Everything about Interstate 40 In North Carolina totally explained
Interstate 40 in North Carolina runs for 421 miles through the state of
North Carolina from the
Tennessee state line in the west to its eastern terminus in
Wilmington. The middle segment of I-40 in the state is sometimes informally known as the "Tobacco Road" since it's the major thoroughfare linking the "Big Four" universities in the
Tobacco Road sports rivalry.
History
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 at that time contained the only 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 last portion of I-40 to be completed, between
Raleigh and
Wilmington was opened on June 29, 1990 by Governor
James G. 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.
Trouble spots
One of the most dangerous portions of I-40 throughout its entirety 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 west from
Waynesville to the
Tennessee state line. 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'd be to win the Powerball
lottery, which equals to be twice the average of any other interstate highway in North Carolina. Even some minor accidents have been known to tie up traffic in this area, because there's 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. Several state troopers have been killed in the gorge since
2001, which has 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. In July of
1997 a rockslide near the Tennessee state line closed the road for nearly six months.
Major cities
Bolded cities are officially-designated
control cities for signs.
Intersections with other Interstates
Interstate 26 in Asheville
Interstate 240 in Asheville
Interstate 77 in Statesville
Future Interstate 274 in Winston-Salem
Future Interstate 74 in Winston-Salem
Future Interstate 73 in Greensboro
Future Interstate 840 and Interstate 785 near Greensboro
Interstate 85 in Greensboro (They stay merged until Hillsborough)
Interstate 540 between Durham and Raleigh
Interstate 440 in Raleigh (twice)
Interstate 95 in Benson
Auxiliary routes in North Carolina
Exit list
| County |
Location |
# |
Destinations |
Notes |
| Haywood |
|
7 |
Harmon Den |
|
|
15 |
Fines Creek |
|
|
20 |
|
|
|
24 |
|
|
|
27 |
, Murphy, Atlanta |
West end of US 74 overlap |
|
31 |
|
|
|
33 |
Newfound Road |
|
| Buncombe |
|
37 |
Candler, East Canton |
|
| Asheville |
44 |
|
| 46A |
, Spartanburg, Asheville Airport |
East end of US 74 overlap |
| 46B |
|
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance |
| 47 |
, Farmers Market |
|
| 50 |
|
Signed as exits 50A (south) and 50B (north) westbound |
| 51 |
|
|
| 53A |
|
|
| 53B |
|
|
|
55 |
, VA Hospital |
|
|
59 |
Swannanoa |
|
| Black Mountain |
64 |
|
|
| 65 |
|
West end of US 70 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance |
|
66 |
Ridgecrest |
|
| McDowell |
|
72 |
|
East end of US 70 overlap; eastbound exit and westbound entrance |
| Old Fort |
73 |
Old Fort |
|
|
75 |
Parker Padgett Road |
|
|
81 |
Sugar Hill Road - Marion |
|
|
83 |
Ashworth Road |
|
|
85 |
|
|
|
86 |
|
|
|
90 |
Nebo, Lake James |
|
| Burke |
|
94 |
Dysartsville Road - Lake James |
|
|
96 |
Kathy Road |
|
|
98 |
Causby Road - Glen Alpine |
|
| Glen Alpine |
100 |
Jamestown Road, Dixie Boulevard - Glen Alpine |
|
| Morganton |
103 |
|
|
| 104 |
Enola Road |
|
| 105 |
|
|
|
106 |
Bethel Road |
|
|
107 |
|
|
| Valdese |
111 |
Valdese |
|
| 112 |
Mineral Springs Mountain Road - Valdese |
|
| Rutherford College |
113 |
Rutherford College, Connelly Springs |
|
| Icard |
116 |
Icard |
Former NC 10 |
| Hildebran |
118 |
Old NC 10 |
|
| 119 |
Henry River, Hildebran |
Signed as exits 119A (Henry River) and 119B (Hildebran) eastbound |
| Catawba |
Long View |
121 |
Long View |
|
| Hickory |
123 |
|
Signed as exits 123A (south) and 123B (north) |
| 125 |
Hickory, Lenoir-Rhyne College |
|
|
126 |
|
|
|
128 |
Fairgrove Church Road |
|
| Conover |
130 |
Old US 70 |
|
| 131 |
|
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance |
| 132 |
|
|
| 133 |
Rock Barn Road |
|
| Claremont |
135 |
Claremont |
|
|
138 |
|
|
| Iredell |
|
141 |
Sharon School Road |
|
|
144 |
Old Mountain Road |
|
|
146 |
Stamey Farm Road |
|
| Statesville |
148 |
|
|
| 150 |
|
|
| 151 |
|
|
| 152 |
|
Signed as exits 152A (south) and 152B (north) |
| 153 |
|
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance |
| 154 |
|
|
|
162 |
|
|
| Davie |
|
168 |
|
|
|
170 |
|
|
|
174 |
Farmington Road |
|
|
180 |
|
|
| Forsyth |
Clemmons |
182 |
Tanglewood, Bermuda Run |
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance |
| 184 |
Lewisville, Clemmons |
|
| Winston-Salem |
188 |
|
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance |
| 188 |
|
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance |
| 189 |
|
|
| 190 |
Hanes Mall Boulevard |
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance |
| 192 |
|
|
| 193C |
Silas Creek Parkway, South Main Street |
Westbound exit and eastbound entrance |
| 193 |
|
West end of US 311 overlap; signed as exits 193A (south) and 193B (north) |
| 195 |
|
|
| 196 |
|
East end of US 311 overlap |
|
201 |
Union Cross Road |
|
| Kernersville |
203 |
|
|
| Guilford |
|
206 |
|
West end of US 421 overlap; westbound exit and eastbound entrance |
| Greensboro |
208 |
Sandy Ridge Road - Farmers Market |
|
| 210 |
|
|
| 211 |
Gallimore Dairy Road |
|
| 212 |
|
East end of US 421 overlap; signed as exits 212A (Bryan Boulevard) and 212B (I-40 Bus./US 421) westbound |
|
214 |
Wendover Avenue |
|
|
218 |
|
No exit number westbound |
|
219 |
|
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance |
|
220 |
|
Signed as exit 122B westbound |
| I-40 overlaps with Interstate 85 (exits 121 to 163) |
| Orange |
Hillsborough |
259 |
|
East end of I-85 overlap |
| 261 |
Hillsborough |
Former NC 86 |
|
263 |
New Hope Church Road |
|
266 |
|
|
| Durham |
Chapel Hill |
270 |
|
|
| 273 |
|
Signed as exits 273A (west) and 273B (east) westbound |
|
274 |
|
|
|
276 |
Fayetteville Road - Southpoint–North Carolina Central University
|
|
|
278 |
|
|
|
279A |
Alexander Drive |
|
|
279B |
|
|
| RTP |
280 |
Davis Drive |
|
| 281 |
Miami Boulevard |
|
| 282 |
Page Road |
|
| 283 |
|
Signed as exits 283A (west) and 283B (north) westbound |
| Wake |
284 |
Airport Boulevard - RDU International Airport |
Signed as exits 284A (west) and 284B (east) eastbound |
| 285 |
Aviation Parkway - Morrisville, RDU International Airport |
|
| 287 |
Harrison Avenue - Cary |
|
|
289 |
|
|
| Cary |
290 |
|
|
| 291 |
Cary Towne Boulevard - Cary |
|
| 293 |
|
West end of US 64 overlap; signed as exits 293A (south/west) and 293B (north/east) |
|
295 |
Gorman Street |
|
|
297 |
Lake Wheeler Road |
|
| Raleigh |
298 |
|
Signed as exits 298A (east/south) and 298B (west/north) |
| 299 |
Hammond Road, Person Street |
|
| 300 |
Rock Quarry Road |
Signed as exits 300A (south) and 300B (north) westbound |
|
301 |
|
East end of US 64 overlap |
|
303 |
Jones Sausage Road |
|
|
306 |
|
Signed as exits 306A (west) and 306B (east) westbound |
| Johnston |
|
312 |
|
|
|
319 |
|
|
| Benson |
325 |
|
|
| 328 |
|
Signed as exits 328A (south) and 328B (north) |
|
334 |
|
|
| Sampson |
Newton Grove |
341 |
|
|
| 343 |
|
|
|
348 |
Suttontown Road |
|
|
355 |
|
|
| Duplin |
|
364 |
|
West end of NC 24 overlap |
|
369 |
|
|
|
373 |
|
East end of NC 24 overlap |
|
380 |
Rose Hill, Greenevers |
|
|
384 |
|
|
|
385 |
|
|
| Pender |
|
390 |
|
|
|
398 |
|
|
|
408 |
|
|
| New Hanover |
Castle Hayne |
414 |
Castle Hayne, Brunswick County Beaches, Hampstead |
|
|
416 |
, Myrtle Beach |
Signed as exits 416A (west/south) and 416B (north) |
| Wilmington |
420 |
|
Signed as exits 420A (Gordon Road) and 420B (US 117/NC 132) westbound |
|
|
Eastbound exit and westbound entrance |
Further Information
Get more info on 'Interstate 40 In North Carolina'.
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