Maps & Directions

Today most everyone has a GPS at their disposal, but if you like to have a map in hand, just give us a call.

It's a straight shot along our major Interstates 95 and 40 to Johnston County, making our county the North-South and East-West connection in North Carolina.

Johnston County is located in the Research Triangle Region of North Carolina, just 30 minutes from Raleigh, our state capital. RDU International Airport is 30-45 minutes west from Johnston along the I-40 corridor with 400 daily flights. AMTRAK in Selma offers two daily trains for rail passengers.

Mid-way along I-95, Smithfield in Johnston County is approximately the 0 mile marker between New York City and Jacksonville, Florida. 

Don't pass us by - we invite you to explore what awaits beyond the highway!
 

Traffic Notices

For the following projects by the N.C. Department of Transportation, you may encounter delays traveling through these active work zones. Details of any potential road, lane, or ramp closures can be found at DriveNC.gov; search “Johnston” to find a list of current or upcoming closures or detours.

Projects Currently Underway

The U.S. 70 Business bridge over Interstate 95 at Exit 95 is being reconstructed into a taller, longer and wider structure; the two-lane bridge over I-95 will be replaced with a five-lane bridge. In addition, the on/off ramps will be reconfigured to meet modern standards, and traffic signals will be installed at the intersections of the ramps and U.S. 70 Business. Work began in Spring 2024 and is scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2027.

The U.S. 301 bridge over the Neuse River in Smithfield is being replaced with a modern structure. Construction began in the spring of 2025. While the road will not be closed for the three-year project timeline, there may be occasional lane closures on the two-lane bridge or very short detours during the construction period, which is expected to end by the fall of 2028.

I-95 is being widened to eight lanes (four in each direction) between mile markers 71 in Harnett County and Exit 81 (I-40/I-95) in Benson. The project also includes rebuilding bridges and ramps to modern standards. Drives can expect reduced speed limits in the daytime and occasional overnight lane closures on I-95. Also, there is reduced shoulder access through the work zone. The revised completion date is the spring of 2028.

The Main Street/N.C. 50 bridge over I-95 at Exit 79 in Benson is closed during part of this summer between May 28 and July 12, 2026 for construction. While the bridge is closed, the I-95 on/off ramps will remain open, but drivers will have to turn away from the bridge when exiting. A roundabout on the east side of this interchange is being constructed while the bridge is closed for 45 days. Detour signs and wayfinding signs to businesses around this exit are posted.

In the spring of 2026, NCDOT awarded a $12.3 million contract to widen 1.5 miles of Covered Bridge Road in Archer Lodge into a three-road section between Helena Lane and east of Buffalo Road. This project will include realigning some intersections and adding turn lanes at other intersections with traffic lights. Construction is expected to get underway by the fall of 2026 and be completed by the summer of 2028.

Upcoming Projects 

NCDOT is scheduled to award a contract in September 2026 to construct a roundabout at Buffalo Road, Fire Department Road and Little Divine Road north of Wilson’s Mills. This is estimated to be a $5 million construction project, which will improve traffic flow and safety at this location. Construction would start in early 2027. The department’s public input website has more information about this project.

NCDOT is scheduled to award a contract in the summer of 2027 to improve 10 miles of N.C. 42 from Buffalo Road to the Johnston-Wilson county line. The improvements will be made to nine total sites, including roundabout, wider paved shoulders and additional turn lanes. Construction is expected to take three years to complete. The department’s public input website has more information about this project.

Road Renaming Info

Several major routes in the Clayton/Garner area off Interstate 40 have new names and highway designation numbers as of early 2025.

The changes include:

• Ten miles of U.S. 70 between I-40 (Exit 309) and the U.S. 70 Business interchange will become Interstate 42.
• Almost 11 miles of N.C. 42 in this vicinity will be renumbered as N.C. 36 to avoid any potential confusion, because drivers in an emergency might use generic terms like “highway 42” or “route 42” when calling 911.
• Twelve miles of U.S. 70 Business between I-40 and I-42 will revert to U.S. 70, which was the original route number before the U.S. 70 “Clayton Bypass” opened over 15 years ago.

​The reason for the changes is the Federal Highway Administration has authorized the department’s plan to redesignate U.S. 70 around Clayton as I-42. The designation to use I-42 as the new interstate number was set by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. The NCDOT has been coordinating with Johnston County and Clayton officials, and other local organizations, for at least the past two years to prepare for these routing changes, and the state agency has held two public meetings on the topic.

Local officials are taking this opportunity to assign street names to these two routes, which will remain NCDOT-maintained roads:

• The section of N.C. 42 between U.S. 70 Business in Clayton and the Wake-Johnston county line, west of N.C. 50, will be called Veterans Parkway.
• The section of what is now U.S. 70 Business between the Wake-Johnston county line and its interchange with U.S. 70 will be named Clayton Boulevard.

Future I-42 is NCDOT’s long-term goal is to upgrade U.S. 70 from I-40 to Morehead City to interstate standards.

For a wealth of current information visit the Project Progress Reports page on NDCOT’s site; this includes current closures and impacts for Johnston County specifically as well as general, state-wide DOT press releases and info on high profile projects.