Interstate 140 (I-140) and North Carolina Highway 140 (NC 140) is a 25.4-mile (40.9 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway and state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Officially designated the John Jay Burney Jr. Freeway, it serves as a bypass of Wilmington. The western terminus of the highway is at U.S. Route 17 (US 17) near Winnabow. It heads north in western Leland before turning to the east north of an interchange with U.S. Route 74 (US 74)/U.S. Route 76 (US 76). I-140 crosses the Cape Fear River north of Navassa and the Northeast Cape Fear River northwest of Wrightsboro. I-140 ends at Interstate 40 (I-40), and the route number changes to NC 140. NC 140 continues to the east, ending at US 17 in Kirkland.
I-140 approaching NC 133 north of Wrightsboro
The I-40 interchange (pictured) was the first segment to begin construction.
The former western terminus of I-140 at US 421 northwest of Wilmington
A former directional sign along I-40 showing I-140 and US 17 running concurrently to the west; this designation was removed in 2017.
Cape Fear River
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The Cape Fear River is a 191.08-mile-long blackwater river in east-central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River in the town of Moncure, North Carolina. Its river basin is the largest in the state: 9,149 sq mi.
The Cape Fear River at Smith Creek in Wilmington, NC.
The port in Wilmington on the Cape Fear River estuary
Lock and Dam No. 1 on the Cape Fear River in Bladen County
U.S. Coast Guard vessel on the Cape Fear, photographed from the USS North Carolina