 Interstate 73 | |
|---|---|
 I-73 highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Length | 101.1 mi[1][2] (162.7 km) |
| Existed | 1997–present |
| NHS | Entire route |
| Major junctions | |
| South end |    I-74 /US 74 /US 74 Bus. nearRockingham |
| Major intersections | |
| North end |   US 220 /NC 68 nearStokesdale |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| States | North Carolina |
| Highway system | |
Interstate 73 (I-73) is a north–southInterstate Highway, currently located entirely within the US state ofNorth Carolina. It travels 93.5 miles (150.5 km), from northwest ofRockingham, North Carolina to northeast ofStokesdale, providing a freeway connection toGreensboro andAsheboro. A majority of the route runs concurrently with other routes.
I-73 is planned to be a much longer highway, defined by various federal laws to run fromMyrtle Beach, South Carolina, toSault Ste. Marie, Michigan; varied progress has been made in the states along its route. Associated with these plans are those for the extension ofI-74 fromCincinnati to Myrtle Beach, with several highway overlaps contemplated.
| mi | km | |
|---|---|---|
| SC | ||
| NC | 101.1 | 162.7 |
| VA | ||
| WV | ||
| OH | ||
| MI | ||
| Total | 101.1 | 162.7 |
As of 2025[update], I-73 begins northwest ofRockingham, in aconcurrency withI-74 to north ofAsheboro. I-73 and I-74 travel north through northernRichmond County and into easternMontgomery County. In Montgomery County, the Interstates pass between the county's eastern border and theUwharrie National Forest. The freeway entersRandolph County and passes just west of Asheboro. InRandleman, I-74 splits northwest towardHigh Point andWinston-Salem. North of the I-74 split, I-73 passes overRandleman Lake, a reservoir formed by the blocking of theDeep River and passes intoGuilford County. EnteringGreensboro, it ends its concurrency with US 220 as it goes northwest along theGreensboro Urban Loop withUS 421 after a brief parallel withI-85. At its connection withI-40, US 421 continues north (or geographically west) with I-40 to Winston-Salem, while I-73 continues andI-840 begins. At theBryan Boulevard exit, I-73 separates from I-840, the latter continuing northeast along the loop. Meanwhile, I-73 turns westward, passingPiedmont Triad International Airport and continuing until it crossesNC 68. The road then resumes its northward direction, stretching eight miles (13 km) before reconverging with US 220 near theHaw River.[3]It then proceeds four miles (6.4 km) further north along a newly widened stretch of US 220 to another interchange with NC 68 which was completed in December 2017 but not signed as I-73 until March 2018.[citation needed]
In 1979, K.A. Ammar, a businessman fromBluefield, West Virginia, started the Bluefield-to-Huntington Highway Association in order to widenUS 52, a very dangerous two-lane road used to transportcoal from mines to barges on theOhio River. With coal employment in decline and the desire to bring in other businesses, Ammar worked to get the road improved. In 1989,Bluefield State College Professor John Sage learned of plans to add more Interstate Highways. Ammar and Sage came up with the idea for a road that would be called I-73, to run fromDetroit, Michigan, toCharleston, South Carolina. Ammar and others promoted the idea to the people ofPortsmouth, Ohio, andMyrtle Beach, South Carolina.[4]
In 1991, asCongress worked on reauthorization of theSurface Transportation Act, the people from West Virginia worked to get I-73 approved; the highway would run alongside US 52. The influentialRobert Byrd, at the time West Virginia's senior senator, chaired theSenate Appropriations Committee, but even Byrd said funding for such a highway would be hard to find. In North Carolina, Marc Bush of the Greensboro Area Chamber of Commerce admitted the plan would benefit his area but said it was not a priority.[5]
TheIntermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) definedHigh Priority Corridor 5, the "I-73/74 North–South Corridor" from Charleston, South Carolina, throughWinston-Salem, North Carolina, to Portsmouth, Ohio, toCincinnati, Ohio, and Detroit, Michigan. This would provide for a single corridor from Charleston, splitting at Portsmouth, withI-74 turning west to its current east end in Cincinnati, and I-73 continuing north to Detroit.[6]
In North Carolina, any new construction would require more money than the state had available, but Walter C. Sprouse Jr., executive director of theRandolph County Economic Development Corporation, pointed out that most of the route of I-73 included roads already scheduled for improvements that would make them good enough for interstate designation. A connector betweenI-77 and US 52 atMount Airy was planned, and US 52 from Mount Airy to Winston-Salem andUS 311 from Winston-Salem toHigh Point were four-lane divided highways. A US 311 bypass of High Point was planned, which would eventually connect to US 220 atRandleman. I-73 would follow US 220 toRockingham. Another possibility was followingI-40 from Winston-Salem to Greensboro. Congestion on US 52 in Winston-Salem was anticipated to be an issue.[7] The route through High Point was approved in May 1993.[8]
However, by November of that year, an organization called Job Link, made up of business leaders from northern North Carolina and southern Virginia, wanted a major highway to connectRoanoke with the Greensboro area. It could be I-73, the group said, but did not have to be.[9] In April 1995,John Warner, who chaired theSenate subcommittee that would select the route of I-73, announced his support for the Job Link proposal. This distressed Winston-Salem officials who were counting on I-73, though Greensboro had never publicly sought the road. But an aide to US SenatorLauch Faircloth said the 1991 law authorizing I-73 required the road to go through Winston-Salem. Faircloth got around this requirement, though, by asking Warner to call the highway to Winston-Salem I-74.[10] In May, Warner announced plans to propose legislation that made the plan for two Interstates official.[11]
TheNational Highway System Designation Act of 1995 added a branch fromToledo, Ohio, toSault Ste. Marie, Michigan, via theUS 223 andUS 127 corridors. (At the time, US 127 north ofLansing was part ofUS 27.) It also gave details for the alignments in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. I-73 and I-74 were to split near Bluefield, joining again between Randleman and Rockingham; both would end at Charleston. TheAmerican Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) approved the sections of I-73 and I-74 south ofI-81 in Virginia (with I-74 to end at I-73 near Myrtle Beach) on July 25, 1996, allowing for them to be marked once built to Interstate standards and connected to other Interstate Highways. The final major change came with theTransportation Equity Act for the 21st Century of 1998 (TEA-21), when both routes were truncated toGeorgetown, South Carolina.
North Carolina took the lead in signing highways as I-73 following AASHTO's approval and since has finished and approved construction projects to build new sections of the Interstate Highway. As of 2018[update], the route is signed along 101.1 miles (162.7 km) of freeway from the intersection of US 220 andNC 68 north of Greensboro to three miles (4.8 km) south ofEllerbe and an additional nine miles (14 km) is complete but not signed south of Rockingham. The only other progress in building I-73 can be seen in Virginia and South Carolina. In 2005, Virginia completed anenvironmental impact statement (EIS) for its recommended route for I-73 from I-81 in Roanoke to the North Carolina border. TheFederal Highway Administration (FHWA) approved the EIS report in April 2007. Virginia can now go ahead to draw up plans to construct the highway and proceed to build it once funds are obtained. South Carolina also has shown recent interest in building its section of I-73 with a corridor selected for the route from I-95 to Myrtle Beach in 2006 and a final decision on how the highway should be routed north of I-95 to the North Carolina border in July 2007. In January 2006, the South Carolina state legislature introduced bills to construct I-73 as a toll highway. It is hoped a guaranteed stream of revenue will allow it to build its section of I-73 within 10 years. The FHWA approved South Carolina's proposal on August 10, 2007.[12]
On January 9, 2019, it was announced that theNorth Carolina Department of Transportation's (NCDOT) State Transportation Improvement Program for 2020 to 2029 included connecting I-73 withUS 74 six years sooner than planned.[13] A $146.1-million contract was awarded for the 7.2 miles (11.6 km) of four-lane freeway with "substantial completion" by late 2023.[14][needs update]
Ohio and Michigan both abandoned further environmental studies on their portions of I-73. Most of the I-73 corridor in both of these states follows existing freeways or highways scheduled to be upgraded to freeways under plans that predate I-73.
I-73 and I-74 both will begin atMyrtle Beach. I-74 splits to the northwest toRockingham, North Carolina.[15]Future I-73 will traverse northeastern South Carolina, from theGrand Strand toBennettsville. The current alignment will replaceSouth Carolina Highway 22 (SC 22) and run parallel north ofUS 501 andSC 38. In June 2017, theUS Army Corps of Engineers approved permits required to build I-73.
On May 30, 2006, theSouth Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) announced its preferred routing of I-73 between Myrtle Beach andI-95.[16] I-73 will begin whereSC 22 starts atUS 17 nearBriarcliffe Acres. It will then proceed northwesterly, crossing the proposed routing of I-74 (currentlySC 31, the Carolina Bays Parkway). After passingConway, I-73 will leave SC 22 at a new interchange to be constructed two miles (3.2 km) west ofUS 701 and will then use a new highway to be built between SC 22 andSC 917 north ofCool Spring. I-73 will then use an upgraded SC 917 to cross theLittle Pee Dee River. It will then proceed on a new freeway alignment between SC 917 andI-95[17] that would have an interchange withUS 76 west ofMullins and then would proceed northwesterly to an exit withUS 501 nearLatta, passing that city to the south before intersecting I-95 near SC 38.[18] After crossing I-95, I-73 will use the chosen middle route,one of six potential alternative corridors that were studied all of which[citation needed] roughly paralleling SC 38 to proceed further north to the North Carolina state line.[19] These alternative corridors were formally announced to the public on September 7, 2006, at a meeting inBennettsville. The number of possible routes was reduced to three, and a final decision on the preferred northern route was announced on July 19, 2007. The central route caused the least disruption to homes, farms, and wetlands.[20]NCDOT and SCDOT previously agreed to an I-73 corridor crossing the state line along SC 38 andNC 38 nearHamlet, North Carolina, on February 11, 2005.[19]Previously, I-73 had been planned to cross the state line further west, nearUS 1 south ofRockingham, North Carolina.[citation needed]
In February 2008, therecord of decision (ROD) for the final EIS for the section of I-73 from I-95 to SC 22 was signed. An October 22, 2008, ceremony marked the signing of the ROD for the section from near Hamlet to I-95.[21]
On November 7, 2011, Myrtle Beach city council member Wayne Gray asked area elected officials to consider usingRoad Improvement and Development Effort (RIDE) funds to pay for a portion of I-73.[22]
In June 2012, Miley and Associates ofColumbia recommended improvements to SC 38 and US 501 to create the Grand Strand Expressway (GSX), a position long held by the Coastal Conservation League, which asked for the study. South Carolina RepresentativeAlan D. Clemmons, head of the National I-73 Corridor Association, said such a plan had been considered but was not likely.[23] Nancy Cave of the Coastal Conservation League reiterated support for upgrading SC 38 and US 501, along withUS 521 andSC 9, after results of a new study were presented at an August 1, 2012, meeting of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. The study claimed that 90,000 people could leave the area 10 hours faster in an evacuation with I-73 andSouthern Evacuation Lifeline (SELL) both in place.[24]
The "I-73 Intermediate Traffic and Revenue Study" by C&M Associates, dated February 2016, was to be presented to state transportation officials March 24, 2016, and included upgrades to SC 22.RIDE III, if approved by voters, would also provide funding for theSouthern Evacuation Lifeline,[25] a proposed 28-mile (45 km)limited-access highway which would start at the western terminus of SC 22 with US 501 and allow a more direct route west from the southernStrand, while simultaneously, along with SC 22, completing a beltway around theMyrtle Beach area.[26] Voters subsequently approved RIDE III in November 2016.[27]
Interest in I-73 was renewed in early 2021 due in part to the announcement of theAmerican Jobs Plan.[28] Two years later in September 2023, SCDOT announced that Phase I of the project, which would connect I-95 in Dillon County to US 501 south of Latta, would be "shovel ready" by the new year. They also announced that had begun right-of-way purchasing withinHorry County from theLittle Pee Dee River to the eventual connecting point for I-73 and SC 22.[29] However, South Carolina GovernorHenry McMaster's 2024 executive budget, which was released in early-January 2024, did not include any funding for building the route. He noted that although he still supports the I-73 expansion into the state, the support among county and local leaders had waned. Despite the lack of funding, Horry County is still working on the stretch from theMarion County border to South Carolina Highway 22.[30][31][32] This is largely due to the RIDE 4 program, which passed voting on November 5, 2024, and went into effect on May 1, 2025.[33] The estimated cost of the project is $450,000,000 within Horry County, which will be raised by a Penny Sales Tax.[34] Marion county has shown some support for the project, but likeMarlboro andDillon counties, the other counties through which I-73 would pass, they have not yet found ways to fund the project in their respective counties.[35][36]
I-73 was planned to connectMartinsville andRoanoke, then head west toBlacksburg before enteringWest Virginia.
Except for a divergence around the east side of Martinsville, the planned routing was to parallel US 220 toI-581 in Roanoke, which I-73 was then to follow to I-81. Signs that say "Future I-73 Corridor" can be found along I-581.[37] From Roanoke, I-73 was to run concurrently with I-81 to nearChristiansburg and then use a completedVirginia Smart Road to Blacksburg. The rest of the way to West Virginia was to be an upgrade ofUS 460,Corridor Q of theAppalachian Development Highway System.
TheVirginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) ran studies on this corridor, but its construction had very low priority compared to other projects in the state. Additionally, funding for the route was used for other more urgent projects.[38]
In a July 2024 presentation to theCommonwealth Transportation Board, which has ultimate authority over all transportation projects in the state, VDOT recommended the board rescind its original 2001 approval of I-73's routing. VDOT stated that the project's earmarked federal funding has been repurposed, and additional funding had not materialized and was unlikely to be found; in addition, the board itself had since adopted a policy requiring review of all location decisions after three years.[39][40] At its September 2024 meeting, the board voted to rescind its approval. Any construction of I-73 would be required to start the entire location-study, environmental impact and public-comment process again.[41]
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Future I-73 is planned to enter, fromVirginia, nearBluefield and then go northwesterly along the future route ofWest Virginia Route 108; formerly known as theKing Coal Highway toHuntington.
I-73 will continue next to US 460 (Corridor Q) from the Virginia state line west to Bluefield. There it will join with I-74, which splits fromI-77 just across the border from Virginia. For the rest of its path through West Virginia from Bluefield to Huntington and Ohio, I-73 will follow US 52 and also have bypasses near it. U.S. 52 is currently being upgraded to a four-lane divided highway;[42][better source needed] and also some new construction known as theKing Coal Highway also now known asWest Virginia Route 108 toWilliamson and theTolsia Highway the rest of the way to Huntington. This section has been sporadically marked as the Future I-73/I-74 Corridor with signs but is not being built to Interstate standards due to a lack of funding.
Both I-73 and I-74 are planned to enter Ohio fromHuntington, West Virginia and parallel US 52 toPortsmouth. A four-lane controlled highway known as the Portsmouth Bypass was constructed between 2015 and 2019,[43] and runs from US 52 to US 23, alongState Route 823 (SR 823) just north ofLucasville. I-73 andI-74 would continue north toSR 32, where I-74 would split from I-73 towardsCincinnati, and I-73 would continue north along US 23 andCorridor C of theAppalachian Development Highway System the rest of the way through Columbus to Toledo and the Michigan state line. In Columbus, I-73 would most likely followSR 315 through Columbus. InToledo, I-73 would likely followI-280's alignment and likely route alongI-475 before branching off with US 23 into Michigan. However, routes in the Columbus and Toledo areas have not yet been officially determined. Ohio has abandoned further study of much of the I-73 corridor, since theOhio Department of Transportation (ODOT) already plans to eventually upgrade the US 23/US 52 corridor from Toledo to Portsmouth to a freeway. Nonetheless, the option to designate the corridor as I-73 once all upgrades are complete remains open, contingent upon what happens with the connecting route in West Virginia.[citation needed]
On February 5, 2009, then-GovernorTed Strickland proposed allowing tolls to be collected on newly built sections of highway.[44] One of the proposed routes includes the Columbus–Toledo corridor, which is currently served by US 23 as an expressway largely without limited access.
In 2021, ODOT announced plans to reopen the study of the US 23 corridor between the village ofWaldo andI-270. Some of the alternatives to be explored include upgrading the existing alignment or moving the corridor toUS 33 to the west orI-71 to the east of its current planned alignment.[45]
There has been a renewed push for the extension of both I-73 and I-74 in the state since 2022.[46][47] The 2025 transportation budget bill, House Bill 54, includes provisions for both I-73 and the I-71 connector, including a mandatedfeasibility study to be completed by December 31, 2026.[46][48][49]
Future I-73 is planned to go northwesterly toJackson then go north withUS 127 toGrayling. From there, the corridor would have continued alongI-75 toSault Ste. Marie.
The original defined alignment of I-73 would have run along I-75 toDetroit.[50] However, Congress amended that definition in 1995 to have a branch along theUS 223 corridor to south of Jackson and the US 127 corridor north to I-75 near Grayling. From Grayling, it would have used I-75 to Sault Ste. Marie.[51] Except south of Jackson, where the existing highways are two-lane roads and a section of road north ofLansing where the freeway reverts to a divided highway, this corridor is mostly a rural four-lane freeway.[52] TheMichigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) included using the US 223 corridor as one of its three options to build I-73 in 2000. The others included using the US 127 corridor all the way into Ohio with a connection to theOhio Turnpike or using US 127 south and a new freeway connection to US 223 atAdrian.[53] MDOT abandoned further study of I-73 after June 12, 2001, diverting remaining funding to safety improvement projects along the corridor.[54] The department stated there was a "lack of need" for sections of the proposed freeway, and the project website was closed down in 2002.[55] According to press reports in 2011, a group advocating on behalf of the freeway was working to revive the I-73 project in Michigan. According to an MDOT spokesperson, "to my knowledge, we're not taking that issue up again".[56] The Lenawee County Road Commission is not interested in the freeway, and, according to the president of the Adrian Area Chamber of Commerce, "there seems to be little chance of having an I-73 link between Toledo and Jackson built in the foreseeable future."[56]
§1105(c)(5) I-73/74 North–South Corridor from Charleston, South Carolina, through Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to Portsmouth, Ohio, to Cincinnati, Ohio, and Detroit, Michigan.
§1105(c)(5) I-73/74 North–South Corridor from Charleston, South Carolina, through Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to Portsmouth, Ohio, to Cincinnati, Ohio, to termini at Detroit, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The Sault Ste. Marie terminus shall be reached via a corridor connecting Adrian, Jackson, Lansing, Mount Pleasant, and Grayling, Michigan.
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