As drivers in Wake County wait for the I-540 loop to be completed. Drivers in Cumberland County got relief on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, hundreds of people attened a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Fayetteville loop of I-295. Officials in Fayetteville and with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) have been working on the 39-mile-long loop for 40 years.
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For years, the military at Fort Bragg did not have a highway with direct access to I-95, one of the most critical interstates along the eastern United States.
The 295 Project began planning in the 1980s, but crews did not begin contruction on the highway until 1999. The first section of that project wouldn't be completed until 2003, which the project connected Ramsey Street to River Road.
It would be another two years before a one-direction loop was connected to I-95. Eastbound lanes wouldn't be completed on the loop until 2016, which also connected the loop to Bragg Boulevard, which Fort Bragg officials said was a key factor for deployments and national security.
The final phase of the loop was completed over the last nine years.
Wake County residents continue waiting
Drivers in Wake County can empathize with decades of road work on an outer loop. The 540 loop, which includes I-540 and NC 540, has been under construction for more than 30 years.
Crews broke ground on the first leg of I-540 in 1992. The four-mile section connecting I-40 to Glenwood Avenue opened to drivers in 1997.
Work migrated from west to east across Northern Wake County, connecting to the 64 Bypass in 2007.
The upper half of the loop is labeled I-540. It is part of the federal Interstate Highway System, meaning it is free to drive.
The southern half is a toll road known as NC-540. The state borrowed money to complete the loop, and will pay it back over time with the toll money collected from drivers.
The first part of the toll section opened in three phases between December 2011 and December 2012.
Construction on the last portion was delayed due to environmental issues.
The state drafted multiple routes that would protect an endangered shellfish species. Residents and environmental groups took the state to court over the various routes. The final legal battle ended with a settlement in 2019.
The final work on the project, now named "Complete 540", was divided into two sections.
The 17.4 mile segment from Apex to Garner opened in September 2024. The NCDOT says more than 72,000 vehicles traveled that section each month in the first year it was open.
The final 10 miles are currently under construction and are expected to be complete in 2028. They will close the loop at the I-87 exchange in Knightdale, creating a 70-mile outer loop.