Interstate 40 East - Chapel Hill to Durham

East

Interstate 40 branches southeast from I-85 and the Orange County seat of Hillsborough 1.75 miles to Exit 261. 12/15/16

Orange Grove Road (SR 1006) spans Interstate 40 (Harriet Morehead Berry Freeway) just south of the split with I-85. 12/15/16

Chapel Hill lies 11 miles to the south. Raleigh is 42 miles to the southeast. 12/15/16

Exit 261 joins I-40 east with Old NC 86 (SR 1009) north to Hillsborough and south to Carrboro and Chapel Hill. 12/15/16

Continuing south, I-40 advances between Scarlett Hill and Blackwood Farm Park to Exit 263 with New Hope Church Road (SR 1723). 12/15/16

Interstate 40 enters the Cape Fear River Basin and will remain in this drainage the rest of the way to Wilmington. 12/15/16

The diamond interchange (Exit 263) with New Hope Church Road lies southwest of NC 86 and Burmley Forest Nature Preserve. 12/15/16

New Hope Church Road (SR 1723) leads 1.50 miles west to a rural intersection with Old NC 86 and Arthur Minnis Road. 12/15/16

NC 86 converges with I-40 south from Blackwood at Exit 266. 12/15/16

NC 86 extends 5.66 miles south from Exit 266 to the University of North Carolina (UNC) and U.S. 15-501/NC 54. 12/15/16

Exit 266 departs I-40 east for NC 86 south to Chapel Hill and Carrboro. NC 86 forms a multi state route with Virginia Route 86 north to Yanceyville and U.S. 29-58-360 at Danville. 12/15/16

The succeeding the exits from I-40 eastbound fall within western reaches of the Durham city limits. 12/15/16

U.S. 15-501 (Fordham Boulevard) encircle Chapel Hill to the southwest of Exit 270 along an arterial bypass. 12/15/16

Two major universities are within a half hour drive of each other via U.S. 15-501, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the private Duke University in Durham. 12/15/16

I-40 enters Durham County at Exit 270 and changes names to the John Motley Morehead III Freeway. U.S. 15-501 (Fordham Boulevard) head north along Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard to a freeway bypass west of Duke University in Durham. 12/15/16

Shields for U.S. 15-501 posted along the off-ramp at Exit 270. This diamond interchange is woefully underpowered, and traffic delays can are common here. 12/15/16

Advancing southward 1.5 miles, I-40 meets NC 54 at Exit 273. NC 54 begins in Burlington, travels southeast to Chapel Hill, then skirts the southern edge of Durham. The state route ends at Interstate 440 (Exit 3). 06/05/05

A parclo interchange (Exit 273) joins I-40 with NC 54 in one mile. 06/05/05

NC 54 leads west from Exit 273 around Chapel Hill partially along side U.S. 15/501 (Fordham Boulevard). A variety of hotels and related motorist services are available along NC 54. During college football weekends, expect no vacancies and increased traffic. 06/05/05

NC 751 (Hope Valley Road) crosses paths with Interstate 40 in one half mile at Exit 274. 06/05/05

NC 751 (Hope Valley Road) heads north into Durham and south to B. Everett Jordan Lake. 06/05/05

Starting with Fayetteville Road (Exit 276) in 0.75 miles, the succeeding three eastbound interchanges serve East Durham. 06/05/05

Forthcoming Exit 276 for Fayetteville Road (SR 1118) connects I-40 east with the Streets at Southpoint Mall as well as south Durham destinations. 06/05/05

Entering the SPUI (Exit 276) with Fayetteville Road (SR 1118) on Interstate 40 east. 06/05/05

The ensuing eastbound exit along Interstate 40 departs in one mile for NC 55 to NC 54. 06/05/05

NC 55 heads south from Exit 278 to Parkwood, Carpenter and Apex. NC 54 ties into the state route nearby between Chapel Hill and Raleigh across southern Durham. 02/15/19

Exit 278 leaves I-40 east for NC 55 south to Genless, the west side of Cary and the town of Apex. NC 147 (Durham Freeway) converges with NC 55 (S Alston Avenue) at Downtown Durham to the north. 02/15/19

Interstate 40 east enters Research Triangle Park (RTP) ahead of T.W. Alexander Drive. 12/16/22

Interstate 40 east and I-885/NC 885 meet at a directional cloverleaf interchange (Exit 279) next. 12/16/22

The Triangle Expressway (TriEx) opened to traffic 3.5 miles south from I-40 to NC 540 (Western Wake Expressway) at Morrisville on December 8, 2011. Tolls along the TriEx are collected by electronic transponders (NC Quick Pass) or pay by plate.1 12/16/22

NC 885 south along the TriEx was Phase 2 of a three phase project constructing 18 miles of limited access toll roads connecting I-40 with U.S. 64 and U.S. 1. Completed in December 2012, Phase 3 extended NC 540 (TriEx) southeast to NC 55 at Holly Springs.1 12/16/22

Prior to construction of the Triangle Expressway, NC 147 curved west and ended at adjacent T.W. Alexander Drive (SR 2028). 12/16/22

The Durham Freeway constitutes an urban loop north to I-85 beyond Downtown Durham. I-885 replaced NC 147 north to the East End Connector in June 2022. Prior to the completion of I-40, NC 147 represented the lone freeway connection between Durham and Raleigh. 12/16/22

A left entrance ramp connects the south end of the Durham Freeway (I-885) with Interstate 40 eastbound. 12/16/22

A folded diamond interchange (Exit 280) links I-40 with Davis Drive (SR 1999) in Research Triangle Park (RTP). 12/16/22

Davis Drive (SR 1999) heads north to E Conrwallis Road (SR 1121) and south to the TriEx (NC 885) and the town of Morrisville. 12/16/22

The succeeding folded diamond interchange (Exit 281) is with S Miami Boulevard (SR 1959). 12/27/22

S Miami Boulevard becomes a part of NC 54 south from RTP to Clegg and the town of Morrisville. 12/27/22

Exit 282 departs I-40 east for Page Road (SR 1973). Exit 283 follows with Interstate 540 north to U.S. 70 and NC 540 (Western Wake Expressway) south to NC 55. 12/27/22

NC 540 opened southwest from I-40 (Exit 283) to NC 55 on July 14, 2007. The 4.5 mile stretch of the Western Wake Expressway represented Phase 1 of the TriEx project. 05/31/21

The TriEx ends at NC 55 east of U.S. 1 in Holly Springs. Underway until 2024, construction for the Southeast Extension extends NC 540 east to Garner and I-40 at U.S. 70/Future I-42 (Canton Connector). 12/27/22

Interstate 540 (Northern Wake Expressway) stretches east 26 miles around the north side of Raleigh to I-87/U.S. 64-264 (Knightdale Bypass). 12/15/16

Interstate 540 (Northern Wake Expressway) was commissioned in 1997 as a short connector to U.S. 70 by RDU Airport. Extensions opened from December 11, 1999 to January 16, 2007 lengthened the route east to Knightdale. 12/15/16

A flyover ramp connects I-40 east with Interstate 540. 12/27/22

The 12.78 mile long section of I-40 through Durham County concludes within the exchange at I-540/NC 540. 12/27/22

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Photo Credits:

06/05/05, 12/15/16, 02/15/19, 05/31/21, 12/16/22, 12/27/22 by AARoads

Connect with:
Interstate 540 / Toll NC 540
Interstate 885
U.S. 1
U.S. 15
U.S. 64
U.S. 501

Page Updated 01-30-2023.