^ No, a renumber would just cause more confusion than needs to exist. The highway has existed for 30+ years as “540” and will stay that.
I hear your decree but I hope you can't be that certain.
One morning the Beltline instantly became I-440 in the early 90s. US264/64 has been 2 interstates so far.
Capital Blvd. used to be North Blvd...Wake Forest Rd at the Beltline used to all be Old Wake Forest Rd.
Whatever rules that constrain 540 can be broken and have been in other parts of the country. NC got permission to toll I-95 a decade ago. One continuous 70 mile loop should not have multiple shields and multiple designations
The loop's main function/advantage is to be interpreted as a loop with access to all thoroughfares radiusing a city. A single designation is crucial for that interpretation to occur.
If Charlotte's outerbelt I-485 had multiple shields and names, and Atlanta's I-285 was a hodgepodge of different highways....
People would be like WTF? It would be far more confusing.
The very essence of interstate highways and their red, white, & blue shield design is to clearly & instantaneously be understood by all the nation's motorists with the assumption that they could be from out-of-state and unfamiliar with the area just as much as locals who know the area well.
We all heavily depend on those distinctive shields when traveling in other cities and states.
So with my age being almost 54 and witnessing the state's actions for a long time, I'm willing to bet that the completed loop will be renamed to one designation with one shield in the next 20-25 years. Mark my word.