Future, Future NC Interstates?

Gulf Coast Strategic Highway, El Paso, TX to
Wilmington, NC; Proposed in 2006

In May 2006 the Gulf Coast Strategic Alliance, a Texas based lobbying group, announced a proposal to create a highway to link military bases in Texas to a port on the Atlantic coast, dubbed the "Gulf Coast Strategic Highway." The number they suggest for this highway is Interstate 14 and the port they chose to end the route at is Wilmington. An Interstate 14 corridor has previously been written into law (along with another corridor named Interstate 3) to run between Natchez. Mississippi and Augusta, Georgia based on a proposal originally endorsed by Republican Representative Max Burns from Georgia in 2004 (for more on the original Interstate 14 and 3 proposals see this I-14 article). Then Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson was to introduce a bill in the Senate in the next few months to garner funds for the corridor.¹ Though apparently NC senators have been apprised, there has been no comment by NCDOT on this proposal which, would apparently use some of the same corridors currently planned for I-74 and proposed for I-20 (or perhaps I-30, see below).

US 74 Freeway, I-26 to I-85; First Proposed in 2003 (New 4/13/23)

A report issued through the Gaston County Chamber of Commerce examining ways to improve the local economy in July 2003 suggested, as part of its recommendations to improve the Cleveland County infrastructure that US 74 between I-26 and I-85 be designated a 3di interstate (an I-x26 or I-x85, the I-226 number is my own idea, since there is a NC 226, perhaps I-426 would work better) once the US 74 bypass of Shelby has been completed. NCDOT has since committed to upgrading US 74 to interstate standards. Work started in July 2013 on the first of three projects to complete the US 74 Shelby Bypass were finished in September 2016, the remaining 2 segments completion dates are yet to be determined.² The list of projects to be considered for the 2018-2027 State TIP included money for the remaining two projects plus for a project to upgrade US 74 from I-26 to Mooresboro to Interstate Standards.³ On February 24, 2020, the Polk County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution supporting the upgrading of US 74 to interstate status between I-26 and I-85 due to the need to improve freight movement and in-state access throughout southern North Carolina.⁴ On April 11, 2023 Congressman Chuck Edwards of NC's 11th District introduced a bill, HR 2551, that would designate US 74 between I-26 in Columbus and I-85 in King's Mountain as a Future Interstate. Rep. Patrick McHenry of the 10th District is a co-sponsor. “Having an interstate within county lines significantly increases companies’ interests in locating to these areas, opening the door to even greater economic opportunities in Western North Carolina,” stated Edwards in a press release. The bill would allow NCDOT to put up future interstate signs along the corridor through Cleveland, Gaston, Polk and Rutherford Counties while the route is being brought up to interstate standards. No specific route number is included in the bill which must first be reported favorably out of committee prior to any vote in the House.⁵ 

US 74, from I-26 to I-85, I-85 and I-485 around Charlotte,
US 74 to Wilmington; Proposed in 2005

NCDOT in July 2005, at the urging of Andy Koeppel, a member of the Cape Fear Transportation Authority, said it would look into the suggestion that US 74 between I-26 and Wilmington be upgraded to an Interstate and designated Interstate 30. Koeppel, a commercial real estate agent, thinks that an interstate highway would improve commerce between Charlotte and Wilmington and be part of an important east-west national highway. I-30 would need to be routed along I-40 from its current end in Little Rock AR to I-26 in NC. I-30 would then follow current US 74 to Wilmington except around Charlotte where it would use I-485.⁶ There has been no word since 2005 on whether NCDOT saw any merit in this idea.

       US 264, US 64 (Future I-87) near Zebulon to US 13/NC 11 north of Greenville, then US 13/NC 11 from US 264 to US 64 (Future I-87) in Bethel;
First Proposed in 2012 as part of 'Quad-East Interstate Loop."
Supported by projects on NCDOT's potential STIP list in April 2016.

In early 2016 Congress approved a new transportation bill designating the corridor of US 64 from Raleigh to Williamston and US 17 from Williamston to Norfolk, VA as a Future Interstate. In May 2016 AASHTO assigned the designation of I-87 to this corridor. Earlier, in 2012, officials from Kinston, Greenville, Wilson and Goldsboro came together to support a proposal they called the "Quad-East Interstate Loop" as a way to encourage more commerce and business by having several highways in the area upgraded to freeways, including US 264 and US 13, and initially conceived as a continuation of Interstate 795.^7,8 In April 2016, NCDOT released its list of potential projects to fund for its 2018-2027 State Transportation Improvement Project (STIP). Among those projects on the list were the upgrades to interstate standards of US 264 from the Wilson County Line to the US 264 Bypass in Greenville (US 264 between I-95 and the Wilson County line is already interstate standard) and US 13/NC 11 from the US 264 Bypass to US 64 near Bethel.⁹ If the remainder of US 264 between US 64 (Future I-87) near Zebulon to I-95 was also brought up to interstate standards, the entire US 264 and US 13/NC 11 highway would be a good candidate for a Loop (even-number) route of I-87. I-287 is not an official number, but makes a logical choice since it would be the first auxiliary route off of I-87 and would use an even number since meets it it's parent in two places. On September 7, 2016, NCDOT announced it would seek interstate designation for US 264 from Zebulon to Greenville, probably as an I-87 Spur Route (e.g., I-187). If approved, it would not be out of the question that a future upgrade to US 13/NC 11 could bring about this total route, however some of the local officials who supported the plan were voted out of office in 2018.¹⁰

US 321, I-85 to I-40, Hickory; First proposed 2003

Both the Gaston County Economic Development report listed above in 2003 and a report prepared for the Centralina Council of Governments in 2004 suggested as ways to improve the economic viability of the region that US 321 from I-85 to I-40 at Hickory be designated an interstate spur of either I-40 or I-85.^2,9

Garden Parkway; Proposed in 2003

The same Gaston County Economic Development report suggested as ways to improve the Gaston County Infrastructure that the Garden Parkway, a planned toll route from I-485 to US 321, be designated an I-85 spur.² The NC Turnpike Authority which approved the route in 2010, does not seem to be interested in an Interstate designation for any of its facilities. The parkway proposal has now fallen out of favor due to its apparent cost and opposition from environmental groups.

Jacksonville Interstate Spur

Proposed in 2018

Officials from Jacksonville, now the largest city in North Carolina without an interstate, along with having a military base, have proposed upgrading at least one of the routes into the city to connect to an interstate which could be either I-40 or I-795 (or Future I-42/US 70). The six routes suggested are US 258 to Kinston, NC 903 through Duplin County, NC 24 to I-40 or to I-95 Fayetteville, NC 24 and NC 11, US 17 to Wilmington, or US 17 to New Bern (US 70). The city's Transportation Advisory Committee were to meet in the spring of 2019 to discuss the route options, and then presumably got into contact with NCDOT about their plans. However, apparently no definite proposed route was established and no further information has been published since.¹¹