A map showing the route of a highway around Fayetteville North Carolina.
The route of Interstate 295, the Fayetteville Outer Loop. It runs from Interstate 95 in Eastover, across the north side of Fayetteville to Fort Bragg, then down through west Fayetteville to the Hope Mills area, and then back to I-95 south of Hope Mills near Parkton in Robeson County. Credit: North Carolina Department of Transportation

The highway

Length: 39 miles

Route: From I-95 Exit 58 in Eastover on the northeast side of Fayetteville, west across the Cape Fear River to Ramsey Street, then west to Fort Bragg, then south to Cliffdale and Raeford roads in west Fayetteville, then loops back to the southeast around Hope Mills, reconnecting with I-95 at Exit 38 near Parkton in northern Robeson County

Number of exits/interchanges: 14 (including the connections with I-95)

Cost: $1.4 billion (About $900 million for construction, $500 million for land purchases, other overhead)

Construction: July 1999 to November 2025

I-295 Timeline

1956: The Kinlaw family donates an easement for a bridge across the Cape Fear River.

1969: Veterinarian Jack Hill organizes a group called “Friends of the Bridge” to pursue a bridge across the Cape Fear River on the north side of Fayetteville. Participants include future N.C. Board of Transportation member, and later N.C. Transportation Secretary, Lyndo Tippett.

1974: Proposed Outer Loop added to North Carolina’s Transportation Improvement Plan.

July 1989: The N.C. General Assembly approves a 5 cent gasoline tax increase to create a $9.6 billion trust fund to pay for highways statewide. The plans include an extension of U.S. 13 from the I-95/U.S. 13 interchange from what is now Eastover to N.C. 87 in Spring Lake. (The Outer Loop route was changed later away from Spring Lake, as it would have run through a Fort Bragg training area.)

September 1989: The state Board of Transportation awards a $619,000 contract for planning and environmental studies for the U.S. 13 extension.

July 1999: Construction begins.

June 2003: First segment completed. It runs from River Road in the Eastover area across the Cape Fear River to Ramsey Street in north Fayetteville.

a view of an interstate highway, with cars on either side
Some of the first vehicles to travel on the newly opened final segment of Interstate 295, the Fayetteville Outer Loop, on Tuesday, November 25, 2025. Credit: Paul Woolverton / CityView

July 2005: Second segment opens between River Road and Interstate 95 at Exit 58. This connects north Fayetteville to I-95.

2005-2024: More pieces of the highway open over the years through the north and west sides of Fayetteville, and along the Fort Bragg boundary, connecting to Murchison Road, Bragg Boulevard, the All American Freeway, Reilly Road, Cliffdale Road, and Raeford Road. Meanwhile, I-295’s southern leg is built from I-95’s Exit 38 near Parkton and extends northwest to Camden Road near Hope Mills.

November 2025: The final 5-mile piece of I-295, from Camden Road to Raeford Road, opens to traffic about four minutes past noon. Fayetteville’s Outer Loop is complete.

Sources: N.C. Department of Transportation, archives of The Fayetteville Observer (via the Cumberland County Public Library), interviews with former Fort Bragg Master Planner Glen Prillaman, former N.C. Transportation Secretary Lyndo Tippett, former DOT Traffic Engineer Ray Goff.

Paul Woolverton is CityView's senior reporter, covering courts, local politics, and Cumberland County affairs. He joined CityView from The Fayetteville Observer, where he worked for more than 30 years.