Interstate 73

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Interstate 73 (I-73) is an intrastate interstate highway currently located entirely within the state of North Carolina. It is planned to eventually extend from Michigan to South Carolina (see Future Plans). Currently, the southern terminus of I-73 (and I-74) is at Candor, North Carolina along U.S. Highway 220; its northern terminus is at Greensboro, North Carolina at an intersection with Interstate 40.

Contents 1 Length 2 Major cities 3 Intersections with other Interstates 4 Spur routes 5 I-73 Today 6 Future Plans 7 Planned Route, State-by-state 8 See also 9 External links 10 Sources

Length

Miles	km	state
58	93	North Carolina
58	93	Total

Major cities

• Greensboro, North Carolina

Intersections with other Interstates

• Interstate 40 in Greensboro, North Carolina
• Interstate 85 in Greensboro, North Carolina

Spur routes

None planned

I-73 Today

Currently I-73 is only signed in North Carolina and only part of the route is actually signed as Interstate 73. The section of the route from the NC 134/Alt US 220 interchange south of Asheboro northward to I-40 in Greensboro is signed as Future Interstate 73. This section will be signed as a full interstate once the highway is brought up to interstate standards sometime after 2009. Currently two sections of I-73 are under construction, the U.S. Highway 220 bypass of Ellerbe and the western portion of the Greensboro Urban Loop. The 16 mile (26 km) Ellerbe Bypass, which will also carry Interstate 74, will extend I-73 from its current terminus at Candor to just north of Rockingham and is due to be completed by the end of 2006. The Greensboro western loop section will carry I-40 along the 7 mile (12 km) section from I-85 south of Greensboro to current I-40 west of Greensboro and then Interstate 840 for 5 miles (8 km) further north to Bryan Blvd. This project is due to be completed by the summer of 2007. It is unlikely, though, that I-73 will be signed along this section until portions further north of Greensboro are completed.

On February 11, 2005, the North and South Carolina Departments of Transportation came to an agreement over where I-73 (and I-74) would cross the state line. I-73 was shifted a few miles slightly east, from the former plans to place it along US 1 southwest of Rockingham, North Carolina, to the NC 38/SC 38 corridor that crosses the state line south of Hamlet, North Carolina. I-73 and I-74 would merge somewhere to the west of the current NC 38 interchange along the existing U.S. Highway 74 freeway southeast of Rockingham. This route is currently signed as Future I-74 for most of its length and could eventually be signed west of NC 38 as Future I-73. Currently South and North Carolina are studying corridors where I-73 south of Rockingham will be routed to Myrtle Beach. Construction could start on these segments as early as 2009.

Future Plans

As conceived, I-73 is to stretch from Michigan to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, once construction is complete. This, however, may not be for several decades, if at all. Ohio shows no interest in building I-73 at this time. All studies for I-73 in Michigan have been halted. West Virginia is planning to build its highways but not to interstate standards, at least initially. While Virginia has chosen the path I-73 will take from Roanoke south to the North Carolina border there are no projects on the table for the section of highway north of there. Both North and South Carolina have recently received funds in the new federal highway legislation (SAFETEA-LU) to fund projects related to I-73 but these are several years in the future. Originally, I-73 was to run to Charleston, South Carolina, but environmental concerns truncated the ending further north in Georgetown, South Carolina. At best, within the next ten to twenty years it may be possible to drive I-73 from Roanoke to Myrtle Beach.

Planned Route, State-by-state

• • In South Carolina, the highway will use the Conway Bypass (SC 22) and probably run parallel to U.S. Highway 501 and S.C. Highway 38 (studies to pick the exact corridor are underway).
  • In North Carolina, I-73 is to roughly follow NC 38 to U.S. Highway 74 around Rockingham, North Carolina, U.S. Highway 220 between Rockingham and Greensboro, the western half of the Greensboro Urban Loop to Bryan Blvd., Bryan Blvd. to NC 68, then the NC 68-US 220 Connector, connecting back to U.S. Highway 220 north Greensboro to the border with Virginia.
  • In Virginia, I-73 will replace US 220 between the border with North Carolina and Roanoke, Virginia at I-81, Part of it will use the existing Interstate 581 near Roanoke to reach I-81. It will overlap a part of I-81, and replace U.S. Highway 460 along the proposed "Smart Road".
  • In West Virginia, I-73 will follow U.S. Highway 52 between Bluefield, West Virginia and Huntington, West Virginia along the proposed King Coal Highway.
  • In Ohio, I-73 will parallel US 52 between Huntington, West Virginia and Portsmouth, Ohio and U.S. Highway 23 between Portsmouth, Ohio and Toledo, Ohio via Columbus, Ohio.
  • In Michigan, I-73 will replace U.S. Highway 223 and U.S. Highway 127 via Adrian, Michigan, Jackson, Michigan, Lansing, Michigan, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, and Grayling, Michigan, where the highway will end.

See also

• Interstate 74

edit Primary Interstate Highways
4	5	8	10	12	15	16	17
19	20	22	24	25	26	27	29
30	35	37	39	40	43	44	45
49	55	57	59	64	65	66	68
69	70	71	72	73	74	75	76 (W)
76 (E)	77	78	79	80	81	82	83
84 (W)	84 (E)	85	86 (W)	86 (E)	87	88 (W)	88 (E)
89	90	91	93	94	95	96	97
99	238	H-1	H-2	H-3
Unsigned Interstate Highways
A-1	A-2	A-3	A-4	PRI-1	PRI-2	PRI-3
Lists Two-digit Interstates - Three-digit Interstates Gaps in Interstates - Intrastate Interstates Interstate standards - Proposed Interstates

External links

• I-73 in NC Progress Page
• SCDOT - Interstate 73 Corridor
• High Priority Corridor 5 (I-73/74)
• mailing list about I-73 and I-74

Sources

[1]

I-73/74 in NC Website Accessed 9/19/05

AA Roads High Priority Corridor 5 (I-73/74) Website, Accessed 10/1/05