Interstate587 (I-587) is a 37.07-mile (59.66km)auxiliary Interstate Highway in the US state of North Carolina. The western terminus of the highway is at I-95, I-795, and US Highway264 (US264) near Wilson. The highway runs concurrently with I-795 and US264 around the southern side of Wilson. I-795 diverges toward Goldsboro4.4 miles (7.1km) east of I-95. The eastern end of the US264 overlap is located northwest of Saratoga. I-587 continues travelling east, bypassing Saratoga and Farmville to the north. The eastern terminus of I-587 is located at US264 and North Carolina Highway 11 Bypass (NC11 Byp.) in western Greenville. I-587 is a spur of the North Carolina segment of I-87 which runs from Raleigh to Wendell. As of 2024[update], I-587 does not connect with its parent route.
Quick Facts Route information, Length ...
Interstate 587
I-587 highlighted in red; Future I-587 highlighted in blue
On establishment of the North Carolina Highway System, the primary route between Wilson and Greenville was NC91. US264 was signed along the route in 1932 and NC91 was decommissioned. Over the years, US264 was improved and in 1992, a freeway was completed between I-95 in Wilson and Greenville. In January 2013, the mayors of Greenville, Ayden, and Kinston began a political push for an Interstate designation between Greenville and I-95. On November 14, 2016, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) designated the highway as the Future I-587 corridor. On May 10, 2021, the highway was officially established from I-95 in Wilson to US264/NC11 Byp. in Greenville and was signed in June 2022. In the future, I-587 will extend west to I-87 and US64 in Zebulon.
Route description
I-587/I-795/US 264 shields and an I-587 mile marker in Wilson County, September 2023
I-587 begins at an interchange between I-95 and I-795 and US264 southwest of Wilson. US264 extends west to Raleigh, while the interchange marks the northern terminus of I-795. I-587, I-795, and US264 travel east around southern Wilson. The concurrency with I-795 ends 4.4 miles (7.1km) east of I-95 at an interchange. At the interchange, I-795 turns south toward Goldsboro. Immediately following the I-795 interchange, I-587 and US264 interchange with US301 which provides access to the northern terminus of US117. I-587 and US264 continue east, looping around Wilson. The highways intersect NC58 southeast of Wilson, which is followed by an S-curve in the freeway.[2][3]
An interchange with US264 and US264 Alternate follows the S-curve, marking the eastern end of the US264 concurrency. I-587 continues east around the town of Saratoga. As it loops around Saratoga, I-587 is repositioned to the southeast, largely paralleling US264. I-587 begins an easterly turn north of Walstonburg and interchanges with NC91 and US264, before completing the curve west of Farmville. As I-587 continues north around Farmville, it meets US258 and US258 Business (US258 Bus.) at an interchange northwest of downtown. US258 follows I-587 to the east for 2.8 miles (4.5km) before leaving the freeway at another interchange east of downtown Farmville. I-587 continues for another 6.6 miles (10.6km) through rural North Carolina before intersecting US264 and NC11 Byp. west of Greenville. The interchange marks the eastern terminus of I-587.[2][3]
In January 2013, the mayors of Greenville, Kinston, and Ayden announced that they would push to change the designation of US264 between Wilson and Greenville to an Interstate.[8][9]
On September 7, 2016, Governor Pat McCrory said he would ask for the section of US264 between Zebulon and Greenville to be designated an Interstate Highway. The justification for Interstate status was that Greenville was the 10th largest city in the state and had no Interstate connecting it.[10] On November 14, AASHTO approved the Future I-587 designation; followed by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) approval on November 21.[11][12][13] In April 2017, NCDOT began posting Future I-587 signs along the length of the route.[14] On May 10, 2021, AASHTO approved the establishment of I-587, between I-95 and Greenville.[15] This was further approved on November 16, 2021, marking the designation official.[16] Signage for the designation went up on June 20, 2022.[17]
Future
NCDOT intends to extend I-587 west along US264 from its current western terminus in Wilson to US64 and US264 in Zebulon.[18] In addition, the department expects to extend the designation of I-87 northward from its current terminus in Wendell along US64 toward Norfolk, Virginia. This would provide a connection between I-587 and its parent route.[19] Currently, though, NCDOT does not have a timetable to upgrade US264 between Zebulon and Wilson to Interstate standards.
Western terminus of I-587; northern terminus of I-795; western end of I-795 and US264 overlap; signed as exits 18B (south) and 18A (north); cloverleaf interchange with collector/distributor lanes; I-95 exit 119
Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (November 14, 2016). "Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering"(PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p.1. Archived from the original(PDF) on June 3, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
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