Interstate 26 in North Carolina

Interstate 26 (I-26) in North Carolina runs through the western part of the state from the Tennessee border to the South Carolina border, following the Appalachian Mountains. It is part of the larger I-26, a regional Interstate that runs from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Charleston, South Carolina. I-26 is mostly four lanes through North Carolina with few exceptions. Though signed with east–west cardinal directions (because of the even number convention), in North Carolina and Tennessee, the route goes nearly north–south, with the northern direction labeled "West" and vice versa.

Within Madison County, I-26 is officially dedicated/memorialized as the Liston B. Ramsey Freeway on the section that over laps with US Highway 23 (US 23).

I-26's original western terminus was I-40/I-240 in Asheville. Between 2003 and 2005, the road was extended further north into Tennessee. Along the segment from Mars Hill to Asheville, there are future I-26 signs as some parts of the road have not yet been upgraded to Interstate Highway standards.

Route description
I-26, in concurrency with US 23, enters the state at Sams Gap (elevation 3760 ft) from Tennessee. In the first 9 mi, designated as a scenic byway, it features mostly six travel lanes and three runaway truck ramps going eastbound. The freeway is also parallels US 23A, which was the original route before 2006. At exit 13, I-26 ends and Future I-26 begins; US 19 also joins from Burnsville.

At Weaverville, Future I-26 merges with US 25/US 70, coming from Marshall; however, US 25 soon disembarks in Woodfin and continues south along Merrimon Avenue. Future I-26 enters Asheville, while parallel with the French Broad River, and merges with westbound I-240/US 74A with US 19/US 23; US 70 ends its concurrency by going eastbound I-240/US 74A instead and an additional exit at the major interchange provides access to downtown Asheville via Patton Avenue. It is signed I-26 proper again without future designation after merging with I-240, although NCDOT still officially refers to this segment as Future I-26.

Crossing the French Broad River along Capt. Jeff Bowen Bridge (originally Smokey Park Highway Bridge before 2012), I-26/I-240 promptly exit with two lanes to the right (same for both directions) while US 19/US 23/US 74A continue along Patton Avenue (exit 3). The interchange also features warning lights for "stopped traffic ahead", a common condition during rush hour. Between Patton Avenue (exit 3) and Haywood Road (exit 2), I-26/I-240 share a hidden concurrency with US 19 Business (US 19 Bus.)/US 23 Bus.

At the major interchange with I-40, sometimes called Malfunction Junction, I-240 ends, with new concurrency of I-26 with US 74. The interchange features left exit and entrances; while travelers along eastbound I-26/westbound I-240, access to eastbound I-40 is via North Carolina Highway 191 (NC 191, Brevard Road, exit 1). Westbound I-40/US 74 continues on to Canton and Knoxville; eastbound I-40 provides access to nearby Biltmore Estate and further on to Hickory.

Near milemarker 36, the Blue Ridge Parkway crosses over I-26 with a 75.1 ft clearance; access to the Blue Ridge Parkway is via NC 191 (exit 33).

In Fletcher, I-26 goes by Asheville Regional Airport and accesses NC 280 to Brevard and Mills River (exit 40); 3.2 mi later, US 25 rejoins (exit 44). In Hendersonville, it connects with US 64, which connect travelers to nearby Chimney Rock, Lake Lure, and Brevard. Between milemarkers 53 and 54, I-26 crosses the Eastern Continental Divide (elevation 2130 ft) at the County Road 1803 (CR 1803, Crest Road) overpass. Near East Flat Rock, US 25 separates again toward Greenville, South Carolina, while I-26 goes southeasterly down along Dodging Hill and crosses over the Green River along the Peter Guice Memorial Bridge, with a 235 ft clearance from the river, making it the highest bridge in North Carolina.

At Howard Gap (elevation around 1900 ft), an additional truck lane is available on westbound I-26 for 3 mi. In Columbus, US 74 ends concurrency at exit 67, continuing east toward Shelby. At 71.4 mi, which combines I-26 and Future I-26, I-26 crosses the state line and into South Carolina.

I-26 also make up part of Corridor B in the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS). Corridor B connects I-40, in Asheville with US 23, near Lucasville, Ohio; it overlaps 9 mi of I-26 and 22 mi of Future I-26. The ADHS provides additional funds, as authorized by Congress, which have enabled I-26 to benefit from the successive improvements and widening along its routing within the corridor. The white-on-blue banner "Appalachian Highway" is used to mark the ADHS corridor.

I-26 overlaps with one state scenic byway simply known as the "I-26 Scenic Byway". Located from the Tennessee state line to exit 9 (US 19/US 23A) near Mars Hill. The byway is known for its unspoiled views of the North Carolina Mountains.

History
I-26 appeared in the original Interstate Highway plans running from Charleston to Asheville. The road was first mapped as an under construction highway from US 25 near Hendersonville north to NC 280 (current NC 146). The first segment opened in 1966 beginning at NC 280 to the US 25 connector near East Flat Rock. In 1969, I-26 was extended north to I-40, and the South Carolina segment was extended to NC 108 near Columbus. In 1973, I-26 was extended from the US 25 connector to Saluda. Three years later, I-26 was connected. The segment from Saluda to NC 108 was completed. In late 2003, when the Madison County section opened, the Buncombe County section received the designation "Future I-26" because it did not meet Interstate standards. Starting in 2021, the section north of Asheville is scheduled for upgrades.

Building through Howard Gap
One of the hardest places to build I-26 was in Howard Gap. The work was delayed by numerous landslides along Miller Mountain and Tryon Peak. Special engineering had to be done to continue work on I-26 through the area. The most important part was controlling the soil and water on the mountains and surrounding areas. This was achieved through the installation of miles of underground pipe used to drain water from the road.

I-26 widening south of Asheville
In 2013, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) reopened the idea of widening I-26 from I-40, in Asheville, to US 25, near Flat Rock. The project had been planned 10 years earlier but was stopped by legal challenges. In 2015, it qualified and became part of the 2016–2025 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and will cost $396 million to build. Right-of-way acquisition begins in 2018, with construction that was originally set to begin in 2020. Construction began sooner than that in October 2019, although it originally did not extend to US 25 in Flat Rock; it instead terminated at US 64 in Hendersonville. The widening south of US 64 to US 25 was added later. Part of the project, which is still ongoing, does call for the US 25/US 25 Bus. interchange near Naples to be converted into a diverging diamond interchange. Construction is projected to be completed by 2024 at a cost of $531 million.

Asheville I-26 Connector
The I-26 Connector is a $600–$800 million project to build the missing gap of I-26 through Asheville. Initially, the project and broken into three sections, they are all planned and funded in the 2016–2025 STIP. Section A, between Haywood and Brevard roads, will be a widening project with reconfiguration of ramps at Haywood, Amboy, and Brevard roads. Section B, between north of Haywood Road to US 19/US 23/US 70, is the most expensive section of the project, at $332 million. After a review of various alternative designs, both state and federal agencies choose Alternative 4B, which will convert Patton Avenue along Bowen Bridges to local traffic and reroute I-240 along I-26 further north. Section C (Alternative F1), the I-26/I-240/I-40 interchange, will be reconfigured to include missing ramp connects and a widening of I-40 through the area. The approximately 7 mi project was to begin with right-of-way acquisition in 2019, with construction on all three sections in 2021. However, this was delayed due to NCDOT having to make several refinements to the plans based on feedback from the community and the city of Asheville, as well as several other organization. This included bicycle and pedestrian improvements in the project and how to reduce the project impact to low-income and minority communities as well as historic properties.

The Final Environmental Impact Statement, which included a Traffic Noise Report, was finally released in January 2020. However, further refinements were made after that. In June 2021, another Section (Section D), which will improve Riverside Drive, was added to the project. In May 2022, section A was subdivided into three more sections (AA, AB, and AC) after more improvements to I-40 were added. The estimated cost increased to $1.2 billion in 2023. The final record of decision was approved in Spring 2023 and right-of-way acquisition for all of Section A began at that time. In Fall 2023, construction of Sections AA and AB began and contracts for Sections B and D were rewarded. Construction for Section AC will begin in early 2024. Currently, preliminary engineering activities have begun for Section C, but construction has been delayed because it was not included in the state's 2024-2033 STIP. A timeline will be put in place once the project is reprioritized.

Future I-26 north of Asheville
Another project, between Broadway Avenue and the US 19/US 23A interchanges, will be upgraded to Interstate standards by replacing bridges, expanding the highway width and adding shoulders. The project, needed so I-26 can fully be labeled along that stretch, is currently in development. The estimated cost was $99 million, with right-of-way acquisition starting in 2020 and construction in 2022. Delays included state money and worries over how neighborhoods would be affected. Contracts are to be awarded in 2023 and 2024 and construction to take three to five years. The estimated cost of the project is $200 million.