Interstate 74 in North Carolina

Interstate 74 (I-74) is a partially completed part of the Interstate Highway System that is planned to run from Davenport, Iowa, to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In the US state of North Carolina, I-74 currently exists in three distinct segments; from I-77 at the Virginia state line to US Highway 52 (US 52) near Mount Airy, from I-40 in Winston-Salem to US 220 near Ellerbe, and from US 74 and US 74 Business (US 74 Bus.) near Maxton to US 74/North Carolina Highway 41 (NC 41) near Lumberton. I-74 has an extensive concurrency with I-73 from Randleman to Ellerbe in the Piedmont. When completed, I-74 will link the cities of Mount Airy, Winston-Salem, High Point, Rockingham, Laurinburg, and Lumberton.

The 1991 Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) authorized a new high priority transportation corridor from Michigan to Myrtle Beach, originally to be I-73. Conflicts over the routing of I-73 led to a compromise in 1995 that created a proposed extension of I-74 from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Myrtle Beach. The first section of I-74 was completed on August 27, 1996, between Steeds and Ulah. I-74 replaced North Carolina Highway 752 (NC 752) in 1998 near Mount Airy, and the entirety of the Mount Airy segment was completed by 2000. A segment of the Interstate was opened in 2008 between Maxton and Lumberton, creating the third segment of I-74 in North Carolina. In 2012, I-74 was extended from Ellerbe to Winston-Salem along US 311. The Piedmont segment was extended south in June 2013 and June 2018 in concurrency with I-73 and US 220 to Randleman.