Where:    US 74, Laurinburg-Maxton Bypass, west of Laurinburg, Scotland County, to near Alma, Robeson County Length:    14 Miles Needed:   Upgrade to Interstate Standards. Currently Signed as:

Around the cities of Laurinburg and Maxton, I-74 is to be routed onto the existing US 74 bypass. This freeway runs a total of 14 miles around Laurinburg to the south and around Maxton to the north. This was the first section of I-74 to be signed along US 74 when this stretch of highway received Future Interstate 74 signs in 1998, creating a unique circumstance of two different highway shields with the same number standing side-by-side. (1) When signed as a future interstate, unlike the Rockingham Bypass, the Future I-74 signage existed only on the Bypass itself, and not at the entrance ramps. The Laurinburg part of the bypass was built in the 1960's and is not up to current Interstate design standards. The Maxton segment, though newer, is also not Interstate standard. NCDOT typically puts up Future Interstate shields where there is a project in place to bring the highway up to Interstate guidelines or where an interstate standard roadway exists that is not connected to a signed interstate route. There is no project to upgrade the roadway listed in the 2009-15 STIP. However, fulfilling to design documents for the new I-74 freeway being built to the east (see Segment 16) NCDOT was suppose to sign it as a full Interstate when that project almost completed in November of 2008. (2) However, NCDOT in the summer of 2007 began placing signposts that will hold the new I-74/US 74 signs along the highway and at exit ramps and for the new mileposts along the Bypass. In November around the time the part of the new segment of I-74 to the east opened (see I-74 Segment 16) they signed the route as full interstate I-74 and US 74 and put up exit signs matching I-74 mileage*, only the second segment of the highway to do this. It was thought by the author and others that perhaps NCDOT has gotten a waiver from the FHWA to sign the interstate now with a promise to upgrade the highway later as with I-73/74 on a previously existing section of US 220 near Candor, (see I-73 Segment 9).  The I-74/US74 signage covered the complete length of the Maxton and Laurinburg Bypasses. The exits were numbered using I-74 mileposts as well, starting with Exit 207 (see exit list below), however these numbers need to be changed due to a correction of numbers to the east, there were two exits 207, 209 and 210 for example. NCDOT 'solved' this problem temporarily by greening over the duplicate numbers in Laurinburg, see February 2009 photos below. In late April and May 2009 they finally got around to fixing the numbers, listed below. For a complete updated I-74 exit list, go here. It seemed construction, for now, was complete on this section.

THE ONCE AND FUTURE I-74 (Update November 2009):
However, in the middle of 2009, word came down to NCDOT that, since neither bypass was up to interstate standards, that all I-74 signs had to come down. (4) All shields mounted on polls on the highway, and at crossing interchange onramps (in Scotland County) came down, with nothing put in their place.  Mileage and exit numbers were not changed, nor were any overhead signs, at least for now. Unless NCDOT convinces the FHWA otherwise, it is likely I-74 signs will not appear on this segment for at least another 10 years. That's when a project to upgrade the bypasses is scheduled to start. Who made the decision to remove the signs is still under investigation by the author.

Changed Numbers for Exits along the Laurinburg-Maxton Bypass (West to East) (2), old numbers changed due to corrected numbers put up in the Fall of 2008 for the completed Segment 16 freeway are in ( ) (3):
Exit 181 (207)  Business US 74 Laurinburg (EB off-ramp only) (207 number greened out before being replaced)
Exit 182 (208)  NC 79 Gibson (WB only off-ramp) (208 number greened out before being replaced)
Exit 183 (209)  US 15/401 North US 501 Fayetteville Bennettsville
Exit 184 (210)  Business US 15/401 Laurinburg
Exit 185 (211)  US 501 South Rowland
Exit 186 (212)  To Business US 74
Exit 187 (213)  Business US 74
Exit 190 (215)  Laurinburg-Maxton Airport
Exit 191 (216)  NC 71 Maxton Red Springs

Photos Along the Segment in December 2007, January 2008 and May 2009, going east and then coming back westbound:

This is the first sign going eastbound on US 74 that includes an official shield for I-74, it was still there in November 2009, even after most all of the other I-74 signs had been taken down. (February 2009)

In February, with the former exit number, 207, the same as for US 74 Business at the western end of the bypass, the number had been greened out to prevent confusion over duplicate numbers.

Here's the same exit in February, then Exit 210, between duplicated exit numbers to the east.

Heading back West here's the new Exit 191 for NC 71 to Maxton (JM).

Also from December, a gore sign for the Laurinburg-Maxton Airport Exit, then 216, now 190.

Here's how it looked in December, with an Exit 213 tab added to existing sign for US 74 Business exit.

Interstate I-74/US 74/US 501 assembly in Laurinburg as it appeared in November 2007.

---

How the assembly looks now, in this case the center pole, along with any reference to I-74 has been removed. (11/15/09)

From January Another look at then Exit 210, Business US 15/401, again this exit number is now 184 .

Here's the first I-74/US 74 BGS at the beginning of the Laurinburg Bypass heading east (photo courtesy of Adam Prince), compare this to the photo from February 2009.

Junction US 74 signage approaching interchange on US 501 North

---

The current condition with the same sign poles, but no I-74 shield or direction. (11/15/09)

---

 

Directional signage nearer the US 501/I-74/US 74 interchange from 2008.

---

Signage at the other side of the intersection, as it appears now, the signs as they appear now for the east onramp are in the background of the previous November photo. (11/15/09)

---

Here's the interchange signage at Exit 183 , US 15/401/501 North in May 2009 (JM).

---

Here's what a similar sign assembly looks like as of November 2009. Are the spaces on the polls waiting for I-74 shields to return, or Future I-74 signs? (11/15/09)

---

In Robeson County, there are still I-74 shields at two exits on the Maxton Bypass. Here's the sign at the transition ramp to the new freeway to the east, the West I-74 sign on the Bypass has been removed. (11/15/09)

---

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