Segment 12 / Segment 13

 
 Where:   US 74 Rockingham Bypass from Proposed US 220 Bypass to future I-73 interchange near NC 38 exit

Length:     Approx. 10 Miles

Status:      COMPLETE

Signed:  ( )*

From the end of the US 220 Bypass, I-73 and I-74 are to travel east along the US 74 Rockingham-Hamlet Bypass freeway south of Rockingham. I-74 is to run the entire length of this freeway which runs a total of 13 miles from north of Cordova to east of Hamlet and was opened in November 2000, costing $110 million.(1) I-73 was originally going to leave the highway along a new freeway alignment for US 1 but this was changed after an agreement with SCDOT in February 2005. With the July 19, 2007 announcement of the preferred I-73 corridor from US 74 to I-95 from SCDOT (see I-73 Segment 13) I-73 is now to run approximately 10 miles to just to the east of the current NC 38 interchange. The section of the freeway east of the US 1 exit are currently signed as Future I-74 and US 74, including signs at the entrance ramps on intersecting highways (see photos below). This roadway was the second section of I-74 to be signed with US 74 after the Laurinburg Bypass (see I-74 Segment 15). It is unclear, when or whether Future I-73 shields will also be posted along this stretch of highway now that the new highway corridor has been chosen. The US 220 Bypass is planned to intersect the freeway west of US 1 near the current Cordova interchange, but currently there no Begin or End Future interstate signs marking the exact spot, unlike along US 220. The freeway has exit numbers matching US 74's mileage which run from 311 at the US 1 interchange to 319 at NC 38, for more information go to the I-74 exit list.

Some photos of this segment:


View turning onto the ramp to US 74 West from US 1 North. The signs indicate a right for US 74 West and the next left for US 74/Future Interstate 74 East. (November 2002)


A view of exit signage from US 74 West. The Future I-74 (and perhaps Future I-73?) signs end at the US 1 exit westbound and begin there eastbound (Photo courtesy of Chris Lawson, 2006).


Signage at Ramp from NC 38 North to East Future I-74/US 74. I-73 will leave the highway here at a revised interchange or
at a seperate one to the east (November 2002).


A closer look a the Junction Future I-74/US 74 signage along NC 38. Future I-73 shields, may, or may not be added here (November 2002).
nt-Type: text/html * It is assumed with the new official I-73 routing, Future I-73 shields will be put up along the highway, though they are not currently.

Sources: Map: Piedmont Triad Council of Governments. 2004.

I-73, I-74 and US 74 shields courtesy of David R. Kendrick's Shield's Up!.