U.S. Route 74 (US 74) is an east–west

United States highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...

that runs for from

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...

Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina Wrightsville Beach is a town in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. Wrightsville Beach is just east of Wilmington and is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,477 at the 2010 census. The town co ...

. Primarily in North Carolina, it serves as an important highway from the mountains to the sea, connecting the cities of

Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous ci ...

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

and Wilmington. The entire length of the route is known as Andrew Jackson Highway.

Route description

, - , TN , 63.0 , 101.4 , - , NC , 451.8 , 727.1 , - , Total , 514.8 , 828.5

Tennessee

US 74 was designated in 1927. The route travels from the I-24/

I-75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...

interchange, in

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

, northeast to

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

, where it then continues east, along with US 64, to the North Carolina state line. The highway is predominantly

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

or expressway grade four-lane, except between Ocoee and Ducktown, where it is a curvy two-lane mountain highway along the

Ocoee River The Toccoa River and Ocoee River are the names in use for a single river that flows northwestward through the southern Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States. It is a tributary of the Hiwassee River, which it joins in Polk Coun ...

known as the

Ocoee Scenic Byway The Ocoee Scenic Byway is a National Forest Scenic Byway and Tennessee Scenic Byway that traverses through the Cherokee National Forest, in East Tennessee. It is part of both U.S. Route 64 and U.S. Route 74, and features the Ocoee Whitewater Ce ...

. TDOT's signage for US 74 is poor. Most highways that cross it will typically only list I-75 or US 64 instead; I-75 completely ignores US 74 along its route, even ignoring it at their intersection, showing instead the US 64 Bypass.

North Carolina

From the

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

state line, US 74 traverses across the southern portion of the state, connecting the major cities

, and Wilmington, for a total of . In western North Carolina, US 74 enters the state with a concurrency with US 64. Routed along on pre-existing highways in the region, specifically the: Appalachian Highway (at-grade expressway, except in the

Nantahala Gorge The Nantahala River ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

Great Smoky Mountains Expressway (controlled-access

, which is broken in three sections along the route); it shares a revolving door of concurrency changes with US 19, US 129, US 441 and US 23. The alternating named highway (depending on grade of road) is considered the commercial back-bone and main truck route of Western North Carolina, connecting the cities of

Murphy Murphy () ( ga, Ua Murchadha) is an Irish surname and the most common surname in the Republic of Ireland. Origins and variants The surname is a variant of two Irish surnames: "Ó Murchadha"/"Ó Murchadh" (descendant of "Murchadh"), and "Mac ...

Andrews Andrews may refer to: Places Australia *Andrews, Queensland *Andrews, South Australia United States * Andrews, Florida (disambiguation), various places *Andrews, Indiana * Andrews, Nebraska *Andrews, North Carolina *Andrews, Oregon *Andrews, Sout ...

, Bryson City,

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, th ...

, Sylva, and Waynesville. In or around October, the fall colors create an influx of more tourists in the region. In the winter months, the highway is the first to be salted and plowed; however, both the

Nantahala Gorge The Nantahala River ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

Balsam Gap tend to get the most snow and/or ice in the region and should be traveled with care. North of

Clyde Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...

, US 74 merges with

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

and goes east, in concurrency, to

. From there, it then goes southeast, in concurrency with

Interstate 26 Interstate 26 (I-26) is a main route of the Interstate Highway System in the Southeastern United States. Nominally east–west, as indicated by its even number, I-26 runs from the junction of U.S. Route 11W (US 11W) and US 23 in K ...

till Columbus, where it separates and continues east along a mostly controlled-access highway, except in Shelby, to

Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, ...

, in Kings Mountain. After crossing a unique weave intersection with Interstate 85, it joins with

US 29 U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida to the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland in the Southern United States, connecting the Florida Panhandle to the Baltimore-Washington ...

and travels through downtown Gastonia along Franklin Boulevard. East of Gastonia, it becomes Wilkinson Boulevard as it go through McAdenville, Cramerton and Belmont. After crossing the Lake Wylie/Catawba River, via Sloans Ferry Bridge, it enters

, with connections with

Interstate 485 Interstate 485 (I-485) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway encircling Charlotte, North Carolina. As a complete loop, it is primarily signed with "inner" and "outer" designations, though at some major interchanges, supplemental signage refl ...

and Interstate 85/ Charlotte Douglas International Airport, via Little Rock Road. At Morehead Street, west of Center City, it splits with US 29 for Interstate 277 along the John Belk Freeway. East of Center City, it goes solo again along Independence Freeway/Boulevard to Matthews, where it connects again with Interstate 485. After leaving the Charlotte city limits, the route turns southeast as it goes through Stallings, Indian Trail and Monroe, where it briefly overlaps with US 601, before continuing east again through

Wingate Wingate may refer to: Places New Zealand * Wingate, New Zealand, a suburb of Lower Hutt United Kingdom * Wingate, County Durham * Wingate Quarry, a Site of Special Scientific Interest in County Durham * Old Wingate, County Durham * Wingat ...

, Marshville,

Peachland Peachland is a district municipality in the Okanagan Valley on the west side of Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1899 by John Moore Robinson, although the region had long been home to the Okanagan people. Peachland ...

, Polkton, Wadesboro and Lilesville. On this stretch, prior to 2018, signage for the route was very poor, only being found at a few locations along the route. As part of the US 74 Monroe Bypass project, signage along the route was improved by the NCDOT. Crossing the Pee Dee River and into the Sandhills region, US 74 meets up with Future Interstates

I-73 Interstate 73 (I-73) is a north–south Interstate Highway, located within the US state of North Carolina. Currently, there is one continuous section of I-73, totaling , first traversing the U.S. Route 220 (US 220) freeway from ...

I-74 } Interstate 74 (I-74) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an interchange with I-80 in Davenport, Iowa (Quad Cities); the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an interchang ...

, in Rockingham. After a future interchange near NC 38 that will end its overlap with Interstate 73, US 74/Future I-74 continues southeast, bypassing

Laurinburg Laurinburg is a city in and the county seat of Scotland County, North Carolina, Scotland County, North Carolina, United States. Located in southern North Carolina near the South Carolina border, Laurinburg is southwest of Fayetteville, North Car ...

and Maxton. East of Maxton and through Lumberton, the highway is officially US 74/Interstate 74, before dropping back to Future I-74 west of Boardman; the concurrency with Future I-74 ends at

Bolton Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th ...

, where a future interchange will split from US 74 to continue south towards

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. This is one of only two instances (along with

I-41 Interstate 41 (I-41) is a north–south Interstate Highway connecting the interchange of I-94 and U.S. Route 41 (US 41), located south of the Wisconsin–Illinois border at the end of the Tri-State Tollway in metropolitan C ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

) of similarly-numbered U.S. and Interstate routes being designated on the same road. Near Chadbourn, US 74 overlaps with US 76, which continue mostly together till Wrightsville Beach, where US 74 dead-ends north and US 76 dead-ends south. The highway connects the cities and towns of Whiteville, Lake Waccamaw, and Wilmington. The road through the Cape Fear region is flat, surrounded by parts of the Green Swamp.

ADHS corridors

US 74 overlaps with two corridors that are part of the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS), which is part of

Appalachian Regional Commission The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a United States federal–state partnership that works with the people of Appalachia to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life. Congress established A ...

(ARC). Passed in 1965, the purpose of ADHS is to generate economic development in previously isolated areas, supplement the interstate system, connect Appalachia to the interstate system, and provide access to areas within the Region as well as to markets in the rest of the nation. * Corridor A – From I-285, in

Sandy Springs Sandy Springs is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia and an inner ring suburb of Atlanta. The city's population was 108,080 at the 2020 census, making it Georgia's seventh-largest city. It is the site of several corporate headquarters, i ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

I-40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

, near

Clyde, North Carolina Clyde is a town in Haywood County, North Carolina, United States. The 2010 census recorded the population at 1,223 people. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Prior to European colonization, the area that is now Cly ...

. US 74 overlap from US 23, in Dillsboro, to I-40, near Clyde; it is also completed with divided four-lane

limited-access A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway, expressway, limited access freeway, and partial controlled access highway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which ...

and

controlled-access A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...

sections. This corridor is signed as "Appalachian Highway," in white text on blue background. * Corridor K – From

, in Cleveland, Tennessee, to US 23, in

Dillsboro, North Carolina Dillsboro is a town in Jackson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 232 at the 2010 census. Dillsboro attracts tourists traveling to the Great Smoky Mountains. The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad begins in Dillsboro and foll ...

. The entire section of US 74 is authorized for ADHS funding. The majority of the route is a four-lane limited-access road, with a section that is

between Bryson City and

. Current two-lane sections that are impending improvements are:

to Ducktown and the

Nantahala Gorge The Nantahala River ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

Scenic byways

The

is a

National Forest Scenic Byway The National Forest Scenic Byways are roads that have been designated by the U.S. Forest Service as scenic byways. Many are also National Scenic Byways (NSB). The program was initiated in 1987. __TOC__ List The following roadways were listed by t ...

that traverses through the

Cherokee National Forest The Cherokee National Forest is a United States National Forest located in the U.S. states of Tennessee and North Carolina that was created on June 14, 1920. The forest is maintained and managed by the United States Forest Service. It encompasse ...

, in East Tennessee. 19 miles of the Byway are concurrent with US 74 (in addition to U.S. Route 64). Features include the

Ocoee Whitewater Center The Ocoee Whitewater Center, near Ducktown, Tennessee, United States, was the canoe slalom venue for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and is the only in-river course to be used for Olympic slalom competition. A 1,640 foot (500 m) stretch of t ...

and scenic bluffs along

and Gorge. Nantahala Byway is a byway from

Marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

to Whittier; it is known for its scenic views of the

Nantahala Gorge The Nantahala River ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

Great Smoky Mountains Railroad The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is a freight and heritage railroad based in Bryson City, North Carolina, United States. Since late 1999, the railroad is currently owned and operated by American Heritage Railways, Inc., which also owns and ...

, and whitewater rafting on the

Nantahala River The Nantahala River ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

to Bryson City. The byway also overlaps with US 19 and US 129.

Dedicated and memorial names

US 74 features several dedicated bridges and stretches of highway throughout its route. * American Indian Highway – this name was authored by Tuscarora Indian Robert M. Chavis, he launched a campaign to obtain support from all the city councils and the Robeson county Commissioners, they all signed onto the partition Mr. Chavis sent to the NCDOT and it was approved by the state DOT, official North Carolina name of the section of US 74/I-74 in Robeson County (mile marker 191-213). It is named to honor the large American Indian population in Robeson County (approved: November 8, 2001). * Andrew Jackson Highway – Official North Carolina name of US 74 throughout the state, except in Robeson County (it is still named along the old sections of US 74 now called US 74 Business and Alternate). It was established to honor of the seventh

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

(approved: April 4, 1963). Signage is found primarily east of Charlotte, overlapping other official North Carolina dedicated sections. * C. Heide Trask Bridge – Official North Carolina name of bridge over the Inland Waterway, in Wrightsville Beach (approved: June 9, 1958). * Cameron Morrison Bridge – Was an official North Carolina name of the first bridge and later westbound US 74 bridge, over the Pee Dee River. It was named in honor of Governor Morrison, who was a

Richmond County Richmond County may refer to places: Australia *Richmond County, New South Wales, a cadastral division Canada *Richmond County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Richmondshire, the original Richmond County in Yorkshire, England United States ...

native. The bridge, built in 1925, was dedicated to Morrison originally at an unknown date; in 1983, after the bridge was reconstructed to modern standards, it was rededicated to R.W. Goodman. * Dean Arledge Memorial Highway – Official North Carolina name of US 74 between I-26 and NC 9, in

Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk: * Polk County, Arkansas * Polk County, Florida * Polk County, Georgia * Polk County, Iowa * Polk Count ...

(approved: March 3, 2000). * G R Kindley Freeway – Official North Carolina name of US 74/

along the Rockingham-Hamlet bypass. It is named in honor of the former mayor of Rockingham (approved: September 8, 2000). * Herman H. West Bridge – Official North Carolina name of bridge over the

Valley River A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

, in

Cherokee County Cherokee County is the name of eight counties in the United States: * Cherokee County, Alabama * Cherokee County, Georgia * Cherokee County, Iowa * Cherokee County, Kansas * Cherokee County, North Carolina * Cherokee County, Oklahoma * Cherokee Co ...

. It was dedicated in honor of the former state Senator and Representative (approved: September 8, 2000). * Hezekiah Pridgen, Sr. Bridge – Official North Carolina name of bridge over US 701, in

Columbus County Columbus County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina, on its southeastern border. Its county seat is Whiteville. The 2020 census showed a loss of 12.9% of the population from that of 2010. As of the 2020 census, the popula ...

(approved: August 4, 1995). * James Archibald Hardison Bridge – Official North Carolina name of the eastbound US 74 bridge, over the Pee Dee River. It is named in honor of the former Highway Commissioner and member of the Highway Commission under three governors, from 1933-1937 and 1953-1961 (approved: December 30, 1958). * J. Ollie Harris Highway – Official North Carolina name of US 74 Bypass at Kings Mountain (approved: October 3, 1997). * James Arthur Callahan Freeway – Official North Carolina name of a section of US 74/ I-26 in Rutherford County (approved: May 10, 1992). * John Belk Freeway – Official North Carolina name of US 74/ I-277, from I-77/ US 21 to Independence Boulevard, in Uptown Charlotte. It is named in honor of

John M. Belk John Montgomery Belk (March 29, 1920 – August 17, 2007) was head of the Belk, Inc. department store chain and member of the Democratic Party, he served as the mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina for four terms (1969–1977). He was the son of ...

, who was mayor of Charlotte from 1969-1977 (approved: September 11, 1981). * R.W. Goodman Bridge – Official North Carolina name of the westbound US 74 bridge, over the Pee Dee River. It is named in honor of the former

sheriff R. W. Goodman (approved: March 11, 1983). * Senator Jesse Helms Freeway – Official North Carolina name of US 74 between US 601 to the

Anson Anson may refer to: People * Anson (name), a give name and surname ** Anson family, a British aristocratic family with the surname Place names ;United States * Anson, Indiana * Anson, Kansas * Anson, Maine ** Anson (CDP), Maine * Anson, Missour ...

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

County line (approved: January 8, 1993). Named in honor of the late five-term U.S. senator who was born in Union County in 1921. * Solon David Smart Memorial Highway – Official North Carolina name of highway from NC 120 to US 221A, in Rutherford County (approved: December 1, 2000). * W Cliff Martin Highway – Official North Carolina name of US 74 from Union County line to Wadesboro, in Anson County (approved: May 2, 1997).

History

Established as an original U.S. Route in late 1926, US 74 traversed from

to Chadbourn, in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. It was extended eastward in late 1934 to Wilmington, replacing an old alignment of US 17. In 1936, US 74 was extended eastward again from Wilmington, via Market Street, to Wrightsville Beach, then going north on Lumina Avenue to its current eastern terminus. US 74 also spawned two alternate routes the same year, the first and shortest () in Leland, and a second in Shelby; which eventually replaced all of US 74 through the downtown area by 1949 (later renamed US 74 Business in 1960). In 1937, US 74 was rerouted through Kings Mountain, replacing part of NC 7. Its old alignment became an alternate route, but was replaced a year later by both NC 161 and NC 274. By 1949, US 74 was on its first bypass around Rutherfordton, via

Ruth Ruth (or its variants) may refer to: Places France * Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France Switzerland * Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny United States * Ruth, Alabama * Ruth, Ar ...

; its former route becoming an alternate route (later renamed US 74 Business in 1960). In 1952, the first Monroe Bypass was completed, leaving a short-lived alternate route going through the downtown area. By 1953, the first bypass around Rockingham was completed, leaving a short lived alternate route through the downtown area. In 1970, US 74 was placed on new freeway alignment bypassing Spindale, Forest City, Ellenboro, and Mooresboro; the old route was replaced by an extension of US 74 Business. In 1973, US 74 was realigned onto new road south of Lumberton. In 1975, US 74/US 76 was rerouted onto new freeway bypass south of Leland and then east of Belville, its old alignment becoming secondary roads. In 1976, US 74/US 76 was bypassed north of Chadbourn and Whiteville, leaving behind US 74 Bus./ US 76 Bus. In 1984, Maxton was bypassed, replaced by an extension of US 74 Bus. In 1985, US 74 was rerouted north of Kings Mountain onto new freeway bypass; its old alignment becoming US 74 Bus. In 1986, Hallsboro and Lake Waccamaw were bypassed; its old alignment replaced by NC 214. Also in 1986, US 74 was extended west, from

. The routing extension started at its former western terminus with US 70, going northerly, in concurrency with US 70, to I-240, where it overlapped briefly before joining US 19/ US 23. From Asheville, in concurrency with US 19/US 23, it went through Canton and Lake Junaluska. From Lake Junaluska, in concurrency with US 23, it went through Waynesville. Near Dillsboro it switches US 23 for US 441 and continues till it splits north within the Qualla Boundary. West of Bryson City, it overlaps with NC 28. In Topton, it joins with US 129 and continues southwesterly till at

, where it joins with US 64 and separates from US 19/US 129. Heading west, in concurrency with US 64, it enters

; traversing through Ducktown, it reaches

, where it then follows the US 64 Bypass to

. Continuing southeasterly, as a hidden concurrency with I-75, it connects with

, ending at its new terminus at I-24. In 1988, US 74 was extended east to its current eastern terminus in Wrightsville Beach. In 1990, US 74 was rerouted onto I-277 (John Belk Freeway), this left a section of Independence Boulevard that was still overlapped with NC 27. In 1992-1993,

was bypassed to the north, with its old alignment becoming an extension of NC 214. In 1994, US 74 was rerouted onto I-40 for , in Asheville, and then onto I-26, from Asheville to Columbus. East of Columbus, it traverses along new freeway to Forest City, where it meets back with its old alignment. The former routing between Asheville and Forest City becomes US 74A. In 1996, US 74 was rerouted through Wilmington. In late 1997, US 74 was rerouted onto I-40, between

and Asheville. In 2002, US 74 was placed on its second bypass around both Rockingham and

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

, its old alignment becoming US 74 Business. In 2005, US 74 was rerouted north of downtown Wilmington. In 2007, US 74 was placed on new freeway, in concurrency with

from Maxton to just east of

I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

; its old alignment becoming US 74 Alternate. In 2018, US 74's new toll bypass around Monroe was completed.

Independence Boulevard

Independence Boulevard and Independence Expressway are two major interconnected roads in Mecklenburg County,

that carry US 74. Originally constructed in the 1940s and early 1950s, Independence Boulevard was the city of

's first expressway. The road has undergone numerous realignments, extensions, upgrades, truncations, and renamings since the mid-20th century. Ben Douglas, former mayor of Charlotte and member of the North Carolina State Highway Commission, helped lead the push for the urban highway project in the 1940s that would become Independence Boulevard. In 1946, Charlotte voters passed a

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

in favor of a $200,000 bond issue to fund the project; this was coupled with over $2 million in federal funding. The expressway was to be named after

Independence Park Independence Park may refer to: * Independence Park Botanic Gardens, a botanical garden in Baton Rouge, Louisiana * Independence Park (Charlotte, North Carolina), a park in Charlotte, North Carolina * Independence Park (Chicago), a park in Chicag ...

that was largely demolished to make way for the road; the name suggestion was coined by City Clerk Lillian Hoffman on May 4, 1949 after a previous suggestion naming it after the current mayor, Herbert Baxter, was rejected. Construction commenced in the late 1940s and the new expressway which traversed east–west along the southern part of the city opened in two parts; the first opened to traffic in 1949 and the other opened in 1950. US 74 and NC 27 were subsequently shifted from their central business district alignments to the new expressway. Major changes to Independence Boulevard occurred in the 1980s. A portion of West Independence Boulevard was converted from expressway to limited-access freeway and made a part of the John Belk Freeway and Interstate 277. The portion west of Interstate 77 was renamed Wilkinson Boulevard. A new intersection with I-277 (which would also connect to the

Brookshire Freeway Interstate 277 (I-277) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US state of North Carolina. It serves as a partial loop around Uptown Charlotte. Route description I-277 is a four to eight-lane beltway that surrounds Uptown Charlotte. ...

that was upgraded as part of the I-277 project) was constructed and the connecting freeway along with the updated portion of East Independence Boulevard was given the name Independence Freeway; US 74 was shifted to this new alignment. After the massive transportation revamp, a few disconnected segments of the original Independence Boulevard remained. These segments were later reorganized and given the names Carson Boulevard, Stonewall Street, and South Independence Boulevard; the latter was downgraded to a surface street and renamed Charlottetown Avenue in 2007 to prevent confusion with the unconnected East Independence Boulevard. In 2021, Stonewall Street was renamed to Brooklyn Village Avenue to honor a Charlotte neighborhood that had been demolished for expansion of the Uptown area. The freeway and bus lanes of Independence Freeway were extended to Albemarle Road in 2005. The limited-access road extension has caused numerous businesses along the corridor to leave the area and vacate their commercial real estate, resulting in

brownfield land In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land prev ...

"American Indian Highway" controversy

In Robeson County, the highway is designated "American Indian Highway," a name that was the brain child of Robert M. Chavis, the Wolfclan chief of the NC Tuscarora; Cherokee Indians of Robeson County, and Nottoway Nation, who authored the name in the late 1990s. American Indian people of Robeson County, NC had attempted to remove Andrew Jackson's name from the highway for some sixty years. Knowing that the new US 74 was to come, Chavis started a campaign to change the name to American Indian Highway. Chavis did this in honor of all the Indian people that had lost their lives along the Trail of Tears during the Indian Removal Act of the 1830s authored by Andrew Jackson. Chavis was cited in many newspapers across North Carolina stating that the name should be changed, because that name on this section of road was tantamount to having a major road named Adolf Hitler that ran across a Jewish state or county. Chavis, with the help of the Tuscarora East of the Mountains, obtained the information on how to attempt the name change from Rep. Ronnie Sutton and the NCDOT. Then Chavis presented the reasons for the name change to all the cities of Robeson county and the Robeson County Commissioners. Once he obtained support from these entities he presented the proposal to the NC-DOT. Rep. Sutton supported the name change at the state level and the name change was approved by the NC-DOT. The new signs of American Indian Highway were placed on the new sections of I-74 once the highway construction was completed.

Future

In Graham County, NCDOT has proposed to relocate US 74 onto a new divided four-lane highway from Robbinsville to Stecoah. This new routing will feature controlled at-grade intersections, viaduct and tunnel (at Stecoah Gap). At a cost of $383 million, right-of-way acquisition is scheduled to begin in 2014 and construction to begin in 2016; however, this is subject to reprioritization. The project is part of an overall project to bypass the current routing through the

Nantahala Gorge The Nantahala River ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

Nantahala National Forest The Nantahala National Forest ( /ˌnæntəˈheɪlə/), is the largest of the four national forests in North Carolina, lying in the mountains and valleys of western North Carolina. The Nantahala is the second wettest region in the country, after the ...

. The overall project, from

to Almond, would complete a four-lane expressway from

. The US 74 Bypass, in

Cleveland County Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

, is a controlled-access highway bypassing north of Shelby. When completed, it will improve vehicle capacity along the US 74 corridor, reduce future traffic congestion, increase safety and improve roadway continuity between I-26 and I-85. Being built in six sections, the cost is estimated at $295.9 million; currently, three of the six sections are fully funded with construction starting in 2014, ending in 2017. In Mooresboro, there are plans to convert the last remaining at-grade intersections (US 74 Business/Lattimore Road/Academy Street) into an interchange, as well as improving the bridges over Sandy Run Creek. When the interchange and the rest of the Shelby Bypass are completed, US 74 will become a full freeway between I-26 in Tryon and I-85 in Kings Mountain. The Independence Widening project, in Mecklenburg County, is to enhance and improve traffic flow and safety along US 74 in east

, by converting the corridor into an expressway grade highway from Center City to Matthews. Current construction is being done on three new interchanges at Sharon-Amity Road, Idlewild Road and Conference Drive. The cost of this section is at $101.2 million, with construction completed by October 15, 2016. In

and

counties, the US 74 freeway upgrade and Wadesboro Bypass is an estimated $741 million project. Plans include linking with future Monroe Bypass to existing Rockingham Bypass with upgrading to existing facilities to freeway standards and bypass the cities of both Marshville (to the south) and Wadesboro (to the north). The project is currently unfunded.

Junction list

References

External links

Route description

Tennessee

North Carolina

ADHS corridors

Scenic byways

Dedicated and memorial names

History

Independence Boulevard

"American Indian Highway" controversy

Future

Junction list

See also

References

External links