Interstate 73/74

[vdeane]

I-74 is functionally north-south, might as well treat it as such.

Between I-77 and Wilmington, it's more east-west than north-south.

Except the terminus if Myrtle Beach, not Wilmington.  And even that is a diagonal that could be either.  I-73 is its own number.  I-74 is an unnecessary duplicate that is much more out of grid.  And there's no need for both, given that neither route will ever be built outside of NC.  Of the two, I-74 at least has independent utility.  I-73 doesn't; the small portion outside the overlap can easily be a 3di.

[sprjus4]

I-74 is functionally north-south, might as well treat it as such.

Between I-77 and Wilmington, it's more east-west than north-south.

Except the terminus if Myrtle Beach, not Wilmington.  And even that is a diagonal that could be either.  I-73 is its own number.  I-74 is an unnecessary duplicate that is much more out of grid.  And there's no need for both, given that neither route will ever be built outside of NC.  Of the two, I-74 at least has independent utility.  I-73 doesn't; the small portion outside the overlap can easily be a 3di.

Since you're talking about hypothetically changing routes, then I'll suggest hypothetically changing I-74's terminus to Wilmington, as that is the natural direction of that route. The extension to Myrtle Beach is the most unrealistic part of any of the I-73/I-74 proposals and won't ever happen.

[The Ghostbuster]

If Interstate 74 is rerouted to terminate in Wilmington, they will have to reconfigure the Interstate 140 interchange to provide free-flow movements in all directions. In any event, I think US 74/76 should be completely freeway from the future interchange with the Carolina Bays Parkway and the eastern end of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, regardless of which direction the Intestate 74 designation goes. If Interstate 74 still follows the CBP into South Carolina, I think the 74/76 corridor to Wilmington should get the Interstate 174 designation (the Interstate 174 designation was proposed for the Robert Edge Parkway in North Myrtle Beach, but since the roadway was not built as a freeway, the 174 designation could not be applied).

[Strider]

Most of us will not see I-73 built from Stokesdale to Roanoke and/or from Rockingham to Myrtle Beach in our lifetime anyways. It will get built eventually. The future generations will have a better chance to see it happening than we do.

I highly doubt Virginia will be building it for a long, long, LONG time. There is no interest at all. Nor money.

South Carolina at least has interest, just no money.

These are the only southbound reassurance signs along the Interstate 74/77 duplex on the side of the roadway: https://www.google.com/maps/@36.5486465,-80.7448132,3a,75y,197.62h,98.16t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1soZ49jSWBRznUWGwGWRoCGQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-8.160257394738508%26panoid%3DoZ49jSWBRznUWGwGWRoCGQ%26yaw%3D197.62130907364696!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDIyNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D. There are none northbound after the 74/77 split, not even an End Interstate 74 sign at the state line.

There used to be one for northbound near the Weigh Station on I-74/I-77 North. I think that sign was taken out by an car accident a long while ago and I guess they didn't put it back since then...

https://www.aaroads.com/guides/i-074-west-surry-nc/#gallery-21

[bob7374]

Most of us will not see I-73 built from Stokesdale to Roanoke and/or from Rockingham to Myrtle Beach in our lifetime anyways. It will get built eventually. The future generations will have a better chance to see it happening than we do.

I highly doubt Virginia will be building it for a long, long, LONG time. There is no interest at all. Nor money.

South Carolina at least has interest, just no money.

These are the only southbound reassurance signs along the Interstate 74/77 duplex on the side of the roadway: https://www.google.com/maps/@36.5486465,-80.7448132,3a,75y,197.62h,98.16t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1soZ49jSWBRznUWGwGWRoCGQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-8.160257394738508%26panoid%3DoZ49jSWBRznUWGwGWRoCGQ%26yaw%3D197.62130907364696!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDIyNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D. There are none northbound after the 74/77 split, not even an End Interstate 74 sign at the state line.

There used to be one for northbound near the Weigh Station on I-74/I-77 North. I think that sign was taken out by an car accident a long while ago and I guess they didn't put it back since then...

https://www.aaroads.com/guides/i-074-west-surry-nc/#gallery-21

Perhaps they will put new ones up under the sign update contract. Though the sign plans do not explicitly include any update to any of existing ground mounted signs along I-74/77 except for the mile markers and auxiliary signs. Interestingly, this includes updating the mileposts along I-74 between I-77 and US 52, but these are to be duplicates of the existing plain ones, not the enhanced variety with I-74 shields the plans show are going to put along the Beltway, matching those being put up on surrounding I-77 and US 52 segments. They do know that the first two segments are officially I-74, don't they?

[bob7374]

Weekend road and lane closures on I-40 East near Winston-Salem as part of the I-74/Beltway interchange project:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2025/2024-03-06-closures-forsyth-county-highway.aspx

[sprjus4]

New video taken of driving the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass north from US 74, and continuing on until the, not renumbered so far NC 73, exit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aITBSiEb3jg

I find it interesting the new bypass is posted at 70 mph, yet the 2.5 miles north of it (which was upgraded around 10 years ago) is still 65 mph... then it goes back to 70 mph north of there.

They need to change that for consistency. Sounds like an inviting area for police to run radar...

I drove through here today, heading southbound. The speed limit has been changed to 70 mph in both directions, so it is consistent all the way through. No drop to 65 mph anywhere.

The bypass itself is signed solely as I-73 / I-74 with a southbound control city of Lumberton (because Wilmington or Myrtle Beach makes too much sense. Similarly, the exit to US-74 West uses Monroe with no mention of Charlotte). I-73 milemarkers are used.

At the southern end of the new Rockingham Bypass, is an "End I-73" shield. The US-74 portion of the older Rockingham Bypass has been signed as I-74 / US-74, although the exit numbers are still using US-74's mileage.

I was amazed by the amount of traffic on US-74 compared to I-73, including a lot of truck traffic. Certainly interstate levels of such, yet it drops to a divided highway with intersections to the east and west of Rockingham-Hamlet.

Overall I-73 / I-74 was a nice drive from Winston-Salem heading south. Light traffic. It's a shame it ends near the border and continues into South Carolina as a two lane road. My only question is why is the speed limit only 65 mph between Winston-Salem and several miles south of Asheboro (similarly I know I-73 is the same all the way to Greensboro). Both segments are easily capable of 70 mph (except through Asheboro where 65 mph is appropriate) and traffic was moving often over 80 mph.

Also - two segments without full 10 foot shoulders, one between I-40 and High Point, and the other near Biscoe. You'd think those would have been simply addressed with a routine resurfacing project, especially given that they've been signed as I-73 / I-74 for several years now.