Interstate 795 North Carolina

Overview

Interstate 795 branches southeast from I-95 at Exit 119 and accompanies I-587 and U.S. 264 along the southwestern outskirts of Wilson. I-795 and I-587/U.S. 264 separate at a wye interchange south of Wiggins Mill Reservoir. I-587/U.S. 264 continue east to Greenville while I-795 turns south along a rural freeway to the towns of Fremont and Pikeville.

Paralleling U.S. 117 to the west, Interstate 795 reaches the north side of Goldbsboro at I-42/U.S. 70 Bypass. A cloverstack joins the two freeways adjacent to Lane Tree Golf Course. I-795 extends another 2.19 miles to U.S. 70 Business and NC Route 581 just west of Downtown Goldsboro.

Exit numbers along I-795 increase from north to south. Counter to standard Interstate exit numbering, the sequence accommodates a planned southward extension to Interstate 40. Supported by government officials in both Duplin and Wayne Counties, the 24 mile long extension will directly replace or bypass portions of U.S. 117 between Goldsboro and I-40. Upgrading the corridor will require eliminating 35 at-grade intersections, around 100 driveways / business entrances and two railroad crossings.⁵

Future I-795 corridor signs were posted by December 2017. This assembly stands just south of U.S. 70 along the connector to NC 581 in Goldsboro. 12/14/17

Route Information

North End – Wilson, NC
South End – Goldsboro, NC
Mileage – 25.46
Cities – Goldsboro, Wilson
Junctions –

Source: December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List

I-795 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)

Source: 2019 AADT NCDOT AADT Mapping Application

There are six sections along the U.S. 117 Corridor Upgrade from Goldsboro south to Mount Olive and I-40. Through Goldsboro, four possible routes were considered during a feasibility study completed in 2015. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) budgeted funds for right of way acquisition along a seven mile stretch of the U.S. 117 Corridor Upgrade, between Genoa Road and Country Club Drive near Mount Olive, starting in 2024. Construction dates are to be determined as no funds were allocated the project in the 2020-2029 STIP. Furthermore Section A, from I-40 to W Trade Street and Section B, from W Trade Street to Country Club Road are still in the planning phase not funded in the 2020-2029 STIP. Public meetings and environmental studies took place through 2022.⁵

History

North Carolina submitted an application to renumber U.S. 117 north from Greensboro to Wilson as Interstate 795 to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) on May 4, 2007.¹ It was initially rejected, and then conditionally approved at the AASHTO meeting on September 28, 2007.^2,3 NCDOT sought to add the U.S. 117 freeway to the Interstate system so that trucks longer than 48 feet could use the freeway alignment along U.S. 117 and U.S. 264. With I-795 approved, trucks meeting this criteria were permitted to use the roadway and as of October 3, 2007, the state highway patrol stopped enforcing the previous truck restriction.⁴

Photo Guides

Interstate 795 North Carolina

North End Future – Wilson, North Carolina

North West at

I-795 north / U.S. 264 west advance 1.76 miles from NC 42 to Interstate 95 a short distance beyond the Wilson city limits. 12/14/17

One half mile ahead of the cloverleaf interchange (Exits 38B/A) with Interstate 95 on I-795/U.S. 264 westbound. 12/14/17

An end shield for Interstate 795 precedes the departure of Exit 38B for I-95 north to Rocky Mount, Roanoke Rapids and Petersburg, Virginia. 12/14/17

Interstate 95 north connects with U.S. 64 (Future I-87) outside Rocky Mount in 19 miles and reaches Richmond, Virginia in 136 miles. 12/14/17

Benson, the town where I-95 and I-40 cross paths, lies 40 miles to the southwest from Exit 38A. U.S. 264 continues west along Future I-587 to Zebulon, where it merges with U.S. 64 and I-87 en route to Knightdale and Raleigh. 12/14/17

East at

U.S. 264/Future I-587 turn south ahead of U.S. 264 ALT (Raleigh Road Parkway) and I-95/795 along the western outskirts of Wilson. 05/31/21

Interstate 795 commences east along side Future I-587/U.S. 264 at the forthcoming cloverleaf interchange (Exit 38) with I-95. 05/31/21

Interstate 95 bypasses Wilson to the west from I-795/U.S. 264 south to Smithfield and Benson and north to Rocky Mount and Roanoke Rapids. 05/31/21

North at

Interstate 95 angles northeast from NC 42 to converge with U.S. 264 (Future I-587) and I-795 south at a rural cloverleaf interchange west of Wilson. 12/21/18

St. Rose Church Road spans I-95 one mile south of Exit 119 with U.S. 264 and I-795 south. U.S. 264 comprises an intrastate highway between Raleigh and Manns Harbor. Prior to 2003, the route extended east alongside U.S. 64 to Manteo and Whalebone Junction. 12/21/18

A collector distributor roadway splits from the I-95 mainline for Exits 119A to Wilson / Goldsboro and 119B to Raleigh. The freeway along U.S. 264 between Zebulon and Greenville was approved as Future Interstate 587 in 2016. 12/21/18

Exit 119A departs the c/d roadway for U.S. 264/Future I-587 east to Wilson and Greenville and Interstate 795 south to Freemont and Pikeville. 12/21/18

South at

Interstate 95 advances one mile south to the cloverleaf interchange (Exit 119) with I-795 south, Future I-587 and U.S. 264. 12/30/20

I-795 overlaps with U.S. 264/Future I-587 east 4.43 miles before turning south to Goldsboro. Future I-587/U.S. 264 continue east to Farmville. 12/30/20

The c/d roadway for I-795 south and U.S. 264 separates from I-95 just beyond Shepard Branch. 12/30/20

U.S. 264/Future I-587 join Wilson with Zebulon to the west. 12/30/20

South End – Goldsboro, North Carolina

South at Connector

Interstate 795 travels south between a wooded area along Little River and the Winbon Acres community ahead of Exits 25 A-B with U.S. 70 (Grantham Street). 12/14/17

Separate ramps connect the south end of I-795 with U.S. 70 west toward Smithfield and east to Downtown Goldsboro. Future I-42 along U.S. 70 Bypass to the north serves through traffic around Goldsboro between Raleigh and Kinston. 12/14/17

NC 581 Connector extends the freeway another 0.62 miles south from I-795 at the U.S. 70 underpass to NC 581 at Ash Street. 12/14/17

West at Connector

U.S. 70 (Grantham Street) navigates through succeeding parclo interchanges west from Downtown Goldsboro to I-795. The initial exchange connects Grantham Street with U.S. 13/117. I-795 follows northward from NC 581 to U.S. 264 at Wilson. 12/14/17

Interstate 795 extends north from NC 581 Connector, an expressway linking U.S. 13/117 with NC 581 at Ash Street. The rural freeway travels from Goldsboro to Pikesville, Fremont and Black Creek. 12/14/17

Connector – North at

U.S. 13/117 north separate with NC 581 just ahead of Ash Street. U.S. 13/117 follow an older freeway (former U.S. 117 Bypass) around central Goldsboro while NC 581 leads directly to Interstate 795. 12/14/17

Beyond the signalized turn of NC 581 west onto Ash Street, NC 581 Connector commences along the freeway leading north to I-795 at the exchange with U.S. 70 (Grantham Street). 12/14/17

The unnumbered ramp for U.S. 70 departs from NC 581 Connector for Grantham Street east into Downtown Goldsboro and U.S. 70 west to Smithfield and Raleigh. U.S. 70 Bypass (Future I-42) converges with U.S. 70, 4.7 miles to the west. 12/14/17

Sources:

AASHTO Committee Actions – Special Committee on Route Numbering. May 4, 2007
NC Application for I-795 Rejected (For Now) posted by Robert Malme on Southeast Roads at Yahoo!Groups (May 15, 2007).
AASHTO Committee Actions – Special Committee on Route Numbering. September 28, 2007
“U.S. 117 gets OK to allow trucks.” Goldsboro News-Argus (NC), October 2, 2007.
“A new interstate connection between I-40 and I-95 is in the works.” The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC), November 28, 2018.

Page updated June 1, 2022.