It has been suggested that U.S. Route 70 Bypass (Goldsboro, North Carolina) be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since September 2024. |
Interstate 42 (I-42) is a partially completed Interstate Highway in the US state of North Carolina, currently existing in two separate segments in the eastern part of the state, totaling up to 31.5 miles (50.7 km). Both segments are entirely concurrent with US 70. The completed and signed segments of I-42 currently run from I-40 eastwards along the 9.8-mile (15.8 km) Clayton Bypass to an interchange with Business US 70 southeast of Clayton. The Interstate resumes again along the Goldsboro Bypass, running for 21.7 miles (34.9 km) north of Goldsboro, ending again at US 70. The Interstate eventually will run from I-40 to Morehead City, where it will terminate along the Northern Carteret Bypass, west of Beaufort.
Route information | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Maintained by NCDOT | ||||
Length | 31.5 mi[1][2] (50.7 km) | |||
Existed | September 16, 2024[3]–present | |||
NHS | Entire route | |||
Western segment | ||||
Length | 9.8 mi[1] (15.8 km) | |||
West end | I-40 / NC 540 near Garner | |||
East end | US 70 / US 70 Bus. near Clayton | |||
Eastern segment | ||||
Length | 21.7 mi[2] (34.9 km) | |||
West end | US 70 in Goldsboro | |||
Major intersections | ||||
East end | US 70 in La Grange | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
States | North Carolina | |||
Counties | NC: Wake, Johnston, Wayne, Lenoir | |||
Highway system | ||||
|
History
A multi-county project, also known as the "US 70 Corridor" or "Super 70", is a collection of several projects along US 70 to improve passenger and freight movement eventually leading to the establishment of Interstate 42 (I-42),[4] which is the US Department of Transportation's High Priority Corridor #82.[5] The Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act), signed by then President Barack Obama on December 14, 2015, added the US 70 corridor between Garner and Morehead City to the Interstate system as a future Interstate. Justification for the designation included better connections with Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, the North Carolina Global Transpark, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, and the Port of Morehead City with the rest of state and the eastern seaboard.[6][7][8][9] With no specified number codified in the act, the Regional Transportation Alliance (RTA) expected this corridor to be called Interstate 46 (I-46) or another suitable designation, and the US Highway 70 Corridor Commission recommended Interstate 50 (I-50).[10][11] On March 30, 2016, Governor Pat McCrory and various officials unveiled "Future Interstate" signage along the corridor.[12]
For the Spring 2016 AASHTO Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering, NCDOT proposed Interstate 36 (I-36) for this route since there were no other routes with that number in the state.[13] However, on May 24, 2016, AASHTO assigned Interstate 42 for the route.[14] The entire project has a budgeted cost (as of late 2018) of about $1.3 billion, and about 29 miles still without a budget. Some projects like the Clayton and Goldsboro bypasses are completed, while others have yet to be scheduled.[15][16]
In October 2021, AASHTO approved two segments of I-42, the 10-mile (16 km) Clayton Bypass and the 21.7-mile (34.9 km) Goldsboro Bypass; this was followed by the Federal Highway Administration subsequent approval in March 2022.[17][18] In May 2022, AASHTO also approved the elimination of US 70 Bypass, clearing the way for NCDOT to fully redesignate the route.[19] Signage for the route was expected to be put up later in 2022, but took a few years to take place, with signage going up in the later part of 2024. In July 2023, NCDOT announced that they were proposing to renumber NC 42 to NC 36 (which was the number originally suggested for the new interstate before 42 was chosen) between NC 50 and U.S. Route 70 Business (US 70 Bus) in Clayton in order to avoid confusing motorist when the Clayton bypass is designated as I-42.[13][20] Once I-42 is fully completed on the Clayton Bypass and the project with nearby NC 540 is completed, US 70 will be rerouted onto its old routing through Clayton, which is currently designated as US 70 Bus.[21][22] NCDOT requested public input on this proposal at an open house on October 12, 2023.[23][24] US 70 has also been upgraded to interstate highway standards between Dover and New Bern, but this cannot be signed as I-42 until the Kinston Bypass is completed as this segment is not connected to the Interstate highway system. I-42 signage began being installed on September 16, 2024, on the Goldsboro Bypass, marking its establishment.[3] I-42 is expected to be completed in its entirety by 2032 and will include the installation of broadband fiber along the entire route.[25][26]
Exit List
County | Location | mi[1][27] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wake | | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1 | I-40 / NC 540 Toll – Benson, Raleigh | I-40 exit 309; NC 540 exit 37; western terminus of I-42 |
Johnston | | 3.8 | 6.1 | 2 | NC 42 – Clayton | Future NC 36 |
| 6.6 | 10.6 | 5 | Ranch Road | ||
| 9.8 | 15.8 | 8 | US 70 west / US 70 Bus. east – Smithfield, Clayton | ||
Route transition from I-42 to Future I-42 | ||||||
Wilson's Mills | 11 | Swift Creek Road | Existing interchange of US 70 | |||
12 | Wilson's Mills Road | Future interchange (funded, under construction; completion Summer 2025)[28] | ||||
| 15 | Buffalo Road | Existing interchanges of US 70 | |||
| 16 | US 70 east – Goldsboro | ||||
Selma | 17 | I-95 – Benson, Wilson | Future relocation of I-95 and Future I-95 exit 96; future cloverleaf interchange | |||
| 18 | US 70 west – Raleigh | Existing interchanges of US 70 | |||
| 19 | US 70 Bus. west – Smithfield | ||||
| 20 | Stevens Chapel Road/Davis Mill Road | ||||
| 24 | US 70A west – Pine Level | Future interchange (Princeton project, unfunded)[29] | |||
Wayne | Goldsboro | 34 | 55 | Route transition from Future I-42 to I-42 | ||
34 | US 70 east – Goldsboro | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||||
34.6 | 55.7 | 35 | NC 581 | |||
39.3 | 63.2 | 39A | I-795 south to US 117 south – Goldsboro, Wilmington | Signed as exit 39A (south) and 39B (north) | ||
39B | I-795 north – Wilson | |||||
40.1 | 64.5 | 40 | US 117 – Goldsboro | |||
| 42.4 | 68.2 | 42 | Wayne Memorial Drive | ||
| 44.6 | 71.8 | 45 | US 13 – Goldsboro, Greenville | ||
| 47.7 | 76.8 | 48 | Parkstown Road | ||
Lenoir | La Grange | 53.7 | 86.4 | 53 | US 70 west – La Grange | |
54.3 | 87.4 | — | US 70 east – Kinston, New Bern | Continuation as US 70 east | ||
Route transition from I-42 to Future I-42 | ||||||
56 | NC 903 – La Grange | Existing interchange of US 70 | ||||
Willie Measley/Jim Sutton Road | Future interchanges (Kinston bypass project, unfunded)[30] | |||||
Albert Sugg Road/Barwick Station Road | ||||||
Kinston | NC 148 | |||||
US 70 Bus. east to US 258 – Kinston | ||||||
NC 11 / NC 55 – Pink Hill, Mount Olive | ||||||
US 258 (South Queen Street) – Snow Hill, Kinston | ||||||
NC 58 (Trenton Highway) – Trenton | ||||||
US 258 north – Snow Hill | ||||||
US 70 Bus. east / US 258 Bus. south – Kinston | ||||||
NC 11 / NC 55 (Old Pink Hill Road) – Pink Hill, Mount Olive | ||||||
US 258 south / US 70 Bus. west / US 258 Bus. north / NC 58 north – Richlands, Kinston | ||||||
NC 58 south – Trenton | ||||||
US 70 Bus. west to US 258 – Kinston | ||||||
Wyse Fork Road/Caswell Station Road | ||||||
Jones | | Dover Road (Old US Route 70) - Dover | ||||
Craven | | 84 | NC 41 south (Trenton Road) – Cove City, Trenton | Existing interchanges of US 70 | ||
| 90 | Tuscarora Rhems Road – Tuscarora | ||||
| 93 | Clark Road | ||||
| 94 | US 17 south – Jacksonville | ||||
| 95 | NC 43 north – Greenville, Vanceboro | ||||
New Bern | 97 | Glenburnie Road – Craven Community College | ||||
98 | US 17 Bus. – New Bern, Jacksonville | |||||
100 | NC 55 west / Pembroke Road – Trent Woods | |||||
Trent River | Freedom Memorial Bridge | |||||
James City | 101A-B | US 17 north / NC 55 east / E. Front Street – New Bern, Washington, Bayboro | Existing interchange of US 70 | |||
Williams Road | Future interchanges (James City project, funded, under construction)[31] | |||||
Airport Road | ||||||
Grantham Road | ||||||
Taberna Way | ||||||
Thurman Road | ||||||
Camp Kiro Road | Future interchanges (East Havelock bypass project, funded, under construction)[32] | |||||
Croatan | Fisher Avenue/Fisher Road | |||||
Neuse Forest | Stately Pines Road | |||||
Havelock | 93 | US 70 Bus. east | Future interchanges (Havelock bypass project, funded, under construction)[33] | |||
98 | Lake Road | |||||
101 | US 70 Bus. west | |||||
Carteret | | NC 101 – Havelock, Beaufort | Proposed interchanges (unfunded) | |||
| Laurel Road | |||||
| To US 70 east – Otway | |||||
Beaufort | US 70 – Morehead City, Atlantic | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References
- ^ a b c "Clayton Bypass" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ a b North Carolina Department of Transportation. "NCDOT: US 70 Goldsboro Bypass". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
- ^ a b "Interstate 42 Coming to the U.S. 70 'Goldsboro' Bypass" (Press release). North Carolina Department of Transportation. September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ ""Super 70" project will speed trips to and from the coast". WRAL-TV. March 30, 2016. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
- ^ "Statutory Listing of Corridor Descriptions". Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
- ^ "H. R. 22—111" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ Fitzgerald, Eddie (April 17, 2015). "Bill would upgrade US 70 to interstate status". Sun-Journal. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ Foster, Randy (December 26, 2015). "US 70 'Future Interstate' years from completion". Star-News Online. Halifax Media Services. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
- ^ Medlin, Eric (September 14, 2023). "Long a destination, Morehead City on road to change". Coastal Review. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
- ^ "A victory ten years in the making". RTA. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ "Highway 70 Commission March 17, 2016 Meeting Minutes" (PDF). March 17, 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 23, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ "Governor Pat McCrory unveiled a future U.S. Interstate 70 sign today during a ceremony in Goldsboro" (Press release). March 30, 2016. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ a b Stradling, Richard (July 21, 2023). "Will '40/42' be a thing of the past? NCDOT plans to rename NC 42 in Johnston County". The News&Observer. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
- ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (May 24, 2016). "Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 16, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
- ^ "NCDOT: US 70 Corridor". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ North Carolina Department of Transportation (January 2016). US 70 Corridor - NCDOT Project Locations (PDF) (Map). North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (November 2021). "2021 Annual Meeting Report to the Council on Highways and Streets" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 13, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ^ Stradling, Richard (March 19, 2022). "Two sections of U.S. 70 in Eastern North Carolina join the interstate highway system". News & Observer.
- ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (May 2022). "2022 Spring Meeting Report to the Council on Highways and Streets" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
- ^ Bolejack, Scott (October 16, 2023). "N.C. 42 will become N.C. 36 - Restoration NewsMedia". Restoration NewsMedia. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Shrader, Brian (July 24, 2023). "Take 42 to 42? NCDOT has plan to avoid confusion for drivers in Clayton". WRAL.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- ^ Shrader, Brian (July 24, 2023). "I-42 would east travel from Triangle to Morehead City". WRAL.com. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- ^ "NCDOT Proposes Renaming Sections Of U.S. 70 And N.C. 42 In Johnston County". JoCo Report. October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
- ^ Bolejack, Scott (October 9, 2023). "DOT plans public meeting on highway name changes - Restoration NewsMedia". Restoration NewsMedia -. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
- ^ "Work underway for I-42 from Morehead City to Raleigh". WITN-TV. January 25, 2020. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ "Projects List North Carolina Board of Transportation Raleigh, North Carolina July 6, 2023" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
- ^ "Goldsboro Bypass" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ "NCDOT: U.S. 70 Upgrade in Wilson's Mills". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
- ^ "R-5829A/B: U.S. 70 Improvements - Goldsboro Bypass to Princeton - PublicInput". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
- ^ "NCDOT: Kinston Bypass Project". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
- ^ "NCDOT: U.S. 70 Improvements in James City". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on April 6, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
- ^ "NCDOT: U.S. 70 Improvements – Havelock Bypass to East of Thurman Road". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
- ^ "NCDOT: U.S. 70 Havelock Bypass". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
External links
- Media related to Interstate 42 at Wikimedia Commons