North Carolina...
US 74:
US 74 is or will be an arterial in most of western North Carolina from Tenneco to Waynesville except for the Bryson City and Sylvia Bypasses, which are freeways. The segment from Murphy to Andrews is very scenic.
The section from Andrews to US 19 east of Almond
is not built yet.
History and Tentative Construction Schedule - East to
US 19:
| Segment |
Status |
|
US 19 to Almonds |
ROW purchase began
February 1994;
Construction began
December 1994; Complete
August 1997 |
|
Almonds to Calf Pen Gap |
ROW purchase began May
1996; Construction began
March 1998; Complete
June 2002 |
|
SR 1231 to Calf Pen Gap |
ROW purchase began
September 1996;
Construction began March
1998; Complete June 2002 |
|
NC 28 to SR 1231 |
ROW purchase began
January 1998;
Construction began
December 2000;
Completion scheduled for
December 2003 |
|
NC 143 to NC 28 |
To be built after 2010. |
|
US 129 to NC 143 |
ROW purchase will begin
2007. Construction will
begin 2009. |
|
Andrews to US 129 |
To be built after 2010 |
After going through much of Western North Carolina as a freeway or future freeway, US 74 is a multilane highway of some sort for almost the entire distance between
Charlotte and the the coast at Wilmington. The junction log below will help to show which parts of the highway are of each type. A non-expressway 4-lane or 5-lane road is referred to as a boulevard.
Junction Log:
| Junction |
Type of Access |
Type of Highway |
City/County |
|
NC 24/27
|
Future interchange, replacing a traffic light, under construction
|
Boulevard
|
Charolette / Mecklenburg
|
|
NC 51 / Pinesville-Matthews Rd
|
3/4 cloverleaf
|
Boulevard
|
Matthews / Mecklenburg
|
|
I-485
|
Interchange
|
Boulevard
|
Matthews / Mecklenburg
|
|
Roughly from Rocky River Road in Monroe to Wadesboro, excluding the segments through towns, US 74 is a congested 4 lane
highway with occasional lights. In the towns of Monroe, Wingate, Marshville, Peachland, Polkton and Wadesboro,
boulevards range from 1-2 miles to 6-7 miles long. These communities are more or less bedroom communities of Charlotte, although this is less
prevalent east of Wingate. |
|
US 601 |
Interchange |
Boulevard |
Monroe / Union |
|
Cosigns with US 601 through Monroe. |
|
NC 205
|
Traffic light
|
Boulevard
|
Marshville / Union
|
|
NC 218
|
Traffic light
|
Boulevard
|
Polkton / Union
|
|
Cosigns with US 52 through Wadesboro. |
|
US 52
|
Traffic light
|
Boulevard
|
Wadesboro / Union
|
|
US 74 Enters Richmond County where shortly it becomes the Rockingham-Hamlet bypass or the mushing of Rockinghamlet Bypass. It is a interstate-grade highway with the designation of future I-74. |
|
Business US 74
|
Interchange
|
Expressway to Freeway
|
West of Rockingham / Richmond
|
|
US 1
|
Diamond interchange
|
Freeway
|
South of Rockingham / Richmond
|
|
NC 177
|
Diamond interchange
|
Freeway
|
Inches from the city limits of Hamlet / Richmond
|
|
Business US 74
|
Interchange
|
Freeway to Expressway
|
Hamlet / Richmond
|
|
US 74 returns to the expressway mode in between Hamlet and Laurinburg and shortly, after the town of Laurel Hill, it becomes the Laurinburg-Maxton Bypass. |
|
Business US 74
|
Interchange
|
Expressway to Freeway
|
West of Laurinburg / Scotland
|
|
NC 79
|
Half-diamond Interchange
|
Freeway
|
Laurinburg / Scotland
|
|
US Routes 15, 401, and 501
|
Interchange
|
Freeway
|
Laurinburg / Scotland
|
|
US 74 multiplexes with US 501. |
|
Business US 14/401/501
|
Half Cloverleaf
|
Freeway
|
Laurinburg / Scotland
|
|
US 501
|
Diamond
|
Freeway
|
East of Laurinburg / Scotland
|
|
NC 71
|
Diamond
|
Freeway
|
Maxton / Robeson
|
|
US 74 becomes a 2 lane highway about 3 miles after NC 71. It is not a super 2, it is a mainline 2 lane road with occasional turn lanes until it reaches I-95. It bypasses Pembroke, but there is no US 74 business designation in Pembroke. A freeway on new location is planned for this stretch. |
|
US 301 South
|
At-grade
|
Expressway
|
Lumberton / Robeson
|
|
I-95 / US 301 North
|
Diamond interchange with I-95 as the through route; no signal on US 74
|
Expressway
|
Lumberton / Robeson
|
|
NC 41
|
Diamond interchange
|
Expressway
|
Lumberton / Robeson
|
|
NC 72 / 130
|
Traffic light
|
Expressway
|
Southeastern Robeson County
|
|
US 74 cosigns with NC 130. |
|
NC 242
|
?
|
Expressway
|
Western Columbus County
|
|
US 74 Business / NC 130 / NC 410
|
?
|
Expressway
|
North of Chadburn / Columbus
|
|
US 76
|
Interchange
|
Freeway
|
East of Chadbourn / Columbus
|
|
US 74 becomes the Whiteville Bypass after US 76 where US 76 co-signs with US 74 all the way to Wilmington. |
|
US 701 Business
|
Overpass / No access
|
Freeway
|
Whiteville / Columubus
|
|
US 74 Business / NC 214
|
Interchange
|
Freeway to Expressway
|
East of Whiteville / Columbus
|
|
US 74/76 goes back to expressway mode after US 74 Bus/NC 214 but it still acts as a bypass for Bolton. |
|
NC 211
|
Traffic light. An interchange is planned for construction after 2010.
|
Expressway
|
Bolton, Columbus
|
|
NC 214
|
?
|
Expressway
to Arterial
|
Bolton, Columbus
|
|
NC 11
|
?
|
Arterial
|
Eastern Columbus County
|
|
US 74 / 76 cosigns with NC 87. |
|
NC 87
|
At-grade
|
Arterial
|
Western Brunswick County
|
|
US 74/76 becomes a freeway to go through Leland and the freeway terminates over the bridge at US 421/US 17 Business in Downtown Wilmington where it becomes a 4 lane, one way boulevard through city streets. |
|
US 17
|
Interchange
|
Freeway
|
Leland / Brunswick
|
|
NC 133
|
Diamond interchange
|
Freeway
|
Leland / Brunswick
|
|
US 74 / 76 multiplexes with NC 133 for 2 miles. |
|
US 421 West / NC 133 |
Interchange |
Freeway |
Leland / Brunswick |
|
US 74 / 76 multiplexes with US 421 over the
bridge to Wilmington. |
US 74 becomes a boulevard throughout all of New Hanover County/Wilmington and
towards the sandy dunes of Wrightsville Beach.
History - New Hanover to Wrightsville Beach:
| Date |
Activity |
|
1964 |
Wadesboro Bypass
complete |
|
1969 |
Brunswick / Columbus
county line to freeway
west of Wilmington
complete; halfway
between Tenneco Border
and US 19 to US 19
complete |
|
1970 |
Bolton to Brunswick /
Columbus county line
complete; Tennessee
Border halfway to US 19
complete; US 19 to
Murphy Bypass complete |
|
1971 |
Monroe to Wadesboro
Bypass complete |
|
1973 |
US 301 to US 76 segment
opens as super-2
expressway |
|
1980 |
Wadesboro to Rockinghamlet Bypass complete; Murphy Bypass complete |
|
1992 |
Whiteville to Bolton
complete |
|
1998-2000 |
US 74 widened to 4-lanes
between US 76 and US
301, starting at the
east end and working
westward |
Sources:
John Lansford,
North Carolina DOT,
NCRoads.com, Guy Olsen,
New Bern Sun Journal,
WRAL, Lou Corsaro.
Last Updated: 6/19/05
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