Interstate 73/74

[vdeane]

I-74 is functionally north-south, might as well treat it as such.

Between I-77 and Wilmington, it's more east-west than north-south.

Except the terminus if Myrtle Beach, not Wilmington.  And even that is a diagonal that could be either.  I-73 is its own number.  I-74 is an unnecessary duplicate that is much more out of grid.  And there's no need for both, given that neither route will ever be built outside of NC.  Of the two, I-74 at least has independent utility.  I-73 doesn't; the small portion outside the overlap can easily be a 3di.

[sprjus4]

I-74 is functionally north-south, might as well treat it as such.

Between I-77 and Wilmington, it's more east-west than north-south.

Except the terminus if Myrtle Beach, not Wilmington.  And even that is a diagonal that could be either.  I-73 is its own number.  I-74 is an unnecessary duplicate that is much more out of grid.  And there's no need for both, given that neither route will ever be built outside of NC.  Of the two, I-74 at least has independent utility.  I-73 doesn't; the small portion outside the overlap can easily be a 3di.

Since you're talking about hypothetically changing routes, then I'll suggest hypothetically changing I-74's terminus to Wilmington, as that is the natural direction of that route. The extension to Myrtle Beach is the most unrealistic part of any of the I-73/I-74 proposals and won't ever happen.

[The Ghostbuster]

If Interstate 74 is rerouted to terminate in Wilmington, they will have to reconfigure the Interstate 140 interchange to provide free-flow movements in all directions. In any event, I think US 74/76 should be completely freeway from the future interchange with the Carolina Bays Parkway and the eastern end of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, regardless of which direction the Intestate 74 designation goes. If Interstate 74 still follows the CBP into South Carolina, I think the 74/76 corridor to Wilmington should get the Interstate 174 designation (the Interstate 174 designation was proposed for the Robert Edge Parkway in North Myrtle Beach, but since the roadway was not built as a freeway, the 174 designation could not be applied).

[Strider]

Most of us will not see I-73 built from Stokesdale to Roanoke and/or from Rockingham to Myrtle Beach in our lifetime anyways. It will get built eventually. The future generations will have a better chance to see it happening than we do.

I highly doubt Virginia will be building it for a long, long, LONG time. There is no interest at all. Nor money.

South Carolina at least has interest, just no money.

These are the only southbound reassurance signs along the Interstate 74/77 duplex on the side of the roadway: https://www.google.com/maps/@36.5486465,-80.7448132,3a,75y,197.62h,98.16t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1soZ49jSWBRznUWGwGWRoCGQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-8.160257394738508%26panoid%3DoZ49jSWBRznUWGwGWRoCGQ%26yaw%3D197.62130907364696!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDIyNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D. There are none northbound after the 74/77 split, not even an End Interstate 74 sign at the state line.

There used to be one for northbound near the Weigh Station on I-74/I-77 North. I think that sign was taken out by an car accident a long while ago and I guess they didn't put it back since then...

https://www.aaroads.com/guides/i-074-west-surry-nc/#gallery-21

[bob7374]

Most of us will not see I-73 built from Stokesdale to Roanoke and/or from Rockingham to Myrtle Beach in our lifetime anyways. It will get built eventually. The future generations will have a better chance to see it happening than we do.

I highly doubt Virginia will be building it for a long, long, LONG time. There is no interest at all. Nor money.

South Carolina at least has interest, just no money.

These are the only southbound reassurance signs along the Interstate 74/77 duplex on the side of the roadway: https://www.google.com/maps/@36.5486465,-80.7448132,3a,75y,197.62h,98.16t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1soZ49jSWBRznUWGwGWRoCGQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-8.160257394738508%26panoid%3DoZ49jSWBRznUWGwGWRoCGQ%26yaw%3D197.62130907364696!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDIyNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D. There are none northbound after the 74/77 split, not even an End Interstate 74 sign at the state line.

There used to be one for northbound near the Weigh Station on I-74/I-77 North. I think that sign was taken out by an car accident a long while ago and I guess they didn't put it back since then...

https://www.aaroads.com/guides/i-074-west-surry-nc/#gallery-21

Perhaps they will put new ones up under the sign update contract. Though the sign plans do not explicitly include any update to any of existing ground mounted signs along I-74/77 except for the mile markers and auxiliary signs. Interestingly, this includes updating the mileposts along I-74 between I-77 and US 52, but these are to be duplicates of the existing plain ones, not the enhanced variety with I-74 shields the plans show are going to put along the Beltway, matching those being put up on surrounding I-77 and US 52 segments. They do know that the first two segments are officially I-74, don't they?

[bob7374]

Weekend road and lane closures on I-40 East near Winston-Salem as part of the I-74/Beltway interchange project:
https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2025/2024-03-06-closures-forsyth-county-highway.aspx

[sprjus4]

New video taken of driving the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass north from US 74, and continuing on until the, not renumbered so far NC 73, exit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aITBSiEb3jg

I find it interesting the new bypass is posted at 70 mph, yet the 2.5 miles north of it (which was upgraded around 10 years ago) is still 65 mph... then it goes back to 70 mph north of there.

They need to change that for consistency. Sounds like an inviting area for police to run radar...

I drove through here today, heading southbound. The speed limit has been changed to 70 mph in both directions, so it is consistent all the way through. No drop to 65 mph anywhere.

The bypass itself is signed solely as I-73 / I-74 with a southbound control city of Lumberton (because Wilmington or Myrtle Beach makes too much sense. Similarly, the exit to US-74 West uses Monroe with no mention of Charlotte). I-73 milemarkers are used.

At the southern end of the new Rockingham Bypass, is an "End I-73" shield. The US-74 portion of the older Rockingham Bypass has been signed as I-74 / US-74, although the exit numbers are still using US-74's mileage.

I was amazed by the amount of traffic on US-74 compared to I-73, including a lot of truck traffic. Certainly interstate levels of such, yet it drops to a divided highway with intersections to the east and west of Rockingham-Hamlet.

Overall I-73 / I-74 was a nice drive from Winston-Salem heading south. Light traffic. It's a shame it ends near the border and continues into South Carolina as a two lane road. My only question is why is the speed limit only 65 mph between Winston-Salem and several miles south of Asheboro (similarly I know I-73 is the same all the way to Greensboro). Both segments are easily capable of 70 mph (except through Asheboro where 65 mph is appropriate) and traffic was moving often over 80 mph.

Also - two segments without full 10 foot shoulders, one between I-40 and High Point, and the other near Biscoe. You'd think those would have been simply addressed with a routine resurfacing project, especially given that they've been signed as I-73 / I-74 for several years now.

[74/171FAN]

Some photos from my recent trip to NC earlier this month:

I-73 (mostly SB): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC93FL
I-74/US 74 in Rockingham (mostly EB): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC96eu
I-74 (I-40 to I-73) (heading WB): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC8WXs
US 74 BUS (Rockingham, NC) (since a few photos at the west end are relevant): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC96eu

[bob7374]

Some photos from my recent trip to NC earlier this month:

I-73 (mostly SB): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC93FL
I-74/US 74 in Rockingham (mostly EB): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC96eu
I-74 (I-40 to I-73) (heading WB): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC8WXs
US 74 BUS (Rockingham, NC) (since a few photos at the west end are relevant): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjC96eu

I have posted some of the I-73/I-74 and Bus. 74 photos above to my I-73 Segment 11 page, such as:


The rest can be found at: https://malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i73seg11.html#photos

Photos taken along the I-74/US 74 Bypass. like that below, are at: https://malmeroads.net/i7374nc/i73seg12.html

[bob7374]

Here is the overhead signage at the US 74 West exit at the new southern end of I-73 and the beginning of the Rockingham Bypass, photo courtesy of David Gallo. Are the number of 74 shields too confusing? If so, what could be done to improve the situation?

[Molandfreak]

Are the number of 74 shields too confusing? If so, what could be done to improve the situation?

Decommission US 74 and extend US 72 over it.

[PColumbus73]

Are the number of 74 shields too confusing? If so, what could be done to improve the situation?

Decommission US 74 and extend US 72 over it.

Dump I-74 altogether.

[The Ghostbuster]

It's too late to dump Interstate 74, and renumbering US 74 to US 72 is a Fictional Highways proposal. Perhaps removing all US 74 signage along its co-currency with Interstate 74 would help.

[PColumbus73]

It's too late to dump Interstate 74, and renumbering US 74 to US 72 is a Fictional Highways proposal. Perhaps removing all US 74 signage along its co-currency with Interstate 74 would help.

Would probably be the best solution east of Rockingham but doesn't really solve this specific issue since I / US 74 break off at this interchange.

Guess we'll have to wait and see if this generates driver confusion and warrants a change.

[english si]

Here is the overhead signage at the US 74 West exit at the new southern end of I-73 and the beginning of the Rockingham Bypass, photo courtesy of David Gallo. Are the number of 74 shields too confusing? If so, what could be done to improve the situation?

Kill Bus-74?

You have 'white 74' and 'blue 74'. But there's two 'white 74's, so lets get rid of one.

OK, it's not the Selma-Smithfield area, with 4 'white 70's in parallel (and yet NC42 and I-42 were going to be a clash so we have NC36 now!).

[sprjus4]

The four 70s is overkill, but they at least all generally go the same direction and meet back up.

Here, you have a split of two 74s, one that goes west toward Charlotte and Asheville, and the other that goes north toward Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and into Virginia.

Two totally different routes, and slight confusion here could put you off several hours if you're unaware.

[english si]

Two totally different routes, and slight confusion here could put you off several hours if you're unaware.

It's not a 'slight confusion' - having different coloured shields is a more obvious 'these are going different ways' than a standard east/west split* (where it's two small letters). A slight confusion would more easily have you trying to get to Charlotte via Rockingham than via Asheboro.

Actually, due to the choice of control cities, if you want to head towards Charlotte, the Asheboro (due to its similarity to Asheville) is as bad, if not worse than two clearly different 74s.

*Which some states, to aid you, did what is the case here - different colour shields.

[sprjus4]

Two totally different routes, and slight confusion here could put you off several hours if you're unaware.

It's not a 'slight confusion' - having different coloured shields is a more obvious 'these are going different ways' than a standard east/west split* (where it's two small letters). A slight confusion would more easily have you trying to get to Charlotte via Rockingham than via Asheboro.

Actually, due to the choice of control cities, if you want to head towards Charlotte, the Asheboro (due to its similarity to Asheville) is as bad, if not worse than two clearly different 74s.

*Which some states, to aid you, did what is the case here - different colour shields.

Directions: Follow Route 74... could end up in Asheville or Winston-Salem, hours apart.

Directions: Follow Route 70... could end up on the wrong one, but will rejoin back with the mainline 70 eventually and head that direction.

Big, big difference. To us roadgeeks, the difference might be obvious in color (one is interstate, one is US highway), but to the average motorist it can be quite easy to get confused and end up on the wrong road. Especially if you're not familiar with the area.

[english si]

Directions: Follow Route 70... could end up on the wrong one, but will rejoin back with the mainline 70 eventually and head that direction.

If it's the right direction. Could end up in Raleigh, could end up in New Bern with the terrible directions you provided. And, of course, if you, say, follow US70 Alt rather than Bus you end up overshooting where you were meant to turn off.

And, if you don't know the area and have both poor navigational skills and rubbish directions (the same situation that would see you in Winston Salem, rather than Asheville*), you might not realise you went wrong and continue going along the 70 corridor as you haven't reached your destination despite your destination being long behind you.

If we need to idiot-proof in case of crappy direction info, then bannered routes are just as important to get rid of than same-numbered routes intersecting - because they are the same situation.

Directions: Follow Route 74... could end up in Asheville or Winston-Salem, hours apart.

You forgot Wilmington, which is even further away! Blue vs White shields is more of clear cut difference than ᴇᴀꜱᴛ vs ᴡᴇꜱᴛ and crappy directions are crappy directions whatever.

90% of this is just a dislike of the I-74 number rather than a genuine navigational concern. Yes, it's not ideal, but it's no worse than the other issues.

*Though that's not a huge problem - via US74 it's 200 miles and 207 minutes, via I-74 and I-40 it's 241 miles and 207 minutes. More miles, but no time penalty. Plus there's no toll at Monroe on the 'blue' route.