U.S. Route 74


U.S. Route 74 is an east-west United States highway that runs for from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Primarily in North Carolina, it serves as an important highway from the mountains to the sea, connecting the cities of Asheville, Charlotte and Wilmington. It is known as Andrew Jackson Highway throughout most of North Carolina.

Route description

Tennessee

US 74 was designated in 1927. The route travels from the I-24/I-75 interchange, in Chattanooga, northeast to Cleveland, where it then continues east, along with US 64, to the North Carolina state line. The highway is predominantly freeway or expressway grade four-lane, except between Ocoee and Ducktown, where it is a curvy two-lane mountain highway along the Ocoee River known as the Ocoee Scenic Byway.
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 state line, US 74 traverses across the southern portion of the state, connecting the major cities Asheville, Charlotte, 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 and the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway ; it shares a revolving door of concurrency changes with US 19, US 129, US 441 and US 23. The alternating named highway is considered the commercial back-bone and main truck route of Western North Carolina, connecting the cities of Murphy, Andrews, Bryson City, Cherokee, 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 and Balsam Gap tend to get the most snow and/or ice in the region and should be traveled with care.
North of Clyde, US 74 merges with Interstate 40 and goes east, in concurrency, to Asheville. From there, it then goes southeast, in concurrency with Interstate 26 till Columbus, where it separates and continues east along a mostly controlled-access highway, except in Shelby, to Interstate 85, in Kings Mountain.
After crossing a unique weave intersection with Interstate 85, it joins with US 29 and travels through downtown Gastonia along Franklin Boulevard. East of Gastonia, it becomes Wilkinson Boulevard as it goes through McAdenville, Cramerton and Belmont. After crossing the Lake Wylie/Catawba River, via Sloans Ferry Bridge, it enters Charlotte, with connections with Interstate 485 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, Marshville, 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/I-74, 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 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, where a future interchange will split from US 74 to continue south towards South Carolina. This is one of only two instances 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. Eastbound after the overlap with US 76, US 74 continues on Salisbury Street through some residential areas and businesses before coming to a traffic light separating Salisbury Street and Lumina Avenue. Drivers are directed to take a left on to North Lumina Avenue to continue on US 74 while South Lumina Avenue connects to Jack Parker Boulevard, which leads to US 76. Approximately on North Lumina, US 74 reaches its eastern terminus at a dead end circle with an entrance to the local Shell Island Resort hotel.
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, which is part of Appalachian Regional Commission. 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, Georgia to I-40, near Clyde, North Carolina. US 74 overlap from US 23, in Dillsboro, to I-40, near Clyde; it is also completed with divided four-lane limited-access and controlled-access sections. This corridor is signed as "Appalachian Highway," in white text on blue background.
  • Corridor K – From I-75, in Cleveland, Tennessee, to US 23, in Dillsboro, North Carolina. 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 controlled-access between Bryson City and Cherokee. Current two-lane sections that are impending improvements are: Ocoee River to Ducktown and the Nantahala Gorge. In North Carolina, this corridor is signed as "Appalachian Highway," in white text on blue background.

    Scenic byways

The Ocoee Scenic Byway is a National Forest Scenic Byway that traverses through the Cherokee National Forest, in East Tennessee. 19 miles of the Byway are concurrent with US 74. Features include the Ocoee Whitewater Center and scenic bluffs along Ocoee River and Gorge.
Nantahala Byway is a byway from Marble to Whittier; it is known for its scenic views of the Nantahala Gorge, The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, and whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River. US 74 overlaps of the byway from Marble 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. It is named to honor the large American Indian population in Robeson County.
  • Andrew Jackson Highway – Official North Carolina name of US 74 throughout the state, except in Robeson County. It was established to honor of the seventh President of the United States, Andrew Jackson. 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.
  • 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 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.
  • G R Kindley Freeway – Official North Carolina name of US 74/I-74 along the Rockingham-Hamlet bypass. It is named in honor of the former mayor of Rockingham.
  • Herman H. West Bridge – Official North Carolina name of bridge over the Valley River, in Cherokee County. It was dedicated in honor of the former state Senator and Representative.
  • Hezekiah Pridgen Sr. Bridge – Official North Carolina name of bridge over US 701, in Columbus County.
  • 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 to 1937 and 1953-1961.
  • J. Ollie Harris Highway – Official North Carolina name of US 74 Bypass at Kings Mountain.
  • James Arthur Callahan Freeway – Official North Carolina name of a section of US 74/I-26 in Rutherford County.
  • 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, who was mayor of Charlotte from 1969 to 1977.
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway – Official City of Wilmington name of US 74 from the Northeast Cape Fear River east to US 17 Bus.; named in honor of the late civil rights leader. The section from 23rd Street to Market Street, which opened in the late 1990s, previously had the unofficial name "Smith Creek Parkway", named for the creek of the same name and thus indirectly named for William Smith, credited as being a founder of Wilmington.
  • 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 Richmond County sheriff R. W. Goodman.
  • Senator Jesse Helms Freeway – Official North Carolina name of US 74 between US 601 to the Anson-Union County line. 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.
  • W Cliff Martin Highway – Official North Carolina name of US 74 from Union County line to Wadesboro, in Anson County.