Interstate 140 (North Carolina)

During the 1990s, North Carolina originally proposed the I-140 designation for 32.36 miles (52.08 km) along the recently upgraded US 1 freeway between the Raleigh–Cary line and Sanford. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) ultimately disapproved of the routing in their 1999 meeting.[7]

The idea of constructing a northern bypass for Wilmington was initially identified by NCDOT as a need in 1972. The outer loop was viewed as a means to help relieve traffic congestion along Market Street and the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge,[8] serving as an additional crossing of the Cape Fear River and providing for better regional connectivity.[9] However, the project was not included as part of the department's construction schedule until 1989.[10] In 1991, NCDOT initiated the evaluation of a pair of proposed routes for the Northern Outer Loop.[11] The northern routing was to have been approximately 22 miles (35 km) in length; it would have resulted in the relocation of 19 homes and 19 businesses while traversing 1,247 acres (505 ha) of wetlands, nine potential hazardous waste sites, and five historic sites.[11] The southern routing was to have been approximately 20 miles (32 km) in length; it would have resulted in the relocation of 58 homes and eight businesses while traversing 2,064 acres (835 ha) of wetlands, seven potential hazardous waste sites, and eight historic sites.[11]

The I-40 interchange (pictured) was the first segment to begin construction.

In November 1994, the North Carolina Board of Transportation elected to move forward with the southern routing.[12] The initial 5.8-mile (9.3 km) link between I-40 and US 421 was originally to begin construction in 1998 and open by 2001.[12] Due to significant opposition by both local residents and officials, NCDOT unveiled a revised routing in April 1996 that located the route one mile (1.6 km) north of the initial proposal.[13] This revised "central route" was selected as the final routing by NCDOT in April 1997.[10] At the time of its announcement, the route was estimated to cost $126.5 million (equivalent to $205 million in 2021[14]) to complete and result in the displacement of 20 homes, eight businesses, the loss of 118 acres (48 ha) of wetlands, and the loss of 290 acres (120 ha) of farmland.[10] Planning would continue through the late 1990s, culminating with the first contract awarded for its construction in November 2000 for the I-40 interchange.[15]

In 1997, local officials initially stated that an Interstate designation was sought for the bypass.[16] In September 2002, the Federal Highway Administration announced that it would grant NCDOT's request and designate the Northern Outer Loop as Interstate 140.[17] The designation was to apply to the initial western segment constructed between I-40 and US 421 and the initial eastern segment constructed between I-40 and US 17.[17] At the time of its announcement, the designation was touted as a significant means to enhance economic development opportunities along its route in addition to potentially serving as a tie-in for moving the proposed eastern terminus of I-74 from Myrtle Beach to Wilmington.[17] Later that month, it was announced the segment east of I-40, would be named the John J. Burney Freeway after the state senator and trustee of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.[18]

In an effort to protect scenic viewsheds for motorists utilizing the freeway, the Special Highway Overlay District of the New Hanover County Zoning Ordinance was adopted by the County Commission in June 2001.[19] Some of the restrictions of the overlay include banning the construction of billboards, limiting outdoor storage, and increasing setback requirements for structures adjacent to the roadway.[19][20] Only nine applications for billboards along I-140 were processed and approved prior to its passage.[19]

The initial $36.7-million (equivalent to $52.6 million in 2021[14]) contract for construction of a 6.5-mile (10.5 km) segment of the eastern leg was awarded by NCDOT to Barnhill Contracting Company in November 2003.[21] Its construction had been delayed due to several conflicts. This included the handling of stormwater runoff into Futch Creek and a slight redesign of an offramp at the Market Street interchange in Kirkland to avoid a 450-year-old oak tree.[21][22] Construction of the eastern segment commenced on December 29, 2003.[23] As late as May 2005, NCDOT remained undecided as to whether or not to open only a portion of the road prior to completion of the elevated section due to the bridge section running behind schedule.[9] The first segment of I-140 opened to traffic on August 22, 2005.[24] Formally dedicated with Governor Mike Easley and US Representative Mike McIntyre in attendance, the 3.2-mile (5.1 km) segment was located between I-40 and NC 133 (Castle Hayne Road).[24] In November 2005, the North Carolina Board of Transportation voted unanimously to name the I-140 bridge across the Northeast Cape Fear River in honor of former Wilmington mayor and businessman Dan Cameron.[25]

The former western terminus of I-140 at US 421 northwest of Wilmington

In June 2006, NCDOT announced two additional segments of the I-140 project would open by the end of the month.[26] Costing $187 million (equivalent to $245 million in 2021[14]) to complete, the US 17 expressway segment between Market Street and I-40 and the segment between NC 133 and US 421 both opened to traffic on June 30, 2006.[27] Concurrent with its opening, the routing of US 17 through Wilmington was also moved to the newly opened expressway; the previous routing of US 17 through Wilmington was changed to U.S. Highway 17 Business (US 17 Bus.), and the U.S. Highway 17 Truck (US 17 Truck) designation was removed from Military Cutoff Road and Oleander Drive upon the opening of the bypass, with through trucks being directed to utilize the newly constructed freeway.[27]

Originally, the freeway was scheduled to be extended west from its current terminus at US 421 to US 74/US 76 first.[28] However, in 2009, NCDOT announced plans to complete the segment between US 17 in Winnabow and US 74/US 76 before the central segment, which would require a bridge across the Cape Fear River.[29] In response to this decision, town leaders from Navassa filed a discrimination complaint against NCDOT, claiming the town was frequently denied funding for infrastructure improvements and other projects.[30] Planning for future construction continued, and, in March 2010, NCDOT awarded an $81.7-million (equivalent to $101 million in 2021[14]) contract to Barnhill Contracting Company.[31] The project involved the construction of the 6.118-mile (9.846 km) segment between the US 74/US 76 intersection and US 17 south of Leland.[31] Construction of the segment began in March 2010 as a result of receiving partial funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.[31]

As part of the expansion into Brunswick County, NCDOT designed several wildlife crossings to allow the black bear and other animals to safely cross the corridor in the vicinity of the Battle Royal Natural Heritage Site.[32] The crossings included the extension of four bridges to provide some upland areas from animal crossings along water bodies and the construction of a 12-by-6-foot (3.7 by 1.8 m) wildlife tunnel just north of the US 74/US 76 interchange.[32] The section between US 17 and US 74/US 76 was opened to traffic in September 2014.[33]

A former directional sign along I-40 showing I-140 and US 17 running concurrently to the west; this designation was removed in 2017.

With the opening of the Brunswick segment, NC 140 was routed along the entirety of the new freeway. On January 14, 2015, the Certification of Rulemaking was released, confirming the establishment of the new designation along not only the Brunswick segment but all existing and future sections of the Wilmington bypass. The justification in the paperwork for using NC 140 was it would serve as a temporary designation until the entire bypass was complete and the remaining segments could be submitted to AASHTO approval as I-140.[34] The other rationalization was to provide an alternate designation for the entire bypass if a proposal to return US 17 to the streets of Wilmington was enacted. This was prevalent as only the New Hanover segment of I-140 was concurrent with US 17. NCDOT officials in the summer of 2014 called for returning US 17 to its original routing through Wilmington on Market Street, with the exception of placing a part of it on Military Cutoff Road and Oleander Drive. This was due to traffic volume on these roads being large enough to merit a route designation. The proposal was endorsed by the Wilmington Area Transportation Advisory Committee in August 2014.[35] AASHTO's Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering approved the request on May 14, 2015.[36] On May 17, 2017, US 17 was officially rerouted through Wilmington.[37]

On December 15, 2017, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the final section of the freeway between US 74/US 76 and US 421, officially completing I-140 around Wilmington. However, this segment of road did not officially open to traffic until December 19, 2017, due to the road requiring final construction and cleanup.[38] The section costed $204 million (equivalent to $224 million in 2021[14]) and included two 1.4-mile-long (2.3 km) bridges over the Cape Fear River, with 300,000 short tons (270,000 long tons) of stone and 5,000,000 cubic yards (3,800,000 m³) of fill material.[39] I-140 was officially extended west to replace NC 140 between US 17 and US 74/US 76 on August 7, 2018.[40]