The Interstate 40 Exit 118 interchange improvement project has been delayed.
A truck hauling a Bobcat excavator crosses the Interstate 40 Exit 118 bridge in Hildebran.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation said the delay is due to priorities shifting after Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina.
While the project has been delayed, it is still funded, in development and moving forward, said David Uchiyama, a spokesman for NCDOT.
A street sign marking the start of Curleys Fish Camp Road in Hildebran. The North Carolina Department of Transportation plans to leave the road connected to the entrance ramp as it adds roundabouts at Interstate 40 Exit 118.
The project consultant is working on completing the environmental document, he said. Uchiyama estimates the schedule for the project will push the start of it approximately six months out as an effect of the delays caused by Helene.
The project’s current schedule has right-of-way acquisition starting in February, with construction starting a year later in February 2027, Uchiyama said.
The project has undergone other revisions.
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Its design was reworked in 2023 after residents in the area told NCDOT officials they wanted to see the westbound on-ramp remain connected to Curley’s Fish Camp Road.
The original design would have taken around 12 homes, half of a church and at least one gas station. It also would have turned one end of Curley’s Fish Camp Road into a cul-de-sac.
Curleys Fish Camp Road in Hildebran on Feb. 17, 2025. The North Carolina Department of Transportation plans to repair the Interstate 40 Exit 118 Bridge and realign the exit ramps.
The new design calls for roundabouts at each end of the Exit 118 bridge and for Curley’s Fish Camp Road, which currently feeds into the westbound on-ramp, to connect to a roundabout on the north end of the bridge.
Early this year, NCDOT officials said that an updated traffic forecast is underway and design revisions are in process to reflect local desire to keep the south end of Curleys Fish Camp Road connected to interstate access, The News Herald has previously reported.
This map shows an updated redesign of I-40 Exit 118 and Old N.C. Highway 10 in Hildebran.
The original design for the intersection also called for Martin Fish Pond and Dowell streets to end at the intersections with Dietz Avenue Extension and for Dietz Avenue to be extended to Old Brittain Road to connect to Old N.C. Highway 10.
But the redesign calls for Dowell Street to connect to the roundabout on the south side of the bridge and for the connection from Martin Fish Pond Street to Old N.C. Highway 10 to end. A new road that would connect Martin Fish Pond Street to Dowell Street also is proposed.
The roundabouts, which will be solid concrete, will be one lane but will be designed to accommodate tractor-trailers, The News Herald has previously reported.
The alternative also calls for a new access road into the back of First Baptist Church of Hildebran, The News Herald has previously reported.
The first design would have taken 12 homes and two businesses.
The new design is expected to take five homes and the Shell and Marathon gas stations along Old N.C. Highway 10, according to NCDOT.
