Segment 7 /  Segment 8

Where:     From new US 311 freeway near Sophia, to North of SR 1364 in Asheboro, Randolph County

Length:     5 Miles

Signed as: 

Needed:  Upgrade to Interstate Standards

I-74 will join I-73 about 1 mile south of where US 311 currently meets US 220. They will then proceed south to Asheboro. When the I-73/74 freeway south of Asheboro was completed in 1997, this segment of highway received Future I-73 and I-74 signage. The highway itself, especially the widths of its left and right shoulders, is not far from interstate standards, in fact, in design it is similar to the pre-existing US 220 freeway from Steed to Candor which got full Interstate 73 and 74 signs in 1997. According to the 2009-2015 STIP the upgrade of this section of highway is an Unfunded Interstate Project, No. I-4921 (for more details see previous segment). (1)  In August 2004 G.R. Kindley, vice chair if the state board of transportation, indicated that projects to bring some of the off-ramps in this segment up to interstate standards may be 8-10 years off but NCDOT hopes federal authorities will allow signing the highway as a full interstate once the projects to upgrade US 220 through Asheboro are complete (see I-73 segment 8/I-74 segment 9), now probably not before 2013.(2)  In the early 2000's  NCDOT put up additional Future Interstate sign assemblies also at the US 220 on-ramps in Randolph county and on highways near US 220 (see below).

Intersection of US 311 and US 220 (Future I-73 North and Future I-73 South/I-74 East. There are no West Future 74 signs because it is at this intersection where the Future I-74 shields along US 220 end. (US 311 begins at this intersection as well).

Sign assembly at the intersection of US 220 Business and what was the original end of US 311, these Future I-73/74 signs are 1/2 mile east of the US 220 freeway.

Here's the end Future I-74 sign after the US 311 exit on-ramp. I-74 actually will join US 220 about a mile south, so this sign would be more accurate if placed there. Despite the contract to build the I-74 freeway to connect to US 220 (Future I-73), no tree-cutting or grading has begun along US 220 at the future construction site as of late June 2009. (6/25/09)

In May 2010, NCDOT released plans for its next I-73 construction project, upgrading US 220 through Asheboro to Interstate Standards (see I-73 Segment 8). As part of the construction plans, NCDOT is renumbering the exits in that section from US 220 miles, currently used south of Asheboro, to I-73 miles used around Greensboro. While this segment's exits do not have numbers, NCDOT seems to be planning to change exit numbers to the south and thus may add new I-73 numbers to the exits to the north after the Asheboro project is complete in 2012. Here's a probable list of exit numbers for this segment, going North to South:

Exit 81 West I-74, High Point, Winston Salem (to be completed sometime in 2012)
Exit 79 Pineview Street
Exit 78 Spero Road
Exit 76 To Business 220 Fayetteville St [Vision Drive]
For a list of all I-73 exits, go HERE.

Sources: Map-NC Transportation Map 2001.
(1) NCDOT. June 2008. State Transportation Improvement Program, 2009-2015, Division 7, p. 7-15.
(2) Walker, J.D. 2004. "Road Events Big for 2008." The Courier-Tribune (Asheboro, NC). August 28.

I-73 and I-74 and US 220 shields courtesy of  David R. Kendrick's Shield's Up!..