Old North News

Several key routes in the Clayton and Garner area near Interstate 40 are set to receive new names and highway designation numbers. This development involves multiple changes to existing roadways.

The first change is the re-designation of a ten-mile stretch of U.S. 70 between I-40 (Exit 309) and the U.S. 70 Business interchange, which will now be known as Interstate 42. Additionally, nearly eleven miles of N.C. 42 in this area will be renumbered as N.C. 36 to prevent potential confusion during emergencies when drivers might refer to "highway 42" or "route 42" when contacting emergency services.

Furthermore, twelve miles of U.S. 70 Business between I-40 and the newly designated I-42 will revert back to its original designation as U.S. 70, which was used before the opening of the U.S. 70 "Clayton Bypass" over fifteen years ago.

A contractor for the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is scheduled to start changing signs on Monday, with work expected to take approximately three months.

These changes come after the Federal Highway Administration approved NCDOT's plan to redesignate U.S. 70 around Clayton as I-42, a decision made by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

For at least two years, NCDOT has coordinated with Johnston County and Clayton officials, along with other local organizations, preparing for these routing changes through public meetings.

Local officials have also taken this opportunity to assign new street names to these routes while maintaining them under NCDOT's jurisdiction:

"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," according to an interactive map on the Town of Clayton website.

"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."

The future I-42 represents NCDOT's long-term goal of upgrading U.S. 70 from I-40 to Morehead City to meet interstate standards. Last fall saw twenty miles of the U.S. 70 Bypass around Goldsboro re-signed as I-42, including changes in mile markers and exit numbers.