| A quick fix in a sense sees an Interstate 26 westbound shield
affixed to the top of the Interstate 240 east and U.S. 19 & 23 northbound pull-through panel.U.S. 19 & 23 overlap
with Interstate 240 through to the split with Interstate 26. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Exit 3B composes an eastbound only off-ramp to Westgate Parkway
and Holiday Inn Drive. Just ahead is the Patton Avenue merge of U.S. 19 & 23 onto the Asheville urban loop.
Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| The first Interstate 26 stand alone shield posted along
the Interstate 240 overlap as of the August 5, 2003 extension. Ahead is the French Broad River crossing into
the central business district of the city. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Due to the substandard nature of the six-lane French Broad
River crossing and the adjacent Exit 4A interchange, Interstate 26 is known as "Future" through this stretch.
A new 2.5 mile "I-26 Connector" is planned to take Interstate 26 onto a new alignment between Patton Avenue
and Broadway Street including a new French Broad River crossing.
No immediate timetable is set for construction of the new piece of roadway. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Entering the Exit 4A/B directional interchange near downtown.
Several things occur here: Interstate 26 & 240 end their short four-mile overlap, U.S. 19 & 23 depart Interstate
240 along new Interstate 26, U.S. 70 enters Interstate 26 and U.S. 19 & 23 from Interstate 240 west, and
ramps to Patton Avenue tie in from the south. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Still within the Interstate 26 & 240 and U.S. 19-23-70 confluence
is the Exit 4B ramp departure for Patton Avenue. The alignment of the east-west arterial was overtaken with
the construction of Interstate 240 through the city. The street otherwise branches from Exit 4B to U.S. 25
(Broadway Street & Biltmore Avenue) 13 blocks to the east. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| The Haywood Street off-ramp (Exit 4B) departs at the Montford
Street overcrossing. Haywood Street parallels Interstate 240 between the French Broad River and Patton Avenue.
Montford Avenue stems from Haywood Street into the northern reaches of the city. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| U.S. 25 becomes Merrimon Avenue at the Exit 5 partial cloverleaf
interchange of Interstate 240 & U.S. 70. Broadway Street continues northwest of the junction to Interstate
26 & U.S. 19-23-70. Visible to the right of this photograph is the Exit 4B off-ramp. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Interstate 240 & U.S. 70 eastbound at the U.S. 25 (Merrimon
Avenue) off-ramp. U.S. 25 is a north-south conduit for the expansion of the Asheville metropolitan area.
The federal highway serves the communities of Woodfin (pop. 3,162), Bitmore Forest (pop. 1,440), and Royal
Pines (pop. 5,334) outside of the Asheville city limits. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| The Exit 5B diamond interchange at Charlotte Street represents
the eastern end of the Interstate 240 & U.S. 70 one mile overlap. The junction also composes the western
terminus of U.S. 74 Alternate. U.S. 74A is orphaned from its parent due to the overlap with Interstate 26 and
40 to the southwest. U.S. 74 originally followed U.S. 25 northward into the city to meet U.S. 74A nearby at
Merrimon Avenue. This changed with the advent of the Interstate system.
U.S. 70 retains its original routing via College Street and Tunnel Road to the south of Interstate
240. The federal route again interacts with the Asheville urban loop at Exit 7. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Six lanes of Interstate 240 curve southward at the Exit 7
directional interchange with U.S. 70 (Tunnel Road). The interchange serves eastern reaches of the city.
Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| U.S. 74 Alternate (Fairview Road) interacts with Interstate
240 for a second time at the Exit 8 partial cloverleaf. The bannered route shadows Interstate 240 via Tunnel
and Swananoa River Roads between U.S. 70 and the Exits 8. The federal highway shares pavement with the final
stretch of Interstate 240 through to the Interstate 40 junction. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| The mainline of Interstate 240 eastbound defaults onto Interstate
40 east for Hickory, Statesville (Interstate 77 junction), and Winston-Salem. Exit 9 composes the U.S. 74A
(Charlotte Highway) eastbound and Interstate 40 westbound ramps. Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Interstate 240 draws to a close at the ramp partition of
Interstate 40 west and U.S. 74A east. U.S. 74 Alternate continues a short distance to intersect the Blue
Ridge Parkway. At Bat Cave, U.S. 74A and U.S. 64 commence a 23 mile overlap through to the city of Rutherfordton
(pop. 4,131). Interstate 40 interacts with Interstate 26 and 240 again eight miles to the west.
Photo taken 08/23/03.
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| Interstate 240 West
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| No Photos at Present
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| Scenes Pertaining to Interstate 240
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| Interstate 240 North Carolina and U.S. 70 shield
assembly on the Exit 7 off-ramp at U.S. 70 (Tunnel Road). Photo taken 2001.
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Page Updated February 12, 2004.
