North Carolina Roads - US 74

US 74


US 19 NB/US 74 EB in Topton.


US 23 NB/US 74 EB west of Asheville, and an exceedingly rare WB cutout shield for the Business route, both courtesy Lou Corsaro. It's hard to tell whether that's a 1960s cutout or a modern BGS version.


The Charlotte skyline, as US 74 WB joins I-277.


Same thing in the other direction, as US 74 EB/I-277 NB leave I-77. Remove the word "Outer," add another 6 to 12 inches between cardinal directions, and I'd delete my first photo because that would make everything good enough to be ordinary.


Maybe US 601 just doesn't deserve a wide shield. This WB run heads all the way to the NC 75/84 (and US 601) overpass on the northwest side of Monroe.

Wingate University historical sign, WB a few miles east of US 601.

All remaining photos are courtesy Lou Corsaro except one.


If you're confused by these signs on NC 177 SB leaving Hamlet, well, too bad, because the FHWA decided that I-74 can run into North Carolina and actually multiplex with US 74. Not take it over, just run with it. I pray for the souls who have to decide which 74 to take when the roads split.


Same confusion on the next road to the east, NC 38 SB.


The most notorious of the stretches of I-74, westbound at the end of the Maxton bypass courtesy Adam Prince. In the background is an at-grade intersection to prove it. I don't know why this gets to be signed I-74 when it doesn't connect to an Interstate yet.


Ongoing widening in preparation for turning plain ol' US 74 into a US 74/I-74 freeway.


The old road is cut off here so that all WB traffic is funnelled onto the new freeway - they can take the next exit to access points down the old highway, Alma Road in Maxton.


Now merging onto the new freeway, or at least entering where there will be a merge soon. Why couldn't they pick a nice number like, oh, I-28? No US 28 in North Carolina. I-42? I-46? Please?


At the time of these photos, US 74 EB exits at NC 710, Exit 226. Now that I-74 is open, this is Exit 196, reflecting the actual mileage of the road instead of being misnumbered.


Continuing EB on what's now the Business route to US 301. The closure of Back Swamp Rd., a shortcut to US 301, combines with the closure of the I-95 SB onramp to cause the detour around two sides of the triangle. I can't tell whether the four lanes of US 74 from here eastward are being reduced to two (anticipating the freeway opening), or whether this is just to rebuild the WB overpass of I-95 to accommodate the future frontage roads.


Onto the I-95 overpass, looking south at the ongoing construction of the I-74 interchange. Now that this cloverleaf is open, the interchange with the old road has been taken out.


Heading east from there, being upgraded on the spot to Interstate-quality four lanes.

US 17 and US 74/17
US 74-A, old US 74

Onto the Blue Ridge Parkway
Onto I-277
Exit 1 to I-77
Exit 1 to US 21
Onto NC 16
Exit 242 to I-85
Onto US 601
Onto US 301
Onto I-95
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