# Monroe Expressway > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Monroe_Expressway > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Monroe_Expressway.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_Expressway > Source revision: 1329351146 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Toll road in North Carolina U.S. Highway 74 Bypass Monroe Expressway Monroe Expressway highlighted in red Route information Auxiliary route of US 74 Maintained by NCDOT Length 18.679 mi (30.061 km) Existed November 27, 2018–present Component highways US 74 Byp. entire length Major junctions West end US 74 in Stallings Major intersections US 601 in Monroe NC 200 in Monroe East end US 74 near Marshville Location Country United States State North Carolina Counties Union Highway system United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided North Carolina Highway System Interstate US State Scenic The **Monroe Expressway**, designated **U.S. Route 74 Bypass** (**US 74 Byp.**), is a 18.68-mile (30.06 km) [controlled-access](/source/Controlled-access_highway) [toll road](/source/Toll_road) in [Union County](/source/Union_County%2C_North_Carolina) in the U.S. state of [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina), the first to be completed in the [Charlotte](/source/Charlotte%2C_North_Carolina) area.[1][2] It serves as a [bypass](/source/Bypass_(road)) of the communities of [Indian Trail](/source/Indian_Trail%2C_North_Carolina), [Monroe](/source/Monroe%2C_North_Carolina), and [Wingate](/source/Wingate%2C_North_Carolina) for [U.S. Route 74](/source/U.S._Route_74) (US 74), running generally parallel to the route. ## Route description This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Beginning of the Monroe Expressway eastbound. The Monroe Expressway begins at a partial interchange which only provides access from eastbound and to westbound [US 74](/source/U.S._Route_74) as well as Stallings Road and Marie Garris Drive. It heads northeast through a mixed-use suburban area, turning to the southeast around [Lake Park](/source/Lake_Park%2C_North_Carolina) at a [folded diamond interchange](/source/Folded_diamond_interchange) with Indian Trail Fairview Road. This interchange allows westbound Monroe Expressway traffic to indirectly access US 74 eastbound. Continuing further southeast into a rural area, the freeway runs parallel to Secrest Short Cut Road, meeting Unionville Indian Trail Road and Rocky River Road. The freeway and Secrest Short Cut Road diverge as the former meets [US 601](/source/U.S._Route_601) at a [partial cloverleaf interchange](/source/Partial_cloverleaf_interchange) north of [Monroe](/source/Monroe%2C_North_Carolina). The road then intersects [North Carolina Highway 200](/source/North_Carolina_Highway_200) (NC 200) at a folded diamond interchange, turning east-southeast away from Monroe and then due east. The town of [Wingate](/source/Wingate%2C_North_Carolina) is served by an interchange with Austin Chaney Road before the Monroe Expressway turns south-southeast to its eastern terminus at another partial interchange with US 74 just west of [Marshville](/source/Marshville%2C_North_Carolina), only allowing access to eastbound and from westbound US 74. The entire freeway has a posted [speed limit](/source/Speed_limit) of 65 miles per hour (105 km/h), except for a reduction to 55 miles per hour (89 km/h) approaching its termini, and it has a 38-foot-wide (12 m) grass [median strip](/source/Median_strip). ## History The Monroe Expressway was initially proposed as two separate projects: the **Monroe Bypass** and **Monroe Connector**.[3] The original environmental planning process for the Monroe Bypass concluded in 1997, including a preferred alternative. The road would have begun near the intersection of US 74 and Rocky River Road, running northeast to the current location of the Monroe Expressway near Secrest Short Cut Road. From here, it would have followed the current alignment of the road to its terminus at US 74 between Wingate and Marshville. The project was divided into three sections: Section A from US 74 (western terminus) to US 601, Section B from US 601 to Richardson Creek, and Section C from Richardson Creek to US 74 (eastern terminus). After a public meeting, planning for Section A was suspended and the Monroe Connector was proposed to directly connect the bypass to I-485.[3] Planning for the Monroe Connector began in 1999, with a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) issued on October 17, 2003.[3] Among the alternatives considered were simply upgrading US 74 to a freeway or building the road on a new alignment, as well as various locations to connect to I-485, including the existing interchange with US 74. In 2005, the [North Carolina Turnpike Authority](/source/North_Carolina_Turnpike_Authority) considered building the Connector as a toll road at the request of the Mecklenburg–Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO). Meanwhile, NCDOT continued to develop the Monroe Bypass project separately. With the original environmental studies for the Monroe Bypass almost 10 years old, the [Federal Highway Administration](/source/Federal_Highway_Administration) required NCDOT to reevaluate the documents before starting construction. All three sections would need to be included in the reevaluation in order for the road to function as a stand-alone bypass. However, MUMPO's 2030 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) omitted Section A in favor of the Monroe Connector. With inclusion in the LRTP required for FHWA approval, and the Monroe Connector and Sections B and C of the Monroe Bypass requiring the other in order to function as a single road, the reevaluation was discontinued so that the two projects could be combined. The final EIS for the combined project issued in August 2010, including the selected alternative of a controlled-access toll road.[3] By 2015, the proposed toll road was officially renamed the Monroe Expressway.[4] Construction on the Monroe Expressway began in May 2015,[5] with the road finally opening on November 27, 2018.[2][6] ## Tolls Like the [Triangle Expressway](/source/Triangle_Expressway) in the [Triangle](/source/Research_Triangle) area, the Monroe Expressway uses [open road tolling](/source/Open_road_tolling) along its entire length.[7] Electronic toll gantries are located on the freeway mainline between each interchange so that all motorists will pass through at least one. Motorists without an [NC Quick Pass](/source/NC_Quick_Pass) transponder will have their license plate scanned and receive a bill in the mail. Motorists with an NC Quick Pass transponder have the toll automatically deducted from their account and pay a reduced toll rate: approximately 14 cents per mile (8 ¢/km) with a transponder compared to 21 cents (13 ¢/km) without for two-axle vehicles. As of February 2019[\[update\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Monroe_Expressway&action=edit), the total toll rate for two-axle vehicles on the length of the freeway is $2.54 for NC Quick Pass users (or compatible electronic tolling systems) and $3.92 for bill-by-mail.[7] Three-axle rates are twice the two-axle rates; four-or-more-axle rates are four times the two-axle rates. ## Exit list The entire road is in [Union County](/source/Union_County%2C_North_Carolina). Exit numbers and mile markers are based on [US 74](/source/U.S._Route_74_in_North_Carolina) mileage, but mileage listed below starts from zero. [Open road tolling](/source/Open_road_tolling) gantries exist between all interchanges. Location mi km Exit Destinations Notes Stallings 0.00 0.00 – US 74 west to I-485 – Charlotte Western terminus; access only from eastbound and to westbound US 74; eastbound Monroe Expressway signed as exit 255 from US 74 0.85 1.37 254 Stallings Road / Marie Garris Drive Westbound exit and eastbound entrance Indian Trail 2.37 3.81 257 To US 74 east – Hemby Bridge, Indian Trail Signed only as Hemby Bridge eastbound; US 74 only signed westbound 4.61 7.42 259 Lake Park Monroe 5.99 9.64 260 Rocky River Road 9.94 16.00 264 US 601 – Monroe, Concord 11.70 18.83 266 NC 200 (Morgan Mill Road) ​ 15.68 25.23 270 Wingate / Austin Chaney Road 18.68 30.06 – US 74 east – Rockingham, Wilmington Eastern terminus; access only to eastbound and from westbound US 74; westbound US 74 signed exit 273 from itself 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Incomplete access ## See also - [North Carolina portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:North_Carolina) - [U.S. Roads portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:U.S._Roads) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-wsoctv-open_1-0)** Leigh, Kristin; Esposito, Gina (November 27, 2018). ["Monroe Expressway, Charlotte area's first toll road, now open"](https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/channel-9-tests-monroe-expressway/878868992). Charlotte, North Carolina: [WSOC-TV](/source/WSOC-TV). Retrieved January 25, 2019. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-wfae-open_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-wfae-open_2-1) Boraks, David (November 26, 2018). ["Monroe Expressway Opens Tuesday, With Area's First Tolls"](https://www.wfae.org/post/monroe-expressway-opens-tuesday-areas-first-tolls#stream/0). Charlotte, North Carolina: [WFAE](/source/WFAE). Retrieved January 25, 2019. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-fsfeis_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-fsfeis_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-fsfeis_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-fsfeis_3-3) ["Final Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement"](https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/monroe-expressway/Documents/Monroe_FSFEIS_Text_Figures_051514.pdf) (PDF). [North Carolina Turnpike Authority](/source/North_Carolina_Turnpike_Authority). May 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-observer-underway_4-0)** Johnston, Melinda (August 19, 2015). ["Monroe Expressway construction underway"](https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/community/south-charlotte/article31539566.html). *[The Charlotte Observer](/source/The_Charlotte_Observer)*. Retrieved January 25, 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-observer-when_5-0)** Portillo, Ely (October 30, 2018). ["When does the Monroe Expressway open near Charlotte?"](https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article220852185.html). *The Charlotte Observer*. Retrieved January 25, 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-businessnc-kicks_6-0)** Mildenberg, David (December 5, 2018). ["$800M Monroe Expressway kicks off after decades of debate"](http://businessnc.com/800m-monroe-expressway-kicks-off-after-decades-of-debate/). Business North Carolina. Retrieved January 25, 2019. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-ncquickpass_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-ncquickpass_7-1) ["Monroe Expressway"](https://www.ncquickpass.com/rates-facilities/Pages/monroe-expressway.aspx). [North Carolina Turnpike Authority](/source/North_Carolina_Turnpike_Authority). Retrieved February 10, 2019. ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Monroe Expressway](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Monroe_Expressway). **[KML file](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Attached_KML/Monroe_Expressway&action=raw)** ([edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Attached_KML/Monroe_Expressway&action=edit) · [help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Attached_KML)) [Template:Attached KML/Monroe Expressway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Attached_KML/Monroe_Expressway) KML is not from Wikidata - [NCDOT: Monroe Expressway](https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/monroe-expressway/Pages/default.aspx) - [NC Quick Pass: Monroe Expressway](https://www.ncquickpass.com/rates-facilities/Pages/monroe-expressway.aspx) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Monroe Expressway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_Expressway) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_Expressway?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.