U.S. Highways and Interstates

You can’t have any conversation about transportation assets without first starting with roads – it’s in our name!

• I-95 runs the entire length of the east coast of the United States. That means direct, non-stop access to Washington, D.C., New York, Boston, Jacksonville and Miami. 

• I-40 runs the entire width of the United States, providing direct, non-stop access to the Port of Wilmington, Raleigh, Nashville, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Albuquerque, Flagstaff and Bakersfield, CA.

• U.S. Highway 421 / Future I-685* provides an alternate route to the Port of Wilmington to the southeast and North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad to the northwest. *I-685 will be developed to better connect our communities to the Piedmont Triad (Greensboro / Winston-Salem).

• U.S. Highway 301 runs through each of our communities, following alongside Interstate 95 running north and south.

Rail and the CSX Carolina Connector Intermodal Terminal

Each of our communities sit on the CSX mainline. CSX is a class one carrier that maintains 20,000 miles of track and serves much of the eastern third of the United States including all major deepwater ports.

CSX recently opened the Carolina Connector in Rocky Mount, NC. Located roughly 60 miles north of our region, the Carolina Connector will have rail-to-truck transfer capacity for domestic and international container shipments. The terminal has three wide-span, zero-emission electric cranes with a lift capacity of 110,000 containers per year.

Air

The nearest commercial service to our region is Fayetteville Regional Airport just 30 minutes south. The primary carriers are Delta and American, which generally will take you to their biggest hubs to reach your final destination.

Just a bit further, about one hour to the west, you’ll reach Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The region’s recent growth has included major expansions at this airport. While RDU has seen cutbacks due to COVID, it is still viewed as an important facility for major carriers. At it’s peak, RDU served 14.2 million passengers annually. Recent data show the airport has been rebounding well and currently serves 57 destinations with 600+ daily arrivals/departures.

Nearby regional airports include:

• Harnett Regional Jetport (10 miles northwest of Dunn, NC)

• Johnston Regional Jetport (10 miles north of Four Oaks, NC)

Deepwater Ports

If global shipping is important to your business, then a location in our region brings you several options, including the closest and one of the least congested ports on the east coast – The Port of Wilmington. Here are all of the major deep-water ports within ½ day truck drive from our communities. 

• Port of Wilmington (NC): 1 hour 45 minutes

• Port of Morehead City (NC): 2 hours and 30 minutes

• Port of Virginia: 3 hours and 15 minutes

• Port of Charleston: 4 hours

• Port of Savannah: 4 hours