End of US highway 74

View a map showing this route.

Photo credits: Andrew Bermudez; Justin Cozart; Andy Field; Alex Nitzman; Francis Stanton; Mac Watkins; me

Approx. time period East terminus West terminus
1926-1933 Chadbourn, NC Asheville, NC (Biltmore)
1933-1935 Chadbourn, NC Asheville, NC (downtown)
1935-1950s(?) Wrightsville Beach, NC Asheville, NC (downtown)
1950s(?)-1987 Wrightsville Beach, NC Asheville, NC (Tunnel)
1987-1994 Wrightsville Beach, NC Chattanooga, TN
1994-present Wrightsville Beach, NC (near Cleveland, TN)

The east end of US 74 was originally at Chadbourn NC; the photo below shows the spot:

Watkins, Jan. 2008

That's looking south on Old Highway 74. Running across the photo is US 76. But originally it was southbound US 17 to the right. Northbound was straight ahead on Strawberry Boulevard (which immediately curves to the left towards downtown Chadbourn). US 74 ended here at its junction with US 17. Below we're looking the opposite direction (north on Strawberry):

Watkins, Jan. 2008

This would've been southbound US 17, which turned to the left on today's US 76. Straight ahead was the east beginning of US 74 (modern US 76 to the right didn't exist at the time).

Already by 1935, US 74 was extended through Wilmington to its current terminus at Wrightsville Beach. US 74 and US 76 take different routes through Wilmington; on the east side they are co-signed for a short distance before splitting apart again on Harbor Island to take separate causeways over to Wrightsville Beach. This town is on a barrier island (a long, narrow island which parallels the coast). US 74 heads to the north end of the island, while US 76 serves the south end. Signage in the area is somewhat sparse - the last US 74 marker is where traffic is directed from eastbound Salisbury Street onto northbound Lumina Avenue:

Watkins, Jan. 2008

The route continues about a mile in that direction. There is no "End" sign, but you're not in danger of going too far, because the road simply ends at a turnaround:

Field, May 2005

That's the north end of Lumina, and the east end of US 74. (Incidentally, that was also the east end of US 76 from 1935 to about 1940.) Heading the opposite direction, it's about a mile to the first US 74 sign, which is where Lumina turns onto Salisbury:

Watkins, Jan. 2008

The white water tower (barely visible way off in the distance) is not far from the east end of US 76.

For the first 60 years of its existence, the west end of US 74 was in Asheville NC. Originally it came in on Old Charlotte Highway, becoming Fairview Road, which connected with today's Brook Street. US 74 ended at its junction with US 25, which ran along Biltmore Avenue at the time. The photo below was taken looking north on Biltmore:

Stanton, July 2008

Today US 25A crosses here on Brook, and ends one block to the left (at mainline 25 on McDowell Street). But originally this was northbound US 25, and US 74 began to the right. It was 1933 when US 25 traffic was shifted over to McDowell, and that same year US 74 traffic was redirected as well. From Charlotte Hwy, US 74 used Swannanoa River Road, then went through the Beaucatcher Tunnel, and ended up on College Street. The designation continued to end at its junction with US 25:

Stanton, July 2008

That's looking west on College - US 74 ended here at Broadway (US 25). Today there's an interchange with I-240 about a quarter-mile to the north (right). Below we're looking south on Broadway:

Stanton, July 2008

US 74 began to the left on College. That was the situation until around 1950. The photo below shows the third (and last) Asheville terminus:

me, Oct. 2000

This is looking north on South Tunnel Road, or historic US 74. The road forms a "T" intersection ahead at Tunnel Road, or US 70. US 74 ended here for about 30 years (or roughly here - the road configurations have apparently changed a bit). To the left about a mile is the Beaucatcher Tunnel, from which these roads get their name.

In 1987 the west end of US 74 was extended to Chattanooga... officially, that is. But since 1994, US 74 signage ends in Cleveland TN, well short of Chattanooga. Heading west on US 74, there is no "End" signage, but the end of the signed portion of US 74 is here:

Bermudez, July 2006

That's the apparent end of US 74. But TN DoT maps indicate that US 74 still runs concurrently with I-75 about 18 miles southwest from here, ending in Chattanooga at exit 2 (which is the same interchange where I-24 begins):

Cozart/Nitzman, Aug. 2003

That's the official west end of US 74. Heading the opposite direction, US 74 begins with northbound I-75 at the I-24 exit...

Cozart/Nitzman, Aug. 2003

...but there's no indication of US 74 here. Matter of fact, it's not even signed where it splits off from I-75 at exit 20 in Cleveland...

Cozart/Nitzman, Aug. 2003

...instead, it's referred to as "Bypass US 64". But then on the off-ramp, more odd signage appears:

Bermudez, July 2006

Neither of these routes are mentioned from mainline I-75. Isn't it a little strange to exit to what was signed as "Bypass US 64", only to be greeted with this as a confirming assembly? And while the US 74 shield is correct, what's with US 11? This highway crosses US 11 in about 1.5 miles! Anyway, once on mainline US 74, the next assembly looks like this...

Bermudez, July 2006

...so that would be the signed west beginning of US 74.