Interstate 74

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Interstate 74 is an interstate highway in the Midwestern and southeastern United States. Its western end is at an intersection with Interstate 80 in Bettendorf, Iowa; the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an intersection with Interstate 75 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It also exists as several other disconnected sections of highways in North Carolina (see Notes section below); also see List of gaps in Interstate Highways.

I-74 in Central Illinois
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I-74 in Central Illinois

Contents

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Number of Miles

Miles km state
4 6 Iowa
221 358 Illinois
172 279 Indiana
18 29 Ohio
50 81 North Carolina
465 753 Total
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Major Cities Along the Route

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Intersections with other Interstates

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Spur Routes

 Three-digit Interstates from Interstate 74
I-474 Illinois
past/future I-174: North Carolina - I-274: North Carolina
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Notes

Long-range plans call for I-74 to continue east and south of Cincinnati to North Carolina using OH 32 from Cincinnati to Piketon, Ohio and then the proposed I-73 from Portsmouth through West Virginia (along current U.S. Highway 52) to I-77. It would then follow I-77 through Virginia into North Carolina. There are 2 sections of highways currently signed as I-74 in North Carolina and 3 sections as Future I-74. The two interstate sections are from I-77 Exit 101 to U.S. Highway 52 near Mt. Airy (12 miles) (there are also I-74 signs along the 5 miles of Interstate 77 between the Virginia border and Exit 101) and the U.S. Highway 220 freeway from Business U.S. Highway 220/NC 134 to Candor (with I-73) (23 miles). Future I-74 sections include the U.S. Highway 220 freeway from the U.S. Highway 311 interchange north of Asheboro to the Alt. US 220/NC 134 interchange listed above (with Future I-73) (12 miles), the U.S. Highway 74 Rockingham Bypass (10 miles) and the US 74 Laurinburg-Maxton Bypass (14 miles).

Two sections of I-74 in North Carolina are currently under construction. One is the U.S. Highway 220 bypass of Ellerbe (with I-73), which is 14 miles long and is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2006. The other is the U.S. Highway 74 freeway under construction from the end of the Laurinburg-Maxton Bypass to Interstate 95 (19 miles) which is to be completed by the end of 2008. An extension of the U.S. Highway 311 Bypass of High Point, North Carolina, which also will carry I-74 from Business Loop 85 to Interstate 85, is due to start construction in mid-2006. Sections of I-74 east of I-95 are not currently proposed to be built perhaps for another 20 to 30 years. The proposed path is further along US 74 to NC 211 near Bolton to US 17 near the South Carolina border. Officials in Brunswick County support the use of tolls to get this section of I-74 built faster. [1]

On February 11, 2005, the North and South Carolina Departments of Transportation came to an agreement over where I-74 (and I-73) would cross the state line. It was decided that I-74 would cross the line as a northern extension of the Carolina Bays Parkway (SC 31).[2] (A Myrtle Beach newspaper in October 2005 called on the FHWA to officially designate the Carolina Bays Parkway as I-74.) [3] I-74 will then end south of Myrtle Beach. Before ending, it is proposed to produce a spur into Myrtle Beach, called I-174. Another spur route, which is expected to be called I-274, is proposed as the western half of the Northern Beltway loop around Winston-Salem, North Carolina (I-74 will run on the eastern half).

East of Rockingham, North Carolina, Future I-74 runs concurrent with US 74. When the highway is signed as Interstate 74, it will be the first time that a U.S. and Interstate highway with the same number would be designated on the same road. In Wisconsin, part of US 41 between Milwaukee and Green Bay has been proposed as Future Interstate 41.


As for the Midwest portion of I-74, in April 2002, the Upgrade 74 project began. This multi-year project will see the complete renovation of I-74 through East Peoria, Illinois and Peoria, Illinois, most notably to widen the interstate to three lanes through the cities, to remove or correct many blind or hairpin exits and entrances to the highway, and to replace bridges crossing the highway. The biggest stage of this project has recently been completed: The Murray Baker Bridge, over which I-74 crosses the Illinois River, was closed while being partially dismantled and reconstructed. From April 2 to October 15, 2005, I-74 was disconnected between Peoria and East Peoria.


Fans of the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals joke that I-74 marks the "Demilitarized Zone" between Cubs and Cardinals "territories", the baseball rivalry equivalent of the 38th parallel between North and South Korea.

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See also

Primary Interstate Highways Interstate Highway marker
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
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External links

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References

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