Interstate 140 (North Carolina)

I-140/NC 140 feature three dedicated or memorialized stretches of freeway.

• L. Bobby Brown Bridge – Official North Carolina name of bridge over the Cape Fear River.
• Dan Cameron Bridge – Official North Carolina name of bridge over the Northeast Cape Fear River.
• Wilber E. Rabon Bridge – Official North Carolina name of bridge at the junction of I-140 and US 17, near Winnabow (approved: June 2, 2014).[11]

NCDOT may have tried two attempts to add I-140 in the state. The first appeared in the 1976 AAA map showing a proposed designation of I-140 between Beaucatcher Tunnel (US 70) and I-40 in east Asheville. The following year, the designation was changed to I-240, which would continue through Beaucatcher Tunnel (eventually through the Beaucatcher Cut when established) and replacing NC 191 to reconnect with I-40. It has not been confirmed if NCDOT actually submitted a request or not with AASHTO.

The second and confirmed preliminary designation was in 1999, when NCDOT submitted a request to AASHTO to designate 32.36 miles (52.08 km) of US 1 from I-40, in Raleigh, heading westerly to the future US 421 (Sanford Bypass) interchange, in Sanford. On April 17, 1999, the request was disapproved by the committee and has since been dropped.[12]

The idea of constructing a northern bypass for Wilmington was initially identified by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (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 through central Wilmington in New Hanover County[13] serving as both an additional crossing of the Cape Fear River and providing for better regional connectivity.[14] However, the project was not included as part of the department's construction schedule until 1989.[15] In 1991, NCDOT initiated the evaluation of a pair of proposed routes for the Northern Outer Loop.[16] The northern routing was to have been approximately 22 miles (35 km) in length and resulted in the relocation of 19 homes, 19 businesses, traversed 1,247 acres (5.05 km²; 1.95 sq mi) of wetlands, nine potential hazardous waste sites and five historic sites.[16] The southern routing was to have been approximately 20 miles (32 km) in length and resulted in the relocation of 58 homes, 8 businesses, traversed 2,064 acres (8.35 km²; 3.23 sq mi) of wetlands, seven potential hazardous waste sites and eight historic sites.[16]

In November 1994, North Carolina Board of Transportation elected to move forward with the southern routing.[17] 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.[17] Due to significant opposition by both local residents and officials, NCDOT unveiled a revised routing in April 1996 that located the route 1-mile (1.6 km) north of the initial proposal.[18] This revised "central route" was selected as the final routing by NCDOT in April 1997.[15] At the time of its announcement, the route was estimated to cost $126.5 million to complete and result in the displacement of 20 homes, 8 businesses, the loss of 118 acres (0.48 km²; 0.18 sq mi) of wetlands and the loss of 290 acres (1.17 km²; 0.45 sq mi) of farmland lost.[15] Planning would continue through the late 1990s culminating with the first contract awarded for its construction in November 2000 for the I-40 interchange.[19]

In 1997 local officials initially stated that an interstate designation was sought for the bypass.[20] In September 2002, the Federal Highway Administration announced that it would grant NCDOT's request and designate the Northern Outer Loop as Interstate 140.[21] 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.[21] 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 Interstate 74 from Myrtle Beach to Wilmington.[21] 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.[22]

The initial $36.7 million 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.[23] Its construction had been delayed due to several conflicts including the handling of stormwater runoff into Futch Creek and a slight redesign of an off-ramp at the Porters Neck Road interchange to avoid a 450-year-old oak tree.[23][24] Construction of the eastern segment commenced on December 29, 2003.[25] 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.[14] By summer NCDOT decided to open the first segment of I-140 to traffic on August 22, 2005.[26] Formally dedicated with Governor Mike Easley and U.S. Representative Mike McIntyre in attendance, the 3.2-mile (5.1 km) segment was located between I-40 and NC 133 (Castle Hayne Road).[26]

In June 2006, NCDOT announced two additional segments of the I-140 project would open by the end of the month.[27] Costing $187 million to complete, the US 17 expressway segment between Porters Neck Road and I-40 and the segment between NC 133 and US 421 both opened to traffic on June 30, 2006.[28] 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, and the 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.[28]

Originally, the freeway was scheduled to be extended from its current terminus at US 421 to US 74-76 first.[29] Construction began on this leg in 2014 and is scheduled to be the final segment of the route to open in 2017.[29] The route was opened on December 15, 2017.

In 2009, NCDOT announced plans to complete the southern portion of the western leg instead of the central portion requiring construction of a bridge across the Cape Fear River.[30] In response to this decision, city leaders from the town of Navassa filed a discrimination complaint against NCDOT claiming the town is frequently denied funding for infrastructure improvements and other projects.[31] Planning for future construction continued, and in March 2010 NCDOT awarded an $81.7 million contract to Barnhill Contracting Company.[32] The project involved the construction of the 6.118-mile (9.846 km) segment between the US 74/76 intersection and US 17 south of Leland.[32] Construction of the segment began in March 2010 as a result of receiving partial funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.[32]

As part of the expansion into Brunswick County, NCDOT designed several wildlife crossings to allow for the black bear and other animals to safely cross the corridor in the vicinity of the Battle Royal Natural Heritage Site.[33] 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-foot (3.7 m) by 6-foot (1.8 m) wildlife tunnel just north of the US 74-76 interchange.[33] This section of freeway was opened to traffic in September 2014.[34]

With the opening of the Brunswick segment, a new designation appeared, North Carolina Highway 140 (NC 140). 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.[35] The other rationalization was to provide an alternate designation for the entire Bypass if a proposal by NCDOT to return US 17 to the streets of Wilmington was enacted since only on the New Hanover segment is I-140 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, due to traffic volume on these roads being large enough to merit a route designation, which neither of these roads had. The proposal was endorsed by the Wilmington area Transportation Advisory Committee in August 2014.[36] AASHTO's Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering approved the request on May 14, 2015.[37] On May 17, 2017, US 17 was officially rerouted through Wilmington again.[38]

On December 15, 2017, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for the final section of I-140 between US 74/US 76 and US 421. However, the segment of road did not officially open to traffic until December 19, 2017, due to the road requiring final construction and cleanup, officially completing I-140 around Wilmington.[39] The section cost $204 million and included two 1.4-mile-long (2.3 km) bridges over the Cape Fear River, with 300,000 tonnes (300,000 long tons; 330,000 short tons) of stone and 5,000,000 cubic yards (3,800,000 m³) of fill material.[40] Once completed, I-140 was extended west to replace NC 140 between US 17 and US 74/US 76.