Shelby Bypass

The Shelby Bypass, planned to be designated as U.S. Route 74 Bypass (US 74 Byp.), is a future 18.5-mile (29.8 km) four-lane freeway bypass of the city of Shelby along U.S. Route 74 (US 74) in Cleveland County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It will begin at a trumpet interchange with US 74 west of Shelby, running along its northern city limits, before terminating at another trumpet interchange with US 74 on the southeast city limits of Shelby. The project will also include upgrading a stretch of US 74 from the eastern Shelby Bypass interchange to the diamond interchange with U.S. Route 74 Business (US 74 Bus.) just west of Kings Mountain. The bypass is currently under construction in six sections and is currently expected to be fully open to traffic in 2024.[1][2]

By-pass plate.svg

U.S. Highway 74 Bypass marker

U.S. Highway 74 Bypass

Shelby Bypass
Opened section of Shelby Bypass in red, portion under construction in orange
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 74
Maintained by NCDOT
Length18.5 mi[1] (29.8 km)
HistoryFirst segment opened to traffic in 2020 with no designation
Major junctions
West end US 74 near Mooresboro
Major intersections
East end US 74 in Shelby
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNorth Carolina
CountiesCleveland
Highway system

As of 2023, currently, the only segment of the bypass that is open to traffic is the 5.6-mile (9.0 km) segment between US 74 west of Shelby to North Carolina Highway 226 (NC 226; Polkville Road) on the northwestern edge of Shelby. This segment opened to traffic on April 13, 2020, but currently has no designation.[3] The next segment, from NC 226 to North Carolina Highway 150 (NC 150; Cherryville Road) on the northeastern edge of Shelby is currently under construction and expected to open in 2023. The last segment from west of Stony Point Road to US 74 Bus. in Kings Mountain is expected to begin construction in 2024, with the entire bypass expected to be completed in 2027.[4][5][6]

Route description

The Shelby Bypass will begin at a trumpet interchange with U.S. Route 74 (US 74) west of Shelby, east of the town of Mooresboro. US 74 will exit the mainline highway, with through traffic following onto the bypass. The bypass then will curve northeastward, following the northwestern city limits of Shelby. It will have its first service interchange with Washburn Switch Road just outside the northwest tip of the Shelby city limits, with which it will have a parclo AB2 interchange with before crossing the Charlotte Subdivision. Continuing northeast, it will have another parclo AB2 interchange with North Carolina Highway 226 (NC 226; Polkville Road) northwest of Shelby city limits. It will continue on its trek northeastward, running alongside and just outside of Shelby city limits. At its diamond interchange with North Carolina Highway 18 (NC 18; Fallston Road) on the north side of Shelby, the bypass changes direction and begins traveling southeastward. Crossing the Charlotte Subdivision again, the bypass has another diamond interchange with North Carolina Highway 150 (NC 150; Cherryville Road) on the northeastern city limits of Shelby. Here, the bypass curves slightly more due south, running along the eastern side of Shelby and the western side of the Kings Mountain Reservoir (Moss Lake), through the unincorporated area of Light Oak. The bypass will end at another trumpet interchange with US 74 southeast of Shelby, with US 74 entering the mainline highway.

While not part of the bypass itself, the project will also include improving and converting the stretch of US 74 between the eastern terminus of the Shelby Bypass to the diamond interchange with U.S. Route 74 Business (US 74 Bus.) just west of Kings Mountain to a freeway. This will create a continuous freeway from just east of Mooresboro to Interstate 85 (I-85) and U.S. Route 29 (US 29) in Kings Mountain.

History

The Shelby Bypass was planned in response to the growing traffic delays and accident rates along U.S. Route 74 (US 74) in the Shelby area, as well as stimulate local economic development.[7] The current alignment of US 74 through Shelby is itself a bypass built to bypass Downtown Shelby. This was also done as part of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)'s plan to upgrade US 74 between Interstate 26 (I-26) at Columbus and Interstate 85 (I-85) and U.S. Route 29 (US 29) in Kings Mountain to a complete four-lane Interstate standard freeway.[8][9][10][11] The Shelby Bypass is known by NCDOT as "Project #R-2707" and is expected to cost $284 million.[1]

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and NCDOT in October 1998.[12][2] In December 2006, a Land Use Management Plan was published by local leaders.[13] The Final EIS was approved in January 2008.[14][2] The chosen proposed route (selected alternative) of the Shelby Bypass, known as Alternate 21, or the Southern Alternate, was chosen by a decision by the FHWA and NCDOT in October 2008 due to it being determined to be the Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA) since it has fewer impacts on surrounding prime farmlands, wetlands, noise, costs cheaper to construct, and is consistent with local land use plans and policies.[15] It was approved in December 2008.[2] The City of Shelby has also been planning "Small Area Plans" which aim to plan the land use around the locations of the future interchanges to account for the expected new traffic.[16]

On June 15, 2020, U.S. Senator of North Carolina Thom Tillis announced that the United States Department of Transportation had awarded a $25 million Infrastructure For Rebuilding America (INFRA) Grant to NCDOT to help fund improvements along the US 74 corridor, which includes the Shelby Bypass.[17][18]

Construction on the first 2-mile (3.2 km) section of the bypass, Section R-2707AA, which runs from west of Peachtree Road to east of Kimbrell Drive (now Westlee Street) near the town of Mooresboro began in July 2013 and was completed in September 2016. This section involved the construction of the western trumpet interchange with U.S. Route 74 (US 74) west of Shelby. Construction on the next two sections, Sections R-2707AB and R-2707B, began in July 2014 and was completed in April 2018. The first of these two sections extended from east of Kimbrell Drive (now Westlee Street) to east of Plato Lee Road and was 1.9 miles (3.1 km) in length. The second extended from east of Plato Lee Road to east of North Carolina Highway 226 (NC 226; Polkville Road) and was 2.6 miles (4.2 km) in length. All three sections, which all add up to 5.6 miles (9.0 km), were opened to traffic together after the paving was completed on April 13, 2020.[19][2][4] AMT Engineering, a firm based in Rockville, Maryland, provided construction engineering and inspection for these three sections, while the E.S. Wagner Company, a firm based in Charlotte, was awarded the contracts to construct these three sections.[20][21][22]

Construction on the next section, Section R-2707C, which runs from east of NC 226 to west of North Carolina Highway 150 (NC 150; Cherryville Road) began in January 2017 and is currently expected to be completed in 2023. This section is 5.3 miles (8.5 km) in length.[19][2]

Section R-2707D, which extends from west of NC 150 to US 74 southeast of Shelby and is 4.1 miles (6.6 km) in length, along with Section R-2707E, which extends from US 74 southeast of Shelby to the west of Stony Point Road at U.S. Route 74 Business (US 74 Bus.) in Kings Mountain are both still under development, with final designs and right of way acquisition underway, and construction expected to begin in 2024. Section R-2707D concerns the easternmost portion of the bypass, while Section R-2707E concerns the section of mainline US 74 between the bypass and Kings Mountain that will be converted into a full freeway.[19]

Controversy

The Shelby Bypass project has been particularly controversial locally due to issues caused by construction on the bypass affecting nearby homeowners over the years, such as eminent domain, taxes, land use, the delayed timeframe of the project, concerns over local impacts, local traffic access changes, and surface runoff. Due to this, there have been plenty of lawsuits that were filed against NCDOT.[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]

Due to road damage sustained from local hurricanes in recent years, NCDOT has shifted its priority from constructing new roads to repairing existing ones. This has delayed the completion of local projects, including the Shelby Bypass.[31]

The construction of the Shelby Bypass is expected to negatively impact the survival of Hexastylis naniflora, a rare species of flowering plant endemic to the region, with over 3,000 plants expected to be lost, while over 2,000 more will be indirectly impacted, according to a 2012 report by NCDOT to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).[32]

Exit list

Exit numbers follow the mileage of U.S. Route 74 (US 74). The entire route is in Cleveland County.

LocationmikmExitDestinationsNotes
​194312194
 US 74 east		Eastbound entrance and westbound exit; opened to traffic on April 13, 2020[4][5][6]
​197317197Washburn Switch RoadOpened to traffic on April 13, 2020[4][5][6]
​199320199 NC 226 (Polkville Road)Opened to traffic on April 13, 2020[4][5][6]
​202325202 NC 18 (Fallston Road)
Shelby203327203 NC 150 (Cherryville Road)
208335208
 US 74 west		Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  •       Unopened

See also

References
  1. "U.S. 74 Shelby Bypass". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  2. Merger Team Update (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. January 24, 2018. p. 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 30, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  3. "R-2702 Cleveland County, US 74 Shelby Bypass" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  4. Sitzes, Rebecca (April 15, 2020). "New Segment of Bypass Open for Business". Shelby Star. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020.
  5. Howard, Wayne (April 19, 2020). "First Section of Shelby Bypass Opens". Lincoln Herald. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  6. "Shelby Bypass Segment Opening Tuesday". North Carolina Department of Transportation. April 13, 2020. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  7. Huguley, Collin (February 26, 2020). "How Shelby bypass project could drive development in region". WSOC-TV. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  8. Malme, Robert. "Future, Future NC Interstates?". Malme Roads. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  9. "2018–2027 State Transportation Improvement Program". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  10. Justice, Leah (February 25, 2020). "Polk approves US 74 resolution". Tryon Daily Bulletin. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  11. Whitmire, Tim (August 7, 2005). "New road to bypass the bypass". Star-News. Wilmington, North Carolina. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  12. US 74 Shelby Bypass Cleveland County, North Carolina Federal Aid Project No. NHF-74(14) State Project No. 8.1801001 T.I.P. No. R-2707 Administrative Action Draft Environmental Impact Statement. November 13, 1998. p. 192. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  13. "Shelbyville Bypass Corridor Land Use Management Plan" (PDF). December 2006. p. 208. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  14. US 74 Shelby Bypass Cleveland County, North Carolina Federal Aid Project No. NHF-74(14) State Project No. 8.1801001 WBS Number 34497.1.2 T.I.P. No. R-2702. Federal Highway Administration. March 10, 2018. p. 95. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  15. Record of decision US 74 Shelby bypass, from 0.6 mile west of SR 1162 to SR 1001, Cleveland County, North Carolina : FWHA-NC-EIS-97-02-F, federal aid project number NHF-74(14), state project number 8.1801001, WBS number 34497.1.2, T.I.P. project number R-2707. Federal Highway Administration and North Carolina Department of Transportation. October 2008. p. 72. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  16. US 74 Bypass Small Area Plans. Shelby, North Carolina. April 2015. p. 9. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  17. Huguley, Collin (June 16, 2020). "Shelby bypass project receives $25M in federal funds". Charlotte Business Journal. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  18. "Following Tillis' Support, DOT Awards $25 Million Grant to Make Improvement to US-74, Complete Bypass Around Shelby" (Press release). Office of Senator Thom Tillis. June 15, 2020. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  19. "U.S. 74 Shelby Bypass – Project Highlights". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  20. "US 74 Shelby Bypass". AMT Engineering. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  21. "E.S. Wagner Company, LLC Performing 'Shelby Bypass' Phases I & II for NCDOT". E.S. Wagner Company. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  22. "ESW LLC was awarded the Phase 3 of the Shelby Bypass in Cleveland County, NC" (Press release). E.S. Wagner Company. Archived from the original on May 9, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  23. "Shelby Bypass Road Widening/New Highway". NC Eminent Domain Law Firm. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  24. White, Casey (February 9, 2018). "Residents weigh in on the path of the bypass". Shelby Star. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  25. Phipps, Molly (March 9, 2014). "Will travelers bypass Shelby? Leaders talk impacts of new 74 highway route". Shelby Star. Archived from the original on May 19, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  26. Morgan, Sarah-Blake (April 30, 2014). "Lawsuit filed over Hwy 74 Bypass construction". WBTV. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  27. Orlando, Joyce (February 1, 2021). "Homeowner says 74 Bypass construction runoff is damaging her property". Shelby Star. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  28. "U.S. 74 Shelby Bypass". HensonFuerst Land Condemnation Attorneys. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  29. Abrams, Stan (May 1, 2018). "Massive US 74 Shelby Bypass Project Leaves Property Owners With Questions, Concerns of Lost Value" (Press release). NC Eminent Domain Law Firm. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022 – via PRWeb.
  30. Morgan, Sarah-Blake (May 20, 2014). "Shelby landowners consider suing NCDOT". WBTV. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  31. George, Dustin (October 17, 2019). "Road projects around Cleveland County hit delays". Shelby Star. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  32. Wagner, Jacqueline (2013). Developing New Morphological, Geographic, and Molecular Tools to Circumscribe Hexastylis Naniflora (PDF). University of North Carolina at Greensboro. p. 70. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
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