Interstate 26 in North Carolina

Interstate 26
Interstate 26
	I-26 highlighted in red and Future I-26 highlighted in blue
Route information
	Maintained by NCDOT
Length	52.69 mi (84.80 km)
Existed	1966–present
Tourist; routes	I-26 Scenic Highway
NHS	Entire route
Major junctions
West end	I-26 / US 23 at the Tennessee line near Faust
	US 19 / US 23A near Mars Hill; (unfinished segment); I-40 / I-240 / US 74 in Asheville; ; US 25 / US 25 Bus. in Fletcher; US 64 in Hendersonville; US 25 near East Flat Rock; US 74 in Columbus;
East end	I-26 at the South Carolina line near Landrum, SC
Location
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Counties	Madison, Buncombe, Henderson, Polk
Highway system
	Interstate Highway System; Main; Auxiliary; Suffixed; Business; Future; North Carolina Highway System; Interstate; US; State; Scenic;

Interstate 26 (I-26) in North Carolina runs through the western part of the state from the Tennessee border to the South Carolina border, following the Appalachian Mountains. It is part of the larger I-26, a regional Interstate that runs from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Charleston, South Carolina. I-26 is mostly four lanes through North Carolina with few exceptions. Though signed with east–west cardinal directions (because of the even number convention), in North Carolina and Tennessee, the route goes nearly north–south, with the northern direction labeled "West" and vice versa.

Within Madison County, I-26 is officially dedicated/memorialized as the Liston B. Ramsey Freeway on the section that over laps with US Highway 23 (US 23).^[3]

I-26's original western terminus was I-40/I-240 in Asheville. Between 2003 and 2005, the road was extended further north into Tennessee. Along the segment from Mars Hill to Asheville, there are future I-26 signs as some parts of the road have not yet been upgraded to Interstate Highway standards.

^ Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
^ "I-26 Fact Sheet" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. June 21, 2008. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ "North Carolina Memorial Highways and other Named Facilities" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. July 15, 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2013.

[1] Starks, Edward (January 27, 2022). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved May 22, 2023.

[2] "I-26 Fact Sheet" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. June 21, 2008. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

[3] "North Carolina Memorial Highways and other Named Facilities" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. July 15, 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 29, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2013.

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