Wilmington Outer Loop
First Section Opened: 2005
Full Completion Date: 2015?

COMPLETION STATUS
 I-40 to NC 133 Section Opened:
August 2005
NC 133 to US 421/ I-40 to US 17 Sections Opened: June 30, 2006
Next Section Starts Construction in 2010

Interstate 140 is signed along the western half of the the Wilmington Northern Outer Loop, also known as the US 17 Wilmington Bypass, a planned 27-mile freeway from US 17 near Scotts Hill westward over I-40 then further west to US 74-76 then south to US 17 near the town of Town Creek. The following map shows the completed sections of the route*:
     
Map courtesy of Wilmingtontoday.com

Three different construction projects have been undertaken to build nearly 12 miles of the Outer Loop route from Scotts Hill to US 421.  Work began on two projects covering the 6.5 mile I-140 section from I-40 to US 421 in mid-2001. The three-mile section from I-40 to Castle Hayne Road (NC 133) was completed first, with the roadway opened to traffic on August 22, 2005. (1) The 3.5 mile section from NC 133 to US 421, including a bridge over the Cape Fear River (named for former Wilmington Mayor Dan Cameron) was opened to traffic on June 30, 2006. (2) Construction on the 5 mile section east of I-40, signed only as US 17 and known as the John J. Burney Jr. Freeway, was started in late 2003 and this section was also opened to traffic on June 30, 2006. (2,3) Interchanges along the I-140 section are for I-40, NC 133 and US 421. When the road opened these interchanges did not have exit numbers, these were added in spring or summer of 2007. (An exit list is below.) A future I-140 interchange is planned for Blue Clay Road which will take traffic to the Wilmington International Airport and another is to be built on the section from I-40 to US 17 at the planned Military Cutoff Extension, US 17 will actually leave the bypass and travel north on the extension to current US 17 north of Scotts Hill. (4) Work on the next section from US 421 to US 74-76, approximately 7 miles, was originally scheduled to start in 2009, (5) but this segement's construction has been delayed until 2012. The final section, approximately 5 miles from US 74-76 to US 17 near its intersection with NC 87 was not funded and work was not scheduled to begin until after 2015, but this has recently changed (see below). (6) Even though the route will not be a complete bypass for US 17 until around 2015, (7) when the latest segments were opened US 17 was routed over them and then south on US 421 to its existing alignment for the time being. The former US 17 through Wilmington became US 17 Business. Streets in downtown Wilmington currently signed Truck US 17 were decommissioned.(5) The FHWA granted the interstate designation for the entire Outer Loop route on May 31, 2003 including the section east of I-40, it is unknown at this time why NCDOT decided not to sign that portion as an interstate. (8) A proposed extension of I-20 from Florence, SC (or perhaps I-74 or a spur of I-74, see HERE) would meet I-140 where it would intersect the existing US 74-76 freeway. (9)
 
I-140 signage along NC 133, Castle Hayne Road, nearing the I-140 interchange, July 2006:
  
Photo of exit signage for the NC 133 interchange along West I-140, May 2006. Since then exit numbers have been added, this is now Exit 18:

Photo courtesy of  Adam Prince
  Here's signage at the current end of I-140 at US 421, July 2006:


Here's a Begin I-140 sign in the distance as you start crossing the Dan Cameron Bridge going east

Photo courtesy of John Meisenhelder, November 2007

And since all things that begin must end, here's the eastbound End I-140 sign at I-40:

Photo courtesy of John Meisenhelder, November 2007

This is one of the I-140 shield mile markers:

Photo courtesy of John Meisenhelder, November 2007

An I-140 Extension? The NCDOT Strategic Highway Corridor map of the Wilmington area shows I-140 being extended 9.5 miles over the proposed Cape Fear Skyway south and east back over the Cape Fear River to US 421. (See map below (10)). This is NCTA's preferred route for the Skyway, one of several proposed projects of the North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA) and would be constructed as a toll highway. The prefered route of the Skyway bridge would run from Carolina Beach Road at Independence Boulevard south of Wilmington over the Cape Fear River. It would then connect to US 17 through a 8-mile-long extension of Interstate 140 from it's current planned end near Town Creek. This alignment has not been finalized (see below), however. The project, if officially approved, is expected to cost between $1 and 1.5 billion and could start as early as 2013 with a completion date of 2017. (11) A feasibility study completed during the summer of 2008  indicated only about 50% of the construction could be funded by tolls. Additional funding from the state would be needed.  (12) More information is available at the official NC Turnpike Authority page discussing the project, HERE.

 

Change in Next Section to be Built: NCDOT announced in July 2009 that federal stimulus funds would help start further construction on I-140/US 17. The next section to be constructed though is not going to be from US 421 to US 74/76, Segment "B", but the section between US 74/76 and US 17 near NC 87, Segment "A''. This will be a design/build construction project and will begin in 2010. This segment is more 'shovel ready' able to receive stimulus funds than the Segment "B" which has another water crossing and is still undergoing right-of-way purchasing. The shedule now has the US 421 to US 74/76 section starting in 2012 which means though there will be a gap in the route for at least a couple years. (13) The entire route could open as early as 2015.

Not the first I-140 proposal. This is not the first route NCDOT proposed as I-140. In 1999 officials in Sanford wanted the newly completed US 1 freeway from Raleigh to their city designated an interstate to help attract further business. NCDOT applied to the FHWA to have the freeway designated as Interstate 140. The FHWA rejected the designation, however, saying Sanford was not a large enough urban area to warrant its own interstate highway. Perhaps some day if all of US 1 is made a freeway between I-40 in Raleigh and I-73/74 in Rockingham (as proposed in the NCDOT Strategic Highway Corridors plan) then someone may suggest revisiting a US 1 interstate designation proposal.

*This map, unlike others including some from NCDOT (above) reflect FHWA and AASHTO decisions that the eastern half of the bypass can be signed as I-140, apparently not agreed to by NCDOT. Here's the signage at the start of the Loop in Scott's Hill that reflects NCDOT's decision, and the first map:


I-140 Exit List (14):
Exit 14
US 421 (US 17 South)
Wilmington
Myrtle Beach

Exit 18
NC 133
Castle Hayne

Exit 20A
I-40
Wilmington
Carolina Beach

Exit 20B
I-40
Benson
Raleigh
Sources:
(1) MGrath, Gareth. 2005. "First Leg of Bypass Set to Open." Wilmington Star-News. August 18. Downloaded from
http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050818/NEWS/50818008.
(2) McGrath, Gareth. 2006. "Relief for Commuters." Wilmington [N. C.] Star-News, June 29.
(3) NCDOT. May 2006. NCDOT Construction Progress Report, Contracts C105517 and C200220, downloaded May 24.
(4) McGrath, Gareth. 2005. "Jump-Start; Part of Loop to Open Before Rest." Wilmington [N.C.] Star-News. June 30.
(5) McGrath, Gareth. 2006. "Two Sections of Outer Loop Opening Soon." Wilmington [N. C.] Star-News, June 20.
(6) NCDOT. 2006. "NCDOT Opens Two New Sections of Wilmington Bypass." Press Release, June 30.
(7) NCDOT. 2007. Changes between the 07-13 STIP and Draft 09-15 STIP, Division 3, Downloaded from: http://www.ncdot.org/planning/ development/TIP/TIP/Trans/pdf/div3changes.pdf, Nov. 4, 2007
(8) E-Mail from Stephen Summers, August 2, 2005.
(9) WRAL TV. 2003. "Easley Announces Strategic Transportation Plan" Downloaded from http://www.wral.com/traffic/2180629/detail.html, May 5.
(10) NCDOT. 2004. Strategic Highway Corridors Vision Map-Southeastern North Carolina. Sept. 2. Downloaded from:
http://www.ncdot.org/planning/tpb/SHC/PDF/shc_vision_map_southeast.pdf.
(11) Gannon, Patrick. 2009. "Vision for Billion Dollar Skway Clearer Now." Wilmington [N. C.] Star-News, February 18.
(12) North Carolina Turnpike Authority. 2006. Cape Fear Skyway Project Page. Downloaded from http://www.ncdot.org/ncta/project/Cape_Fear/ May 8, 2006.
(13) Gannon, Patrick. 2009. "U.S. 17's Brunswick Leg to Be Started Earlier Than Planned." Wilmington [N.C.] Star-News. July 15. Downloaded from
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090715/ARTICLES/907159988/1004?Title=U-S-17-bypass-s-Brunswick-leg-to-be-started-earlier-than-planned July 22, 2009.
(14) Information courtesy if NC Exit Lists, downloaded from http://www.gribblenation.com/ncexits/i140nc.html; 8/19/07
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Last updated: 7/22/09