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NC to out-of-staters: Stay off I-95. Travel around the state

Posted at 11:57 PM, Sep 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-16 23:57:37-04

North Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Jim Trogdon is asking out-of-state travelers to avoid driving through North  Carolina, as much of the state is dealing with rising flood waters from Florence, according to CBS.

“We could see this for several days,” Trogdon said at a Saturday press conference. “This is what we need to do today to make sure motorists are safe in North Carolina.”

“Stay off the roads in most parts of North Carolina,” NC Governor Roy Cooper echoed. “All roads in the state are at risk of floods.”
All lanes of Interstate 95 are closed in both directions between Exit 81 near Raleigh-Durham and Exit 65 near Godwin, due to flooding, according to NC DOT.

While a portion of Interstate 95 near Dunn, North Carolina, is expected to re-open Sunday, NC DOT anticipates additional closures in the Fayetteville area, near the Cape Fear River. Those closures could last a week.

Photos taken along I-95 in Lumberton show the highway submerged. Officials said the interstate could remain closed through Wednesday, Sept. 26.

Drivers from neighboring Georgia and Virginia are being asked to use alternative routes, NC DOT says.

Major road closures in eastern North Carolina include:

    • I-95 South is closed from Exit 65 in Godwin to Exit 464 in Rocky Mount and in Lumberton from mile marker 19 to Exit 22.
    • I-40 Closed between Wilmington and Exit 390 (US 117) in Burgaw.

Visit NCDOT.gov for a map and information on latest road closures.