Where:   US 311, from end of Winston-Salem Beltway, Forsyth County to North Main Street, High Point, Guilford County Length:    Approx. 7 Miles Needed:   Upgrade to Interstate Standards Signed As:                  (Future I-74 Corridor)

I-74 is to be routed from the planned Winston-Salem Northern Beltway onto the existing US 311 freeway to the new US 311 Bypass of High Point. From the recent chosen alternative for the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway Eastern Half Extension, the Beltway and US 311 will meet about a mile west of the Union Cross Road interchange. The existing US 311 freeway needs to be upgraded to Interstate standards.  There is no mention in the Draft 2009-2015 STIP, however, about funding any upgrade to this roadway. During the Summer of 2002 NCDOT had a construction crew repaving US 311 and widening the shoulders of the highway at a cost of $4.4 million, however, from appearances in the Fall of 2002 (see below) it does not appear that this widening was quite to interstate standards, and thus work related to to I-74. (1) It may be that NCDOT was considering a request a waiver from the FHWA to allow them to sign it as I-74 once the Beltway connection is completed around 2015. Recently released contract documents for the High Point East Belt (Segment 6) though indicate this section will be signed as Future I-74 when that contract is completed in 2009 and exits will get I-74 milepost numbers (see list below), this will include the current US 311 exits with Ridgewood Road and I-40 though that are not along the proposed path of I-74. (2) (For a complete list of exits go to the I-74 exit list.) Currently there are only two Future Interstate 74 Corridor signs along this stretch of freeway, one in each direction, similar to the one seen here.

The following I-74 Exit Numbers will be applied to this segment:

Exit 55 I-40/US 311 North Winston-Salem
Exit 56 Ridgewood Rd
Exit 59 Union Cross Rd
Exit 60 High Point Rd
Exit 63 NC 66 Kernersville
Exit 65 Business US 311 High Point

Photos from November 2002:

If anyone has other photos of this segment they are willing to share, feel free to E-mail me.

Sources: NC Transportation Map 2001.
(1) Muschick, Paul. 2002. "Bypass Work to Last Until September." News & Record (Greensboro, NC) Greensboro/High Point/Randolph Edition. March 29: B3. 
(2) NCDOT. 2006. Contract Documents, NCDOT Signing Section, Contract C201275, Project R-0609-IA. Downloaded from: http://207.4.62.65/dsplan/2007%20Highway%20Lettings/3-20-2007/Plans%20and%20Proposals/Guilford%20C201275%
20R-0609IA/Plans/Roadway%20Part%203/ 2/22/07.

I-74/US 311 shields courtesy of David R. Kendrick's Shield's Up!.