110-872: Interstate 74 ( I-74 ) is a partially completed part of the Interstate Highway System that is planned to run from Davenport, Iowa , to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina . In the US state of North Carolina , I-74 currently exists in three distinct segments; from I-77 at the Virginia state line to US Highway 52 (US 52) near Mount Airy , from I-40 in Winston-Salem to US 220 near Ellerbe , and from US 74 and US 74 Business (US 74 Bus.) near Maxton to US 74/ North Carolina Highway 41 (NC 41) near Lumberton . I-74 has an extensive concurrency with I-73 from Randleman to Ellerbe in
220-522: A concurrency or overlap. For example, I‑75 and I‑85 share the same roadway in Atlanta ; this 7.4-mile (11.9 km) section, called the Downtown Connector , is labeled both I‑75 and I‑85. Concurrencies between Interstate and US Highway numbers are also allowed in accordance with AASHTO policy, as long as the length of the concurrency is reasonable. In rare instances, two highway designations sharing
330-466: A concurrency with US 29 , US 52 , and US 70 , it went through another partial wye interchange (US 52 exit 87) before leaving the freeway . Changing to a semi-limited expressway , it served as a northern bypass of downtown Lexington, briefly running concurrently with US 64 . After leaving the city limits, I-85 Bus. headed in a northeast direction parallel to I-85 further south. After it traveled through Thomasville , it entered
440-594: A 16.8-mile (27.0 km) section of freeway was completed from Candor to Ellerbe ; however, it was signed Future I-73/I-74. On November 22, 2010, a 14-mile (23 km) section (known as the East Belt) was added between North Main Street in High Point to Cedar Square Road near Glenola . This also includes the 6.4-mile (10.3 km) section of new freeway that opened between I-85 Business Cedar Square Road. On October 4, 2012, I-74
550-637: A 28-year-old brevet lieutenant colonel, accompanied the trip "through darkest America with truck and tank," as he later described it. Some roads in the West were a "succession of dust, ruts, pits, and holes." As the landmark 1916 law expired, new legislation was passed—the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 (Phipps Act). This new road construction initiative once again provided for federal matching funds for road construction and improvement, $ 75 million allocated annually. Moreover, this new legislation for
660-460: A border between two states, the federal law authorizing the road required that the two states agree that their sections meet. Originally, both Carolinas selected a route running south from Rockingham . North Carolina had more money to spend on roads, though, and, on May 10, 1995, the US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works approved North Carolina's plan for I-73 to run eastward to
770-479: A brief period in 2008, I-40 was also decommissioned through Greensboro and rerouted around the Urban Loop, with its old routing replaced by I-40 Bus , but its former in-town route was eventually restored, resulting once again in a regular and business Interstate sharing the same alignment. In October 2018, I-85 Bus was reverted to its original 29.8-mile (48.0 km) alignment, ending near Jamestown . The justification
880-603: A bypass of Asheboro where a project to convert US 220 to Interstate standards was completed, and Interstate signs went up in 2012. I-74 continues concurrently with I-73 and US 220 between I-73 milemarkers 68 and 42 (26 mi or 42 km), the first section marked as I-74 (and I-73) in North Carolina in 1997. It continues south, bypassing the towns of Seagrove , Biscoe , and Candor . Visitor centers (completed in 2010) are located eastbound and westbound at milemarker 61. After exit 41, US 220 leaves
990-476: A change in the numbering system as a result of a new policy adopted in 1973. Previously, letter-suffixed numbers were used for long spurs off primary routes; for example, western I‑84 was I‑80N, as it went north from I‑80 . The new policy stated, "No new divided numbers (such as I-35W and I-35E , etc.) shall be adopted." The new policy also recommended that existing divided numbers be eliminated as quickly as possible; however, an I-35W and I-35E still exist in
1100-716: A complete concurrency with US 29 and US 70, when I-85 was completed on a more southern parallel routing. In May 2005, I-85 was redirected southeast around Greensboro along the Greensboro Urban Loop ; its old routing through Greensboro became an extension of I-85 Bus, extending it from 29.8 miles (48.0 km) to 43 miles (69 km). The extension included a hidden two-mile (3.2 km) concurrency along I-85 (between exits 118–120A) before splitting off again with US 29 and US 70. In merging onto I-40 (exit 219), it continued easterly before meeting back with I-85 (exit 227) near McLeansville . For
1210-503: A new accelerated construction plan for the Beltway, right-of-way acquisition began in 2012 and construction started in December 2014. Until construction is completed, travelers wanting to connect between the first and second section of I-74 should stay on US 52 through downtown Winston-Salem and then take I-40 east to I-74 east toward High Point . The second section of I-74 extends from
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#17328687927841320-576: A numbering scheme in which primary Interstates are assigned one- or two-digit numbers, and shorter routes which branch off of longer ones are assigned three-digit numbers where the last two digits match the parent route. The Interstate Highway System is partially financed through the Highway Trust Fund , which itself is funded by a combination of a federal fuel tax and transfers from the Treasury's general fund. Though federal legislation initially banned
1430-402: A program of " urban renewal ". In the two decades following the 1956 Highway Act, the construction of the freeways displaced one million people, and as a result of the many freeway revolts during this era, several planned Interstates were abandoned or re-routed to avoid urban cores. Construction of the original Interstate Highway System was proclaimed complete in 1992, despite deviations from
1540-506: A proposed extension of I-74 from Cincinnati, Ohio , to Myrtle Beach. The first section of I-74 was completed on August 27, 1996, between Steeds and Ulah . I-74 replaced North Carolina Highway 752 ( NC 752 ) in 1998 near Mount Airy, and the entirety of the Mount Airy segment was completed by 2000. A segment of the Interstate was opened in 2008 between Maxton and Lumberton, creating
1650-540: A report called Toll Roads and Free Roads , "the first formal description of what became the Interstate Highway System" and, in 1944, the similarly themed Interregional Highways . The Interstate Highway System gained a champion in President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was influenced by his experiences as a young Army officer crossing the country in the 1919 Motor Transport Corps convoy that drove in part on
1760-409: A single digit prefixed to the two-digit number of its parent Interstate Highway. Spur routes deviate from their parent and do not return; these are given an odd first digit. Circumferential and radial loop routes return to the parent, and are given an even first digit. Unlike primary Interstates, three-digit Interstates are signed as either east–west or north–south, depending on the general orientation of
1870-769: A speed limit of 45 mph (70 km/h) because it is a parkway that consists of only one lane per side of the highway. On the other hand, Interstates 15, 80, 84, and 215 in Utah have speed limits as high as 70 mph (115 km/h) within the Wasatch Front , Cedar City , and St. George areas, and I-25 in New Mexico within the Santa Fe and Las Vegas areas along with I-20 in Texas along Odessa and Midland and I-29 in North Dakota along
1980-456: A speed limit of 80 mph (130 km/h). Other Interstates in Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming also have the same high speed limits. In some areas, speed limits on Interstates can be significantly lower in areas where they traverse significantly hazardous areas. The maximum speed limit on I-90 is 50 mph (80 km/h) in downtown Cleveland because of two sharp curves with
2090-671: A study to extend the SC 31 (Carolina Bays Parkway) to US 17. Interstate Highway System [REDACTED] The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways , commonly known as the Interstate Highway System , or the Eisenhower Interstate System , is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States . The system extends throughout
2200-467: A suggested limit of 35 mph (55 km/h) in a heavily congested area; I-70 through Wheeling, West Virginia , has a maximum speed limit of 45 mph (70 km/h) through the Wheeling Tunnel and most of downtown Wheeling; and I-68 has a maximum speed limit of 40 mph (65 km/h) through Cumberland, Maryland , because of multiple hazards including sharp curves and narrow lanes through
2310-534: Is also commonly believed the Interstate Highway System was built for the sole purpose of evacuating cities in the event of nuclear warfare . While military motivations were present, the primary motivations were civilian. The numbering scheme for the Interstate Highway System was developed in 1957 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The association's present numbering policy dates back to August 10, 1973. Within
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#17328687927842420-445: Is now scheduled for 2026. Construction on the interchange with US 52, which began in 2019, was scheduled to be completed in mid-2023, but was since been postponed again to around Thanksgiving 2023. The southbound exit and northbound entrance from US 52 was opened to traffic on November 18, 2023; the rest of the interchange remains under construction. As of August 2024, the section between US 421 (Salem Parkway) near Kernersville and
2530-657: Is scheduled to begin February 2023. A third and fourth project, now combined, will build an interchange at Chauncey Town Road (SR 1735) and an overpass at Old Lake Road (SR 1740). Those projects were contracted on June 21, 2022, for an estimated cost of $ 44 million. This would almost build a completed freeway to the NC ;211 interchange in Bolton with one exception: the at-grade intersection at US 74/Creek Road (SR 2225) will be converted to an overpass in 2025 according to
2640-472: Is to have the highway route extend from Tamaulipas , Mexico to Ontario , Canada. The planned I-11 will then bridge the Interstate gap between Phoenix, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada , and thus form part of the CANAMEX Corridor (along with I-19 , and portions of I-10 and I-15 ) between Sonora , Mexico and Alberta , Canada. Political opposition from residents canceled many freeway projects around
2750-807: Is to use the Laurinburg Bypass that was at the standard North Carolina freeway grade and signed as I-74 in 2008; however, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) had to remove the signage the following year when the FHWA ruled against using them until the freeway was up to Interstate standards. The third section of I-74 is officially named the American Indian Highway ; completed in 2008, this 19-mile (31 km) section stretches from Maxton to south of Lumberton , connecting with I-95 / US 301 . After NC 41 , I-74 ends for
2860-474: The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in Texas, and an I-35W and I-35E that run through Minneapolis and Saint Paul , Minnesota, still exist. Additionally, due to Congressional requirements, three sections of I-69 in southern Texas will be divided into I-69W , I-69E , and I-69C (for Central). AASHTO policy allows dual numbering to provide continuity between major control points. This is referred to as
2970-538: The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law. Under the act, the federal government would pay for 90 percent of the cost of construction of Interstate Highways. Each Interstate Highway was required to be a freeway with at least four lanes and no at-grade crossings. The publication in 1955 of the General Location of National System of Interstate Highways , informally known as the Yellow Book , mapped out what became
3080-538: The Grand Forks area have higher speed limits of 75 mph (120 km/h). As one of the components of the National Highway System , Interstate Highways improve the mobility of military troops to and from airports, seaports, rail terminals, and other military bases. Interstate Highways also connect to other roads that are a part of the Strategic Highway Network , a system of roads identified as critical to
3190-515: The Lincoln Highway , the first road across America. He recalled that, "The old convoy had started me thinking about good two-lane highways... the wisdom of broader ribbons across our land." Eisenhower also gained an appreciation of the Reichsautobahn system, the first "national" implementation of modern Germany's Autobahn network, as a necessary component of a national defense system while he
3300-451: The Piedmont . When completed, I-74 will link the cities of Mount Airy, Winston-Salem, High Point , Rockingham , Laurinburg , and Lumberton. The 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) authorized a new high priority transportation corridor from Michigan to Myrtle Beach, originally to be I-73. Conflicts over the routing of I-73 led to a compromise in 1995 that created
3410-499: The US Department of Defense . The system has also been used to facilitate evacuations in the face of hurricanes and other natural disasters. An option for maximizing traffic throughput on a highway is to reverse the flow of traffic on one side of a divider so that all lanes become outbound lanes. This procedure, known as contraflow lane reversal , has been employed several times for hurricane evacuations. After public outcry regarding
Interstate 74 in North Carolina - Misplaced Pages Continue
3520-464: The US Highways , which increase from east to west and north to south). This numbering system usually holds true even if the local direction of the route does not match the compass directions. Numbers divisible by five are intended to be major arteries among the primary routes, carrying traffic long distances. Primary north–south Interstates increase in number from I-5 between Canada and Mexico along
3630-453: The Virginia state line ( overlapped with I-77 for approximately four miles [6.4 km]). After separation, it goes east and connects to US 52 near Mount Airy , where the first section ends. I-74 is to be routed along US 52 from Mount Airy to Rural Hall , where it will then separate onto the new Winston-Salem Northern Beltway and go east around Winston-Salem before connecting to existing I-74 south of Kernersville . Under
3740-541: The West Coast to I‑95 between Canada and Miami, Florida along the East Coast . Major west–east arterial Interstates increase in number from I-10 between Santa Monica, California , and Jacksonville, Florida , to I-90 between Seattle, Washington , and Boston, Massachusetts , with two exceptions. There are no I-50 and I-60, as routes with those numbers would likely pass through states that currently have US Highways with
3850-653: The contiguous United States and has routes in Hawaii , Alaska , and Puerto Rico . In the 20th century, the United States Congress began funding roadways through the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 , and started an effort to construct a national road grid with the passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 . In 1926, the United States Numbered Highway System was established, creating
3960-487: The 7.2 miles (11.6 km) of four-lane freeway with "substantial completion" by late 2023. As of March 2022, the completion date was 2024. Future I-73 ends near the NC ;38 exit where it is planned to be routed south into South Carolina. Future I-74 continues to the end of the freeway. Between Hamlet and Laurinburg is an at-grade expressway that will eventually be converted to Interstate standards. At Laurinburg, I-74
4070-559: The Congress Hotel in Chicago. In the plan, Mehren proposed a 50,000-mile (80,000 km) system, consisting of five east–west routes and 10 north–south routes. The system would include two percent of all roads and would pass through every state at a cost of $ 25,000 per mile ($ 16,000/km), providing commercial as well as military transport benefits. In 1919, the US Army sent an expedition across
4180-477: The Interstate Highway System within the states of South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. The 12.6-mile (20.3 km) portion from south of Steeds north to south of Ulah was completed August 27, 1996, and was the first road marked as I-74 (and I-73). Future signage was also installed north to the Greensboro area. The remainder of the 26 miles (42 km) of existing and new freeway between Ulah and Candor
4290-506: The Interstate Highway System. Assisting in the planning was Charles Erwin Wilson , who was still head of General Motors when President Eisenhower selected him as Secretary of Defense in January 1953. Some sections of highways that became part of the Interstate Highway System actually began construction earlier. Three states have claimed the title of first Interstate Highway. Missouri claims that
4400-485: The Interstate Highway program. The Interstates of Alaska and Puerto Rico are numbered sequentially in order of funding without regard to the rules on odd and even numbers. They also carry the prefixes A and PR , respectively. However, these highways are signed according to their local designations, not their Interstate Highway numbers. Furthermore, these routes were neither planned according to nor constructed to
4510-599: The NCDOT 2020–2029 STIP. Before the town of Bolton , I-74 will separate from US 74 onto a proposed new freeway that will head southward. toward Shallotte , then go west on the proposed extension of South Carolina Highway 31 (SC 31; Carolina Bays Parkway) into South Carolina . This entire section of I-74 is still under a feasibility study with several possible routing options; it thus may take years before reaching South Carolina. NCDOT plans suggested that construction may not begin until after 2020 and that this will likely be
Interstate 74 in North Carolina - Misplaced Pages Continue
4620-662: The Rockingham–Hamlet Bypass to the Laurinburg Bypass is also planned to be converted to Interstate standards. However, all of these projects are currently flagged "Scheduled for Reprioritization", with no estimated cost or date established. The Winston-Salem Northern Beltway is an under construction freeway loop around the North Carolina city of Winston-Salem . The western section has been designated as NC 452, which will later become I-274 when completed, and
4730-539: The U.S. state of North Carolina was a 29.8-mile-long (48.0 km) business loop of Interstate 85 (I-85) which served several cities in the Piedmont Triad . At its peak, the highway, which was commonly referred to by locals as Business 85 , was 43.3 miles (69.7 km) long. I-85 Bus. began at a partial wye interchange with I-85 (exit 87) in Lexington . Heading north for 4.4 miles (7.1 km), in
4840-775: The US to determine the difficulties that military vehicles would have on a cross-country trip. Leaving from the Ellipse near the White House on July 7, the Motor Transport Corps convoy needed 62 days to drive 3,200 miles (5,100 km) on the Lincoln Highway to the Presidio of San Francisco along the Golden Gate . The convoy suffered many setbacks and problems on the route, such as poor-quality bridges, broken crankshafts, and engines clogged with desert sand. Dwight Eisenhower , then
4950-529: The US ;74 bypass south of Rockingham. The Western Rockingham Bypass, from the US 74/ US 74 Bus. interchange to US 220, near Ellerbe , has all right-of-way purchases completed along the proposed route. Construction on a 3.724-mile (5.993 km) section, along US 220 (south of Ellerbe), began in March 2014; with a contracted amount of $ 49.8 million (equivalent to $ 63.1 million in 2023), it
5060-759: The United States, including: In addition to cancellations, removals of freeways are planned: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has defined a set of standards that all new Interstates must meet unless a waiver from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is obtained. One almost absolute standard is the controlled access nature of the roads. With few exceptions , traffic lights (and cross traffic in general) are limited to toll booths and ramp meters (metered flow control for lane merging during rush hour ). Being freeways , Interstate Highways usually have
5170-473: The act was signed, and paving started September 26, 1956. The state marked its portion of I-70 as the first project in the United States completed under the provisions of the new Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. The Pennsylvania Turnpike could also be considered one of the first Interstate Highways, and is nicknamed "Grandfather of the Interstate System". On October 1, 1940, 162 miles (261 km) of
5280-648: The cancellation of the Somerset Freeway . This situation was remedied when the construction of the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project started in 2010 and partially opened on September 22, 2018, which was already enough to fill the gap. However, I-70 remains discontinuous in Pennsylvania , because of the lack of a direct interchange with the Pennsylvania Turnpike at
5390-726: The city of High Point at the Davidson – Randolph county line. Briefly in Randolph County for 1.6 miles (2.6 km), it entered Guilford County . East of downtown High Point, I-85 Bus. shared a unique three-level diamond interchange with I-74 / US 311 before leaving the city limits. At the Greensboro city limit, I-85 Bus. completed its 30.7-mile (49.4 km) journey with a trumpet interchange with I-85 (exit 118). Established in 1984 as re-designation of Temp I-85 (see below), I-85 Bus. traveled from Lexington to Greensboro, in
5500-650: The city. In some locations, low speed limits are the result of lawsuits and resident demands; after holding up the completion of I-35E in St. Paul, Minnesota , for nearly 30 years in the courts, residents along the stretch of the freeway from the southern city limit to downtown successfully lobbied for a 45 mph (70 km/h) speed limit in addition to a prohibition on any vehicle weighing more than 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg) gross vehicle weight . I-93 in Franconia Notch State Park in northern New Hampshire has
5610-551: The coast and enter South Carolina at North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina . Another compromise, between Faircloth and Senator Strom Thurmond , agreed to have both Interstates enter South Carolina: I-73 south of Rockingham and I-74 south of Wilmington, North Carolina . After later amendments and the 1998 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), on July 25, 1998, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) accepted I-73/I-74 into
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#17328687927845720-401: The collection of tolls, some Interstate routes are toll roads , either because they were grandfathered into the system or because subsequent legislation has allowed for tolling of Interstates in some cases. As of 2022 , about one quarter of all vehicle miles driven in the country used the Interstate Highway System, which has a total length of 48,890 miles (78,680 km). In 2022 and 2023,
5830-497: The construction and improvement of highways. The nation's revenue needs associated with World War I prevented any significant implementation of this policy, which expired in 1921. In December 1918, E. J. Mehren, a civil engineer and the editor of Engineering News-Record , presented his "A Suggested National Highway Policy and Plan" during a gathering of the State Highway Officials and Highway Industries Association at
5940-407: The contiguous United States, primary Interstates—also called main line Interstates or two-digit Interstates—are assigned numbers less than 100. While numerous exceptions do exist, there is a general scheme for numbering Interstates. Primary Interstates are assigned one- or two-digit numbers, while shorter routes (such as spurs, loops, and short connecting roads) are assigned three-digit numbers where
6050-449: The current I-74 (formerly cosigned with US 311 ), starting with the segment between US 311 and US 158, known as Project U-2579C, in October 2017. Construction on this segment began in 2018; this section has since opened to traffic effective December 23, 2020. That same year, a contract for the segment between NC 66 and US 311, Projects U-2579D, U-2579E, and U-2579F,
6160-423: The current portion of I-74 near Union Cross is under construction. A western bypass of Rockingham is planned, beginning at the partially-built trumpet interchange with US 220 where I-73 and I-74 currently end and running southwest to the trumpet interchange between US 74 and US 74 Bus. , which will be reconfigured to accommodate the new bypass. Construction was initially scheduled for 2026 but
6270-618: The discontinuity, but they have been blocked by local opposition, fearing a loss of business. The Interstate Highway System has been expanded numerous times. The expansions have both created new designations and extended existing designations. For example, I-49 , added to the system in the 1980s as a freeway in Louisiana , was designated as an expansion corridor, and FHWA approved the expanded route north from Lafayette, Louisiana , to Kansas City, Missouri . The freeway exists today as separate completed segments, with segments under construction or in
6380-448: The dissemination of public information. As a result, the 2005 evacuation of New Orleans, Louisiana, prior to Hurricane Katrina ran much more smoothly. According to urban legend , early regulations required that one out of every five miles of the Interstate Highway System must be built straight and flat, so as to be usable by aircraft during times of war. There is no evidence of this rule being included in any Interstate legislation. It
6490-492: The eastern end of the concurrency near Breezewood . Traveling in either direction, I-70 traffic must exit the freeway and use a short stretch of US 30 (which includes a number of roadside services) to rejoin I-70. The interchange was not originally built because of a legacy federal funding rule, since relaxed, which restricted the use of federal funds to improve roads financed with tolls. Solutions have been proposed to eliminate
6600-491: The eastern section of the beltway is designated as NC 74, which will later become part of I-74 when completed. On September 7, 2011, North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue announced that construction of a part of the eastern leg of the beltway would begin in 2014. The section to be built connects US 158 to I-40 Bus. (now US 421 / Salem Parkway ). Right-of-way acquisition began in 2012 and cost $ 34 million (equivalent to $ 44.6 million in 2023); construction
6710-450: The economy. Not just as a public works measure, but for future growth. Clay's committee proposed a 10-year, $ 100 billion program ($ 1.13 trillion in 2023), which would build 40,000 miles (64,000 km) of divided highways linking all American cities with a population of greater than 50,000. Eisenhower initially preferred a system consisting of toll roads , but Clay convinced Eisenhower that toll roads were not feasible outside of
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#17328687927846820-512: The enactment of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 . Unlike the earlier United States Numbered Highway System, the interstates were designed to be all freeways, with nationally unified standards for construction and signage. While some older freeways were adopted into the system, most of the routes were completely new. In dense urban areas, the choice of routing destroyed many well-established neighborhoods, often intentionally as part of
6930-488: The existing, largely non-freeway, United States Numbered Highways system. By the late 1930s, planning had expanded to a system of new superhighways. In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave Thomas MacDonald , chief at the Bureau of Public Roads, a hand-drawn map of the United States marked with eight superhighway corridors for study. In 1939, Bureau of Public Roads Division of Information chief Herbert S. Fairbank wrote
7040-426: The federal government, Interstate Highways are owned by the state in which they were built. With few exceptions , all Interstates must meet specific standards , such as having controlled access, physical barriers or median strips between lanes of oncoming traffic, breakdown lanes , avoiding at-grade intersections , no traffic lights , and complying with federal traffic sign specifications. Interstate Highways use
7150-434: The final time as the highway continues on as an at-grade expressway signed as US 74/Future I-74 Corridor. Future I-74 is to continue to follow US 74, going through the city of Whiteville and bypassing the town of Lake Waccamaw . While there are no funded projects to convert the entire highway to Interstate standards, NCDOT is funding several smaller projects to replace intersections with interchanges for several of
7260-411: The first national road numbering system for cross-country travel. The roads were state-funded and maintained, and there were few national standards for road design. United States Numbered Highways ranged from two-lane country roads to multi-lane freeways. After Dwight D. Eisenhower became president in 1953, his administration developed a proposal for an interstate highway system, eventually resulting in
7370-411: The first three contracts under the new program were signed in Missouri on August 2, 1956. The first contract signed was for upgrading a section of US Route 66 to what is now designated Interstate 44 . On August 13, 1956, work began on US 40 (now I-70) in St. Charles County. Kansas claims that it was the first to start paving after the act was signed. Preliminary construction had taken place before
7480-429: The first time sought to target these funds to the construction of a national road grid of interconnected "primary highways", setting up cooperation among the various state highway planning boards. The Bureau of Public Roads asked the Army to provide a list of roads that it considered necessary for national defense. In 1922, General John J. Pershing , former head of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe during
7590-441: The freeway (eliminate confusion between the I-85 mainline and I-85 Bus.), and remove traffic from Interstate concurrencies in order to improve safety and regional connectivity. All signage for I-85 Bus. was eventually removed by late 2023. Temporary Interstate 85 ( Temp I-85 ) was established by 1961 as a temporary designation that directed travelers along US 29/US 70, from the Yadkin River to Greensboro. In 1977,
7700-492: The freeway an additional eight miles (13 km) to US 220 / I-73 at milemarker 86 in Randleman . The highway was originally to be completed by October 2012. I-74 joins with I-73/US 220 south in Randleman going south to Asheboro . The freeway is already completed but was not allowed to be signed as a full Interstate until the segment through Asheboro was converted to Interstate Highway standards in December 2013. The fourth section of I-74 (and I-73) starts along
7810-399: The freeway and the route continues as I-73/I-74 for another 16 miles (26 km) toward Rockingham . Though this part of I-73/I-74 was completed in 2008 and is up to Interstate standards, it was initially signed as a future Interstate route because it had not been accepted into the Interstate Highway System by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) by the time it was opened, necessitating
7920-542: The highest speed limits in a given area. Speed limits are determined by individual states. From 1975 to 1986, the maximum speed limit on any highway in the United States was 55 miles per hour (90 km/h), in accordance with federal law. Typically, lower limits are established in Northeastern and coastal states, while higher speed limits are established in inland states west of the Mississippi River . For example,
8030-542: The highly populated coastal regions. In February 1955, Eisenhower forwarded Clay's proposal to Congress. The bill quickly won approval in the Senate, but House Democrats objected to the use of public bonds as the means to finance construction. Eisenhower and the House Democrats agreed to instead finance the system through the Highway Trust Fund , which itself would be funded by a gasoline tax. In June 1956, Eisenhower signed
8140-607: The highway now designated I‑70 and I‑76 opened between Irwin and Carlisle . The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania refers to the turnpike as the Granddaddy of the Pikes, a reference to turnpikes . Milestones in the construction of the Interstate Highway System include: The initial cost estimate for the system was $ 25 billion over 12 years; it ended up costing $ 114 billion (equivalent to $ 425 billion in 2006 or $ 618 billion in 2023 ) and took 35 years. The system
8250-454: The inefficiency of evacuating from southern Louisiana prior to Hurricane Georges ' landfall in September 1998, government officials looked towards contraflow to improve evacuation times. In Savannah, Georgia , and Charleston, South Carolina , in 1999, lanes of I-16 and I-26 were used in a contraflow configuration in anticipation of Hurricane Floyd with mixed results. In 2004, contraflow
8360-474: The interchange with US 74 west of Rockingham until the section of I-73 extending into South Carolina is completed. According to NCDOT, the project is around 91% complete as of October 10, 2024, and the projected completion date is now September 1, 2025. NCDOT conducted a feasibility study in the early 2000s to determine how to extend I-74 from Whiteville to the South Carolina state line. The routing of
8470-573: The intersection with I-40 in southeastern Winston-Salem to High Point. Until January 2019, this section of I-74 was concurrent with US 311 . This section was designated despite not having 10-foot (3.0 m) shoulders, with the promise that shoulders would be widened later. Signs were installed by August 2014. This section connects directly to another section, called the High Point East Belt . It connects High Point with both I-85 Bus. and I-85 . Construction completed on June 7, 2013, extended
8580-563: The last section of I-74 to be completed. Since then, NCDOT and SCDOT have begun to coordinate a new project that will extend the Carolina Bays Parkway into North Carolina. Though the highway is commonly known as I-74 throughout the state, the highway does have other known names it uses locally in areas. ISTEA initially authorized the new high priority transportation corridor 5, tentatively known as I-73 , to travel from Michigan to South Carolina . Because of several disputes to
8690-431: The last two digits match the parent route (thus, I-294 is a loop that connects at both ends to I-94 , while I-787 is a short spur route attached to I-87 ). In the numbering scheme for the primary routes, east–west highways are assigned even numbers and north–south highways are assigned odd numbers. Odd route numbers increase from west to east, and even-numbered routes increase from south to north (to avoid confusion with
8800-450: The mainline. Some auxiliary highways do not follow these guidelines, however. The Interstate Highway System also extends to Alaska , Hawaii , and Puerto Rico , even though they have no direct land connections to any other states or territories. However, their residents still pay federal fuel and tire taxes. The Interstates in Hawaii, all located on the most populous island of Oahu , carry
8910-737: The maximum speed limit is 75 mph (120 km/h) in northern Maine, varies between 50 and 70 mph (80 and 115 km/h) from southern Maine to New Jersey, and is 50 mph (80 km/h) in New York City and the District of Columbia. Currently, rural speed limits elsewhere generally range from 65 to 80 miles per hour (105 to 130 km/h). Several portions of various highways such as I-10 and I-20 in rural western Texas, I-80 in Nevada between Fernley and Winnemucca (except around Lovelock) and portions of I-15 , I-70 , I-80 , and I-84 in Utah have
9020-404: The number of fatalities on the Interstate Highway System amounted to more than 5,000 people annually, with nearly 5,600 fatalities in 2022. The United States government's efforts to construct a national network of highways began on an ad hoc basis with the passage of the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 , which provided $ 75 million over a five-year period for matching funds to the states for
9130-475: The official Interstate Highway standards . On one- or two-digit Interstates, the mile marker numbering almost always begins at the southern or western state line. If an Interstate originates within a state, the numbering begins from the location where the road begins in the south or west. As with all guidelines for Interstate routes, however, numerous exceptions exist. Interstate 85 Business (North Carolina) Interstate 85 Business ( I-85 Bus. ) in
9240-465: The original 1956 plan and several stretches that did not fully conform with federal standards . The construction of the Interstate Highway System cost approximately $ 114 billion (equivalent to $ 618 billion in 2023). The system has continued to expand and grow as additional federal funding has provided for new routes to be added, and many future Interstate Highways are currently either being planned or under construction. Though heavily funded by
9350-586: The planning phase between them. In 1966, the FHWA designated the entire Interstate Highway System as part of the larger Pan-American Highway System, and at least two proposed Interstate expansions were initiated to help trade with Canada and Mexico spurred by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Long-term plans for I-69 , which currently exists in several separate completed segments (the largest of which are in Indiana and Texas ),
9460-472: The posting of future shields. This situation was remedied on July 7, 2011, when the FHWA approved the addition of this segment to the Interstate Highway System. The route was finally signed as I-73 and I-74 in late 2013. In late 2018, this segment was extended by 2.91 miles (4.68 km), from US 220/Haywood Cemetery Road to a partially completed trumpet interchange on US 220 north of Rockingham. A bypass under construction will extend this stretch to
9570-411: The prefix H . There are three one-digit routes in the state ( H-1 , H-2 , and H-3 ) and one auxiliary route ( H-201 ). These Interstates connect several military and naval bases together, as well as the important communities spread across Oahu, and especially within the urban core of Honolulu . Both Alaska and Puerto Rico also have public highways that receive 90 percent of their funding from
9680-424: The remaining cross streets, including for NC 72 / NC 130 north of Boardman and replacing other intersections with grade separations, such as with Old US 74 near Evergreen . An interchange at Boardman Road began construction on May 25, 2021, and is scheduled for completion in 2024. Two intersections at NC 72 and at NC 130 are planned to be converted into a single interchange and that project
9790-524: The route, without regard to the route number. For instance, I-190 in Massachusetts is labeled north–south, while I-195 in New Jersey is labeled east–west. Some looped Interstate routes use inner–outer directions instead of compass directions, when the use of compass directions would create ambiguity. Due to the large number of these routes, auxiliary route numbers may be repeated in different states along
9900-716: The routing, a compromise was reached in 1995, by Senator John Warner and Senator Lauch Faircloth , that extended I-74 from its then current eastern terminus of Cincinnati to overlap I-73. (Original plans called for I-73 to run through Winston-Salem and Mount Airy , but, when its alignment was shifted to serve Greensboro, North Carolina , instead, this compromise resulted in I-74 using the Winston-Salem to Mount Airy route.) In Virginia , I-74 would follow I-77 into North Carolina , while I-73 would go east to Roanoke then south along US 220 toward Greensboro. However, when I-73 crossed
10010-419: The same numbers, which is generally disallowed under highway administration guidelines. Several two-digit numbers are shared between unconnected road segments at opposite ends of the country for various reasons. Some such highways are incomplete Interstates (such as I-69 and I-74 ) and some just happen to share route designations (such as I-76 , I-84 , I‑86 , I-87 , and I-88 ). Some of these were due to
10120-503: The same roadway are signed as traveling in opposite directions; one such wrong-way concurrency is found between Wytheville and Fort Chiswell , Virginia, where I‑81 north and I‑77 south are equivalent (with that section of road traveling almost due east), as are I‑81 south and I‑77 north. Auxiliary Interstate Highways are circumferential, radial, or spur highways that principally serve urban areas . These types of Interstate Highways are given three-digit route numbers, which consist of
10230-467: The state plan, all I-85 Bus. and US 70 signs were removed from the freeway stretch traveling southwesterly from I-40 in Greensboro to NC 68 in Thomasville, but the freeway would remain US 29. The state's justification was that the route changes would: provide a single continuous route as an alternative (US 70 now takes a more direct routing through Greensboro), simplify overhead signage on
10340-669: The study took I-74 eastward along US 74 until it reached Bolton , where it would turn southward west of the town on a new alignment parallel to NC 211 . It would then turn southwestward at Supply and travel along the US 17 corridor before reaching the South Carolina state line. The study, which was completed in 2005, recommended building a four-lane freeway with interchanges and service roads along this corridor. Since that time, several smaller projects have been completed, including several at-grade intersections being upgraded to interchanges. More recently, SCDOT and NCDOT have begun coordinating
10450-581: The third segment of I-74 in North Carolina. In 2012, I-74 was extended from Ellerbe to Winston-Salem along US 311 . The Piedmont segment was extended south in June 2013 and June 2018 in concurrency with I-73 and US 220 to Randleman. As of September 27, 2018, there are a total of 124.91 miles (201.02 km) of I-74, broken in three segments across the state: the Mount Airy , Piedmont Triad , and Laurinburg areas. The first section of I-74 begins at
10560-490: The war, complied by submitting a detailed network of 20,000 miles (32,000 km) of interconnected primary highways—the so-called Pershing Map . A boom in road construction followed throughout the decade of the 1920s, with such projects as the New York parkway system constructed as part of a new national highway system. As automobile traffic increased, planners saw a need for such an interconnected national system to supplement
10670-404: Was also signed as I-73/I-74 along US 220. In 1998, NC 752 , a freeway spur of I-77 was renumbered as the segment of completed I-74, from I-77 to US 601 . On June 30, 1999, the freeway was extended an additional five miles (8.0 km) to US 52 , south of Mount Airy. In April 2001, I-74 was overlapped with I-77 from the Virginia state line to exit 101. In January 2008,
10780-514: Was awarded. Actual construction began April 2019 and opened to traffic on November 7, 2022. Next, construction on the segments between I-74 and US 421/Salem Parkway, Projects U-2579AA and U-2579AB, was scheduled to begin in 2020 and completed in 2024. However, the projects were postponed due to the cash crunch caused by the COVID-19 pandemic . The final contract was awarded on January 22, 2022, with construction beginning later that year. Its completion
10890-453: Was completed in April 2018. The remaining sections of the new bypass were scheduled to start construction by late 2017; however, under reprioritization of construction projects announced in 2014, they were first removed from the list of projects to be started through 2024 then had funding restored with a construction date of 2022 in mid-2016. In January 2017, however, the project, though still funded,
11000-505: Was delayed four years due to a low score in prioritizing projects for the 2018–2027 NCDOT State Transportation Improvement Program. On January 9, 2019, it was announced that the North Carolina State Transportation Improvement Program for 2020 to 2029 included connecting I-73 with US 74 six years sooner than planned. A $ 146.1-million (equivalent to $ 172 million in 2023) contract was awarded for
11110-541: Was employed ahead of Hurricane Charley in the Tampa, Florida area and on the Gulf Coast before the landfall of Hurricane Ivan ; however, evacuation times there were no better than previous evacuation operations. Engineers began to apply lessons learned from the analysis of prior contraflow operations, including limiting exits, removing troopers (to keep traffic flowing instead of having drivers stop for directions), and improving
11220-443: Was estimated to cost $ 156 million (equivalent to $ 205 million in 2023). Construction on the segment, Project U-2579B, commenced in December 2014, with an anticipated completion date of November 2018. However, after delays, including an opening date of late 2019, it was finally opened to traffic on September 5, 2020. Since then, funding has been allocated to complete the remaining sections of NC 74 between US 52 and
11330-416: Was extended west from High Point to I-40 , in Winston-Salem . On June 7, 2013, I-74 extended eight miles (13 km) east onto new primary routing from Cedar Square Road to I-73/US 220, near Randleman . Continuing in concurrency with I-73/US 220, it now connects two segments of the Interstate from Winston-Salem to Candor. On September 26, 2008, a 19-mile (31 km) section of I-74/ US 74
11440-430: Was not up to Interstate standards. It was also at this same time that NCDOT fixed an exit number error along milemarkers 181 to 191. North Carolina Highway 752 ( NC 752 ) was the designation of the four-lane limited-access highway that traversed from I-77 to NC 89 , near Pine Ridge . Established in 1994, it was a one-mile (1.6 km) freeway spur. In 1998, the freeway was extended to US 601 and
11550-547: Was opened between Maxton to NC 41 near Lumberton , known as the American Indian Highway. The Laurinburg Bypass was also resigned I-74/US 74 at the same time. By the middle of the following year, the Laurinburg Bypass was removed of its I-74 designation by NCDOT after a ruling from the FHWA (it was resigned as a Future I-74 Corridor). The reason was that the section, though a freeway by North Carolina standards, it
11660-422: Was proclaimed complete in 1992, but two of the original Interstates— I-95 and I-70 —were not continuous: both of these discontinuities were due to local opposition, which blocked efforts to build the necessary connections to fully complete the system. I-95 was made a continuous freeway in 2018, and thus I-70 remains the only original Interstate with a discontinuity. I-95 was discontinuous in New Jersey because of
11770-521: Was renumbered as I-74. Its short four-year existence was simply to be a placeholder for I-74. Currently, three segments are proposed to be part of I-74 in the future. The first corridor is from Mount Airy to Rural Hall , where US 52 is planned to be converted to Interstate standards. The second is a proposed new freeway in Columbus and Brunswick counties would traverse from Whiteville to SC 31 in South Carolina . The section of US 74 from
11880-412: Was rescheduled for late 2019 and was planned to last three years, costing $ 146.1 million; however, the completion date was pushed back due to design changes and material shortages. Upon completion of the bypass, I-74 will be designated along its length and along US 74 around Rockingham and Hamlet, terminating east of Hamlet at US 74 Bus. The bypass will also carry I-73, which will terminate at
11990-543: Was serving as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II . In 1954, Eisenhower appointed General Lucius D. Clay to head a committee charged with proposing an interstate highway system plan. Summing up motivations for the construction of such a system, Clay stated, It was evident we needed better highways. We needed them for safety, to accommodate more automobiles. We needed them for defense purposes, if that should ever be necessary. And we needed them for
12100-640: Was to eliminate a redundant route and decrease the number of routing shields and overhead signs through Greensboro. On October 5, 2019, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) submitted an application to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and received approval to decommission I-85 Bus. along its entire route, as well as to reroute US 70 along Wendover Avenue westbound through Greensboro to NC 68 (Eastchester Drive) in High Point, and then onto NC 68, southbound from High Point to Thomasville. Under
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