Today the Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Hope Mills, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and surrounding communities gathered together to celebrate the completion of a  critical infrastructure project opening a few months ahead of schedule. 

The Fayetteville Outer Loop, a 39-mile outer loop highway surrounding Fayetteville, is now providing unprecedented interstate connectivity for the region and provides direct connections from Fort Bragg to Interstate-95. 

The highway officially opened following a ribbon cutting ceremony featuring speakers from the NCDOT. 

During their remarks, speakers were able to focus on the importance of the project, highlighting its benefits including reducing traffic volume on portions of the local street network, connecting major routes in the south, west and north portions of Fayetteville and providing an additional crossing of the Cape Fear River. 

“I started work at NCDOT I was on a survey party that worked on the outer loop near Cliffdale Road that was in May of 1995 so 39 miles and $1.4 billion later, we stand here today to cut this ribbon and open the road that's going to be so impactful for our whole region,” said NCDOT Division 6 Engineer W.L. Jernigan. “The section we're standing on right now is finished about five months ahead of schedule.” 

The full project will help support the military, promote continued economic growth and strengthen North Carolina's ability to attract and retain business and industry.

The ribbon cutting ceremony marked the completion of the final five-mile highway segment between Camden and Raeford Roads in Cumberland County, just in time for holiday travel. 

“Interstate-295 is transforming how people travel, lessening traffic on some of our corridors and open new areas of development and commerce, more than 40,000 vehicles a day travel between Cliffdale and Raeford Road, and the backup on Raeford Road will be eliminated,” shared NCDOT Division 6 Board Member Ralph Huff. “It’s wonderful to see it completed. It shows our state's commitment to building a modern transportation network.” 

NCDOT Secretary Daniel Johnson provided a historic look at the project, sharing how the project first broke ground in 1999 with the first section being completed in 2003. 

“Over the years, additional segments of the Outer Loop were constructed, allowing people to start utilizing each portion as it was completed. As you can imagine, projects of this magnitude and complexity don't happen quickly. They take time, planning, local partnerships, patience and funding. Today, the final segment opens and it spans five miles. The total length of the Outer Loop extends 39 miles, and cost about $900 million to construct. The Outer Loop already has proven to be a vital part of this growing and dynamic region, and the completion of this final segment will improve regional mobility, increase highway safety and provide the infrastructure needed for economic, residential development,” shared Johnson. 

 For more information about the Fayetteville Outer Loop, go to the NCDOT webpage.