Where:  US 74, from Rockingham-Hamlet Bypass, Richmond County to Laurinburg Bypass, Scotland County Length:     9 Miles Needed:    Upgrade to Interstate Standards with possible bypass of Laurel Hill Signed As:  (Future I-74 Corridor)

I-74 is to be routed from the end of the Rockingham-Hamlet Bypass to the Laurinburg Bypass along the current US 74 highway corridor. This roadway is currently four-lane divided with intersections that include stoplights in the town of Laurel Hill. On September 28, 2006 NCDOT officials held a meeting for the Laurel Hill community which discussed two options for building I-74 through that town. One option would be simply to upgrade the current highway to an interstate by the closing of certain side streets and possibly replacing one of the stoplighted intersections with an interchange. The other option is to build a bypass around the town which would start out slightly north of Laurel Hill then cross over existing US 74 to the south before returning to the existing highway, the remainder of which would be upgraded to interstate standards. About 100 residents attended the hearing. The consensus from the meeting was that the first option would be cheaper, and quicker to build (about 7 years) but limit access to businesses, the other would maintain business access but probably cost more and take longer to complete, probably about 10 years. (1) The NCDOT Project to upgrade the roadway (No. I-3801) is currently Unfunded as listed in the 2009-2015 STIP. Work is thus not scheduled to start until after 2015. The cost estimates are $18.4 million for Right-of-Way acquisition and $60.4 million for construction. (2)  Future I-74 corridor signs first appeared on this stretch of US 74 in 2000 (see below).

If anyone has any other photos to share from this segment feel free to send me e-mail.

Sources: NC Transportation Map 2001. 

(1) Calhoun, Jennifer. 2006. "Laurel Hill Residents Hear I-74 Proposal." Fayetteville Observer. September 29. Downloaded from  http://www.fayettevillenc.com/article?id=243246 9/30/06.
(2) NCDOT. June 2008. State Transportation Improvement Program, 2009-2015, Division 8, p. 8-34. 

US 74 shield courtesy of David R. Kendrick's Shield's Up!.