US 74 in Shelby NC

[wriddle082]

That ramp looks okay to me. But if it is not interstate standard, I am sure the ramp can be modified. They have plenty of room to fix that in the future.

It's har to see, but there's a dip where the ramp goes down after crossing the bridge and then sharply back up. It causes truck trailers to bounce loudly if they hit it fast enough. I'm sure it's technically fine, but it doesn't scream "modern interstate ramp."

Can anyone else think of another example where a lane was taken away to make room for an on-ramp? The ramp from Aviation Parkway to I-540 in Morrisville is similar, but it was built that way from the start.

When they built the 485 turbine interchange at 85 in NE Charlotte a few years ago, they essentially narrowed 85 through the interchange complex from eight to six lanes to make room for two lanes merging in southbound and four lanes merging in northbound.  I think the end result is a 13-lane roadway (7 northbound, 6 southbound) between 485 and Bruton Smith/Concord Mills.

[bob7374]

The latest NCDOT tentative letting list covering August 2022 to July 2023 shows that the next two contracts related to the US 74 Shelby Bypass plan to be let on July 18, 2023:

Project R-2707D: US 74 SHELBY BYPASS FROM EAST OF NC 150 TO EXISTING US 74 WEST OF SR 2238 (LONG BRANCH ROAD), 4.1 Miles, COST ESTIMATE: $ 72,900,000.00
Project R-2707E: US 74 SHELBY BYPASS FROM US 74 WEST OF SR 2238 TO WEST OF SR 1001 (STONEY POINT ROAD), 2.6 Miles, COST ESTIMATE: $ 34,300,000.00

The entire project is currently set to be completed in 2027. Maps of sections D and E are available at the Project website:
https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/us-74-bypass/Pages/project-maps.aspx

[The Ghostbuster]

Hopefully once the Shelby Bypass is completed, the exits on US 74 from Businsess 74/Stoney Point Rd. eastward will get numbers, although getting them sooner would be preferable IMHO.

[ARMOURERERIC]

Any rumors on when it will be open to NC 18.  I have a few upcoming opportunities to drive the work zone but after seeing little progress the last 3 trips, I am not sure if the effort is worth it.


On a good note, I think I saw the Lattimore,  us 74 biz interchange west of Shelby make an appearance on the 13 month list.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

Any rumors on when it will be open to NC 18.  I have a few upcoming opportunities to drive the work zone but after seeing little progress the last 3 trips, I am not sure if the effort is worth it.


On a good note, I think I saw the Lattimore,  us 74 biz interchange west of Shelby make an appearance on the 13 month list.

If there are no more delays, all three projects should be let in July 2023. The first section of the bypass was let in May 2013.

The construction progress report shows construction of section C at 59% and scheduled for June 2024 completion. Hopefully the pace picks up as it's already been five years of construction for less than five miles of new highway.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

A public meeting will be held 8/25 for the proposed upgrades at Bus. 74/Lattimore Rd./Academy St. west of Shelby (project R-4045). This will replace the intersections with an interchange and replace the structurally deficient bridges over Sandy Run (BR-0012). Besides completing the Shelby Bypass, this will be the last project to fully upgrade US 74 to a freeway between I-26 and I-85.

Public input page
Alternative 1
Alternative 2

[The Ghostbuster]

Both alternatives will have roundabouts at the ramp terminals. How common are roundabout intersections in the state of North Carolina (they have built them everywhere here in Wisconsin)?

[sprjus4]

^ They're included in a lot of new interchange projects in the state.

[ARMOURERERIC]

I will be working the Forest City store on Tuesday, plus I need to hit Cleveland lumber supply on the way, so I will check out progress.  I am hearing that the new NC 18 bridge is open, as well as NC 180 relocat d at 150, there was an article several weeks back about the new intersection being a round a bout. I have also read that Metcalf Road has closed for bridge construction.

[ARMOURERERIC]

I am at a different work location today whose computer has Bing.  The imagry for Shelby there is more updated than Google Maps.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

I am at a different work location today whose computer has Bing.  The imagry for Shelby there is more updated than Google Maps.

That's pretty recent aerial imagery since it also shows clearing for the recently started US 221 Rutherfordton bypass. Google Street View also has imagery from this month showing clearing at US 64 and US 221A.

[ARMOURERERIC]

As for Rutherfordton  bypass, I drove on Old Charlotte Rd a week ago, there was pile driving for the northern abutment.

[Avalanchez71]

NC loves to make bypasses of bypasses.

[ARMOURERERIC]

Google maps shows a closing of NC18 over the bypass alignment through 1 December, could be the tie in work.

[CanesFan27]

NC loves to make bypasses of bypasses.

Many of the original bypasses were not limited access and were built in the 50s/60s - some of them originally as Super 2's.  The original Goldsboro (US 70) and Shelby (US 74) bypasses are great examples.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

NC loves to make bypasses of bypasses.

Many of the original bypasses were not limited access and were built in the 50s/60s - some of them originally as Super 2's.  The original Goldsboro (US 70) and Shelby (US 74) bypasses are great examples.

and Monroe, Asheboro, Selma, Greenville, Kinston (eventually...)

[Mapmikey]

NC loves to make bypasses of bypasses.

Many of the original bypasses were not limited access and were built in the 50s/60s - some of them originally as Super 2's.  The original Goldsboro (US 70) and Shelby (US 74) bypasses are great examples.

and Monroe, Asheboro, Selma, Greenville, Kinston (eventually...)

Elizabeth City, Tarboro, Reidville, Windsor, Williamston, Zebulon, Wilson, Clinton, Rutherfordton

[ARMOURERERIC]

Was searching something unrelated and found a very recent Google satellite map imagery update for Shelby Bypass and Rutherfordton  Bypass.  I'd say less than 60 days old.

Run in terror, it actually shows the NC 150 interchange paved

[Chris]

Google Earth (the application) shows the date of satellite images.

This shows that the most recent imagery is dated 11/8/2022.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

They would start paving on the side with a dead-end.... I'm surprised to see any paving at all. The completion date has been delayed (again) by another six months to December 2024. Progress is showing as 65% complete, nearly six years later.

Paving was not originally part of this contract and was to be let as a separate project (R-2707G), but I'm assuming that is now being completed as a supplemental agreement. The Airport Rd. overpass was not part of the original plans either. That could be affecting the progress report and pushing out the completion date. Maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised and this section will open "sooner" than expected, but that would probably be too much to expect for this decade-old project.

The remaining sections of the bypass are still scheduled to be let this summer, and the separate Lattimore Rd. interchange design-build project is being advertised.

[ARMOURERERIC]

Cowboy, sent you a PM earlier today, had a question

[cowboy_wilhelm]

On a random but US-74 related note, a Love's Travel Stop is coming to the US-74 and US-221 interchange. For anyone that drives this stretch, you know that there aren't many places to stop. If you were to drive from Wilmington to Asheville via US-74 and I-26, it would be more than 300 miles before you got to an NCDOT rest area... or 100+ miles from Charlotte.

[cowboy_wilhelm]

Would have expected a little more progress after nearly seven years. It's been so long that there are trees growing on the graded slopes. Guess it will be 2024 after all. Next month marks a decade since the first section of the bypass was awarded. Even the Panama Canal didn't take this long.

[ARMOURERERIC]

Had to detour through the work zone this morning to cover an emergency at our Forest City store.  The median piers for airport road are formed and may have even been poured.  Also, it appears that most if not all of the eastbound mainline has had final grading and compaction.

[wdcrft63]

Would have expected a little more progress after nearly seven years. It's been so long that there are trees growing on the graded slopes. Guess it will be 2024 after all. Next month marks a decade since the first section of the bypass was awarded. Even the Panama Canal didn't take this long.

FWIW, France tried for 18 years to build the Panama Canal. The U.S. took over their work in 1904, but it took another 10 years and 4 months before it was open, in August 1914.