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

I-74 is currently 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 2011-2015 Draft STIP, however, about a project to upgrade 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. Contract documents for the High Point East Belt (Segment 6) though suggested this section would be signed as Future I-74, when that contract is completed in 2010 and exits would get new I-74 milepost numbers (see list below). However, in the summer and fall of 2008 NCDOT put up new signs along this segment with I-74 milepost numbers, including the current US 311 exits with Ridgewood Road and I-40, even 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.) The reason these numbers run to current I-40 could be that NCDOT is not convinced the Beltway route may not be the final I-74 route, since it now is not funded until at least after 2020, or want I-74 to be signed when the route gets to I-40, if there's a delay in constructing the final segment to US 311. If US 52 is upgraded through Winston-Salem, conceivably I-74 could take that to I-40 then east to US 311, at least temporarily. (2) As the last act of this contract in December 2008, and also apparently not waiting until the Segment 6 roadway is complete, they also put up Future I-74 signs along the roadway, see photos below. They are also supposed to put up Future I-74 mileposts, but this has not occured as of the summer of 2010. (3) In somewhat confusing move, on the Guilford County part of the roadway they also though replaced one of the two Future Interstate 74 Corridor signs, the one heading west, similar to the one seen here.

The following I-74 Exit Numbers were being applied to this segment in November 2008 (4):

Exit 55 I-40 East Greensboro (US 311 merges with I-40 West)*
Exit 56 Ridgewood Rd*
Exit 59 Union Cross Rd
Exit 60 High Point Rd
Exit 63 NC 66, Kernersville
Exit 65 No. Main St, High Point, DOWNTOWN**
*Not along currently planned I-74 alignment.
**The original sign read Business US 311. In November 2009 NCDOT requested, and AASHTO approved, the decommisioning of Business 311through High Point. The eastbound sign was changed on May 26, 2010. The westbound signs may still be up. These signs would read 'Business US 311, High Point [DOWNTOWN]. 

Photos from November 2002:

Photos taken of sign construction in the Summer of 2008:

Here's some new photos from November 23 and December 14: NCDOT has started replacing the signs along US 311.

Here's the entrance ramp for Exit 59. (11/23/08)

The old sign for the I-40 East Exit can be seen beyond the ramp to Ridgewood Road. (11/23/08)

While the I-40 exit signs do not have numbers, the exit gore sign is numbered 55 in case I-74 is routed to the west end of the US 311 freeway. (9/18/09)

 

A closer look at the new Future I-74 signage. Notice the distance of the sign from the roadway and the width of the shoulders, not up to interstate standards, it implies NCDOT does not plan an upgrade in the near future. (12/14/08)

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The last new sign going eastbound is for the NC 66 exit, the last exit in Forsyth County. (12/14/08)

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The exit signs for the only exit on this segment in Guilford County, for Business 311, didn't change, just the exit number to 65. However, a tornado in March 2010 blew the overhead signs down, as seen above. (5)(4/11/10) Since the sign was originally put up, Business 311 was decommissioned along Main Street through downtown High Point.  The right-hand sign was replaced on May 26, 2010 as shown below on one of the City of High Point's traffic camera's (Number 38), unfortunately a reverse angle, but based on information from Bill Travers, the sign had been changed, dropping Business 311 to just read North Main Street, High Point, Downtown. (6)  No sign was added on the left side, for now. According to project plans the new sign should read East I-74 South US 311, Asheboro. (4) The small sign facing the camera is the last Future I-74 Corridor sign left on this segment:

(5/26/10)

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