HOPE MILLS – A two-mile section of the Fayetteville Outer Loop, also known as Interstate 295, opened to traffic Monday between Parkton and Hope Mills.

The new section runs between Exit 2 (Parkton Road) and Exit 4 (Black Bridge Road south of Hope Mills.

Exit 4 is in Cumberland County, and its construction included a realignment of Old Plank Road. Exit 2 is at the Cumberland-Robeson County border, where Parkton Road becomes Leeper Road.

Both exits feature roundabouts at the on/off ramps to improve traffic flow and safety.

Upcoming completion dates

The newly opened segment is part of a larger goal to complete the outer loop in western Fayetteville and widen I-95 from four lanes to eight lanes between mile markers 37-41.

Below are the timelines for completing those inter-connecting improvements. Contractors for the N.C. Department of Transportation are expected to complete:

-I-295 interchanges at Camden Road and at I-95 (just south of Green Springs Road) by the summer of 2024

-The widening of I-95 from mile markers 37-41 by the summer of 2025

-The loop segment from north of Camden Road to Raeford Road by the summer of 2026, when the entire, 39-mile outer loop is scheduled to be completed.