Interstate 73/74

[The Ghostbuster]

I'm surprised they didn't sign it NC 74/NC 76. Oh well, now North Carolina has two NC 74s.

[jcil4ever]

Here's a drive through the 74/40 interchange today. Good to see it coming along!

[bob7374]

I have published my annual Year in Review of what happened with I-73/I-74 and other new NC interstates on the Gribblenation blog:
https://www.gribblenation.org/2026/01/i-73i-74-in-nc-and-nc-newfuture.html

[bob7374]

For those wondering whether US 311 shields had finally been removed from the Randolph County section of I-74, the answer is no, at least as of last November. Google Maps Street View images show signs still in place:




Are they going to wait until the 10 year anniversary of the route's decommissioning south of Winston-Salem in 2028?

[PColumbus73]

Rebrand the orphaned segment as NC 311? Or Business Spur 74?

Seems like that portion of US 311 is important enough to keep it around.

Edit: The addresses on that segment have the street name as "US Hwy 311", which might also explain the vestigial US 311.

[The Ghostbuster]

We'll likely have to wait until the next time they replace signage along old US 311 before it is fully removed.

[jcil4ever]

For those wondering whether US 311 shields had finally been removed from the Randolph County section of I-74, the answer is no, at least as of last November. Google Maps Street View images show signs still in place:




Are they going to wait until the 10 year anniversary of the route's decommissioning south of Winston-Salem in 2028?

Oh, wow, still that way on 73 too!

[bob7374]

NCDOT has awarded the currently last funded project related to Future I-73 along US 220 in Rockingham County:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2026/2026-01-29-interchange-bridge-us220-rockingham-county.aspx

[bob7374]

According to the latest NCDOT 12-month Tentative Letting List, Feb. 2026 to Jan. 2027. The project that will close one of three remaining intersections along US 74 in Robeson County, Creek Road, with a grade separation is to be let on Jan. 19, 2027:

Project I-6011A Length: 0.473 MI Description :"US 74 CONVERT AT-GRADE INTERSECTION OF US 74 AND
SR 2225 (CREEK ROAD) TO GRADE SEPARATION."
LATEST PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE: $9,200,000 (10/21/25)

This will leave two more between NC 130 and the Lumber River bridges.

[brian440i]

According to the latest NCDOT 12-month Tentative Letting List, Feb. 2026 to Jan. 2027. The project that will upgrade one of three remaining intersections along US 74 in Robeson County, Creek Road, to an interchange is to be let on Jan. 19, 2027. This will leave two more between NC 130 and the Lumber River bridges.

Did it really say Interchange for Creek Rd.  It has always said "Grade Separation" which I took for a Bridge.  An Interchange would be overkill with the New NC130 to the South of it and Broadridge Rd to the North in this Rural Area.

Also
Any word on the the expansion of a frontage road from NC130 to be able to close off the last two minor intersections north of the Lumber River?   I've always assumed that would not happen until US74 upgraded shoulders to interstate standards.

[bob7374]

According to the latest NCDOT 12-month Tentative Letting List, Feb. 2026 to Jan. 2027. The project that will upgrade one of three remaining intersections along US 74 in Robeson County, Creek Road, to an interchange is to be let on Jan. 19, 2027. This will leave two more between NC 130 and the Lumber River bridges.

Did it really say Interchange for Creek Rd.  It has always said "Grade Separation" which I took for a Bridge.  An Interchange would be overkill with the New NC130 to the South of it and Broadridge Rd to the North in this Rural Area.

Also
Any word on the the expansion of a frontage road from NC130 to be able to close off the last two minor intersections north of the Lumber River?   I've always assumed that would not happen until US74 upgraded shoulders to interstate standards.

Thanks. Yes, it is actually a grade separation. I have changed my original post. Note the project number is I-6011A, meaning there is a B part which has not been let and may involve the last 2 intersections.

[bob7374]

Lanes are being closed on I-40 this week in the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway construction zone so that "overhand jacks on bridge girders" can be installed. Is this an indication that the flyover ramps being built over the interstate are almost complete, or that there's still much work left to do?
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2026/2026-02-09-forsyth-northern-beltway-closures.aspx

[carbaugh2]

I found the following video put together last month by the Winston-Salem Journal.

NCDOT has the two contracts listed at 87 and 90 percent complete, so I think the answer is that things are getting close to completion. The video states that the new section is to open by the end of the year, but the progress percentages make me think it will be much sooner than that.

[bob7374]

According to the latest NCDOT 12-month Tentative Letting List, Feb. 2026 to Jan. 2027. The project that will upgrade one of three remaining intersections along US 74 in Robeson County, Creek Road, to an interchange is to be let on Jan. 19, 2027. This will leave two more between NC 130 and the Lumber River bridges.

Did it really say Interchange for Creek Rd.  It has always said "Grade Separation" which I took for a Bridge.  An Interchange would be overkill with the New NC130 to the South of it and Broadridge Rd to the North in this Rural Area.

Also
Any word on the the expansion of a frontage road from NC130 to be able to close off the last two minor intersections north of the Lumber River?   I've always assumed that would not happen until US74 upgraded shoulders to interstate standards.

Thanks. Yes, it is actually a grade separation. I have changed my original post. Note the project number is I-6011A, meaning there may be a B part which has not been let and may involve the last 2 intersections.

There was a surprise in the latest NCDOT 12 month letting list covering March 2026 to February 2027. The grade separation project for Creek Road was advanced from January 2027 to this August. Meanwhile, a pavement rehab project appeared for I-73/I-74 in Montgomery County for next February. Will this be the project that finally widens the shoulders to interstate standards first promised in 1997?

[ARMOURERERIC]

Where is the creek rd intersection?

[Henry]

Where is the creek rd intersection?

Right about here

[ARMOURERERIC]

Just reading that recently, just before they got congressional recognition, the Lumbee tribe spent
$6 million on 240 acres near 74 & 95 to build a casino complex.  Wonder if this is having an impact on local major highway priorities.

[brian440i]

I would not think so...

The purchase was only in the past couple of months and is located on I-95 (Exit 10) Chicken Road which is South of I-74 and is South of the Expansion of I-95 to 8 Lanes.

Also... Not sure the Lumbees have voted for Casino over Office Park yet...  though only Casino on I-95 between D.C. and South Florida...

We will  see  if N.C. DOT consider Upgrading South of I-74 Interchange down to Exit 10... if they build a major Casino but I recall the road is in good shape though only 4 lanes currently.

PS
Could have gotten some free publicity of location if they had purchased 10 miles south at the "South of the Border" Exit on the North Carolina Side. Since those distances are known to everyone.

[bob7374]

Roadwaywiz has posted new videos covering the length of current and future I-74 in NC which includes some new images taken in early February east of I-95 and of the new Rockingham Bypass and Winston-Salem Beltway:
I-74 Southern segment heading west: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFt8vd3fHPE
I-74 Southern segment heading east: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEoEIlCIuIc
I-74 Northern segment heading west: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppqCu9gpJmY

New images captured in the videos include of the project building the new interchange in Robeson County which appears only lacking signage and lane painting:


More of these screen grabs are at: https://www.malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i74seg17.html#photos

[jdunlop]

I would not think so...

The purchase was only in the past couple of months and is located on I-95 (Exit 10) Chicken Road which is South of I-74 and is South of the Expansion of I-95 to 8 Lanes.

Also... Not sure the Lumbees have voted for Casino over Office Park yet...  though only Casino on I-95 between D.C. and South Florida...

We will  see  if N.C. DOT consider Upgrading South of I-74 Interchange down to Exit 10... if they build a major Casino but I recall the road is in good shape though only 4 lanes currently.

PS
Could have gotten some free publicity of location if they had purchased 10 miles south at the "South of the Border" Exit on the North Carolina Side. Since those distances are known to everyone.

There's a casino going in at Exit 118 in Virginia (roughly an hour south of the DC beltway) so there's at least one in between DC and Florida.

On I-85, there's a casino at exit 5, in the currently 4-lane section south of US 74.  They did have to upgrade the interchange to a DDI. 

I'd expect that some improvements would be needed on I-95 if a casino went in at exit 10, as it's a two-lane road with no turn lanes.  It doesn't have the background traffic volume that Kings Mountain Road had in Cleveland County, but something would need to be done.  At a minimum, roundabouts at the interchange ramp intersections. Looking at the AADT, that might be enough.

There was a feasibility study for I-95 from the SC line to I-74 done circa 2021, primarily for construction cost estimates and identifying needed improvements.  IIRC, the only interchange that would likely need replacement is at the border (exit 1) given the awkward geometry.  I sketched a couple of options a little north of the existing interchange that could work (also would put all the ramps in NC instead of half in SC.)  I believe all the other bridges over 95 were OK with minor improvements at the ramp intersections (also likely roundabouts), but the bridges might be replaced due to age if/when 95 is widened.  Both six and eight lane sections were estimated.  (Wide enough median for either.)

[Henry]

I would not think so...

The purchase was only in the past couple of months and is located on I-95 (Exit 10) Chicken Road which is South of I-74 and is South of the Expansion of I-95 to 8 Lanes.

Also... Not sure the Lumbees have voted for Casino over Office Park yet...  though only Casino on I-95 between D.C. and South Florida...

We will  see  if N.C. DOT consider Upgrading South of I-74 Interchange down to Exit 10... if they build a major Casino but I recall the road is in good shape though only 4 lanes currently.

PS
Could have gotten some free publicity of location if they had purchased 10 miles south at the "South of the Border" Exit on the North Carolina Side. Since those distances are known to everyone.

There's a casino going in at Exit 118 in Virginia (roughly an hour south of the DC beltway) so there's at least one in between DC and Florida.

On I-85, there's a casino at exit 5, in the currently 4-lane section south of US 74.  They did have to upgrade the interchange to a DDI. 

I'd expect that some improvements would be needed on I-95 if a casino went in at exit 10, as it's a two-lane road with no turn lanes.  It doesn't have the background traffic volume that Kings Mountain Road had in Cleveland County, but something would need to be done.  At a minimum, roundabouts at the interchange ramp intersections. Looking at the AADT, that might be enough.

There was a feasibility study for I-95 from the SC line to I-74 done circa 2021, primarily for construction cost estimates and identifying needed improvements.  IIRC, the only interchange that would likely need replacement is at the border (exit 1) given the awkward geometry.  I sketched a couple of options a little north of the existing interchange that could work (also would put all the ramps in NC instead of half in SC.)  I believe all the other bridges over 95 were OK with minor improvements at the ramp intersections (also likely roundabouts), but the bridges might be replaced due to age if/when 95 is widened.  Both six and eight lane sections were estimated.  (Wide enough median for either.)

If you have those sketches, I'd like to see them in the Road-Related Illustrations section. Personally, I'd build a DDI in the vicinity of South of the Border. The footprint is already there, and reconfiguring the road below in conjunction of the I-95 rebuild would be well worth the headache.

[PColumbus73]

A DDI might be overkill. Converting Exit 1 to a typical diamond might be sufficient. I never see South of the Border packed with cars. Would be worth keeping Exit 1A because of the extra length.

[jdunlop]

I would not think so...

The purchase was only in the past couple of months and is located on I-95 (Exit 10) Chicken Road which is South of I-74 and is South of the Expansion of I-95 to 8 Lanes.

Also... Not sure the Lumbees have voted for Casino over Office Park yet...  though only Casino on I-95 between D.C. and South Florida...

We will  see  if N.C. DOT consider Upgrading South of I-74 Interchange down to Exit 10... if they build a major Casino but I recall the road is in good shape though only 4 lanes currently.

PS
Could have gotten some free publicity of location if they had purchased 10 miles south at the "South of the Border" Exit on the North Carolina Side. Since those distances are known to everyone.

There's a casino going in at Exit 118 in Virginia (roughly an hour south of the DC beltway) so there's at least one in between DC and Florida.

On I-85, there's a casino at exit 5, in the currently 4-lane section south of US 74.  They did have to upgrade the interchange to a DDI. 

I'd expect that some improvements would be needed on I-95 if a casino went in at exit 10, as it's a two-lane road with no turn lanes.  It doesn't have the background traffic volume that Kings Mountain Road had in Cleveland County, but something would need to be done.  At a minimum, roundabouts at the interchange ramp intersections. Looking at the AADT, that might be enough.

There was a feasibility study for I-95 from the SC line to I-74 done circa 2021, primarily for construction cost estimates and identifying needed improvements.  IIRC, the only interchange that would likely need replacement is at the border (exit 1) given the awkward geometry.  I sketched a couple of options a little north of the existing interchange that could work (also would put all the ramps in NC instead of half in SC.)  I believe all the other bridges over 95 were OK with minor improvements at the ramp intersections (also likely roundabouts), but the bridges might be replaced due to age if/when 95 is widened.  Both six and eight lane sections were estimated.  (Wide enough median for either.)

If you have those sketches, I'd like to see them in the Road-Related Illustrations section. Personally, I'd build a DDI in the vicinity of South of the Border. The footprint is already there, and reconfiguring the road below in conjunction of the I-95 rebuild would be well worth the headache.

I was posting from memory; I retired four years ago and any sketches are in files I can no longer reach.

One issue with the current layout IIRC was the southbound off-ramp loop, which is an outdated design and would need to be modified.  One concept was to put the ramps just north of the buildings on the west side (hotel and gas station) either by rerouting US 301 to that new location (and then down Williams Pond Road) or by building just ramps to connect to existing 301.  Any drawings would have been (virtual) pencil sketches.  I don't recall which option was used in the feasibility study.

A DDI would be unlikely; I doubt the volumes justify it, either by amount nor directional split.

Most of South of the Border is closing; only thing that would be re-built there that could cause a traffic issue is a Buc-ee's, but Florence is too close for their marketing area.

[bob7374]

NCDOT advisory about the US 1 exit on the "US 74 Bypass" in Rockingham temporarily closing:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2026/2026-03-04-richmond-county-interchange-detour.aspx

[bob7374]

Mileage Mike recently posted a video from a January drive along I-74/Future I-74/US 74 West from Lumberton to Laurinburg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSTPtFMEquw

The video shows progress in shoulder widening, though not to Interstate standards, in Robeson County between the Alt/Bus 74 exit and the Scotland County line:


Further images are available at: https://malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i74seg15.html