Interstate 95 North - Benson to Smithfield

Interstate 95 converges with NC 50/242 through eastern reaches of the Benson town limits. NC 50/242 overlap 0.71 miles from the northbound off-ramp at Exit 79 to U.S. 301 (Wall Street) in Downtown Benson.

02/15/19

One half mile south of NC 50/242 (East Main Street) on I-95 NC 242 enters Benson 13 miles north from U.S. 421 at Spivey's Corner. NC 50 travels 14 miles east to NC 55 on the outskirts of Newton Grove.

02/15/19

The modified diamond interchange (Exit 79) with NC 50/242 was upgraded to a parclo in 2005. Exit 79 will be configured again during 2020-24 widening of I-95 to a dumbbell interchange. West of U.S. 301 (Wall Street), NC 50 (Main Street) continues 0.6 miles to NC 27. NC 27 joins Benson with the to Coats, eight miles to the west.

12/17/20

I-95 continues along the Benson town line to Interstate 40.

02/15/19

I-40 generally travels north-south from Raleigh to Wilmington in eastern North Carolina. Connections with NC 24, U.S. 117 and other highways lead travelers to Wrightsville Beach, Beaufort, Morehead City, Carolina Beach, Topsail Beach and other coastal destinations.

12/21/18

The 25 mile expansion project underway through 2024 along I-95 north from Eastover concludes at Interstate 40. Upon completion, two lanes will default onto I-40 at Exit 81 and two will continue northeast toward Rocky Mount.

12/17/20

Westbound I-40 travels 27 miles north from Exit 81 to I-87 at Raleigh and 49 miles to NC 147 (Durham Freeway). The rural freeway eastbound heads south 13 miles to Newton Grove and 93 miles to U.S. 117 at Wilmington.

12/17/20

Exit 81 partitions into ramps for Raleigh and Wilmington. Interstate 40 opened to traffic between I-95 and U.S. 70 at Garner in 1989. Completion of the route southeast from Interstate 95 occurred by June 29, 1990.¹

02/15/19

I-95 maintains four lanes through the directional cloverleaf interchange (Exit 81) with Interstate 40.

12/17/20

Hannah Creek intertwines with Interstate 95 over the succeeding 2.25 miles north of I-40. This stretch of freeway dates back to 1957.

12/21/18

Richmond, Virginia appears for the first time on I-95 distance signs 15 miles south of Smithfield.

07/28/13

Advancing north, two miles ahead of the town of Fair Oak and Exit 87. Prior to 1999, a split diamond interchange connected I-95 north with Hockaday Road (SR 1162) / Main Street and I-95 south with Keen Road (SR 1178). The separate exchanges were consolidated into a diamond interchange.

12/21/18

SR 1178 (Keen Road) branches 2.75 miles northwest from U.S. 701 to Boyette Road (SR 1182) and Keen Street in Four Oaks.

12/21/18

Interstate 95 north at Keen Road (SR 1178) and Four Oaks. Allendale Road (SR 1164) links Keen Road and Exit 87 with South Main Street (SR 1162).

12/21/18

Brewer Road (SR 1225) travels alongside Interstate 95 north from Exit 87 to NC 96. NC 96 becomes the east side frontage road northward to U.S. 701 and U.S. 301. NC 96 travels ten miles north from I-40 at Exit 334.

12/21/18

U.S. 701 converges with I-15 from a 15 mile drive north from Newton Grove and Bentonville Civil War Battlefield. The highway travels south to Clinton, Elizabethtown, Whiteville, and Tabor City in North Carolina. Overall U.S. 701 runs 172 miles to Georgetown, South Carolina.

12/21/18

The end of U.S. 701 is located on the north side of Exit 90 where it meets U.S. 301. NC 96 joins U.S. 301 north for a six mile overlap into Downtown Smithfield. The state route runs concurrent with U.S. 301 to Selma before turning north to Zebullon.

12/17/20

Interstate 95 progresses northeast across Black Creek, east of Holts Lake, to the Smithfield town limits.

12/21/18

Downtown Smithfield lies five miles ahead, with Wilson in another 28 miles and Richmond still 165 miles away.

12/21/18

The Neuse River flows 275 miles south from the North Carolina Piedmont and Falls Lake to Pamlico Sound south of New Bern.

12/21/18

A parclo B2 interchange (Exit 93) joins I-95 with Brogden Road (SR 1007) in 1.5 miles. Whitley Farm Road (SR 2549) and Wal-Pat Drive (SR 2548) comprise the frontage road system tying into the forthcoming exchange.

12/21/18

Exit 93 represents the first of two interchanges serving the town of Smithfield.

12/21/18

Brogden Road (SR 1007) ends a short distance north of Interstate 95 where U.S. 301/NC 96 shift from 3rd Street onto Brightleaf Boulevard. Brogden Road southeast provides a back route to the city of Goldsboro.

12/21/18

U.S. 70 Business (Market Street) meets U.S. 301/NC 96 (Brightleaf Boulevard) in Downtown Smithfield, 1.2 miles west of the parclo interchange (Exit 95) with I-95. U.S. 70 Business represents the original U.S. 70 alignment, since bypassed by a freeway near Selma.

12/21/18

Interstate 95 runs alongside the campus of Johnston Community College along the succeeding stretch.

12/21/18

U.S. 70 Business loops through Smithfield and West Smithfield along Market Street. The business loop merges with U.S. 70 four miles east of Interstate 95, 21 miles west of Goldsboro.

12/21/18

Taking the off-ramp (Exit 95) from Mallard Road to U.S. 70 Business. Mallard Road (SR 2507) stems south from Exit 95 to Brogden Road while U.S. 70 Business transitions into a rural highway from Smithfield and I-95 eastward.

12/16/07

Serving a variety of businesses and the Carolina Premium Outlets, Industrial Park Drive (SR 2398) runs along the west side of Interstate 95 between Exit 96 and 97.

12/21/18

Rocky Mount, where future Interstate 87 ties into I-95, appears on this distance sign at 46 miles out. Upcoming Exit 97 serves interests to the Hinnant Family Vineyards.

12/21/18

I-95 advances to the U.S. 70 mainline and U.S. 70 Bypass. U.S. 70 follows an expressway bypass of Selma and Pine Level to the south. The route splits within the vicinity of Exit 97, with U.S. 70 Bypass following a freeway (Future I-42) to the west.

12/21/18

U.S. 70 is the Future Interstate 42 corridor west to I-40 at Garner and southeast from Selma to Goldsboro, Kinston, New Bern and Morehead City. U.S. 70 Alternate branches three miles to Pine Level from U.S. 70 just east of Exit 97.

12/21/18

U.S. 70 Bypass (Future I-42) spans Interstate 95 a third of a mile west of U.S. 70 at Exit 97. U.S. 70 connects Raleigh with the Atlantic Coast including Cape Lookout National Seashore.

12/21/18

A six-ramp parclo interchange joins I-95 and U.S. 70 within the Selma town limits. U.S. 70 converges with Future I-42/U.S. 70 Bypass via wye interchanges in either direction.

12/21/18