Interstate 95 north - Four Oaks to Wilson

Interstate 95 heads north through the area of Four Oaks in Johnston County, North Carolina, where a state highway patrol station is located at the forthcoming exit, 90. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Exit 90 intersects U.S. Route 301, U.S. Route 701 - which has its northern terminus at the interchange - and North Carolina Highway 96, and serves Newton Grove and the Bentonville Civil War Battleground. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Lodging and camping options for exit 90 are listed by this blue sign. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Exit 90 leaves the highway just ahead. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The exit 90 gore, with signage indicating a hard-right turn along the ramp. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

US 701 crosses over I-95 here. It ends at US 301 immediately to the north. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The onramp from US 701 comes in at right. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

There is an I-95 reassurance shield following the exit. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The speed limit at this point is 65 miles per hour, a decrease from the usual 70 within the state. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Smithfield, Wilson and Richmond, Virginia are respectively 5, 33 and 165 miles north of here. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The highway is now preparing to cross the Neuse River, the centerpiece of the Neuse River Basin. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The Neuse bridge close-up. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Exit 93, the first of the Smithfield exits, intersecting Brogden Road, is a mile and a half away. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

There is a rest area about seven miles north of this variable message sign, near mile marker 100, but it was closed at the time of these photos. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Exit 93 is just ahead, on the opposite side of this overpass. Brogden Road (SR 1007), leads a few feet into far-west Smithfield, while in the opposite direction, it eventually finds its way to North Carolina Highway 581 west of Goldsboro in Wayne County. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Northbound I-95 then receives traffic from Brogden Road. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Exit 95 - U.S. Route 70 Business, running between the aforementioned Smithfield and Goldsboro - is a mile from this green sign. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

I-95 reassurance is given to drivers in the meantime. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Exit 95 is one of the central exits of the Smithfield hub, and no fewer than six hotel/motels and a tourist information center are located there. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Exit 95 is here. This iteration of US 70 Business runs all the way to Interstate 40 at Garner, in Wake County southeast of Raleigh. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The exit 95 gore sign. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The onramp from eastbound US 70 Business comes in at right before I-95 passes under it. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Traffic from westbound US 70 Business then joins the highway. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Lodging at the next exit, 97, is listed by the blue sign at right. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Meanwhile, Wilson, Rocky Mount and Richmond are a respective 26, 46 and 160 miles away. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Exit 97 intersects mainline U.S. Route 70, leading to Selma, Pine Level and Goldsboro. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Three coastal destinations are accessible from exit 97: the historic Tryon Palace in New Bern, at the beginning of the tidal Neuse River; the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores; and the Cape Lookout National Seashore, located separate from North Carolina's mainland. The latter two points are more than 100 miles away, and even Tryon Palace involves an 85-mile drive from the exit. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Also off this exit are the Hinnant Family Vineyards in Pine Level. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Exit 97 is imminent. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Fewer trees are situated in the northbound gore of exit 97 than many other exits along I-95 in North Carolina. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The highway's median becomes a concrete barrier, while a blank blue sign at right touts non-extant camping accommodations at the next exit. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The exit, 98, leading to the town of Selma, is half a mile away. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Selma's Amtrak station, i.e. its historic Union Station, is off this exit. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Here, the highway crosses over the intersecting road, Pine Level Selma Road (SR 1927), which becomes Anderson Street west of the interchange. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

I-95 now reaches exit 98 itself. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The following I-95 reassurance shield is double-legged. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

A sign nearing the Johnston County rest area reminds drivers of its closure. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The exit from the rest area back onto I-95 is at right. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Lizzie Mill Road (SR 1001) then passes over the Interstate. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Exit 101, for Pittman Road, is in one mile. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Exit 101 is here. At right, Bertie Heights Road intersects the offramp. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Next is exit 102, serving the town of Micro on US 301 and intersecting its Main Street. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

I-95 reassurance sits between exits. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Exit 102 is right here. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

After the exit, I-95 passes under Bizzell Grove Church Road (SR 2141) at a VMS. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The next exit, 105 - the first of Johnston County's truck stop hub - intersects Bagley Road. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The exit 105 gore sign. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

As Bagley Road passes over the Interstate, exit 106, for Truck Stop Road, is in one mile. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Big Boy's Travel Center is right beside the highway as the onramp from Bagley Road enters at right. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

I-95 crosses the Neuse River tributary the Little River between exits. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Exit 106 is approaching. This is the exit of Kenly 95, a spin-off of Iowa 80, the self-proclaimed world's largest truck stop in Walcott, Iowa. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Rocky Mount and Richmond are 39 and 151 miles away. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The highway passes traveler services at left and a row of trees at right. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Exit 107, the last in Johnston County, is approaching as I-95 curves to the left and its median becomes slightly wider. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Gas stations at exit 107 are listed here. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Exit 107 intersects US 301, leading into the town of Kenly and to Wilson, about 15 miles northeast. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

I-95 crosses over US 301 here. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The landscape surrounding I-95 now becomes considerably less developed. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The speed limit remains 70 miles per hour as the Interstate curves to the right and prepares to pass under North Carolina Highway 222. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

A close-up of the NC 222 bridge. It intersects US 301 just to the southeast in Kenly. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Wilson, Rocky Mount and Richmond are a respective 19, 36 and 148 miles north of this point. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

I-95 now enters Wilson County, where it will spend about 16 miles and have three exits. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Shortly afterward, at mile marker 108.5, more trees start to surround the highway. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The highway's median then becomes tree-lined in the distance. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The trees then momentarily clear away from the median, allowing for some flowers to appear. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Further along, a single tree is situated in the middle of the highway as it curves wide-right. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Springfield School Road then passes over the Interstate. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Eventually, exit 116, intersecting North Carolina Highway 42 and serving Wilson and Clayton, is announced to be in one and a half miles. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The highway crosses over Contentnea Creek prior to the exit. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Also accessible from exit 116 is the area of Rock Ridge to the west. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Exit 116 has been reached. The nine-plus-mile gap from exit 107 to here is the longest between successive exits on I-95 in North Carolina. NC 42, meanwhile, runs 223 miles east-west between Randolph and Bertie counties, and just to the east, has a bypass of sorts along the north side of Wilson around the city's downtown. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Next up is exit 119, two miles away, intersecting the 2021-designated Interstate 587, southbound Interstate 795 (whose northern terminus us there), and U.S. Route 264. US 264 goes west toward Raleigh and east to Wilson, and I-795 south to Goldsboro. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

In between exits sits I-95 reassurance. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

I-587/US 264 east (119A) lead to Greenville, home to East Carolina University. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The highway proceeds over Mill Branch. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The collector-distributor for exit 119 is ahead. This exit is also where the construction alternate route for Interstate 40 to the south leaves the I-95 corridor. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

The gore sign for exits 119A-B. Old Raleigh Road passes over the Interstate just ahead. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

Overhead signs for the exit 119 offramps, not yet including I-587, are at right. Photo taken 10-06-2023.

After I-95 passes under US 264, incoming traffic prepares to merge onto I-95 north. Photo taken 10-06-2023.