Interstate 73/74

[tolbs17]

Agreed, I can't think of any movements at the I-74 / I-40 interchange that will warrant flyovers, except MAYBE I-40 East to I-74 North. They are all served by other connecting freeways, the only use would be local traffic.

And they already demolished shit in the way to make room for the interchange.

Unless they were planning to NOT put an interchange at business 40 AT ALL!

[sparker]

Agreed, I can't think of any movements at the I-74 / I-40 interchange that will warrant flyovers, except MAYBE I-40 East to I-74 North. They are all served by other connecting freeways, the only use would be local traffic.

And they already demolished shit in the way to make room for the interchange.

Unless they were planning to NOT put an interchange at business 40 AT ALL!

Because of the NC 192 connector, the only plausible need for any flyover would be from EB 74 to EB 40; the remainder would more than adequately be served by a cloverleaf with C/D lanes.  And even that could be done with a "turbine"- style ramp rather than a high flyover.  Even though it's not going to be let for over a year, are there any publicly available plans for the interchange that could be posted here? 

[sprjus4]

Agreed, I can't think of any movements at the I-74 / I-40 interchange that will warrant flyovers, except MAYBE I-40 East to I-74 North. They are all served by other connecting freeways, the only use would be local traffic.

And they already demolished shit in the way to make room for the interchange.

Unless they were planning to NOT put an interchange at business 40 AT ALL!

Because of the NC 192 connector, the only plausible need for any flyover would be from EB 74 to EB 40; the remainder would more than adequately be served by a cloverleaf with C/D lanes.  And even that could be done with a "turbine"- style ramp rather than a high flyover.  Even though it's not going to be let for over a year, are there any publicly available plans for the interchange that could be posted here?

Even I-74 East to I-40 East doesn't need a flyover, because of the I-74 East to I-40 Business / US-421 East connection.

[tolbs17]

Agreed, I can't think of any movements at the I-74 / I-40 interchange that will warrant flyovers, except MAYBE I-40 East to I-74 North. They are all served by other connecting freeways, the only use would be local traffic.

And they already demolished shit in the way to make room for the interchange.

Unless they were planning to NOT put an interchange at business 40 AT ALL!

Because of the NC 192 connector, the only plausible need for any flyover would be from EB 74 to EB 40; the remainder would more than adequately be served by a cloverleaf with C/D lanes.  And even that could be done with a "turbine"- style ramp rather than a high flyover.  Even though it's not going to be let for over a year, are there any publicly available plans for the interchange that could be posted here?

Even I-74 East to I-40 East doesn't need a flyover, because of the I-74 East to I-40 Business / US-421 East connection.

From I-40 west to I-74 West, that can warrant a flyover because its part of the southern beltway

[Strider]

Agreed, I can't think of any movements at the I-74 / I-40 interchange that will warrant flyovers, except MAYBE I-40 East to I-74 North. They are all served by other connecting freeways, the only use would be local traffic.

I agree. I could see I-40 East to I-74 West (North) or I-74 East (South) to I-40 East could use flyovers, but the rest should just be loop ramps... especially with the proposed current I-74/WSEB interchange just south of I-40. Drivers can easily access I-40 West by going on Future NC 192 West, therefore the flyover ramps at the proposed I-40/I-74 interchange is not really needed except what you mentioned.

[Strider]

Agreed, I can't think of any movements at the I-74 / I-40 interchange that will warrant flyovers, except MAYBE I-40 East to I-74 North. They are all served by other connecting freeways, the only use would be local traffic.

And they already demolished shit in the way to make room for the interchange.

Unless they were planning to NOT put an interchange at business 40 AT ALL!

Because of the NC 192 connector, the only plausible need for any flyover would be from EB 74 to EB 40; the remainder would more than adequately be served by a cloverleaf with C/D lanes.  And even that could be done with a "turbine"- style ramp rather than a high flyover.  Even though it's not going to be let for over a year, are there any publicly available plans for the interchange that could be posted here?

Even I-74 East to I-40 East doesn't need a flyover, because of the I-74 East to I-40 Business / US-421 East connection.

Yeah, you're right.. the flyovers may not be needed for I-74E to I-40E due to US 421 connection, especially since US 421 will be widening to 6 lanes in the future.

However, I think it is still needed. The same goes for I-40E to I-74W (going north).

[sprjus4]

The same goes for I-40E to I-74W (going north).

I agree with this one. But any of the others are going to get very low utilization.

[Avalanchez71]

When is this boondoggle pork barrel project be completed?

[sprjus4]

When this boondoggle pork barrel project be completed?

The I-73 / I-74 corridor through North Carolina has a lot of viability and useful regional connections. It's hardly a "pork barrel project"... but what would I expect from someone who opposes virtually any new highway expansion, let alone any mention of a...  "new freeway" 

[RoadPelican]

I would say "yes" the Winston Salem Beltway segment from I-74 to US 421 (old BUS 40) is definitely needed.  Anything NCDOT can do to keep traffic off of US 52 in Downtown Winston is an asset for the region.  This will be great N-S bypass of Winston when finished in 2025 especially all those truckers and cars from Ohio and Michigan who take the I-74 corridor to get to the NC beaches.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

I would say "yes" the Winston Salem Beltway segment from I-74 to US 421 (old BUS 40) is definitely needed.  Anything NCDOT can do to keep traffic off of US 52 in Downtown Winston is an asset for the region.  This will be great N-S bypass of Winston when finished in 2025 especially all those truckers and cars from Ohio and Michigan who take the I-74 corridor to get to the NC beaches.

Agreed. Went through there at a non-peak time heading to I-77 and thought what in the world is with this cluster?

[sparker]

I would say "yes" the Winston Salem Beltway segment from I-74 to US 421 (old BUS 40) is definitely needed.  Anything NCDOT can do to keep traffic off of US 52 in Downtown Winston is an asset for the region.  This will be great N-S bypass of Winston when finished in 2025 especially all those truckers and cars from Ohio and Michigan who take the I-74 corridor to get to the NC beaches.

Agreed. Went through there at a non-peak time heading to I-77 and thought what in the world is with this cluster?

Hence one of the reasons the corridor was cobbled together in the early '90's.  Like I-69 off to the west, it too was an amalgam of local and regional proposals assembled to garner political support from multiple areas.  But unlike I-69, which has seen actual developmental activity at its southwest end in TX as well as development in its NE section involving TN, KY, and IN (leaving the middle to "more leisurely" projects), only NC has seen fit to engage in such development (with SC's sections seemingly bogged down in controversy and funding issues); anything from WV north remains a dotted line on a planning map reflecting lack of state/local interest in the corridor (not that any of this is current news, simply ongoing reality).  However, if the corridor can positively affect local congestion situations in the areas is is being deployed (such as this one in W-S), then it has some benefit despite it being a bit too ambitious (and/or presumptive) on a national level.   

[MillTheRoadgeek]

https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/wsnb/Pages/eastern-section-maps.aspx

Maps 6 and 7 are the segment between I-74 and I-40.

It's more clear for me now, but I'm surprised at how it'll alter the local landscape. https://journalnow.com/news/local/houses-to-face-demolition-in-path-of-beltway/article_9a1e80cc-a74a-5e01-9bb0-0e3395a60700.html Looks like some of those homes were bought out starting around 2006 even. I would be quite surprised if those homes were built in the 2000s-early 2010s, only to be rased en masse just 5-20 years later. Any such happenings for any of the newer NC freeways?

Keep in mind that the section of W-S Eastern Beltway between I-40 and current I-74 may not be the final plans. Since NCDOT is cash-strapped (as far as we know right now, they are), plans can change at anytime.

IMO, the flyovers between the planned I-74/I-40 interchange is a little too much. Besides there is also a planned full interchange between the current I-74 and the future WSEB which also includes flyovers. Don't be surprised if they change that into something else.

Good point. I'd rather leave movements from the southern side of I-74 to future NC-192 while the actual 74/40 crossing can handle northbound movements. Don't know if traffic warrants a full 74/40 interchange, however.

[architect77]

It's a policy that for many years a small portion of annual funding go into the loop fund so that for a lifetime of paying gas taxes, all cities in the state with traffic problems can get a loop or partial loop which will improve connectivity because by definition it's one road that accesses all the roads. It's deemed to be very efficient by the state.

In the far future I think smaller towns might get some of this effort if it's worthwhile and helpful to the immediate area.

[sparker]

It's a policy that for many years a small portion of annual funding go into the loop fund so that for a lifetime of paying gas taxes, all cities in the state with traffic problems can get a loop or partial loop which will improve connectivity because by definition it's one road that accesses all the roads. It's deemed to be very efficient by the state.

In the far future I think smaller towns might get some of this effort if it's worthwhile and helpful to the immediate area.

Going in the other direction -- it might be considered appropriate for a few of the larger composite metro areas, such as the so-called "Research Triangle" -- to consider a larger/wider-radius loop, since a number of current projects (I/NC 540, for instance) actually, at least in part, bisect the overall area.  This could be applied to the aforementioned area, a composite W/S-Greensboro/High Point facility, and even a more "linear" metro developmental area, like Charlotte west through Shelby.  These could utilize existing loops such as 540 or 485 in part but extend outward from them if deemed more efficient to do so.  Seeing as how current loop configurations (in NC as well as elsewhere) tend to get subsumed by development; outer loops -- with limitations on number/spacing of interchanges and accompanied by local zoning that prohibits or strictly limits commercial development along the corridor's length -- might be a useful way to divert traffic that doesn't need or want to access the city centers around the periphery.   

[The Ghostbuster]

Once the Interstate 74 segment of the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway is completed, how long might it be before construction of the Interstate 274 segment commences?

[Strider]

Once the Interstate 74 segment of the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway is completed, how long might it be before construction of the Interstate 274 segment commences?

I think the construction for the future I-274 will start sometime after the WSNB Eastern section is finished. I also believe the entire Western section of the beltway is funded and ready to go... unless otherwise.

[bob7374]

Once the Interstate 74 segment of the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway is completed, how long might it be before construction of the Interstate 274 segment commences?

I think the construction for the future I-274 will start sometime after the WSNB Eastern section is finished. I also believe the entire Western section of the beltway is funded and ready to go... unless otherwise.

The latest version of the 2020-2029 STIP dated May 2021 has the first western Beltway projects, from SR 1348 to NC 67 and NC 67 to US 52, starting in 2028, the remainder in 2029. Info on p. 7 of Div. 9 section, Available at:
https://connect.ncdot.gov/projects/planning/STIPDocuments1/NCDOT%20Current%20STIP.pdf

[sprjus4]

Henry, Rockingham counties will pursue extending I-73

Henry County is proposing to build part of an interstate highway into the county that has been on the drawing board since the 1990s.

"Henry County is working with Rockingham County [N.C.] to apply for a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity [RAISE] grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation,"  Henry County Administrator Tim Hall at a regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. "This bites off a chunk of I-73."

The interstate, billed by leaders at the time as a potential economic savior to the region, is a thoroughfare that would extend from Myrtle Beach, S.C., to Michigan, passing through six states.

After almost 25 years, North Carolina has built more than 100 miles of the road – from the city of Rockingham, N.C., in the south to Madison, part of Rockingham County, in the north – but no other state has added to the project.

"We presented a proposal to Rockingham last night, and they [commissioners] voted for it unanimously,"  Hall said. "They are going to be co-applicants with us."

The U.S. Department of Transportation has earmarked $1 billion to be awarded as competitive, discretionary grants. There is no requirement for a local match, but the request needs to be justifiable and delivered in the timeline presented in the grant request.

The building out of Commonwealth Crossing Business Center – about 15 miles north of the northern terminus of I-73 – is the impetus behind creating a justifiable need.

"When Crown Holdings [the next company building in the business park] goes online, they will make 5,600 cans every minute of every day, every day of the year,"  Hall said. "Up to 2,500 employees will ultimately work at CCBC."

Martinsville-Henry County EDC President Mark Heath said 2,500 was a conservative figure.

"We're marketing 65 acres of a fully-graded, shovel-ready pad, expandable to 145 acres and a 100-acres site for future development,"  Heath said. "We need to be making these improvements now."

Hall said the two counties jointly would apply for $15 million for roadway improvements at the 726-acre facility that is located abutting the Virginia-North Carolina line. Heath pointed out the traffic studies show that a considerable number of people going in and out of CCBC and coming from North Carolina.

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to join Rockingham County in applying for the grant funds.

The U.S. 220 Southern Connector already is being developed from the business center to improve traffic flow north. It's unclear whether that plan could be merged with the I-73 plan.

"This body took a leap of faith, and you had the courage, wisdom and where-with-all, and it's working,"  Hall told the board. "There is considerable interest in us and this park, and you should take some credit and encouragement from that."

This project seems overhyped. It's merely a proposal to construct a new grade separated interchange on US-220 just south of the Virginia-North Carolina border at Martinsville Loop (I mistook this for the US-220 / US-58 bypass at first, this is referring to a road in North Carolina called "Martinsville Loop") to accommodate a new business park. I suppose it's good news they are at least properly building access, as opposed to a new traffic signal or at-grade access on a future interstate corridor. The graphic is hard to make out, but it doesn't appear to do any mainline upgrades, such as extending frontage roads and making US-220 limited access up to the Virginia border. This would be the perfect opportunity to do such, especially tying into the future Martinsville Southern Connector, but doesn't appear to be anything more than ramps and an overpass.

[sparker]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Since, at least according to Bob M's site, NCDOT isn't planning to do anything about elevating this stretch to Interstate standards until at least 2029, is this project just going to be one of the sporadic interchanges along the existing expressway -- or will the Rockingham County proclamation be something of a "shot across the bow" of NCDOT to advance the schedule of the necessary upgrades.  Since the proposed can plant is on the NC side of the line -- but would likely include Martinsville within the plant's probable labor pool, some sort of coordination, at least with regards to a construction timetable, with the "Martinsville South Connector" (ostensibly the southernmost portion of I-73 within VA) might be beneficial on both sides of the state line.   Although on a smaller scale, the deployment of this plant, with its projected 2.5K employees, might serve as a catalyst for both VDOT and NCDOT to expedite a continuous I-grade facility between Greensboro and Martinsville just as the Tupelo Toyota plant did for I-22 a decade ago. 

[Mapmikey]

The Virginia CTB at its meeting this week had its first update in 18 months on what is happening with the Martinsville Southern Connector

http://www.ctb.virginia.gov/resources/2021/june/pres/7_martinsville_220_june2021.pdf

[Strider]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Since, at least according to Bob M's site, NCDOT isn't planning to do anything about elevating this stretch to Interstate standards until at least 2029, is this project just going to be one of the sporadic interchanges along the existing expressway -- or will the Rockingham County proclamation be something of a "shot across the bow" of NCDOT to advance the schedule of the necessary upgrades.  Since the proposed can plant is on the NC side of the line -- but would likely include Martinsville within the plant's probable labor pool, some sort of coordination, at least with regards to a construction timetable, with the "Martinsville South Connector" (ostensibly the southernmost portion of I-73 within VA) might be beneficial on both sides of the state line.   Although on a smaller scale, the deployment of this plant, with its projected 2.5K employees, might serve as a catalyst for both VDOT and NCDOT to expedite a continuous I-grade facility between Greensboro and Martinsville just as the Tupelo Toyota plant did for I-22 a decade ago.

And that stretch is still not planned to be upgradable until at least 2029 as well. I think what they are going to do is make a little bit of upgrades along the way:

They just finished the US 220 North bridge over RR railroad by widening the bridge to current standards.
The interchange between US 220/Future I-73 and US 311/NC 135 is planned to be upgraded in a few years.
Now, this proposed interchange just south of NC/VA line.

It will be a little bit of upgrades along the corridor.

[The Ghostbuster]

In the meantime, maybe the interchanges on US 220 north of Interstate 73's present terminus should be numbered (with Interstate 73 mileage-based numbers). That is, unless any of 220's existing exits are bypassed by a new alignment in the future.

[sparker]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Since, at least according to Bob M's site, NCDOT isn't planning to do anything about elevating this stretch to Interstate standards until at least 2029, is this project just going to be one of the sporadic interchanges along the existing expressway -- or will the Rockingham County proclamation be something of a "shot across the bow" of NCDOT to advance the schedule of the necessary upgrades.  Since the proposed can plant is on the NC side of the line -- but would likely include Martinsville within the plant's probable labor pool, some sort of coordination, at least with regards to a construction timetable, with the "Martinsville South Connector" (ostensibly the southernmost portion of I-73 within VA) might be beneficial on both sides of the state line.   Although on a smaller scale, the deployment of this plant, with its projected 2.5K employees, might serve as a catalyst for both VDOT and NCDOT to expedite a continuous I-grade facility between Greensboro and Martinsville just as the Tupelo Toyota plant did for I-22 a decade ago.

And that stretch is still not planned to be upgradable until at least 2029 as well. I think what they are going to do is make a little bit of upgrades along the way:

They just finished the US 220 North bridge over RR railroad by widening the bridge to current standards.
The interchange between US 220/Future I-73 and US 311/NC 135 is planned to be upgraded in a few years.
Now, this proposed interchange just south of NC/VA line.

It will be a little bit of upgrades along the corridor.

Sounds like some of the more challenging projects (primarily interchanges and/or structural improvements) are being addressed one at a time prior to a full project commitment post-'29.  It may be that by the time a larger composite effort is made -- and it will be a relatively long one by I-73 progress standards -- much of the work will be "cleanup" of eliminating private access, including constructing frontage roads as needed, and rebuilding of the main carriageways to Interstate standards.  If the coordination with Henry County, as suggested in my prior reply, can be arranged, the I-73 extension to US 58 might actually be reality by the early 2030's. 

On the flip side -- it will be interesting to see if by that time any progress is made concerning the I-73 crossing into SC south of Hamlet -- another endeavor that would require cooperation with a non-NC entity.  Haven't heard much recent news regarding the status of I-73 in SC; it appears that the term "back-burner" may well apply in this instance!

[sprjus4]

In the meantime, maybe the interchanges on US 220 north of Interstate 73's present terminus should be numbered (with Interstate 73 mileage-based numbers). That is, unless any of 220's existing exits are bypassed by a new alignment in the future.

I find it doubtful that segment of US-220 will be bypassed... the existing alignment looks upgradable with frontage road construction to connect any properties and minor at-grade intersections, tying into the existing interchanges.