Interstate 73/74

[bob7374]

I take it North Carolina doesn't do "Old Exit Numbers" when they renumber an exit. That sign should say Exit 29, Old Exit 129 as a way to avoid confusion by the new exit number.

No, they tend to put out press releases with the new numbers and hope local media picks up the story. This is of little help though to out-of-state travelers with out of date maps or GIS apps.

[jcil4ever]

Drove down Future-74 from Fancy Gap today. Confirmed that there have been no mile marker changes on I-77 and that every exit except for US-52 South have been updated. Again, it almost seems intentional since the overhead for Westinghouse was updated to Exit 39 while Exit 119 on the same structure hasn't been updated (29:47 in the video). In adding the timestamps in the description, I also discovered that US-52 North near Mt. Airy was also renumbered from Exit 17 to 18 (maybe to align with the renumbering of the same exit northbound from 140 to 18?).

EDIT
Here are a few higher quality/drier images...

An example of the new "Future I-74 Corridor" signs:


The aforementioned overhead sign using both 74 and 52 exit numbers:


The 74/52 split:


Here's also a view of the interchange coming from Winston:

[cowboy_wilhelm]

I take it North Carolina doesn't do "Old Exit Numbers" when they renumber an exit. That sign should say Exit 29, Old Exit 129 as a way to avoid confusion by the new exit number.

They did with I-26 20+ years ago, and I believe someone gave another example recently when this same question came up. NCDOT has cited high costs for aluminum delaying new license plates and other signing projects, plus the major budget crunch from Helene, so it's not surprising that they're not making temporary signs.

[jcil4ever]

Here's a view through the interchange construction projects on the southern end of the project where I-74 will meet I-40 and NC-192:

[carbaugh2]

I came across the following projects while looking at the completion percentages for the Rockingham Bypass and Winston-Salem Beltway segments:

The bridges over Toms Creek at Exit 135 (future Exit 21- Thanks Bob) for the southbound only left exit to Old US 52 with plans found at https://xfer.services.ncdot.gov/dsplan/2024%20Highway%20Letting/04-16-24/Plans%20and%20Proposals/SURRY_B-5527_C204208/Standard%20PDF%20Files/

Repaving 7.5 miles between the Little Yadkin River and King with plans available at https://connect.ncdot.gov/letting/Division%209%20Letting/04-24-2024/DI00342%20-%20US%2052%20Plans.pdf.

Since I'm not skilled in reading through the detailed drawings, I'm guessing that this will also allow any substandard shoulders to be upgraded. Maybe this means we are seeing a piecemeal upgrade to interstate standards much like other parts of the state.

Thanks for finding those. For the Toms Creek bridge project, the plans do show interstate standard 12' lanes and 10' right shoulders with widened left shoulders in the construction area. For the other it's hard to tell, the shoulders are to be reconstructed but there's no specific mention of how wide they will be. You are probably correct with NCDOT's using a piecemeal approach, like with US 74 east of I-95, to bring the highway closer to interstate standards. They probably hope with enough progress they can convince the FHWA to allow them to post interstate shields earlier with waivers for the remaining substandard portions if they promise to upgrade them over a period of time. 

My family recently returned from a vacation to the Outer Banks (Waves specifically) and drove back through here on the way home (I took them on I-64 through Virginia on the way there). I can confirm that the repaving project from King northward has added full right shoulders. I couldn't see much of the bridge replacement project as the northbound lanes were largely unaffected.

Other observations:
My prior drives on the beltway had almost zero traffic. The volume of cars has certainly picked up now that the US 52 interchange has opened.
Driving through the finished (for now) beltway interchange with US 52 made me realize just how much of an undertaking that project was (and still more to come). The drive was very smooth. I only wish the signage for 52 South from 74 West would include "To NC 65" since it includes Rural Hall as a control city.
The mileage signs for the I-74/I-77 are still not changed, and I hope they stay that way.

Finally, someone had mentioned not understanding why many Appalachians always goes to Myrtle Beach for vacation. It is the closest place for many of us to find beaches with palm trees (After vacationing in the Outer Banks this year, I missed the salty air and palm trees). The Grand Strand has rental prices that are more affordable for those of us who reside in areas with lower costs of living- and the lower salaries that go with it. Also, it is one day's drive from most of Ohio, meaning families don't have to stop for a hotel stay on the way down, saving the budget for the main destination. Personally, all of the vacations for my family of 5 have been to the Carolinas (Outer Banks, Topsail Island, Ocean Isle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, and Little River) for those reasons.

[Rothman]

In my experiemce with the Appalachian side of my family, "Redneck Rivieras" like Myrtle Beach and the Florida panhandle remain popular with Appalachia mainly due to cost.  I have seen the phenomenon where members of my family have "moved up" to other vacation areas as their affluence grew.

Great uncle from WV even bought a hotel in Myrtle Beach to make money off others in his area...

Then again, last time I was in Myrtle Beach, I wondered if the Appalachian crowd would eventually be priced out...