Interstate 40 in North Carolina

Interstate 40
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length:	423.55 mi[1] (681.64 km)
Existed:	1958[2] – present
Major junctions
West end:	I-40 at Tennessee state line
	I‑26 / I‑240 / US 74 in Asheville I‑240 / US 74A in Asheville I‑77 in Statesville I‑74 / US 311 in Winston-Salem I‑73 / I‑840 / US 421 in Greensboro I‑85 in Greensboro I‑540 / NC 540 in Durham I‑440 / US 1 / US 64 in Raleigh I‑95 near Benson I‑140 / US 17 near Wilmington
East end:	US 117 / NC 132 in Wilmington
Location
Counties:	Haywood, Buncombe, McDowell, Burke, Catawba, Iredell, Davie, Forsyth, Guilford, Alamance, Orange, Durham, Wake, Johnston, Sampson, Duplin, Pender, New Hanover
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business North Carolina Highway System Interstate U.S. State Scenic ← NC 39 NC 41 →

Interstate 40 (I-40) runs 423 miles (681 km) through the state of North Carolina from the Tennessee state line in the west to its eastern terminus in Wilmington. I-40 begins at the Tennessee state line in Haywood County and runs through the state until it reaches its eastern terminus at U.S. Highway 117/North Carolina Highway 132 (US 117/NC 132) in Wilmington. The Interstate runs through the cities of Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Durham, Raleigh, and ends in Wilmington. The unofficial name for I-40 is the Blue Star Memorial Highway, which is to pay tribute to the U.S. Armed Forces. The road a various other names along its routing.

I-40 began in 1956 with construction in the Pigeon River Gorge. This section of the highway was the first part of I-40 in the entire nation and was completed in 1968. Construction continued through the 1950s and 1960s. In 1971 the North Carolina State Highway Commission approved a plan to extend I-40 to I-95 near Benson. In 1988 the final section of I-40 between Tennessee and Raleigh opened. The last portion of I-40 from Raleigh to Wilmington opened on June 29, 1990.

Route description

I-40 enters North Carolina at the state line near Waterville. The freeway immediately starts winding through the Pigeon River Gorge. I-40 goes through a set of tunnels. When the tunnels opened in 1968 they were the first Interstate tunnels east of Mississippi River. I-40 then goes down a steep grade for the next 16 miles (26 km). Just south of exit 7, I-40 uses another tunnel, for eastbound traffic only, through Hurricane Mountain.^[3] The westbound lanes use a rock cut through Hurricane Mountain. A short distance after the tunnel is the North Carolina Welcome Center. Interstate 40 continues toward Asheville. Interstate 40 then merges with US 74 (Great Smoky Mountains Expressway). I-40 and US 74 encounters the Interstate 26, Interstate 240 interchange in the southwestern part of the city. The interchange is the current western terminus of Interstate 240 and the historic terminus of Interstate 26. Interstate 40 then goes along the south side of Asheville, north of the Biltmore Estate towards Hickory.^[4] I-240 and I-40 have another interchange before I-40 leaves the Asheville area. Interstate 40 goes south of Black Mountain and Marion, and north of Conover.^[5] When I-40 enters Hickory it has a clover interchange with US 321. Interstate 40 then heads south of Hickory and crosses Catawba River.^[6] I-40 enters Statesville north of the city. It has major interchanges with US 64 and US 21 before utilizing a clover interchange with Interstate 77. I-40 heads northeast towards Winston-Salem passing Mocksville and Clemmons. When Interstate 40 enters Winston-Salem it has another major interchange this time with US 421 and Interstate 40 Business. I-40 Business/US 421 head north to go through downtown Winston-Salem while I-40 goes just south of the city.^[7] Interstate 40 has another clover interchange with US 52/US 311/NC 8.^[8] US 311 run a concurrency with Interstate 40 for 2.1 miles (3.4 km). Interstate 74/US 311 exit off to the south while I-40 heads back northeast to meet up with US 421 and Interstate 40 Business.^[9] US 421 runs a concurrency with I-40 into Greensboro.^[10][11][12]

Interstate 40 enters the Greensboro area at 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 planned western terminus of Interstate 840.^[13] From there Interstate 40 heads through southwestern Greensboro. Interstate 40 passes Wendover Place and Four Seasons Town Centre before having another large interchange with US 220.^[14] 1 mile after the interchange with US 220^[15] I-85 Business/US 29/US 70 all merge into I-40/US 220 for one large concurrency. The road is generally a six-lane freeway through the entire concurrency between Interstate 40 and Interstate 85 Business.^[16]

The six routes of Death Valley in 2007; US 421 was rerouted in 2008

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 traffic incidents.^[17][12][18]

I-40 through Greensboro officially bears the name Preddy Boulevard. The nickname "Death Valley" has been given to the area of Interstate 40 where Interstate 40 and Business Interstate 85 splits. The locals have given that area that name because of the high number of deaths due to car crashes in that area.^[19][20] One major problem with the highway is that the U.S. 29/220/70 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."^[21] There were no fatalities during the study period, but a large number of rear-end collisions.^[22][12][21]

I-40 merges with I-85 east of Greensboro ending the I-85 concurrency. I-40 and I-85 have a 31 miles (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. Interstate 40 breaks ways from Interstate 85 at exit 163, south of Hillsborough.^[16][12]

After I-40 breaks away from I-85 it heads in a very southeasterly direction towards Chapel Hill. I-40 parallels NC 86 until NC 86 crosses I-40 at exit 266. I-40 is routed along northern Chapel Hill and then through southern Durham. I-40 enters the Research Triangle area after an interchange with NC 147. The Interstate varies in width, from four-lane to eight-lane depending on the location. It serves as a major route between Raleigh, Cary and Durham (the other being US 70). After leaving the Research Triangle area Interstate 40 has an interchange with Interstate 540 near the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Several Interstate 40 exits serve Raleigh-Durham including, Aviation Parkway, Airport Blvd, and Interstate 540. I-40 continues to head southeast towards Downtown Raleigh. Interstate 40 is routed north of Cary and south of Umstead State Park. At Wade Avenue Interstate 40 bears right to head south. US 1, US 64, Interstate 440, and I-40. I-40 then runs a concurrency with US 64 along the south side of Raleigh before merging to the right to head toward Benson.^[23][12]

Interstate 40 heads in a very southern direction until the interchange with Interstate 95. Within 5 miles from Raleigh, Interstate 40 has another concurrency with US 70. US 70 follows I-40 until the Clayton Bypass (exit 309). Interstate 40 continues south with exits at NC 42, NC 210, and NC 242. Interstate 40 then has an interchange with Interstate 95 near Benson, North Carolina. Interstate 40 then runs south towards Clinton and Warsaw. Starting near Faison Interstate 40 runs parallel with US 117 and this continues through the rest of the route. Most of the surrounding area of I-40 in Eastern North Carolina are rural so traffic is somewhat down on this section of I-40. A rest area exists off NC 24 in Warsaw. The median of I-40 widens to put the rest area between the eastbound and westbound lanes.^[24] I-40 passes the Duplin Winery in Duplin County. As Interstate 40 nears Wilmington it passes Burgaw and then crosses the NE Cape Fear River. Interstate 40 has an interchange with Interstate 140/US 17. As I-40 nears its terminus the speed limit is set down to 55, instead of 70 which is in place from Garner on. Exit 420 is the last exit on I-40 before its terminus on US 117/NC 132^[25][12][26]

Dedicated and memorial names

Sunflowers along I-40, in Buncombe County

I-40 in North Carolina feature a few dedicated or memorialized stretches of freeway.

• Blue Star Memorial Highway – Unofficial North Carolina honorary name of Interstate 40 throughout the state.^[27]
• Dan K. Moore Freeway – Official North Carolina name of Interstate 40 from the Research Triangle Park, in Durham County, to Tom Bradshaw Freeway, in Wake County (approved: 11/8/1985).^[28]
• Henry L. Stevens, Jr. Highway – Official North Carolina name of Interstate 40 from mile marker 357 to mile marker 371, in Duplin County (approved: 6/2/2000).^[28]
• John Motley Morehead, III Freeway – Official North Carolina name of Interstate 40 from US 15-US 501 to the Research Triangle Park, in Durham County(approved: 9/10/1987).^[28]
• Sam Hunt Freeway – Official North Carolina name of Interstates 40/85 from the Guilford-Alamance county line to one mile east of NC 54, in Graham (approved: 9/5/1997).^[28]
• Tobacco Road – Informal name given by college sports fans, because Interstate 40 links four schools in the ACC.^[29]
• Trooper David H. Dees Memorial Bridge – Official North Carolina name of bridge over Rockfish Creek on Interstate 40 (approved: 1/9/2003).^[28]
• Michael Jordan Freeway-Is signed once on west Interstate 40 coming out of Wilmington

History

I-40/I-85 through Burlington

Construction

Construction on I-40 through North Carolina officially began in 1956 along the Pigeon River in Haywood County. This would be the first section of I-40 to be built anywhere in the country. This section was completed in 1968, and was among the first Interstate Highway tunnels east of the Mississippi River. Construction continued through the 1950s and 1960s, with much of the interstate being constructed in the 1960s.

The Durham Freeway began with a 1962 bond referendum.^[30] The first section of the road, completed in 1970 around downtown Durham, was designated Interstate 40. The road was later extended west to Erwin Road and southward to where it now meets the current I-40, but the decision was made for I-40 to bypass Durham.^[30]

In 1971, the North Carolina State Highway Commission approved a plan to extend I-40 from Research Triangle Park to Interstate 95, a distance of 41 miles, at a cost of $75 million. Most of the highway would be four lanes, though six lanes were likely near Raleigh, where I-40 would extend the Beltline. Several routes were being considered, but at the time, the most likely route would have ended north of Smithfield.^[31]

For 15 years, Orange County opposed I-40. The county dropped its lawsuit in 1983.^[32] By 1985, the $103 million 22-mile (35 km) project, connecting Research Triangle Park with I-85, was under way.^[33] The section between U.S. 15-501 and New Hope Church Road opened in September 1988.^[34] Late in 1988, the final 4.2 miles (6.8 km) of I-40 between I-85 and Raleigh opened.^[32]

Barstow, California, distance sign, as seen from I-40 in Wilmington

Also in 1988, Gov. James G. Martin announced federal approval of $114.1 million for I-40 to be relocated around Winston-Salem.^[34]

By the end of 1988, widening an existing section of I-85, by this time also designated as I-40, to six lanes from Greensboro to Burlington was being considered.^[35][36] This was later changed to eight lanes.^[37]

Late in 1988, the final 4.2 miles (6.8 km) of I-40 between I-85 and Raleigh opened.^[32] The plan was later changed to eight lanes. The $175 million project began in 1989. With the opening of a 2.3-mile (3.7 km) section in Alamance County on November 23, 1994, 21 miles (34 km) of I-85/I-40 were eight lanes. An additional 14 miles (23 km) were to be ready by 1996, giving the interstate eight lanes all the way to where I-40 turned southward at Hillsborough.^[38]

The last portion of I-40 to be completed, between Raleigh and Wilmington, was opened on June 29, 1990, by Governor Martin. Much of Martin's election campaign in the mid-1980s was hinged on opening this section for the sake of improving access to the North Carolina State Port at Wilmington.

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).

Original Triangle Routing

Originally, I-40 carried a very different route through the Triangle. When the NCDOT planned to extend I-40 to Raleigh, they planned to route it through Durham on the current NC-147. It continued on its current alignment to the Wade Avenue intersection, but continued onto Wade Avenue freeway and ended at US 1. However, a series of problems in building the freeway through downtown Durham and around the Duke University campus caused the state to reroute I-40 through rural Orange County and southern Durham. The partially completed route through Durham was renumbered NC-147 and eventually completed in the mid 1990s. In Cary, I-40 was rerouted to its current alignment in the mid 1980s, leaving the current Wade Avenue "stub".

Pigeon River Gorge

The first section of I-40 in North Carolina is the section that travels through the Pigeon River Gorge in Haywood County. Known locally as simply "The Gorge", this part of I-40 cuts a path from the Tennessee state line to Waynesville. This section of the interstate is fairly curvy and tends to become a bit narrow in some places when compared to other portions of the highway. Because much of the road was cut through mountainside, concrete retaining walls have been built on both sides of the road and in the median, cutting down on the width of the breakdown lanes. Coupled with speeding vehicles, the extremely thick fog that tends to plague the area, and little room to maneuver in case of accident, this area has become notorious for its severe and many times fatal accidents. It is reported that a person is 20 times as likely to die on I-40 in Haywood County than they would be to win the Powerball lottery, which equals to be twice the average of any other Interstate Highway in North Carolina.^[39]

Even some minor accidents have been known to tie up traffic in this area, because there is little room to move accidents off or to the side of the road with the terrain. Speeding semi trucks have been a problem in the gorge and have subsequently led to many accidents. In 2002 and 2003, two state troopers were killed in two separate accidents by speeding trucks that drifted off the road and hit their police car conducting a traffic stop. This led the North Carolina Highway Patrol to crack down on speeding tractor trailers and speeders in general through the area.

This portion of the highway is also notorious for rockslides and rocks falling onto the highway. The main cause is an engineering flaw, in that sections of the highway have been built on the north side of the Pigeon River, where the rock strata foliate towards the highway.

In 1985, a severe rockslide buried the westbound entrance to one of two tunnels that carry the highway through the gorge. Repair of the slide area and the tunnel required shifting westbound traffic to the eastbound tunnel, while eastbound traffic was diverted onto a temporary viaduct around the tunnels. In July 1997, a rockslide near the Tennessee state line closed the road for nearly six months.^[40] The road was fully or partially closed due to rockslides on several occasions since then in 2009 and 2012.^{[41][42][43][44][45]}

Greensboro I-40 relocation

Map showing changes made to I-40's routing between 2004 and 2008

In February 2008, Interstate 40 was rerouted onto the new Greensboro Urban Loop. The former path of I-40 became Business Loop I-40.

NCDOT received many complaints by local residents and motorists on the confusion between mainline Interstate 40 and Business 40, which used a shield differing only in color from the mainline I-40. Greensboro residents also had concerns with the resulting increased traffic. On September 12, 2008, seven months after the initial switch, NCDOT officials got permission from the FHWA to restore Interstate 40 back to its original route through the city, decommission Business Interstate 40, and leave I-73 and I-85 as the only interstates signed along the loop with US 421. Exit numbers on the I-40 part of the Loop that ran with I-73 will be replaced with I-73 exit numbers from the I-85/US 220 southern interchange around the loop to the western I-40 interchange. US 421 was officially rerouted to replace most of I-40 around Greensboro.^[46]

Work on re-signing the Loop and the former Business 40 began on May 8, 2009, with the exception of the eastern I-40/85 interchange, where signs were changed in the fall of 2008.^[46][47] The re-signing project was completed on July 1, 2009.^[48]

The current alignment of I-40 is four miles (6 km) shorter than the 2008 Urban Loop routing,^[21] and is a quicker route for any vehicle consistently traveling at the posted speed limits.

Future

In Statesville, the I-40/I-77 interchange (exit 152) is currently being upgraded. The upgrade is planned in three phases: reconstruction of nearby intersections on both interstates, reconstruction and widening of I-40/I-77 interchange, and construction of fly-overs at interchange. The estimated cost for the entire project is $251 million with construction to begin in March 2012. It will replace the current interchange, which was built in the late 1960s.^[49][50][51]

A widening project along Interstate 40 is in development stage, between mile markers 259 and 279, in Orange and Durham counties. The estimated cost is $18 million, with date of construction to begin February 2019. However, it is currently flagged by NCDOT as "Subject to Reprioritization."^[52]

A widening project along Interstate 40 is in development stage, between mile markers 301 and 312, in Wake and Johnston counties. The estimated costs have yet to be determined. Property acquisition is to start late 2013 thru 2015.^[53]

Auxiliary routes in North Carolina

	Interstate	City	Type	Notes
	Interstate 40 Business	Winston-Salem	Business loop	Freeway grade throughout
	Interstate 140	Wilmington	Spur	Partially constructed
	Interstate 240	Asheville	Business loop
	Interstate 440	Raleigh	Beltway
	Interstate 540	Raleigh	Spur/Beltway	Designated along the Northern Wake Freeway
	Interstate 840	Greensboro	Beltway	Partially completed northern bypass, under construction

Exit list

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Haywood	State line	0.0	0.0		I-40 west – Knoxville	Continuation into Tennessee
		6.7	10.8	7	Cold Springs Creek Road – Harmon Den
		14.8	23.8	15	Fines Creek Road
	Cove Creek	20.5	33.0	20	US 276 south – Waynesville, Maggie Valley
		24.2	38.9	24	NC 209 – Lake Junaluska, Hot Springs
		27.3	43.9	27	US 19 / US 23 / US 74 west – Clyde, Waynesville	West end of US 74 overlap
	Canton	31.2	50.2	31	NC 215 – Canton
		33.2	53.4	33	Newfound Road – Canton
Buncombe		37.4	60.2	37	Wiggins Road – Candler, East Canton
	Asheville	44.3	71.3	44	US 19 / US 23 / US 74A east – West Asheville, Enka, Candler
		45.9	73.9	46 A-B	A: I‑26 / US 74 east – Hendersonville, Spartanburg B: I‑26 west / I‑240 east – Asheville, Johnson City	Signed as exits 46A (east) and 46B (west); east end of US 74 overlap No westbound exit 46B; left exits on both directions
		46.7	75.2	47	NC 191 – West Asheville	To Farmers Market
		50.2	80.8	50	US 25 – South Asheville, Biltmore House	Signed as exits 50A (south) and 50B (north) westbound
		51.3	82.6	51	US 25A – Asheville
		52.8	85.0	53 A-B	A: US 74A east / Blue Ridge Parkway – Bat Cave B: I‑240 / US 74A west – East Asheville	Signed as exits 53A (east) and 53B (west)
		55.1	88.7	55	To US 70 – East Asheville	To VA Hospital
		58.8	94.6	59	Patton Cove Road – Swannanoa
	Black Mountain	63.8	102.7	64	NC 9 – Black Mountain, Montreat
		64.8	104.3	65	US 70 west – Black Mountain	West end of US 70 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		65.7	105.7	66	Dunsmore Avenue – Ridgecrest
McDowell	Old Fort	71.4	114.9	72	US 70 east – Old Fort	East end of US 70 overlap; eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		72.4	116.5	73	Catawaba Avenue – Old Fort
		74.8	120.4	75	Parker Padgett Road
	Marion	81.2	130.7	81	Sugar Hill Road – Marion
		83.4	134.2	83	Ashworth Road
		84.6	136.2	85	US 221 – Marion, Rutherfordton
		86.3	138.9	86	NC 226 – Marion, Shelby
		89.8	144.5	90	Harmony Grove Road – Nebo, Lake James
Burke		94.1	151.4	94	Dysartsville Road
		95.8	154.2	96	Kathy Road
	Glen Alpine	97.5	156.9	98	Causby Road – Glen Alpine
		99.5	160.1	100	Jamestown Road / Dixie Boulevard – Glen Alpine
	Morganton	102.9	165.6	103	US 64 – Morganton, Rutherfordton
		104.1	167.5	104	Enola Road
		105.1	169.1	105	NC 18 – Morganton, Shelby
		106.2	170.9	106	Bethel Road
		107.4	172.8	107	NC 114 – Drexel
	Valdese	110.7	178.2	111	Abees Grove Church Road / Milestone Avenue – Valdese
		111.4	179.3	112	Mineral Springs Mountain Road – Valdese
	Rutherford College	112.3	180.7	113	Rutherford College Road / Malcom Boulevard – Connelly Springs, Rutherford College
	Icard	116.2	187.0	116	Old NC 10 – Icard
	Hildebran	117.9	189.7	118	Old NC 10
		118.8	191.2	119	Henry River Road / Center Street – Henry River, Hildebran	Signed as exits 119A (Henry River) and 119B (Hildebran) eastbound
Catawba	Long View	120.6	194.1	121	33rd Street – Long View
	Hickory	122.8	197.6	123 A-B	A: US 321 south to NC 127 – Lincolnton, Gastonia B: US 321 north to US 70 / NC 127 – Hickory, Lenoir, Boone	Signed as exits 123A (south) and 123B (north) To Appalachian State University and Hickory Regional Airport
		125.1	201.3	125	Lenoir Rhyne Boulevard – Hickory	To Lenoir-Rhyne University
		126.2	203.1	126	To US 70 – Hickory, Newton
	Conover	128.1	206.2	128	Fairgrove Church Road	To Hickory Motor Speedway
		130.2	209.5	130	Old US 70
		131.1	211.0	131	NC 16	Permanently closed by 2008.
		131.6	211.8	132	NC 16 – Newton, Conover, Taylorsville
		132.6	213.4	133	Rock Barn Road
	Claremont	134.3	216.1	135	Oxford Street – Claremont
	Catawba	138.1	222.3	138	NC 10 west (Oxford School Road) – Catawba
Iredell		140.4	226.0	141	Sharon School Road
		144.0	231.7	144	Old Mountain Road – West Iredell
		145.4	234.0	146	Stamey Farm Road
	Statesville	147.7	237.7	148	US 64 / NC 90 – West Statesville, Taylorsville
		149.5	240.6	150	NC 115 – Downtown Statesville, North Wilkesboro
		151.2	243.3	151	US 21 – East Statesville, Harmony
		152.0	244.6	152 A-B	A: I‑77 south – Charlotte B: I‑77 north – Elkin	Signed as exits 152A (south) and 152B (north)
		152.9	246.1	153	US 64 – Statesville	Permanently closed as of October 1, 2012; was an eastbound exit and westbound entrance[54][55]
		153.7	247.4	154	US 64 (Old Mocksville Road)
		161.8	260.4	162	US 64
Davie	Mocksville	167.8	270.0	168	US 64 – Mocksville
		169.5	272.8	170	US 601 – Mocksville, Yadkinville
		173.5	279.2	174	Farmington Road
		179.8	289.4	180	NC 801 – Bermuda Run, Tanglewood
Forsyth	Clemmons	182.1	293.1	182	Harper Road – Tanglewood, Bermuda Run
		183.5	295.3	184	Lewisville–Clemmons Road – Lewisville, Clemmons
	Winston-Salem	187.7	302.1	188	I‑40 Bus. east / US 421 – Downtown Winston-Salem, Yadkinville, Wilkesboro	No access from I-40 east to US 421 south
		188.6	303.5	189	US 158 (Stratford Road)
		189.3	304.6	190	Hanes Mall Boulevard	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		191.3	307.9	192	NC 150 (Peters Creek Parkway) – Downtown Winston-Salem
		192.5	309.8	193C	Silas Creek Parkway, South Main Street	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		193.2	310.9	193 A-B	A: US 52 / NC 8 south – Lexington B: US 52 / US 311 / NC 8 north – Mount Airy	North end of US 311 overlap Signed as exits 193A (south) and 193B (north)
		194.3	312.7	195	NC 109 / Clemmonsville Road – Thomasville
		195.9	315.3	196	I‑74 east / US 311 south – High Point	South end of US 311 overlap
					I‑74 (Winston-Salem Northern Beltway)	Future interchange (unfunded)[56][57]
	Kernersville	200.7	323.0	201	Union Cross Road
		203.5	327.5	203	NC 66 / Regional Road – Kernersville, High Point
Guilford		206.4	332.2	206	I‑40 Bus. west / US 421 north – Kernersville, Downtown Winston-Salem	North end of US 421 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	Greensboro	207.4	333.8	208	Sandy Ridge Road
		209.7	337.5	210	NC 68 – High Point, Piedmont Triad International Airport
		210.7	339.1	211	Gallimore Dairy Road
		212.1	341.3	212	I‑73 / US 421 south / To Bryan Boulevard – Asheboro	East end of US 421 overlap; signed as exits 212A (Bryan Boulevard) and 212B (I-73/US 421)
		213.0	342.8	213	Guilford College Road
		213.8	344.1	214	Wendover Avenue	Signed as exits 214A (east) and 214B (west) eastbound
		215.3	346.5	216	Patterson Street	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		216.8	348.9	217	High Point Road, Koury Boulevard
		218.2	351.2	218	US 220 south to I‑85 Bus. south / Freeman Mill Road – Asheboro	West end of US 220 overlap; signed as exits 218A (US 220) and 218B (Freeman Mill Road)
		219.0	352.4	219	I‑85 Bus. south / US 29 south / US 70 west – Charlotte	South end of US 29/I-85 Bus. and west end of US 70 overlap
		219.3	352.9	220	Randleman Road
		219.9	353.9	221	South Elm-Eugene Street – Downtown Greensboro
		221.0	355.7	222	Martin Luther King Jr. Drive
		221.1	355.8	223	US 29 north / US 70 east / US 220 north – Reidsville	North end of US 29//US 220 and east end of US 70 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance
		223.3	359.4	224	To US 29 north / US 220 north / East Lee Street	To Bennett College, UNC Greensboro, A&T University and Greensboro College
		225.7	363.2	226	McConnell Road
		226.5	364.5	227	I‑85 south to US 70 – Charlotte	South end of I-85 and north end of I-85 Bus. overlap; hidden north I-785 and west I-840
I-40 overlaps with Interstate 85 (exits 131 to 163)
Orange	Hillsborough	258.3	415.7	259	I‑85 north – Durham	North end of I-85 overlap
		260.8	419.7	261	Old NC Highway 86 – Hillsborough
		262.9	423.1	263	New Hope Church Road
		265.8	427.8	266	NC 86 – Chapel Hill, Hillsborough
Durham	Chapel Hill	269.9	434.4	270 A-B	A: US 15 / US 501 south – Chapel Hill B: US 15 / US 501 north – Durham	Signed as exits 270A (south) and 270B (north)
		272.7	438.9	273	NC 54 – Chapel Hill, Durham	Signed as exits 273A (west) and 273B (east) westbound
	Durham	274.2	441.3	274	NC 751 – Jordan Lake
		275.6	443.5	276	Fayetteville Road  – Southpoint, North Carolina Central University
		277.8	447.1	278	NC 55 to NC 54 – Apex
	RTP	279.1	449.2	279 A-B	A: NC 147 south (Triangle Expressway) – Morrisville B: NC 147 north (Durham Freeway) – Downtown Durham	Signed as exits 279A (Toll NC 147 South) and 279B (NC 147 North)
		280.1	450.8	280	Davis Drive
	Durham	280.8	451.9	281	Miami Boulevard
		281.4	452.9	282	Page Road
		282.3	454.3	283	I‑540 east / NC 540 west to US 1 to US 70  – North Raleigh	Signed westbound as exits 283A (East I-540) and 283B (West NC 540)
Wake	Morrisville	283.5	456.2	284	Airport Boulevard – RDU International Airport	Signed eastbound as exits 284A (west) and 284B (east)
	Cary	284.7	458.2	285	Aviation Parkway  – Morrisville, RDU International Airport
		287.0	461.9	287	Harrison Avenue – Cary
	Raleigh	288.6	464.5	289	To I‑440 / US 1 north / Wade Avenue – Downtown Raleigh	To PNC Arena, Carter–Finley Stadium, State Fairgrounds, NCSU Veterinary College, and NC Museum of Art
		290.5	467.5	290	NC 54 – Cary
		291.4	469.0	291	Cary Towne Boulevard – Cary
		292.6	470.9	293 A-B	A: US 1 south / US 64 west – Cary, Asheboro B: I‑440 east / US 1 north – Raleigh, Wake Forest	West end of US 64 overlap; signed as exits 293A (south/west) and 293B (north/east)
		295.0	474.8	295	Gorman Street
		297.1	478.1	297	Lake Wheeler Road
		298.0	479.6	298 A-B	A: US 70 east / US 401 south / NC 50 east (S. Saunders Street South) – Garner B: US 70 west / US 401 north / NC 50 west – Downtown Raleigh	Signed as exits 298A (east/south) and 298B (west/north)
		298.8	480.9	299	Hammond Road, Person Street
		300.3	483.3	300	Rock Quarry Road	Signed as exits 300A (south) and 300B (north) westbound
		301.1	484.6	301	I‑440 west / US 64 east – Knightdale	East end of US 64 overlap; Eastbound exit is a left exit
		303.5	488.4	303	Jones Sausage Road
	Garner	305.6	491.8	306	US 70 west / US 70 Bus. east – Garner, Clayton	West end of US 70 overlap; signed as exits 306A (west) and 306B (east) westbound
		309.6	498.3	309	US 70 east – Smithfield, Goldsboro	East end of US 70 overlap
Johnston		311.8	501.8	312	NC 42 – Clayton, Fuquay-Varina
		318.6	512.7	319	NC 210 – Smithfield, Angier
	Benson	325.4	523.7	325	NC 242 south to US 301 – Benson
		327.8	527.5	328 A-B	A: I‑95 south – Benson, Fayetteville B: I‑95 north – Rocky Mount, Smithfield	Signed as exits 328A (south) and 328B (north)
		333.6	536.9	334	NC 96 – Meadow
Sampson	Newton Grove	341.0	548.8	341	NC 50 / NC 55 to US 13 – Newton Grove
		343.3	552.5	343	US 701 – Clinton, Newton Grove
		348.0	560.1	348	Suttontown Road
		355.4	572.0	355	NC 403 – Faison
Duplin	Warsaw	364.5	586.6	364	NC 24 west / NC 24 Bus. east to NC 50 – Warsaw, Clinton	West end of NC 24 overlap
		369.6	594.8	369	US 117 – Warsaw
		372.9	600.1	373	NC 24 east / NC 903 – Magnolia, Kenansville, Beulaville	East end of NC 24 overlap
	Rose Hill	380.0	611.6	380	Charity Road – Rose Hill
		384.1	618.1	384	NC 11 – Wallace, Greenevers
		385.4	620.2	385	NC 41 – Wallace, Beulaville
Pender		390.2	628.0	390	US 117 – Wallace
	Burgaw	398.5	641.3	398	NC 53 – Burgaw, Jacksonville
	Rocky Point	408.1	656.8	408	NC 210 – Rocky Point	To Moores Creek National Battlefield
New Hanover	Castle Hayne	414.5	667.1	414	Holly Shelter Road – Castle Hayne
	Murraysville	416.9	670.9	416	I‑140 west / US 17 / NC 140 – Shallotte, Myrtle Beach, Topsail Island, Jacksonville	Signed as exits 416A (south) and 416B (north)
	Wilmington	419.9	675.8	420	US 117 / NC 132 north / Gordon Road – Castle Hayne	Signed as exits 420A (Gordon Road) and 420B (US 117/NC 132) westbound
		423.6	681.7	—	US 117 / NC 132 south – State Port, Carolina Beach	Continuation as US 117/NC 132
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access       Unopened

See also

• Catawba River
• Haw River
• Yadkin River

References

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• Media related to Interstate 40 in North Carolina at Wikimedia Commons
• News & Record: New roads, old worries (Aug 26, 2007)
• News & Record - Nation's interstates turn 50
• Gribblenation - Greensboro Bypass Photos
• NCDOT article on the I-40 relocation (Sept 12, 2008)

Interstate 40
Previous state: Tennessee	North Carolina	Next state: Terminus

Auxiliary routes of Interstate 40 California Business Arizona Business New Mexico Business Texas Business Oklahoma 240 4401 Business Arkansas 440 540 Tennessee 140 240 440 640 8402 North Carolina 140 240 440 540 6402 840 Business 1Former 2Proposed