Welcome to another annual review of progress in constructing North Carolina's New and Future Interstate routes. While 2024 was not too exciting, with no new segments of major routes opening, there was 1 new interstate signing, another proposed new interstate route, and the near opening of a new segment for 2 routes. As tradition, I will start off with a review of what happened with I-73 and I-74 and then move on to the major news of the year about the other new and future routes.
Work continued on the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass through the year. The last few months have been hoping for news of its opening before 2025, without luck. Signs of its near completion included the placement of new signs, many with interstate shields uncovered, along the Bypass and intersecting roadways. For example, these went up along US 74 East:
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Overhead signage at Business 74 exit which contains the future ramp to I-73 North/I-74 West. |
Signage was also updated heading west on US 74 approaching the unopened Beltway:
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| Overhead signage at ramp for US 74 West, pull through for I-73 North/I-74 West covered up. |
Examples of signage placed along Business 70:
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| Overhead signage at still closed ramp to I-73 North/I-74 West from Business 74 West. |
Further north ramp trailblazers were installed at the future Cartledge Creek Road exit:
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| Jct I-73/I-74 signs heading west on Cartledge Creek Road |
The major construction news regarding I-74 during 2024 was with the Winston-Salem Northern Beltway segment. While the Beltway was extended north/west to US 52 in November 2023, most of the work completing the ramp connections took place in 2024. This included completing the westbound Beltway lanes which had been temporarily using the exit ramp to NC 65 to reach US 52 and completing the ramp connections between US 52 and the Beltway. By the end of the year permanent signage had gone up along both directions of US 52 for the Beltway, for now designated NC 74:
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| New Arrow-per-Lane sign for new US 52 South exit ramp at start of Beltway |
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| NCDOT traffic camera view of new NC 74 East advance sign prior to the Ziglar Road bridge Despite the completion of the Beltway from US 421 to US 52, signage at that exit still has not been updated as of the end of 2024:  |
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| Image from TV 2 report looking south over I-40 along flyover ramps being built for I-74 Work was also proceeding at the southern end at I-74 where other flyover ramps were being built:  Work also was proceeding in creating the exit with Kernersville Road between I-74 and I-40:  |
Related to the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass construction was the signing, pre-opening, of the US 74 Bypass as I-74/US 74. Signs first appeared near the Bypass interchange in November and made it to the other end by December:
Work continued on 4 intersections to 3 interchanges projects along the future I-74 corridor east of I-95. By the end of the year the ramps were being paved for the new NC 72/NC 130 interchange in Robeson County:
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| First new East I-74/East US 74 reassurance marker sign after still to open Rockingham Bypass |
Work continued on 4 intersections to 3 interchanges projects along the future I-74 corridor east of I-95. By the end of the year the ramps were being paved for the new NC 72/NC 130 interchange in Robeson County:
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| Paving the future ramp from I-74/US 74 East to NC 72/NC 130 in December The Boardman exit across the Lumber River in Columbus County, which had opened in 2023, was officially completed by the fall of 2024:  While the Lake Waccamaw interchange project along US 74/76 east of Whiteville is officially not complete, the exit ramp at Chauncey Town Road was opened in the fall.  Work was completed on the Old Lake Road bridge in early December and the intersection was closed. US 74/76 is now a freeway, though not interstate standard, to NC 214 at MM 258. In what may be a hint as to I-74's final destination, NCDOT started a $8.7 million pavement rehabilitation project in July covering over 7 miles of US 74/76 east near NC 214. The project is listed under US 74 and Future I-74. This is to the east of the interstate's official route to South Carolina suggesting NCDOT is perhaps leaning towards ending I-74 in Wilmington.  2024 turned out to be the official birth year of I-42. It was officially signed along the Goldsboro Bypass in September. The first hint of signing came in August when a solitary I-42 shield appeared at the eastern end of the Bypass.  NCDOT soon announced they planned to sign the route completely along the Bypass starting in early September. Along with the new signage came new I-42 milepost based exit numbers.  Ground mounted signage included end I-42 signs at both ends of the Bypass:  The end East I-42 sign approaching the ramp from US 70 at the end of the Goldsboro Bypass Signage on intersecting roads was updated also, many simply swapping US 70 shields for I-42:  Meanwhile, it was announced that the signing of I-42 on the Clayton Bypass would not start until 2025, in February as of now. Signing complicated by the decision of NCDOT to renumber NC 42 to NC 36 in Johnston County to reduce potential driver confusion. This didn't prevent the appearance of I-42 shields on approaching roadways, such as the NC 540 Triangle Expressway extension that opened in September:  Nor along I-40 West, though the eastbound signs still refer to US 70:  One I-42 shield showed up on the Bypass itself prior to the current NC 42 exit. The Clayton Bypass segment will be the last signed as I-42 for several years. The upgrades in Johnston County should be completed in 2025. During 2024 both new exits, for Swift Creek Road and Wilson's Mills Road were opened. The first in April.  The ramps for Wilson's Mills were opened westbound in September and eastbound in November:  The completed road will be interstate standard but apparently won't be signed as I-42 until US 70 is upgraded all the way to I-95 in Selma. At the other end work continues of the 3 US 70 improvement projects in Craven County. The one closest to completion is the Havelock Bypass, originally to be open in the summer of 2024, weather delays put the finish date until the spring of 2025. During 2024 the connections to US 70 at both ends were completed and traffic put into its final alignment.  Progress in completing the route between the US 70 exits varied from parts nearly complete, to other sections needing much work:  Meanwhile, to the north, work continued slowly on the other 2 projects that would connect the Future I-42 Bypass to the completed section between Dover and New Bern. The project through James City was still less than 50% complete by the end of the year and work was still continuing on building some of the frontage roads connecting to future interchanges in the spring:  The project is still scheduled to be completed in July 2025, but it appears unlikely at the moment. Work on the final project connecting the James City freeway to the Havelock Bypass has been even slower. A design-build contract started in February 2023 is only 16% complete at the end of 2024. Actual construction work was supposed to start in December. This project is not supposed to be completed until 2028, and it appears it will at least take that long. Signing any of these segments as I-42 will require completion of the Kinston Bypass, which may be given a start date in the Draft 2026-2035 STIP due out later in January.  The further signing of I-87 east of Raleigh is still a few years away. During 2024 several pavement rehabilitation projects took place on US 64. Those to the east of I-95 included widening shoulders to interstate standards. Two projects took place between Rocky Mount and Tarboro. The first widened shoulders between an already improved section west of Kingsboro Road to NC 122/McNair Road. The other widened shoulders from NC 122 past US 258 to the already interstate standard section at NC 33:   The shoulder improvement work along with existing interstate standard route east of Tarboro and the lack of any currently funded projects west to the Future I-587 interchange in Zebulon could possibly result in US 64 being signed as I-87 west of I-95 to Williamston first.  While I-587's completion awaited in 2024 for word of the start of improvement projects along US 264 east of I-95, additional new signage was placed on several intersecting roadways including on I-795:  And on I-95 South where most of the northbound signage had been updated in 2022:   Work continued on the southern end of the Fayetteville Outer Loop throughout 2024. Surprisingly, since it had been publicized as not happening until 2025, the route was opened south of Camden Road to I-95 on July 10. Travel is now possible from Camden Road to I-95 South and from I-95 South onto NC 295 North. Connections between I-95 North and the Loop will have to wait until the I-95 widening project is completed, which officially is not until 2026:   The remainder of the Loop between Camden Road and US 401 is also not scheduled to be completed until 2026. The only other news regarding I-295 is the changing of text on signs due to the name change of Fort Bragg to Fort Liberty:   The only project along this route during 2024 was the near completion of the new Reedy Fork interchange north of the Greensboro Loop. The exit was given the number 137:  The new interchange did not include interstate upgrades between the Loop and the exit, this will have to be included in any future upgrade project. The Draft STIP out later this month will determine whether the current schedule for upgrading US 29 to interstate standards north to Reidsville in 2031 will remain, be accelerated or further postponed.  The major news with this Future Interstate route was the placing of Future I-685 signs along US 421 between I-85 and Sanford in late May:  Signs were even placed where the interstate was not proposed, along the US 421/Salem Parkway for a week, before taken down:  Work continued on the new interchange in Julian to serve the Toyota Battery plant, the ramps were opened in early summer, though work is listed as only 69% complete as of December 2024:  Work continues on building 2 more Future I-685 exits around Liberty at the current intersections with Shiloh and Starmount Roads. The work was to be completed in the summer of 2025, but that has been now delayed to the end of the year. There are no other I-685 projects currently funded, perhaps in the new Draft STIP.  There was finally some news to report in 2024 for the long delayed I-26 bypass route around Asheville. NCDOT advertised for bids for the I-26 Connector project in March. Unfortunately, NCDOT decided not to award the contract after concluding all the bids were too high. Working with the contractors to lower costs, the project was finally awarded to the Archer/Wright Joint Venture in May. Work started in the summer on the first phase, rebuilding the ramps between I-26, I-40 and I-240 and construction along I-40 between the I-240 and US 19/23 exits. (From the sign plans for this project it appears NCDOT plans to remove the I-240 designation where it now runs concurrently with I-26). Design work has started on the new highway to bypass I-240 to the west, initial construction is not to start until late 2025. NCDOT insists on its I-26 Connector project website that despite resources now directed to rebuilding bridges and highways damaged by Hurricane Helene that work should proceed on schedule. Interstate I-777? In April 2024 the group behind the push for I-685, the Carolina Core, also endorsed turning US 421 west of I-40 to Wilkesboro into an interstate, their proposed number being I-777.  There has been little news about the possible future interstate since the announcement and NCDOT did not apply for the designation at the fall 2024 AASHTO meeting. Wilkesboro is smaller than Sanford and the FHWA turned down NCDOT's request in 1999 to create the original route for I-140 from Raleigh along US 1 because that city was not large enough to merit an interstate highway terminus. (Will NCDOT try again with another interstate number when I-685 is signed through Sanford?). It is yet to be seen with the recent hurricane damage in Western North Carolina how many projects will be put off in the next STIP. Certainly those with low priority scores are more vulnerable to delay or cancellation when the draft is published later this month. I will update my pages with any new information when it becomes available. As always I want to acknowledge all those who kept me up to date and/or provided photos or videos I could post on my pages. In particular: James Carter, David Gallo, David Johnson, Philip Kessell, LC, John Maultsby, Mark David Moore, Adam Prince, Seth Purvis, snowc, Strider, Stephen Anthony Wicher, Benjamin Wolf (jcil4ever on AARoads Forum) and Nick Zachetti along with the videographers at Big Rig Travels, Driving Around NC, Mileage Mike Travels and Tar Heel Dashcam. I am also thankful for the updated images provided through Google Maps Street View. More information and photos about all the North Carolina interstates discussed here are available at: Safe and Happy Travels in 2025. |
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