Interstate 795 (North Carolina)
Encyclopedia
Interstate 795 is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state
of North Carolina
. It runs 24 miles from I-95 near Wilson south to its terminus at US 70 in Goldsboro.
near Wilson to Goldsboro, NC. The route was created in September 2007 from existing routes, mostly the former US 117 freeway and partially also the US 264 freeway west of Wilson. The interstate designation was sought so that trucks longer than 48 feet (15 m) could access the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and nearby Goldsboro businesses from I-95.
(AASHTO) approved an extension of US 117, overlapping US 264 to I-95, at their October 11, 2002 meeting. However, the 1982 Surface Transportation Assistance Act
specifies that trucks over 48 feet (15 m) in length, including the industry-standard 53 foot (16 m) trailers, can only use Interstates and other routes approved by the state, which included US 70 but not US 117.
(FHWA) informed the North Carolina Department of Transportation
(NCDOT) that it would not approve the addition until a construction contract to correct a "high accident wet weather location" on the US 264 portion was underway. Immediately after the response from the FHWA, NCDOT added the project (W-5007) to the state Transportation Improvement Plan, but AASHTO denied the I-795 numbering at their May 4, 2007 meeting, citing concerns about the south end not being at another Interstate and the lack of FHWA approval. However, AASHTO decided at their September 28 meeting to give conditional approval, pending FHWA concurrence. The North Carolina Highway Patrol, which had begun ticketing overlength truckers on US 117 in mid-2007, stopped enforcing the ban on October 3, due to the AASHTO decision. The first I-795 signs were posted on November 28, 2007, replacing US 117 signs along the whole route. Most, but not all signage at the interchange on-ramps was updated at the same time. Other changes, including shifting US 117 back to the old route and changing exit number
s and mileposts, were to be completed by early 2008, but complications with the road surface and approval of moving US 117, see below, delayed those plans to December 2009.
officials deemed a thicker road surface too expensive, as it would have added approximately $2.8 million to the cost of the road. At first, replacing sections that were damaged was expected to cost $1.6 million, with estimates for resurfacing the entire road running as high as $10 million. The FHWA sent an engineering team to examine the road in its entirety in the summer of 2008. They found flaws in the pavement in the entire highway, not just those already damaged between US 117 mile markers 85 and 92. They recommended the entire asphalt surface be replaced with an additional 2.5 to 3 inches (76.2 mm) added to the width, at a cost between $15 and $22 million. Meanwhile, NCDOT started repairing the damaged portion of the road surface in October 2008, a process that was completed in about a month and cost around $600,000. The new NC Secretary of Transportation, Gene Conti, said he would make a decision, taking the FHWA report into consideration, once he took office in early 2009. He decided to abide by most recommendations of the report and announced in the summer of 2009 that a contract would be let that October with the project starting as early as November 2009. The work, to fix the right lanes first, then put a finishing layer on all lanes, was completed in November 2010.
!County
!Location
!Exit
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=6|Wilson
|rowspan=6|Wilson
|1*
|
|*Signed using US 264 Mileage
|-
|2*
|
|
|-
|3*
|Downing Street – Wilson
|
|-
|style="background:#ddffdd"|4*
|style="background:#ddffdd"|
|style="background:#ddffdd"|South end of US 264 overlap
|-
|5
|
|
|-
|9
|Alton Road – Black Creek
|
|-
|rowspan=3|Wayne
|rowspan=2|Fremont
|14
|
|
|-
|18
|Main St. – Pikeville
|
|-
|rowspan=1|Goldsboro
|24
|
|Signed as exits 87A (west 70) and 87B (east 70) southbound
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. It runs 24 miles from I-95 near Wilson south to its terminus at US 70 in Goldsboro.
Route description
Interstate 795 is an Interstate Highway spur route that runs from Interstate 95Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
near Wilson to Goldsboro, NC. The route was created in September 2007 from existing routes, mostly the former US 117 freeway and partially also the US 264 freeway west of Wilson. The interstate designation was sought so that trucks longer than 48 feet (15 m) could access the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and nearby Goldsboro businesses from I-95.
Began Life as US 117 Freeway
I-795 began as a new freeway alignment for US 117 completed in 2006, splitting from the old Goldsboro bypass (which still carries US 13) and paralleling the old two-lane US 117 road to the US 264 bypass south of Wilson. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation OfficialsAmerican Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
AASHTO, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols and guidelines which are used in highway design and construction throughout the United States...
(AASHTO) approved an extension of US 117, overlapping US 264 to I-95, at their October 11, 2002 meeting. However, the 1982 Surface Transportation Assistance Act
Surface Transportation Assistance Act
The Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 was a comprehensive transportation funding and policy act of the United States Federal Government, . The legislation was championed by the Reagan administration to address concerns about the surface transportation infrastructure...
specifies that trucks over 48 feet (15 m) in length, including the industry-standard 53 foot (16 m) trailers, can only use Interstates and other routes approved by the state, which included US 70 but not US 117.
Push for Interstate Designation
Rather than go through the time-consuming process to add the route to the STAA system, the state decided to get it approved as an Interstate. The Federal Highway AdministrationFederal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
(FHWA) informed the North Carolina Department of Transportation
North Carolina Department of Transportation
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina.-History:...
(NCDOT) that it would not approve the addition until a construction contract to correct a "high accident wet weather location" on the US 264 portion was underway. Immediately after the response from the FHWA, NCDOT added the project (W-5007) to the state Transportation Improvement Plan, but AASHTO denied the I-795 numbering at their May 4, 2007 meeting, citing concerns about the south end not being at another Interstate and the lack of FHWA approval. However, AASHTO decided at their September 28 meeting to give conditional approval, pending FHWA concurrence. The North Carolina Highway Patrol, which had begun ticketing overlength truckers on US 117 in mid-2007, stopped enforcing the ban on October 3, due to the AASHTO decision. The first I-795 signs were posted on November 28, 2007, replacing US 117 signs along the whole route. Most, but not all signage at the interchange on-ramps was updated at the same time. Other changes, including shifting US 117 back to the old route and changing exit number
Exit number
An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore....
s and mileposts, were to be completed by early 2008, but complications with the road surface and approval of moving US 117, see below, delayed those plans to December 2009.
Problems with Road Surface
In 2008, shortly after the road received the I-795 designation, major flaws developed in the route's paving surface. Though rated for a 15-year life span, the pavement began to deteriorate after only 16 months of use. During the planning of the road, as early as 2003, some engineers had warned that the thin pavement would be inadequate for heavy truck traffic. However, most North Carolina Department of TransportationNorth Carolina Department of Transportation
The North Carolina Department of Transportation is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina.-History:...
officials deemed a thicker road surface too expensive, as it would have added approximately $2.8 million to the cost of the road. At first, replacing sections that were damaged was expected to cost $1.6 million, with estimates for resurfacing the entire road running as high as $10 million. The FHWA sent an engineering team to examine the road in its entirety in the summer of 2008. They found flaws in the pavement in the entire highway, not just those already damaged between US 117 mile markers 85 and 92. They recommended the entire asphalt surface be replaced with an additional 2.5 to 3 inches (76.2 mm) added to the width, at a cost between $15 and $22 million. Meanwhile, NCDOT started repairing the damaged portion of the road surface in October 2008, a process that was completed in about a month and cost around $600,000. The new NC Secretary of Transportation, Gene Conti, said he would make a decision, taking the FHWA report into consideration, once he took office in early 2009. He decided to abide by most recommendations of the report and announced in the summer of 2009 that a contract would be let that October with the project starting as early as November 2009. The work, to fix the right lanes first, then put a finishing layer on all lanes, was completed in November 2010.
Exit list
{| class=wikitable!County
!Location
!Exit
Exit number
An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore....
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=6|Wilson
|rowspan=6|Wilson
Wilson, North Carolina
Wilson is a city and the county seat of Wilson County in the Coastal Plain region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The 18th largest city in the state, Wilson had a population of 49,167 according to the 2010 census.- Geography :...
|1*
|
|*Signed using US 264 Mileage
|-
|2*
|
|
|-
|3*
|Downing Street – Wilson
Wilson, North Carolina
Wilson is a city and the county seat of Wilson County in the Coastal Plain region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The 18th largest city in the state, Wilson had a population of 49,167 according to the 2010 census.- Geography :...
|
|-
|style="background:#ddffdd"|4*
|style="background:#ddffdd"|
|style="background:#ddffdd"|South end of US 264 overlap
|-
|5
|
|
|-
|9
|Alton Road – Black Creek
Black Creek, North Carolina
Black Creek is a town in Wilson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 714 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Black Creek is located at ....
|
|-
|rowspan=3|Wayne
Wayne County, North Carolina
- Cities and towns :*Brogden*Dudley*Elroy*Eureka*Fremont*Goldsboro*Mar-Mac*Mount Olive*Pikeville*Rosewood*Seven Springs*Walnut Creek*Grantham-Geography:According to the U.S...
|rowspan=2|Fremont
|14
|
|
|-
|18
|Main St. – Pikeville
Pikeville, North Carolina
Pikeville is a town in Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 704 at the 2008 census. It is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is notable as being the home of Collier Motors, an automobile sales and service business established in...
|
|-
|rowspan=1|Goldsboro
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Goldsboro is a city in Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 37,597 at the 2008 census estimate. It is the principal city of and is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The nearby town of Waynesboro was founded in 1787 and Goldsboro was...
|24
|
|Signed as exits 87A (west 70) and 87B (east 70) southbound
- Though exits on I-795/US 264 section use US 264 mileposts, I-795 exits are listed in 2011/12 NCDOT State Transportation Map