For years, the U.S. 74 route through Shelby has been a sea of brake lights during peak hours. Drivers have dreaded traveling the expressway through the city due to the traffic snarls and constant stops and starts. A long-proposed bypass, first introduced in plans in 1979, is now under way at last to alleviate the problems. According to Dan Grissom, division construction engineer, the 74 bypass will be a four-lane divided highway built to interstate standards that will run from Sandy Run Church Road on the west side of town, crossing Buffalo Creek on the east, and ending at U.S. 74 Business in Kings Mountain. It will be built in segments. Information provided by Grissom stated that purchasing the right of way for the route is currently in progress for the sections of road from Sandy Run Church Road to west of Westlee Street in Lattimore. The area near BW Fiberglass is the location for the tie-in of the existing bypass and the new bypass. Construction is scheduled to begin in December o n the first segment and the entire project will not be completed until 2030, according to Mike Holder, division engineer with NCDOT. This will be controlled access, Holder said. That means comparable to an interstate highway. He said the project includes many steps, including an environmental impact statement, mitigation and just the sheer cost of the project. Holder said a certain amount of money is scheduled to go toward the bypass each year. Theres not money set aside like in a savings account, he said. Both federal and state funds will be used. Holder said 80 percent of funds are federal and 20 percent are state. The benefit County Manager Eddie Bailes said, once completed, the bypass will have a positive economic impact on the county. Many industries will be able to utilize the bypass for a better flow of traffic without having to stop at several stop lights, Bailes said. A lot of our new industries that were currently recruiting now will benefit from a trucking standpoint and be able to deliver materials on a more timely basis. He said West Dixon Boulevard, the current 74 bypass, gets backed up during rush hour. It will benefit this community when it occurs, Bailes said. The sooner we get that benefit, the better. Its going to take the road away from me But not everyone will see a positive impact. Mike Harrill, owner of Harrill Tire on West Dixon Boulevard, said his business will no longer be as accessible. He said the new bypass will take out the current road to Harrill Tire and he was told a service road would be put in its place. Its going to take the road away from me, Harrill said. It probably wont put us out of business but its going to make it, lets say, a lot different. Harrill said he opened the business almost 50 years ago. He said the main road off the current bypass to Lattimore, Westlee Street, will be closed and turned into a cul-de-sac. Its going to take me from a good location to a sorry one. I reckon they look at it like this, it was a single lane when I started and now its going to be back to a single lane according to this map. he said. T hats just change.   Cost of the U.S. bypass Right of way: $57.6 million Construction: $238.3 million Total: $295.9 million   U.S. 74 Shelby bypass interchanges Peach Tree Road Washburn Switch Road N.C. 18 Bethlehem Road Existing 74 bypass N.C. 226 N.C. 150   U.S. 74 Shelby bypass segments   Westlee Street to Artee Road Right of way is currently under way with construction scheduled for December. Construction cost: $30.8 million Right of way cost: $7 million   Artee Road to east on N.C. 226 Right of way is currently under way with construction scheduled for 2013 Construction cost: $27.5 million Right of way cost: $1.2 million   N.C. 226 to N.C. 150 Right of way scheduled to begin in 2015. Construction scheduled for 2019. Construction cost: $54.2 million Right of way cost: $13 million   N.C. 150 to Long Branch Road Right of way: begin 2028 Construction: 2030 Construction cost: $28 million Cost: $17.5 million   Long Branch Road to U.S. 74 Business Right of way: 2028 Construction: 2030 Construction cost: $32.8 million Right of way cost: $8.9 An additional $100 million will be spent on other paving needs.