Western North Carolina

I-40 enters North Carolina along the north banks of the Pigeon River at the foot of Snowbird Mountain. Winding in parallel with the river, I-40 goes through twin tunnels. When the tunnels opened in 1968, they were the first Interstate tunnels east of the Mississippi River. I-40 then proceeds through the Pigeon River Gorge for the next 16 miles (26 km). Just south of exit 7, I-40 uses another tunnel, for eastbound traffic only, through Hurricane Mountain.^[6] The westbound lanes use a rock cut through Hurricane Mountain. A short distance after the tunnel is the North Carolina Welcome Center. Immediately afterward is Waterville Lake, where there are a few at-grade intersections in this location, used as service access for Walters Dam and the Harmon Den Wildlife Management Area. I-40 continues toward Asheville. I-40 then merges with US 74 (Great Smoky Mountains Expressway). I-40 and US 74 encounter the I-26/I-240 interchange, sometimes called Malfunction Junction,^[7] in the southwestern part of the city. The interchange is the current western terminus of I-240 and the historic terminus of I-26. I-40 then goes along the southside of Asheville, north of the Biltmore Estate toward Hickory.^[8] I-240 and I-40 have another interchange before I-40 leaves the Asheville area.

Shortly after it leaves the Asheville area, I-40 encounters a steep grade, Old Fort Mountain, with winding roads that pose a hazard to truck traffic. There are several runaway truck ramps on this part of the highway. This stretch is about six miles (9.7 km) long. I-40 goes south of Black Mountain and Marion and north of Conover.^[9] There, it crosses the Eastern Continental Divide and the southern tip of the Black Mountains. When I-40 enters Hickory, it has a clover interchange with US 321. I-40 then heads south of Hickory and crosses the Catawba River.^[10] I-40 enters Statesville north of the city. It has major interchanges with US 64 and US 21 before utilizing a partial turbine/cloverleaf interchange with I-77. This interchange was reconstructed to help alleviate congestion around the area.^[11]

Piedmont region

I-40 heads northeast toward Winston-Salem, passing Mocksville and Clemmons. From here, I-40 widens to six lanes, shortly before entering Winston-Salem. It has another major interchange, this time with the Salem Parkway which carries US 421. This interchange gives access to downtown Winston-Salem.^[12] Continuing through the Winston-Salem city limits, I-40 passes Hanes Mall and the commercial developments in the city. After passing the area, it has a cloverleaf interchange with I-285/US 52/NC 8.^[13] I-74 exits off to the south toward High Point, while I-40 heads back northeast to meet up with US 421 outside of Greensboro.^[14] US 421 runs a concurrency with I-40 into Greensboro.^[15][16][17]

I-40 heads into the Greensboro limits before reaching the I-73/US 421/I-840 interchange. This interchange is the east end of the US 421 concurrency with I-40 and is also the western terminus of I-840.^[18] From there, I-40 heads through southwestern Greensboro. I-40 passes Wendover Place and Four Seasons Town Centre before having another large interchange with US 220.^[19] US 29/US 70 all merge into I-40/US 220 for a major concurrency one mile (1.6 km) after the interchange with US 220.^[20] The road is generally a six-lane freeway throughout.^[21]

This 2.5-mile (4.0 km) corridor with concurrent routes ends in the east at the US 29/US 70/US 220/Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard junction. Both the beginning and ending interchanges of this corridor are quite unusual in design and are often operating at above full capacity, leading to frequent traffic jams and incidents.^[16][17][22]

I-40 through Greensboro officially bears the name Preddy Boulevard. The nickname "Death Valley" has been given to the area of I-40 where I-40 and I-85 Business (I-85 Bus.) splits. The locals have given that area that name because of the high number of deaths due to car crashes in that area.^[23][24] One major problem with the highway is that the US 29/US 70/US 220 southbound lanes merge from the right and exit to the left. Thus, through traffic on I-40 west and US 29 south (a major route from Virginia to Charlotte) must all merge to the other side of the freeway. A study conducted by state traffic engineers from May 1, 2006, to April 30, 2008, (the period between the I-85 relocation and I-40's relocation) concluded that "the Death Valley area" had an accident rate "higher than average for urban interstates [...] but the [route] was safe anyway".^[25] There were no fatalities during the study period, but a large number of rear-end collisions.^[16][17][25]

I-40 merges with I-85 east of Greensboro. I-40 and I-85 have a 31-mile (50 km) concurrency through Guilford, Alamance, and Orange counties. The concurrency section uses I-85 exit numbers instead of I-40 exit numbers. The section goes south of Elon, Burlington, Graham, and Mebane, passing through generally suburban development. I-40 breaks ways from I-85 at exit 163, south of Hillsborough.^[17][21]

After I-40 breaks away from I-85, it heads in a very southeasterly direction toward Chapel Hill, going through rural areas and a forest. I-40 parallels NC 86 until NC 86 crosses I-40 at exit 266. The interstate then passes more suburban areas as well as northern Chapel Hill and through southern Durham. I-40 enters Research Triangle Park (RTP) after an interchange with I-885 and NC 885. The Interstate varies in width, from four to eight lanes, depending on the location. It serves as a major thoroughfare between Raleigh, Cary, and Durham (the other being US 70). After leaving the Research Triangle area, I-40 has an interchange with I-540 near Raleigh–Durham International Airport. Several I-40 exits serve Raleigh–Durham, including Aviation Parkway, Airport Boulevard, and I-540. I-40 continues to head southeast toward downtown Raleigh. I-40 is routed north of Cary and south of William B. Umstead State Park. At Wade Avenue, I-40 bears right to head south. It then has an interchange with I-440/US 1/US 64 at exits 293A and 293B. I-40 then runs a concurrency with US 64 along the south side of Raleigh. The concurrency ends at an interchange with I-87/I-440/US 64 at exit 301, where I-40 bears to the south.^[16][17]

Eastern North Carolina

Beyond exit 301, I-40 follows a primarily south-southeasterly routing to Wilmington. It departs Raleigh to the south and runs along through eastern Garner between Jones Sausage Road (exit 303) and White Oak Road. I-40 meets US 70 and US 70 Business in Garner at exit 306. Additionally, I-40 begins to parallel NC 50 starting near exit 306 in Garner and continuing through Kenansville. I-40 and US 70 travel along a 4.1 miles (6.6 km) concurrency to exit 309 where US 70 diverges to the east toward Selma and New Bern. South of exit 309, I-40 leaves Wake County and enters into Johnston County. As the highway leaves suburban regions surrounding Raleigh, it interchanges with NC 42 (exit 312), NC 210 (exit 319), and NC 242 (exit 325) which provide access to Clayton, Angier, and Benson. I-40 travels to the east of Benson, crossing over US 301, but provides no access to the highway. Immediately south of US 301, I-40 meets I-95 at exit 328, a modified cloverleaf interchange. This interchange was redesigned to help smoothen out the driving surface from the I-40 bridges to I-95.^[26]

I-40 continues southeast through rural Johnston County farmland, meeting NC 96 (exit 334) north of Peacocks Crossroads. Approaching Newton Grove, I-40 leaves Johnston County and enters into Sampson County. I-40 travels along the southwestern side of Newton Grove, interchanging with NC 50 and NC 55 at exit 341 and US 701 at exit 343. US 13 crosses over I-40 in the vicinity of Newton Grove, but there is not a dedicated interchange. I-40 continues southeast of Newton Grove through rural Sampson County. It meets US 117 Connector and NC 403 at exit 355 southwest of Faison, and I-40 begins to parallel US 117 near the exit. I-40 departs Sampson County and enters Duplin County approximately four miles (6.4 km) southeast of exit 355. It continues through Duplin County for approximately five miles (8.0 km) before meeting NC 24 and NC 24 Bus. (exit 364) west of Warsaw. At the interchange, NC 24 begins an 8.4 miles (13.5 km) concurrency with I-40 to the southeast. An interchange with US 117 (exit 369) is located south of Warsaw and I-40 begins to travel around Magnolia to the east. NC 24 departs the freeway at NC 903 (exit 373) which provides access to Kenansville. After the interchange, I-40 primarily turns to the south, bypassing Teachey, Rose Hill, and Wallace to the east. Interchanges with Charity Road (exit 380), NC 11 (exit 384), and NC 41 (exit 385) provide access to these towns and to US 117. I-40 begins to run parallel to the Northeast Cape Fear River and enters Pender County after crossing Rockfish Creek near Wallace.

The highway once again meets US 117, at an interchange south of Wallace, and crosses to the western side of US 117. I-40 remains on the western side of US 117 for 5.6 miles (9.0 km) until it crosses over I-40 north of Burgaw. The highway bypasses Burgaw to the east, meeting NC 53 (exit 398) east of the town. Continuing south, I-40 once again meets NC 210 at exit 408 near Rocky Point and then crosses the Northeast Cape Fear River into New Hanover County where it picks up the name "Michael Jordan Freeway"^[27]. I-40 passes to the east of Castle Hayne and interchanges with Holly Shelter Road at exit 412. An interchange with I-140 and NC 140 is located 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of Holly Shelter Road at exit 416. From I-140 and NC 140, I-40 continues south passing east of Olsen Park before turning to the southwest and meeting US 117 and NC 132 at exit 420. Eastbound I-40 runs concurrently with US 117 and NC 132 for 0.2 miles (0.32 km) beyond the exit, while westbound I-40 is concurrent with US 117 and NC 132 for approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km) due to the design of the interchange. The eastern terminus of I-40 is located at US 117 and NC 132 north of Kings Grant Road in Wilmington, where both US 117 and NC 132 drop the concurrency. The highway continues south as North College Road toward US 74, the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and Carolina Beach.^[16][17][28]

Dedicated and memorial names

The freeway bears several names in addition to the I-40 designation. Throughout the state, the freeway is known as the Blue Star Memorial Highway, a name shared with multiple Interstates across the state.^[29] From the Guilford–Alamance county line to one mile (1.6 km) east of NC 54, in Graham, I-40/I-85 is known as the Sam Hunt Freeway. The freeway is known as the Harriet Morehead Berry Freeway through Orange County, named for a leader in the Good Roads Movement in North Carolina.^[30] Between US 15/US 501 in Chapel Hill to I-885/NC 885 in Durham, I-40 is known as the John Motley Morehead III Freeway who was a noted philanthropist and graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I-40 is the Dan K. Moore Freeway from Research Triangle Park to the Tom Bradshaw Freeway. The section is named after Dan K. Moore who was the 66th governor of North Carolina. From the Wade Avenue Extension to US 70 in Garner, the freeway is known as the Tom Bradshaw Freeway, named after the 33rd mayor of Raleigh. I-40 is the James Harrington Freeway from US 70 to I-95. In Johnston, south of I-95, and Sampson counties, I-40 is dedicated to Robert D. Warren Sr. who was a former State Director of Driver's Licenses and State Senator from the area. In Duplin County, a section of I-40 6.95 miles (11.18 km) north of NC 24 west of Warsaw to 6.95 miles (11.18 km) south of NC 24 is known as the Henry L. Stevens Jr. Highway, who was a commander of the American Legion and a North Carolina Superior Court judge.^[31] From the Pender–New Hanover county line to the eastern terminus of I-40, the freeway is known as the Michael Jordan Highway, named after the famous basketball player who grew up in Wilmington and was a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.^[32][33] I-40 has also been given the name Tobacco Road by college sports fans because the freeway links up the four North Carolina schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference.^[34]

On February 1, 2024, I-40 was named the Jimmy Capps Freeway, after Jimmy Capps, a country music singer and songwriter from Benson, where I-95 and I-40 currently meet at. ^[35][36]

Beginnings

The first major overland transportation corridors in North Carolina were the Indian trading paths. One of these routes, the Rutherford's Trace, followed the path of modern I-40.^[38] In 1921, the North Carolina Highway System was established, with NC 10, nicknamed the "Central Highway", designated on the route between Asheville and Greensboro. By the time US 70 was established in 1926 and placed on concurrency on all of NC 10, nearly all of the route was either paved or oil-treated. After World War II, the federal government began planning on a new Interregional Highway system, as mandated by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944, and released a proposed National System of Interstate Highways in 1947, which included a route that followed loosely to US 70 from the Tennessee state line to Greensboro.^[39] After years of planning and the passing of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, which established the route between Tennessee and Greensboro, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) approved the I-40 designation in 1957.^[40]

Interstate Highway era

In 1958, the first construction job in the country that was designated specifically for I-40 was in Haywood County, along the Pigeon River. That same year, the first two sections of I-40 opened: the first was the three-mile-long (4.8 km) East–West Expressway in Winston-Salem; the second was from US 421 in Kernersville to US 29/US 70 in Greensboro. In both cases, these first freeways were constructed a couple of years prior for US 158 and US 421, respectively, and did not benefit from the 1956 act; as a result, in 1988, the state was able to convince the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to build the Winston-Salem Bypass.^[2][41][42] Between Ridgecrest and Old Fort, US 70 along Youngs Ridge was four lanes as of 1954; I-40, however, was not officially designated until 1982, after additional highway improvements, including additional widening, runaway truck ramps, and warning devices.^[43][44]

In 1960, I-40 made three expansions: in Burke County, from Dysartsville Road (SR 1129) to Hildebran (connecting to US 64/US 70 along I-40 Access Road Southeast (SR 1890)); from NC 16 in Conover to NC 90 in Statesville; and from NC 801 near Advance to the US 158/US 421 split east of Winston-Salem.^[45][46] In 1961, I-40 extended west from Dysartsville Road to NC 226 near Marion. In Statesville, I-40 extended east along a completed widening project of the US 64 Bypass, between NC 90 to US 64.^[47] In 1962, I-40 extended west from NC 226 near Marion to link-up with US 70 near Old Fort. In 1963, the gap between Winston-Salem and Kernersville was completed.^[48] In 1964, I-40 opened a 12-mile (19 km) segment from east of Clyde (using the freeway connector from US 19/US 23) to Wiggins Road (SR 1200).^[49] In 1967, I-40 opened a 3.8-mile (6.1 km) segment through the Biltmore Estate from NC 191 to US 25.^[50] In 1968 and after 10 years of construction, I-40 opened a 20-mile (32 km) segment from the Tennessee state line to US 276 in Cove Creek.^[51][52] In November of same year, the North Carolina State Highway Commission (NCSHC) submitted a request to the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) to extend I-40 east of Greensboro to Raleigh via RTP. In 1969, both BPR and AASHTO approved the extension, allowing I-40 to continue east of Durham through Raleigh to Smithfield.^[2][53] Also in the same year, I-40 was extended west from NC 191 to connect with I-26 and end at US 19/US 23 in Enka.^[54] In 1970, I-40 extended west from NC 801 near Advance to US 64 near Mocksville.^[55]

In 1971, two gaps were completed: Wiggins Road (SR 1200) to US 19/US 23 in Enka; and US 64 in Statesville to US 64 near Mocksville.^[56] In July, NCSHC finalized a plan for I-40's routing east of Durham to Smithfield, with an estimated cost of $75 million (equivalent to $432 million in 2023^[57]).^[58] In December, new freeway opened between Davis Drive (SR 1999) in RTP to US 1/US 64 (Raleigh Beltline) in Raleigh; I-40 was added along seven miles (11 km) between Davis Drive and Harrison Avenue (SR 1654), while east of Harrison Avenue (future Wade Avenue) was signed "To I-40".^[2][59][60] In 1972, I-40 extended east from US 25 in Asheville to Porters Cove Road (SR 2838) in Oteen; the extension bypassed both US 25A and US 74, where interchanges were built in 1999 and 1973, respectively.^[61] In 1973, I-40 and the Durham Freeway (future NC 147; now I-885) were connected in RTP.^[62] In 1974, a gap was completed between US 276 in Cove Creek to the freeway connector (future Great Smoky Mountains Expressway) near Clyde. I-40 also extended east from Porters Cove Road in Oteen to Patton Cove Road (SR 2740) in Swannanoa.^[63] In 1976, a gap of I-40 was completed between Henry River Road (SR 1002) in Hildebran and NC 16 in Conover.^[64] In April 1978, after years of debate on where I-40 should be routed east of I-95, either Morehead City or Wilmington, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) approved a corridor location between Raleigh and Wilmington. The discussions on its routing started since the initial extension in 1969 and arguments from several area groups why the routing should go to their port city. In the end, the routing approval to Wilmington came with a caveat to build new freeway in parallel to US 117 instead of a full upgrade of US 421 as several in the region supported.^{[2][65][66][67][68]} In 1979, I-40 was extended east from Patton Cove Road in Swannanoa to US 70 in Ridgecrest.^[69]

In 1982, I-40 was designated, in concurrency with US 70, along Youngs Ridge between Ridgecrest and Old Fort; this officially completed the original I-40 routing from Tennessee to Greensboro.^[44] In 1984, I-40 was extended in Raleigh from Wade Avenue (exit 289), along the Tom Bradshaw Freeway, to the Cliff Benson Beltline (exit 301).^[71] Also same year, AASHTO approved of designation of I-40 between Wallace and Wilmington, currently under construction at the time.^[72][73] By 1985, construction began on a 22-mile (35 km) project, connecting the Durham Freeway in the RTP with I-85 west of Hillsborough at an estimated cost of $103 million (equivalent to $248 million in 2023^[57]).^[74] In 1985, I-40 was placed on new 19-mile (31 km) section between US 117 (exit 390) near Willard and NC 210 (exit 408) near Rocky Point.^[75] In 1986, I-40 was extended west from the Durham Freeway (exit 279) to NC 55 (exit 278) in the RTP; I-40 was also extended east to its current eastern terminus at US 117/NC 132 (exit 420) in Wilmington.^[76] In 1987, I-40 was extended west from US 117 (exit 390) near Willard to NC 41 (exit 385) near Tin City.^[77] In 1988, I-40 was extended west to US 15/US 501 (exit 270) in Chapel Hill and east to US 70 (exit 306) in Garner. In October, then-Governor James G. Martin announced federal approval of $114.1 million (equivalent to $254 million in 2023^[57]) for I-40 to be relocated around Winston-Salem.^[78][79] In 1989, I-40 was extended west to I-85 (exit 259) west of Hillsborough and east to I-95 (exit 328) in Benson.^[2][80][81] By 1990, I-40 was extended west from NC 41 (exit 385) in Tin City to US 117 (exit 369) near Warsaw.^[82] On June 29, 1990, with a ribbon-cutting by Governor Martin, I-40 was connected between Raleigh and Wilmington, providing improved access with the Port of Wilmington with the rest of the state.^[2] At around this time, a standard distance sign near the start of the westbound section of I-40 in Wilmington indicates the distance to Barstow, California, as 2,554 miles (4,110 km). In December, AASHTO approved the I-40 designation between Raleigh and Wallace; and in January 1991, NCDOT certified the designation.^[83][84]

The final gap of I-40 was completed when it was designated along existing I-85 from Greensboro to west of Hillsborough c. 1992. In November 1992, the 20.89-mile (33.62 km) Winston-Salem Bypass was completed and opened, featuring mostly new construction, with a short overlap of existing US 311 freeway. The former alignment, featuring the first sections of I-40 completed in the state, was designated as I-40 Bus., with a complete concurrency with US 421. After 34 years, I-40 was officially completed in North Carolina.^{[85][86][87][88]}

Since completion

In 1996, 35 miles (56 km) of I-40/I-85, through Alamance and Orange counties, were widened to eight lanes. At a cost of $175 million (equivalent to $314 million in 2023^[57]), the project began in 1989 and opened completed sections in phases.^{[89][90][91][92]}

In December 2004, a 10.6-mile (17.1 km) widening project was completed from US 15/US 501 (exit 270) in Durham to NC 147 (now I-885/NC 885; exit 279) in RTP. The project expanded lanes from four to six lanes.^[93] In March 2005, construction crews returned for eight weeks to replace asphalt used in the widening project, which began to deteriorate not long after the lanes opened to the public.^[94] The paving mistakes, however, were more severe, and NCDOT contracted Lane Construction Corp to replace all the bad concrete used in the botch widening project, at a cost of $21.7 million (equivalent to $32.5 million in 2023^[57]).^[95][96]

In 2011, an eight-mile (13 km) widening project was completed between Harrison Avenue (exit 287) and Gorman Street (exit 295). At a cost of $49 million (equivalent to $65.5 million in 2023^[57]), the project expanded lanes from four to six lanes.^[97]