U.S. Route 74 - History

History

Established as an original U.S. Route in late 1926, US 74 traversed from Asheville to Chadbourn, in North Carolina. 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 (0.14 miles (0.23 km)) in Leland, and a second in Shelby; which eventually replace 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. This section would later become US 74 Business in 1984.

By 1949, US 74 was on its first bypass around Rutherfordton, via Ruth; its former route becoming an alternate route (later renamed US 74 Business in 1960). In 1952, the first Monroe Bypass was completed, leaving an 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. The following year, US 74 was placed on new freeway bypasses around Leland and Belville, and another around Chadbourn and Whiteville.

In 1985, Maxton was bypassed, replaced by an extension of US 74 Business. Around 1986-87, Hallsboro and Lake Waccamaw was bypassed; it's old alignment replaced by NC 214. By 1992, the bypass was extended around Bolton.

In 1987, US 74 was extended west from Asheville to Chattanooga, Tennessee. It followed US 19/US 23 to Lake Junaluska, where it replaced US 19A along the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway. South of Bryson City, it follows US 19 and later US 64 into Tennessee. From the state line, it continues in concurrence with US-64 to Cleveland, where it goes south to Chattanooga along I-75. It has been reported that in 1994 US-74 was truncated at I-75 in Cleveland but as of 2012 is still shown continuing with I-75.

In 1994, another major rerouting of US 74 occurred when it was placed on new freeway bypassing south of Rutherfordton to Columbus, where it then proceeded north in concurrency with I-26 to Asheville. The old alignment between Asheville to Forest City became US 74A. In 1998, US 74 was realigned west of Asheville to Clyde along I-40.

Late 2000, US 74 was placed on its second bypass around both Rockingham and Hamlet; renaming the old alignment 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 I-74 from Maxton to just east of I-95; its old alignment becoming U.S. Route 74 Alternate.