US 64 will become Interstate 495 between Raleigh and Rocky Mount
(News & Observer – Dec. 12, 2013)
A 44-mile stretch of U.S. 64 will be elevated to interstate highway status between Raleigh and Rocky Mount, Gov. Pat McCrory said Thursday. It will be renamed Interstate 495.
New I-495 signs will be posted soon along the 4-mile section between Raleigh’s I-440 Beltline and the 540 Outer Loop, which already meets interstate highway standards. The rest of U.S. 64 from 540 to I-95 at Rocky Mount will be marked as Future I-495 until it is upgraded, the state Department of Transportation said.
Except for the narrow shoulders, this section of U.S. 64 already serves as a fast-moving freeway between Raleigh and Rocky Mount. The new name won’t make it a better road, but people in both cities say it will better identify it as a good road.
“I just think having that blue interstate shield has a tremendous effect, particularly when you’re recruiting industry and stuff,” said Gus Tulloss, a Rocky Mount insurance agent and member of the state Board of Transportation. “That’s just good bragging rights, so to speak.”
The change for U.S. 64 was sought by the Regional Transportation Alliance, a business group associated with the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce that lobbies for transportation improvements.
“When you call it an interstate, people know what the quality of the road is,” said Joe Milazzo II, the group’s executive director. “When they come to the Triangle, they want to know: Do you have interstate highway access?”
McCrory announced the name change after receiving approval from the Federal Highway Administration.