Interstate 240 (North Carolina)

===Future===
A planned construction project, dubbed the I-26 Connector, is a $600–800-million project to build the missing gap of I-26 through Asheville. Broken into three sections, they are all planned and funded in the 2016–2025 STIP. Section&nbsp;A, between Haywood Road and Brevard Road, will be a widening project with reconfiguration of ramps at Haywood, Amboy and Brevard. Section&nbsp;B, between north of Haywood Road to [[U.S. Route 19 in North Carolina|US&nbsp;19]]/US&nbsp;23/[[U.S. Route 70 in North Carolina|US&nbsp;70]], is the most expensive section of the project at $332&nbsp;million.  After a review of various alternative designs, both state and federal agencies chose ''Alternative&nbsp;4B'', which will convert Patton Avenue along Bowen Bridges to local traffic and reroute I-240 along I-26 further north.<ref name="Barrett">{{cite news |last= Barrett |first= Mark |date= May 19, 2016 |title= Connector route taking traffic off Bowen Bridge picked |url= http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2016/05/18/connector-route-taking-traffic-off-bowen-bridge-picked/84564592/ |newspaper= [[Asheville Citizen-Times]] |access-date= May 19, 2016 }}</ref> Section&nbsp;C, the I-26/I-240/I-40 interchange, will be reconfigured to include missing ramp connects and a widening of I-40 through the area. The approximately {{convert|7|mi|km|adj=on|spell=in}} project will begin right-of-way acquisition in 2019, with construction on all three sections in 2021.<ref name=I26conn>{{cite web |url= http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/i26connector/ |title= I-26 Connector, Asheville, NC |work= Project Details |publisher= North Carolina Department of Transportation |access-date=December 14, 2013}}</ref><ref name="I-26 Connector Visualization">{{cite web |url= https://vimeo.com/ursci/review/145667973/d06fb7bdc8 |title= I-26 Connector Visualization |publisher= North Carolina Department of Transportation |access-date=May 19, 2016}}</ref> Additional plans for I-240 in west Asheville call for its expansion from four lanes to eight lanes.<ref name="Kurumi">{{cite web|url=http://www.kurumi.com/roads/3di/i240.html|title=Kurumi - I-240|access-date=October 5, 2014}}</ref>{{self-published source|date=February 2023}}

As part of the [[Interstate 26 in North Carolina|I-26 Connector]], in 2016, both state and federal agencies chose ''Alternative&nbsp;4B'', which will convert Patton Avenue along Bowen Bridge to local traffic and reroute I-240 along I-26 further north.<ref name="Barrett"/> In addition, the I-26/I-240/I-40 interchange, will be reconfigured to include missing ramp connects and a widening of I-40 through the area. The approximately {{convert|7|mi|km|adj=on|spell=in}} project planned to begin right-of-way acquisition in 2019,<ref name="I26conn"/><ref name="I-26 Connector Visualization"/> though delays included state money and worries over how neighborhoods would be affected. Contracts are to be awarded in 2023 and 2024 and construction to take three to five years. The estimated cost increased from $750 million in 2017 to $1.2 billion in 2023.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/2023/01/12/what-is-the-status-of-the-asheville-i-26-connector/69798658007/|title=Answer Man: Asheville I-26 connector project update?|last=Burgess|first=Joel|work=Asheville Citizen-Times|date=February 12, 2023}}</ref>