constructing the future I-40/I-74 Winston-Salem Northern Beltway interchange, courtesy of David Johnson, such as of the flyover ramps:


to my I-74 Segment 4 page: https://malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i74seg4.html#photos

[The Ghostbuster]

Google Maps has been updated to include construction of NC 74/future Interstate 74 from US 421 to existing Interstate 74: https://www.google.com/maps/@36.0789624,-80.1660417,7606m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu. Now if they could just get rid of the remaining US 311 signage, Google Maps could delist 311 south of US 52/future Interstate 285's Exit 110B.

[bob7374]

NCDOT announcing Westinghouse Road ramp closure to US 52 South (Future I-74 East) this weekend, hopefully this means the new third lane from there to the Beltway exit is getting closer to completion:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2024/2024-12-03-weekend-closure-forsyth.aspx

[GreenLanternCorps]

I've posted several photos of progress in constructing the future I-40/I-74 Winston-Salem Northern Beltway interchange, courtesy of David Johnson, such as of the flyover ramps:


to my I-74 Segment 4 page: https://malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i74seg4.html#photos

They are a lot further along on that project than I thought they were

[ARMOURERERIC]

NCDOT announcing Westinghouse Road ramp closure to US 52 South (Future I-74 East) this weekend, hopefully this means the new third lane from there to the Beltway exit is getting closer to completion:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2024/2024-12-03-weekend-closure-forsyth.aspx

Did what you expected with t he 3rd lane occur

[bob7374]

A new dashcam video of US 52 and the Winston-Salem Beltway (Future I-74) has been posted:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJFW_-Ogaq0

Despite the time stamp on the bottom, it was posted on March 16. I have made some screen grabs from it to post on my I-73/I-74 site showing progress, or more accurately, lack of progress in completing the US 52 interchange since it was opened to traffic in November. For example, heading north on US 52, here was the state of the future ramp to the Beltway eastbound earlier this month:


Other images are at: https://malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i74seg4.html#photos

On US 52 South, here's a view of the future third lane between Westinghouse Road and the Beltway:


Other images at: https://malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i74seg3.html#seg3photos

[TheStranger]

Quick question regarding I-74:

Once the beltway is connected to the existing segment that goes southeast from I-40, is there already a designation planned for what is currently I-74 between I-40 and the eastern beltway interchange?

(Segment 7 in this PDF - https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/wsnb/Documents/project-map.pdf )

[74/171FAN]

Quick question regarding I-74:

Once the beltway is connected to the existing segment that goes southeast from I-40, is there already a designation planned for what is currently I-74 between I-40 and the eastern beltway interchange?

(Segment 7 in this PDF - https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/wsnb/Documents/project-map.pdf )

Looks like it will be NC 192.

[ARMOURERERIC]

I don't get the need for full access at all 3 interchanges.

[bob7374]

Another March dashcam video of I-74 construction has been posted. This time at the southern end of the Beltway construction project along I-74 West. The video can be found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Zhc8LvBplw

I again have taken some screen grabs, such as of future ramp construction:


All the images are at: https://malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i74seg4.html#photos

[cowboy_wilhelm]

I don't get the need for full access at all 3 interchanges.

I was wondering this as well. Who is going from I-40 westbound to I-74 westbound or eastbound, or I-74 (either direction) to I-40 EB? There are no plans to continue the beltway south/west, right? Seems like a massive interchange for very little traffic.

Eastbound I-40, 4/21.

[sprjus4]

I don't get the need for full access at all 3 interchanges.

I was wondering this as well. Who is going from I-40 westbound to I-74 westbound or eastbound, or I-74 (either direction) to I-40 EB? There are no plans to continue the beltway south/west, right? Seems like a massive interchange for very little traffic.

I agree... I can understand the ramps for redundancy, but 2 lane flyovers seem a bit excessive. Well... at least they will never be congested!