I-42

**NOTICE: I-42 is currently an incomplete interstate, and is not planned to be completed for years. You can keep up with the signing and progression of Interstate 42 HERE, and the history below 'The Route Path'.**

Interstate 42 is a mostly-future interstate that is planned to go from I-40/NC-540 west of Clayton to US 70 north of Beaufort and northeast of Morehead City. 

As of September 27, 2024, the interstate only has two segments completed; the western one from the planned west end at I-40/NC-540, to US 70 southeast of Clayton. The eastern segment uses the entirety of the Goldsboro Bypass, from US 70 west of Goldsboro, back to US 70 west of La Grange.

Also, this page is not completely detailed, as obviously the interstate isn't complete either. On 'The Route Path', the description of the future part of the interstate is in italics.

I-42 Shield

The Route Path:

Interstate 42 begins at an interchange with I-40 and NC-540 southeast of Garner and west of Clayton. The interstate heads east, passing under Cornwallis Road before passing through a diamond interchange exit for NC-42 (aka NC-36). After this, I-42 curves slightly southeast, having an exit for Ranch Road. The interstate curves back directly east, before reaching the east end of the western segment at an interchange with US 70 Business (former and future US 70).

From here, the freeway continues east as US 70/Future I-42, heading southeast and eventually passing between Selma and Smithfield. In this area, the future interstate crosses I-95, with access from US 70 as the freeway uses a short US 70 Bypass without access to I-95. Just east of the interstate, both of those versions of US 70 reunite, continuing east (still as Future I-42), soon losing freeway status after reuniting with US 70 Business at an interchange.

US 70/Future I-42 continue east, passing to the north of Princeton, before reaching an eastbound-access-only/westbound-exit-only interchange with US 70 at the west end of the Goldsboro Bypass. Here, I-42 re-begins and has an exit for NC-581.

The interstate heads east, passing over Claridge Nursery Road, shortly before reaching an interchange with I-795 to the north of the city of Goldsboro. Just after this interchange, I-42 has an exit for US 117, and passes over NC-111 as the interstate continues to head east on the Goldsboro Bypass. I-42 then has an exit for Wayne Memorial Drive, eventually followed by an exit for US 13.

After this exit, the interstate curves southeast, having an exit for Parkstown Road as it still heads this direction. Eventually, I-42 reaches US 70 again at the east end of the Bypass, which is also the east end of the eastern section of the interstate. Future I-42 picks back up, before losing freeway status just east of an exit for NC-903 south of La Grange. US 70/Future I-42 continues east, eventually reaching the City of Kinston. Here, the freeway has an interchange with NC-148, right before the planned path of I-42 deviates from US 70.

The path of I-42 in Kinston would be fully new routing from NC-148, bypassing the city to the south, crossing the Neuse River and having likely exits/interchanges with NC-11/55, US 258, and NC-58 before merging back onto existing US 70 west of Whaley Road. From Kinston, US 70/Future I-42 continue east, passing by Dover, and eventually regaining freeway status south of Cove City, at an interchange with NC-41.

The freeway has exits for Tuscarora Rhems Road and Clarks Road before it eventually reaches an interchange with US 17 west of New Bern. US 70/Future I-42 continues east with US 17, having an exit for NC-43, before entering the City of New Bern. In the city, the freeway has exits for Glenburnie Road, US 17 Business, and NC-55 before crossing the Trent River into James City. Immediately after crossing the river, US 70/Future I-42 split off the concurrency, continuing southeast.

The route passes through suburban areas by the Coastal Carolina Regional Airport, without freeway status, before leaving James City and passing through the Croatan National Forest. Eventually, US 70/Future I-42 reach the unincorporated community of Pine Grove, and the planned path of I-42 leaves US 70 again.

Future I-42 would head south, not far to the west of current US 70 as the interstate would bypass the City of Havelock. There would be a planned interchange at Lake Road, where I-42 would curve east back towards US 70. When the future interstate reaches US 70, it would have an interchange with it, continuing southeast past Newport, on a new alignment. Eventually, Future I-42 would pass by the unincorporated community of Harlowe, with a likely exit for NC-101. The future interstate would head east, crossing the Core Creek before sharply curving south and crossing Laurel Road, which might have an exit when I-42 is completed through here. From here, Future I-42 continues to head south, in between NC-101 and US 70, before eventually reaching its true eastern end at US 70 northeast of Beaufort.

Route History:

The general routing of I-42 was part of the FAST Act bill, signed into law by then-US President Barack Obama on 12/14/2015. There was no specific number for this route, so of course, multiple were thrown around (I-36 by NCDOT, I-46 by the RTA). On May 24, 2016, AASHTO assigned the designation of I-42.

Around May 27, 2016, the ribbon cutting occurred for the Goldsboro Bypass (with an I-42 shield included). Since then, numerous Future I-42 signs have been placed on the US 70 corridor/bypasses, where I-42 is going to be.

In July of 2023, NCDOT proposed renumbering a short stretch of NC-42 (the State Route) to NC-36, to avoid confusion between that and I-42 in the same area (I-42 has an exit for NC-42 (36)). Finally, in late August 2024, the first current I-42 signage was placed on the Goldsboro Bypass, with the first known picture of an I-42 shield/marker being on an overhead sign, heading west at the east end of the Bypass.

On September 17, 2024, the back of an I-42 sign was found on a traffic camera, on NC-581. Since then, numerous other I-42 shield pictures have been taken by multiple road-geeks as it begins to replace all of the US 70 Bypass signs in the Goldsboro area.

My Experiences:

I have never been on I-42, but I likely have been on part of its future routing, along the US 17 concurrency in New Bern.