Interstate 440 (I-440), also known as the Raleigh Beltline, the Cliff Benson Beltline, or locally as The Beltline, is an Interstate Highway in the US state of North Carolina. I-440 is a partial beltway that nearly encircles central Raleigh. I-440 begins in west Raleigh at an interchange with I-40 as a continuation of U.S. Highway 64 (US 64)/US 1 and traverses a primarily residential area in west Raleigh. The freeway makes a turn toward the east, crossing US 70, Six Forks Road, and Wake Forest Road. US 1 branches north off I-440 at US 401 (Capital Boulevard), becoming US 401/US 1. I-440 turns toward the southeast and follows a brief concurrency with U.S. Highway 64 Business (US 64 Bus.) before intersecting I-87/US 64/US 264. US 64 and I-87 are concurrent with I-440 along the remainder of the road's southwesterly routing. Exit 16 is the last exit on I-440, where I-440 splits to join either I-40 eastbound or I-40 westbound.
The Raleigh Beltline was formed from a number of highway segments, the earliest of which had been in place since 1959. The loop was completed in 1984 under multiple route designations. To avoid confusion along the beltline, I-440 was routed along the entirety of the beltline and shared a concurrency with its parent, I-40, along the loop's southern segment (Tom Bradshaw Freeway). In 2008, the I-440 designation was removed from the section of I-40/US 64 in southeast Raleigh. The highway's original "inner" and "outer" designations were also removed and replaced with compass directions (e.g., east/west). The easternmost of the I-440 was rebuilt in 2015 as part of the larger widening project along I-40 in South Raleigh, while the westernmost , the oldest segment and one which is not up to Interstate standards, is currently undergoing widening and upgrading and is scheduled to be complete by 2023.
Route description
I-440 begins on the western side of Raleigh at an interchange between I-40/US 1/US 64 (exits 1A and 1B), heading northeast concurrently with US 1. US 1/US 64 continues to the southwest on the same freeway. The freeway has an interchange with Jones Franklin Road (exit 1C) just over from its western terminus. Continuing northeast, the freeway runs between residential neighborhoods and has a partial interchange with Melbourne Road (exit 1D). Exit 2 provides access Western Boulevard, a major arterial road that connects west Raleigh with north Cary. From there, the freeway slowly begins to turn toward the north and completes the turn after a partial cloverleaf interchange with NC 54 (Hillsborough Street) at exit 3. North of that interchange, the freeway continues west of Meredith College and east of North Carolina State University's Centennial Biomedical Campus. East of there, exit 4 is a cloverleaf interchange with Wade Avenue, which provides access to PNC Arena and Carter–Finley Stadium. The freeway turns slightly to the northeast to have an interchange with Lake Boone Trail (exit 5). Approaching US 70, the freeway makes another slight turn toward the northeast. An incomplete interchange at exit 6 serves Ridge Road directly before the US 70 cloverleaf interchange at exit 7. From there, the freeway turns to the east and runs between more neighborhoods in the North Hills area of Raleigh. After an interchange with Six Forks Road (exit 8), which provides access to the North Hills shopping center, I-440 turns southeasterly.