North Carolina Eyes New Interstate 685 to Link Greensboro and Fayetteville

State planners have started studying a new highway link between Greensboro and Fayetteville along U.S. 421. The funds come from the Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress in 2021.

The path would stretch south from Greensboro through Sanford before meeting I-295 near Fort Bragg. Andrew Barksdale from the state road office shared these details with The Fayetteville Observer.

Local leaders see the road as vital near the airport. Kirk DeViere, who leads the Cumberland County Commissioners, put it this way: "You're going to have I-685 going down 87. So now you're going to have this interstate going down — you got 295, 95, you got an airport that's being invested in — and then you have an investment in the corridor."

The road would speed up shipping between factories and ports. It would also make it easier to move military supplies between Fort Bragg and two key ports: Wilmington and Sunny Point. The new road could also bring life back to U.S. 301 by the Crown Coliseum.

No one knows what it will cost or when crews might start work. The study should wrap up next year, giving a clearer picture of what's ahead.