Interstate 140 (North Carolina)

Interstate 140 and North Carolina Highway 140
John Jay Burney Jr. Freeway
I-140 highlighted in red, NC 140 highlighted in purple
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-40
Maintained by NCDOT
Length	25.4 mi[1] (40.9 km)
Existed	August 22, 2005 (August 22, 2005)[2]–present
Interstate 140
West end	US 17 near Winnabow
Major intersections	US 74 / US 76 near Leland US 421 near Wrightsboro
East end	I-40 near Murraysville
North Carolina Highway 140
West end	I-40 near Murraysville
East end	US 17 in Kirkland
Location
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Counties	Brunswick, New Hanover
Highway system
Interstate Highway System Main Auxiliary Suffixed Business Future North Carolina Highway System Interstate US State Scenic
← NC 138 → NC 141

Interstate 140 (I-140) and North Carolina Highway 140 (NC 140) is a 25.4-mile (40.9 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway and state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Officially designated the John Jay Burney Jr. Freeway, it serves as a bypass of Wilmington. The western terminus of the highway is at U.S. Route 17 (US 17) near Winnabow. It heads north in western Leland before turning to the east north of an interchange with U.S. Route 74 (US 74)/U.S. Route 76 (US 76). I-140 crosses the Cape Fear River north of Navassa and the Northeast Cape Fear River northwest of Wrightsboro. I-140 ends at Interstate 40 (I-40), and the route number changes to NC 140. NC 140 continues to the east, ending at US 17 in Kirkland.

The need for a bypass north of Wilmington was identified by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) in 1972. However, the first contract for construction was not awarded until 2000. In August 2005, the first segment of I-140 between I-40 and North Carolina Highway 133 (NC 133) opened. This was followed by a westward extension to U.S. Route 421 (US 421) and an eastward extension to US 17 in June 2006. US 17 was routed along the entirety of the freeway between Kirkland and US 421, running concurrently with I-140. Construction on the western segment between Winnabow and US 74/US 76 began in March 2010 and was opened in September 2014. This segment was temporarily designated as NC 140 as it lacked connection with I-140 to the east. The final segment between US 74/US 76 and US 421 began construction in 2014 and was completed in 2017. I-140 was routed along the entirety of the freeway west of I-40. Additionally, US 17 was removed from its concurrency with I-140, being rerouted through Wilmington in 2017. The remaining section between I-40 and Kirkland was subsequently renumbered as NC 140.