Interstate 74 in North Carolina

In the state of North Carolina, as of the end of 2018, I-74 exists in several segments, starting with a concurrency with I-77 at the Virginia border. This includes the most western portion from I-77 to US 52 just south of Mount Airy, a segment first opened to traffic as a bypass of High Point then extended west to I-40 east of Winston-Salem and east to I-73 near Randleman, then another along the southern segment of I–73 and US 220 from just north of Asheboro to south of Ellerbe, and finally a more eastern segment that runs from Laurinburg to an end at North Carolina Highway 41 near Lumberton.[citation needed] The latest segment to be signed, from I-40 to High Point, occurred after the federal government approved signing this section as I-74 in the summer of 2013, despite the highway not being up to current Interstate Highway standards. It was uncertain why the Federal Highway Administration made an exception, but this might have been the result of a misinterpretation when a state highway administrator asked for Interstate designation for another section and "Future Interstate" for the section already completed that did not meet standards