I-73 and US 220 from Rockingham to Greensboro: a trucker's corridor guide

The short version

I-73 runs from US 74 at Rockingham north through Ellerbe, Candor, Asheboro and Randleman to Greensboro. From there it heads northwest past the airport and ends at NC 68 near Stokesdale, where US 220 carries on toward Virginia. [7]

I-74 shares the road from Rockingham to Randleman. US 220 shares long stretches of it too, so you'll see three shields on one sign. [7][8]

The main work zone as of October 2026 is at Asheboro, where NCDOT is rebuilding the US 64 and Albemarle Road interchanges. Expect ramp closures there into 2028. [3][12][13]

NCDOT's truck tables show no posted bridge and no truck restriction on I-73 or US 220 along this run. There's no permanent weigh station on it either. [1][2][5]

The only state rest stop on I-73 is the visitor center pair near Seagrove. Our tip: plan your breaks around it. [4]

Rockingham to Asheboro: the exits that matter

I-73 starts at Exit 16, the US 74 interchange near Rockingham. That's also where I-74 joins. Exit numbers here come from Wikipedia, so check them against the signs. [7]

The freeway west of Rockingham opened in January 2025. NCDOT's project page calls the 7.2-mile route US 220/Future I-73/74. Our US 74 guide covers the east side and the I-74 run to Lumberton. [9][10]

Heading north, US 220 rejoins at Exit 22 and leaves at Exit 25 for Ellerbe. Then come NC 73 (Exit 28), US 220 again at Candor (Exit 41), NC 211 (Exit 44) and NC 24/NC 27 for Biscoe and Troy (Exit 49). [7]

If you leave at Ellerbe, know that US 220 north of town is a two-lane undivided road shared with NC 73. Our tip: stay on I-73 unless your stop is local. [8][7]

Exit 61 is NC 705 for Seagrove and Robbins. The visitor centers sit about a mile south of that exit. [7][4]

In Asheboro, the key exits are 70 (the US 64 bypass toward Siler City and Lexington), 72 (US 64 Business and NC 49) and 74 (NC 42). Wikipedia lists Exit 74 as a left exit, so watch the signs. [7]

I-74 splits off west toward High Point and Winston-Salem at Exit 80, near Randleman. I-73 keeps going north alone. [7]

Asheboro work zones, as of October 2026

NCDOT is widening US 64 from the Asheboro Bypass to east of I-73/I-74/US 220 under project U-5813. The plan turns the Albemarle Road and US 64/NC 49 interchanges into one split diamond and replaces the Albemarle Road bridge. [12]

The contract went to Conti Civil for about $59 million, with work starting in early 2025 and finishing in summer 2028, the Randolph Record reported. Some loop ramps are being removed. [13]

The job also replaces the low-clearance NC 49 bridge over US 64. We didn't find a posted height, so check signs and your routing if you're tall. [13]

Ramp changes are part of the job. In 2025 the on-ramp from eastbound Dixie Drive to I-73/74/US 220 southbound closed for months, with a temporary left turn at a new signal. [14]

On Oct. 27, 2026, DriveNC listed the ramp from Albemarle Road to I-73 northbound closed through Oct. 31, and the ramp from the US 64 bypass to I-73 southbound closed from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. that day for repairs. [3]

DriveNC listed no work zones on the I-73 or US 220 main lanes that day, from Richmond County to Rockingham County. Ramps and side roads at Asheboro were the hot spot. [3]

DriveNC also lists work on US 64 from the Asheboro Bypass to I-73 through July 2028, on Albemarle Road through July 2028, and on NC 42 through September 2028. [3]

That NC 42 work is a $12.4 million widening from East Salisbury Street to north of US 64/NC 49 (Dixie Drive). NCDOT expects it done by fall 2028. [15]

Greensboro: the Urban Loop and connections

I-73 reaches the Greensboro Urban Loop at Exit 95A, where it meets I-85 north and US 421. That's Exit 122B on I-85. Our I-85 guide covers that road. [7]

I-73 then runs northwest on the loop with US 421. Exit 100 is Gate City Boulevard, a diverging diamond, so follow the lane arrows. [7]

At Exit 103 you meet I-40, and I-840 begins. I-73 leaves I-840 at Exit 107 (Bryan Boulevard), then passes Piedmont Triad International Airport at Exit 109. [7]

NCDOT opened the last piece of the loop, between North Elm Street and US 29, on Jan. 23, 2023. [16]

US 220 leaves I-73 in Greensboro and runs through the city on its own, including Battleground Avenue with lots of lights and driveways. Our tip: stay on I-73 for through trips. [8]

I-73 shares the loop with US 421 between Exits 95A and 103. Headed to the Toyota battery plant at Liberty? Our Toyota guide covers that run. [7]

North of Greensboro: US 220 as Future I-73

Past NC 150 at Summerfield (Exit 117), US 220 rejoins I-73 at Exit 119. Then come US 158 (Exit 120), NC 65 (Exit 122) and the end of I-73 at NC 68 (Exit 123). [7]

Watch NC 65 at Exit 122. NCDOT bars through trucks on NC 65 from NC 68 to the Rockingham County line, and from there to NC 704. [1]

From NC 68 north, US 220 is a four-lane highway past Madison, Mayodan and Stoneville to the Virginia line. It mixes freeway stretches with at-grade crossings, starting south of Madison and again north of Mayodan, up to a last crossing just short of the state line. [8]

NCDOT awarded an $18 million contract in January 2026 to rebuild the US 220 interchange at US 311/NC 135 in Mayodan. It will be ready for future I-73 work. It runs to fall 2028, with brief closures to tie in the new bridge. [11]

Don't expect I-73 to Roanoke any time soon. Virginia's transportation board ended its part of the I-73 project in September 2024, Cardinal News reported. [17]

Virginia lawmakers have pushed a cheaper Southern Connector instead: US 220 upgrades plus about 8 miles of new road from Martinsville to the state line. As of that report, the new road had no funding. [17]

Truck rules, posted bridges and scales

NCDOT's truck restriction table, dated March 5, 2024, has no rows for I-73 or US 220. The nearest rules are the I-85 left-lane bans in Randolph and Guilford counties and the NC 65 through-truck ban. [1]

NCDOT's posted bridges table for primary routes, dated Oct. 9, 2026, lists no bridges in Richmond, Montgomery, Randolph, Guilford or Rockingham counties. That table skips most secondary roads, so watch for posted signs off the main road. [2]

NCSHP lists eight permanent weigh stations, and none is on I-73, I-74 or US 220. The nearest to Greensboro is Hillsborough on I-40/I-85. [5]

That doesn't mean no checks. State law requires trucks with a GVWR of 10,001 pounds or more to enter temporary inspection or weigh sites when signs direct. [6]

An officer can also have you drive to a scale within five miles of the stop. [6]

Rest areas and parking

DriveNC lists one rest stop pair on I-73: the Randolph County visitor centers about a mile south of NC 705 at Seagrove, built in 2010. [4]

They have 28 truck spaces northbound and 34 southbound. DriveNC showed no open or closed status for either as of Oct. 27, 2026. [4]

There's no state rest area on I-73 in Guilford, Montgomery or Richmond counties, or on US 220 north of Greensboro, in DriveNC's list. Our rest areas guide covers the town-run Ellerbe stop on US 220. [4]

Our tip: if you need a long break, take it at Seagrove or before you leave Greensboro or Rockingham. [4]

Freight along the corridor

Randolph County is a furniture county. It had 2,412 furniture manufacturing jobs in March 2026, second only to Catawba among NC counties with published figures. [18]

New work is coming. Environmental Air Systems, which builds prefabricated HVAC and building system parts, said in November 2025 it will add 300 jobs in Asheboro. It plans about 300,000 square feet of factory space. [19]

Some plants have closed. Bossong Hosiery in Asheboro shut on Sept. 9, 2026, after nearly a century, ABC45 reported. [20]

Our tip: confirm a shipper is still running and get the dock hours before you deadhead to Asheboro. Our furniture and textile guide has more on the Triad. [20]