Interstate 240 (North Carolina)

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Interstate 240 Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Length:	9.14 mi[1] (14.71 km)
Formed:	Mid-1970s[2]
West end:	I-40/26 in west Asheville, NC
Major junctions:	US 19/23/74 in Asheville, NC I-26/US 19/23/70 in Asheville, NC
East end:	I-40 in east Asheville, NC
North Carolina highways

Interstate 240 (abbreviated I-240) is a 9-mile long interstate highway loop in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It serves as an urban connector encircling the heart of Asheville. Interstate 40 runs in an east-west direction south of downtown, paralleling the French Broad River, while I-240 runs in a half-circle around to the north. The western segment of I-240 is now being renumbered as Interstate 26 as part of a larger project extending I-26 from its former western terminus at I-40/I-240 to I-81 near Kingsport, Tennessee.

A construction project dubbed the I-26 Connector is currently underway to build a straighter path of I-26 through Asheville, bypassing the I-240/US 19/23/70 interchange. A major part of this project will be constructing a new interstate-standard bridge across the French Broad River. Additionally, current plans call for I-240 in west Asheville to be expanded from 4 lanes to 8 lanes^[2].

Years prior to the loop's completion, I-240 was known as Interstate 140; however, no signage was ever posted for I-140. The I-140 designation has now been given to a spur route in Wilmington.

[edit] Nearby points of interest

• Biltmore Estate
• University of North Carolina at Asheville

[edit] References

1. ^ Route Log - Auxiliary Routes of the Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways - Table 2
2. ^ ^{a b} Kurumi - I-240

	edit Auxiliary routes of Interstate 40
	Current and Future (F)	Former
	Tennessee - North Carolina
	Tennessee - North Carolina - Oklahoma
	Tennessee - North Carolina - Arkansas
	Arkansas - North Carolina
	Tennessee
	North Carolina

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