Interstate 73/74

[sprjus4]

I-40 usually is the quickest way from the Piedmont Triad to Wilmington, but if you have to travel during peak AM and PM rush hours (6-9 AM or 4-7 PM) then taking I-74/US 74 would be quicker because of Raleigh/Durham traffic congestion.

Agreed, plus NCDOT just started the I-40 widening project between I-440 and NC-42, which makes taking I-74/US-74 even more attractive.

Probably less traffic overall on the I-74/US-74 routing. Though, if one is in a hurry and just wants to get there, hop on I-40 and set the cruise at 80 mph with no interruptions, and you're good.

[LM117]

Looks like the stretch of what's currently I-74 between I-40 and the future W-S Northern Beltway interchange will become NC-192 after I-74 is moved onto the beltway.

https://www.journalnow.com/news/local/u-s-to-high-point-is-going-away-but-don/article_8c365cc0-b7d7-58f6-8ed5-732f633b299a.html

Though I call BS here:

"We do have a statewide interest in reducing situations where there are multiple designations along a single route,"  said Aaron Moody, a public relations officer for the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Their plan to create an unnecessary I-42/US-70 overlap in Havelock says otherwise.

[jcarte29]

Looks like the stretch of what's currently I-74 between I-40 and the future W-S Northern Beltway interchange will become NC-192 after I-74 is moved onto the beltway.

https://www.journalnow.com/news/local/u-s-to-high-point-is-going-away-but-don/article_8c365cc0-b7d7-58f6-8ed5-732f633b299a.html

Though I call BS here:

"We do have a statewide interest in reducing situations where there are multiple designations along a single route,"  said Aaron Moody, a public relations officer for the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Their plan to create an unnecessary I-42/US-70 overlap in Havelock says otherwise.

The first sentence of this article infuriates me. "Sometime this fall, you won't be able to take U.S. 311 to High Point anymore." Just stop. lol They're not de-constructing the road and removing it from the map. It's simply going to be I-74's pavement (as it has been for 5 years now for those of us who follow daily.)

But that first sentence creates a false sense of hysteria, IMHO.

[ARMOURERERIC]

I recently restudied all the maps for the W-S beltline, I was surprised to see that there would be full interchanges at all 3 juctions:. 40@exitsing 74, the 74 branch off to the he beltline and 40/new 74, seems like overkill.

[bob7374]

I've posted new photos taken by J. Austin Carter of Winston-Salem Beltway related construction along US 52 north of Winston-Salem, which includes a new exit ramp on US 52 South for NC 65 and a new NC 65 bridge:


The rest of the photos at: http://www.malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i74seg4.html#photos

[bob7374]

In the "Oh, nevermind," category. NCDOT, which 6 months ago delayed the letting of the 2 I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass contracts from October to December 2019, has, in the August 2019-July 2020 12-month tentative letting list, now advanced the projects from December to October 15, 2019. This means once again that plans should be published 8 weeks before the letting in mid-August and construction should start before the end of the year.

[LM117]

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-07-18-i-74-overnight-detour-high-point.aspx

HIGH POINT — Traffic on westbound Interstate 74 will be detoured overnight​ Saturday while N.C. Department of Transportation contract crews work on an interchange improvement project.

From 10 p.m. Saturday until 9 a.m. Sunday, drivers on I-74 West will be required to take Eastchester Drive (Exit 67) to exit and return to the interstate.

The detour will enable crews to safely install new drainage pipes near the exit.

Drivers on I-74 West should slow down near the interchange, watch for signage for the temporary traffic pattern and be cautious near the work zone.

[LM117]

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-07-25-forsyth-county-bridge-work.aspx

WINSTON-SALEM — N.C. Department of Transportation contractors will be closing lanes on Interstate 40 Business to install overhead signs and conduct bridge and road work.

The inside lanes of the Business 40 will be closed in both directions between Hastings Hill Road and South Main Street​ as preparation continues for tying in a section of the future Winston-Salem Northern Beltway.

Construction will only be overnight, beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, July 26, and lasting until 11 a.m. Saturday. Work will resume at 8 p.m. Saturday and end at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Crews will repeat the same construction schedule the following weekend, Aug. 2-4.

N.C. 66, Interstate 40 and U.S. 52 can be used as alternative routes to avoid eastbound Business 40 during the closure.

Drivers should slow down and be cautious throughout the work zone and be advised that the reduction to one lane in each direction of Business 40 may cause delays.

[tolbs17]

Cant wait for the eastern side to open! It would make a huge difference when theres traffic going through Winston-Salem.

[sprjus4]

The first segment of the Winston-Salem beltway between Business 40 and US-158 is still on-track to open in November as NC-74.

Funny how this article still provides hope that the two I-74's are still going to be connected.

First beltway segment opens this fall

From Kernersville to the outskirts of Rural Hall, folks are watching N.C. 74 take shape.

N.C. 74, you say?

That's what the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway will be called, at least until sometime in 2024, when the last segment of the eastern leg of the beltway is finished.

After that, N.C. 74 becomes Interstate 74 and will form part of a future Midwest-to-Atlantic coast freeway.

"That will be the point where we get to sign that as I-74,"  said Pat Ivey, the division engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation in Forsyth County. "You will be able to go all the way from (the existing) I-74 to U.S. 52."

A lot of people have been waiting a long time for the beltway. And not just motorists: Hundreds of landowners in the path of the project are finally getting bought out, after many of them filed suit earlier in the decade.

"The (transportation) department and the owners have been able to negotiate settlements acceptable to both sides,"  landowners attorney Matthew Bryant said.

Bryant represented hundreds of clients who won a victory in 2016 at the N.C. Supreme Court, which declared that landowners had lost property rights by being designated in the path of the roadway.

Big road

The beltway will be a 35-mile freeway running some three-quarters of the way around Winston-Salem, from I-74 on the southeast side, north to U.S. 52 near Rural Hall, and back south to U.S. 158 near Clemmons.

The freeway will have three lanes in each direction on the eastern side, and two in each direction on the west.

Motorists have been watching the first segment of the beltway under construction between Business 40 and Reidsville Road since 2014, when the $154 million contract was awarded to Dragados USA Inc.

Ivey said people will be able to start driving on the 3.4-mile segment in November, although he doesn't expect many drivers to use the road until the next segment opens between Reidsville and New Walkertown roads.

Scheduled for completion in June of 2021, that segment could open as early as the end of 2020, Ivey said. E.S. Wagner Co. LLC is handling that $33 million part of the beltway.

"That contractor is way ahead of schedule,"  Ivey said, "In fact, right now the project is about 43% complete. All the major bridges, with the exception of the one right off 158, they're done. That is actually the smallest of all the beltway projects."

When the beltway is open between New Walkertown Road and Business 40, Ivey expects truck traffic especially to begin moving over to the new road.

[tolbs17]

The first segment of the Winston-Salem beltway between Business 40 and US-158 is still on-track to open in November as NC-74.

Funny how this article still provides hope that the two I-74's are still going to be connected.

First beltway segment opens this fall

From Kernersville to the outskirts of Rural Hall, folks are watching N.C. 74 take shape.

N.C. 74, you say?

That's what the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway will be called, at least until sometime in 2024, when the last segment of the eastern leg of the beltway is finished.

After that, N.C. 74 becomes Interstate 74 and will form part of a future Midwest-to-Atlantic coast freeway.

"That will be the point where we get to sign that as I-74,"  said Pat Ivey, the division engineer for the N.C. Department of Transportation in Forsyth County. "You will be able to go all the way from (the existing) I-74 to U.S. 52."

A lot of people have been waiting a long time for the beltway. And not just motorists: Hundreds of landowners in the path of the project are finally getting bought out, after many of them filed suit earlier in the decade.

"The (transportation) department and the owners have been able to negotiate settlements acceptable to both sides,"  landowners attorney Matthew Bryant said.

Bryant represented hundreds of clients who won a victory in 2016 at the N.C. Supreme Court, which declared that landowners had lost property rights by being designated in the path of the roadway.

Big road

The beltway will be a 35-mile freeway running some three-quarters of the way around Winston-Salem, from I-74 on the southeast side, north to U.S. 52 near Rural Hall, and back south to U.S. 158 near Clemmons.

The freeway will have three lanes in each direction on the eastern side, and two in each direction on the west.

Motorists have been watching the first segment of the beltway under construction between Business 40 and Reidsville Road since 2014, when the $154 million contract was awarded to Dragados USA Inc.

Ivey said people will be able to start driving on the 3.4-mile segment in November, although he doesn't expect many drivers to use the road until the next segment opens between Reidsville and New Walkertown roads.

Scheduled for completion in June of 2021, that segment could open as early as the end of 2020, Ivey said. E.S. Wagner Co. LLC is handling that $33 million part of the beltway.

"That contractor is way ahead of schedule,"  Ivey said, "In fact, right now the project is about 43% complete. All the major bridges, with the exception of the one right off 158, they're done. That is actually the smallest of all the beltway projects."

When the beltway is open between New Walkertown Road and Business 40, Ivey expects truck traffic especially to begin moving over to the new road.

That's some exciting news! And yeah. Do you think I-74 will be connected? It is funny that that article proves that both I-74s will be connected.

[sprjus4]

Do you think I-74 will be connected?

The corridor authorized in 1991 states it will be connected, but realistically, it's never going to happen.

[tolbs17]

Do you think I-74 will be connected?

The corridor authorized in 1991 states it will be connected, but realistically, it's never going to happen.

That's good. I-74 connection doesn't need to happen. It's the worst interstate numbered in North Carolina.

[sparker]

Do you think I-74 will be connected?

The corridor authorized in 1991 states it will be connected, but realistically, it's never going to happen.

That's good. I-74 connection doesn't need to happen. It's the worst interstate numbered in North Carolina.

It's likely all the disparate I-74 sections, appropriateness of number notwithstanding, within NC itself will be connected within 15 years or so.  Now -- connection to the section of I-74 extending west from Cincinnati, OH -- that's more of a "when pigs fly" scenario.  Cooperation from VA, WV, and OH (or maybe even KY) would be a prerequisite for such a project -- and it's been made clear from OH that they don't intend to cooperate; WV, after striking out with their plan to tie together mined-out coal operations, hasn't seen fit to prioritize the "King Coal" corridor concept, now 28 years old, especially with the downturn in coal-related revenue  (and the substance's increasingly dismal reputation).  And unless WV does something on their end, VA's not going to gratuitously erect I-74 shields along their segment of I-77.  So WB I-74 will simply peter out at the NC/VA state line. 

[Roadsguy]

So WB I-74 will simply peter out at the NC/VA state line.

Which is why NCDOT really needs to unsign I-74 along I-77 and put up proper END signs there, even if it officially extends to the state line as far as NCDOT and FHWA records indicate.

[Verlanka]

So WB I-74 will simply peter out at the NC/VA state line.

Which is why NCDOT really needs to unsign I-74 along I-77 and put up proper END signs there, even if it officially extends to the state line as far as NCDOT and FHWA records indicate.

I thought I-74 was going to be extended. Or is that not happening anytime soon?

[vdeane]

So WB I-74 will simply peter out at the NC/VA state line.

Which is why NCDOT really needs to unsign I-74 along I-77 and put up proper END signs there, even if it officially extends to the state line as far as NCDOT and FHWA records indicate.

I thought I-74 was going to be extended. Or is that not happening anytime soon?

Despite legislation saying otherwise, all I-74 plans outside of the Carolinas are basically dead.  Same for I-73 north of Virginia.

[LM117]

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-08-13-lane-closure-business-40-kernersville.aspx

KERNERSVILLE — N.C. Department of Transportation contractors need to close a lane of Business 40 overnight on the west side of Kernersville to safely remove and replace guardrail.

The outside lane of westbound Business 40 will be closed at the South Main Street interchange, exit 14, from 8 tonight until 6 a.m. Wednesday.

The work is part of ongoing preparation to tie the eastern side of the future Winston-Salem Northern Beltway with Business 40 near Hastings Hill Road.

People wishing to avoid Business 40 West during the closure can use N.C. 66, Interstate 40 and U.S. 52 as alternative routes.

Drivers who take Business 40 West should slow down near Kernersville and anticipate the possibility of delays as traffic passes through the work zone.

[bob7374]

Some bad news from the recently released "Final Draft" 2020-2029 STIP. While still officially, funded, due to right of way purchases due to start in 2027, the start date for upgrading US 74 to Interstate standards between NC 41 in Lumberton and US 76 west of Whiteville has been pushed back from 2029 to 'post years' aka after 2029. The dates of the intersection upgrade projects, however, along that section have not changed with the upgrade of the NC 130/72 intersections to start in 2023.

[tolbs17]

Some bad news from the recently released "Final Draft" 2020-2029 STIP. While still officially, funded, due to right of way purchases due to start in 2027, the start date for upgrading US 74 to Interstate standards between NC 41 in Lumberton and US 76 west of Whiteville has been pushed back from 2029 to 'post years' aka after 2029. The dates of the intersection upgrade projects, however, along that section have not changed with the upgrade of the NC 130/72 intersections to start in 2023.

Maybe it's not too important to upgrade that section yet. But I don't know why they push back projects. They should speed up stuff and get stuff done quicker! A freeway from Charlotte to Wilmington is ultimately needed.

[ARMOURERERIC]

A number of delayed projects should be scoring way higher than the west half of the W-S Beltline. 

[bob7374]

NCDOT has released the plans for the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass project to be let in October. Sign plans reveal the following:
I-73 South will end at the US 74 Bypass, for now. Plans for Future I-73 overlays on the overhead and reassurance marker signs are included, but apparently NCDOT does not want to extend I-73 any further until SCDOT builds its section.
Related, new exit signs for the US 74 Bypass are included as part of the project, but they will retain the US 74 mileage based numbers. Overlay tab plans for I-73 exit numbers are included, but for only the exits that are west of US 1. Curiously, the number for the NC 381 exit, which is after I-73 would leave, also retains its US 74 number.
Sign plans for the pull throughs at the US 220 exit at the northern end of the Bypass have been changed from those released for the first segment of the Bypass. The control cities were to be Wilmington and Myrtle Beach in the original plans, but this now has been changed to Lumberton.
It appears US 220 may not have a future, or at least downgraded in importance. With the I-73/I-74 Bypass built, trailblazer sign for To US 220 along I-74/US 74 prior to and at the US 1 exit ramps will be removed.

Here are a couple examples of the sign plan images:




The 3 sign plan files can be found through the links here:
https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/dsplan/2019%20Highway%20Letting/10-15-19/Plans%20and%20Proposals/R-3421A_B%20Richmond_Montgomery_34446.3.4_C204181/

[sprjus4]

Something interesting relating to the specific design of the highway is that a 70 foot median will be used as opposed to the standard 46 foot median... NCDOT used 60-70 foot medians in the 80s, 90s, and early 00s, but then switched to 46 foot on most projects in the past 10 years.

A 70 mph speed limit will be posted on the new freeway, however it will drop to 65 mph after tying back into the 2017-completed portion on the northern end.

The design of the US-74 / US-74 Business / I-73 / I-74 interchange is interesting, and is done properly IMO. It provides free-flowing movements to all facilities, maintains continuity for I-73 / I-74 (something that is lacking on other parts of I-73 - I'm looking at you Greensboro), and the movement between US-74 East to I-73 / I-74 East and vice versa is designed as a major junction, with a two-lane flyover utilized at the split.



Overall, a well designed proposal IMO, and will be looking forward to watching its progress over the next few years and seeing it completed.

[Roadsguy]

Nice to finally see the proposed design for that interchange. I could never find any preliminary designs that weren't just a line on the map pointing at the existing trumpet.

[LM117]

https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-08-26-business-40-lane-closures.aspx

WINSTON-SALEM — Lanes of Interstate 40 Business will be reduced at varying times this week in eastern Forsyth County as work continues on the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway​ project.

The closures begin on the eastbound side, where contract crews will remove portable concrete barrier wall.

The inside lane of Business 40 East will close from 8 p.m. on Monday until 6 a.m. Tuesday. The outside lane will then close during the same hours from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning.

The closures will shift Wednesday evening to the westbound side, allowing the contractor to safely complete work on bridges spanning over the interstate.

The contractor will close the inside lane of Business 40 West from 8 p.m. Wednesday until 6 a.m. Thursday, and follow the same schedule for the outside lane closure from Thursday evening to Friday morning.

Drivers who want to avoid Business 40 during the closures this week can use N.C. 66, Interstate 40 and U.S. 52 as alternative routes.

Those who do use Business 40 should slow down, be mindful of the work crews and anticipate the possibility of delays as traffic passes through the work zone.