Interstate 74 is an unusual interstate: it consists of two non-contiguous segments. The western segment runs 419 miles from Davenport, Iowa (the Quad Cities) southeast to Cincinnati, Ohio, crossing Illinois and Indiana. A separate eastern segment is in central North Carolina, but the two segments are not yet connected. Most freight traffic on I-74 uses the western segment.
For freight, the western I-74 ties the Quad Cities intermodal hubs to the Indianapolis ring road and the Cincinnati metro. It is the main corridor for John Deere and Caterpillar parts moving between manufacturing facilities, and it serves the agricultural belt of central Illinois and Indiana.
Geographically I-74 is mostly flat, crossing the prairie and rolling country of central Illinois and Indiana. Weather hazards are dominated by Midwest severe storms in spring, ground blizzards in winter across the open prairie segments, and the occasional ice event in the Indiana hills.
- Two non-contiguous segments: western (IA-IL-IN-OH) and eastern (NC)
- Western segment crosses four states: IA, IL, IN, OH
- Connects Quad Cities intermodal hubs to Cincinnati
- Crosses I-39, I-55, I-57, I-65, I-70, I-69, and I-275 along the western segment
- Carries heavy John Deere and Caterpillar parts traffic
- Total designated length when both segments are eventually connected: approximately 1,000 miles
- Eastern (NC) segment will eventually extend to Myrtle Beach, SC