Future I-42 Gets You to Emerald Isle FASTER!!!!

Today’s post is all about the new interstate highway 42 designed to make access to the Crystal Coast faster and easier. Whether you visit here occasionally or live here full time, knowing about Interstate 42 and the impacts it will have on the quality of life and real estate prices along the Crystal Coast is a story that deserves telling. Before I begin, please subscribe to my blog now, or at the end of this post. I'll give you two complimentary donuts if you do!

What's better than getting to the Crystal Coast? A faster way to get here! U.S. 70, a four and sometimes two-lane highway between Raleigh and Morehead City in Carteret County, is undergoing major upgrades to become Interstate 42. The new route will shave almost an hour from the time it takes to get from the Triangle to the Crystal Coast — reducing travel from three to about two hours. This time is huge for out of state vacationers driving from Ohio or West Virginia.

Future Interstate 42 will span 132 miles and generally follow the existing U.S. 70 corridor southeasterly, connecting Garner, Clayton, Smithfield, Selma, Goldsboro, Kinston, New Bern and Havelock with high speed access to Carteret County, the Crystal Coast, Emerald Isle and the Port of Morehead City. In addition to connecting Morehead City with the Raleigh area, I-42 would also link Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station to the Interstate system.

I-42 will begin at an existing interchange with I-40 near Garner and follow U.S. 70 southeast toward Smithfield, Selma and I-95. Near Goldsboro, I-42 will replace the existing U.S. 70 Bypass around the north side of the city. A new bypass will carry I-42 around the south side of Kinston and connect I-42 with already constructed controlled-access and freeway portions east to New Bern. Southeast of New Bern, Future I-42 will follow another new bypass to the west of Havelock. Ultimately I-42 will end near the Port of Morehead City. Several new I-42 segments, including the Goldsboro Bypass, are already complete. The Havelock Bypass will be complete within the next four years. When these two segments are completed, there will be a continuous, limited access, high speed interstate from Goldsboro to the beaches of Carteret County where Emerald Isle is located. When the entire I-42 project is completed, Triangle residents can take I-40 to Garner to access I-42 and continue on this interstate to Newport, Morehead City and the Crystal Coast beach communities. Beyond being just a faster way to travel between the Triangle and the Crystal Coast, I-42 will be an important highway for freight movements, and it will expedite evacuations when storm events threaten. And those are good things for both vacationers and permanent residents, alike.

What impacts will this new Interstate 42 have on Carteret County and the Crystal Coast? Economically, I anticipate several major impacts. First, the ease of travel, in addition to the time savings, will make Carteret County attractive to those tourists who maybe only want to spend a weekend or even a day at the Crystal Coast. Second, workers employed by Research Triangle companies who have the flexibility to work remotely will find it much easier to live at the beach and commute to the Triangle when necessary. Third, the new Interstate highway from the Triangle to Carteret County will help the Crystal Coast become an even more popular vacation and second home destination for residents from the Triangle and other North Carolina metro areas which will increase homebuilding and improve the dynamics of our coastal communities. Fourth, I-42 will also help facilitate more economic development all along the new I-42 corridor, including Carteret County which will accelerate population growth. From a real estate perspective, residents in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and the surrounding cities and suburbs are going focus on beach homes along the Crystal Coast rather than in Wilmington or the Outer Banks. This will put a huge demand on already limited real estate in Carteret County. With demand comes higher prices. And, that is a good thing, to a point. Ultimately, demand will create new construction, new neighborhoods and new communities.

Eventually, Carteret County will experience the kinds of economic and real estate booms and dramatic population growth Wilmington experienced when I-40 came to New Hanover County in 1990. Carteret County already is starting to see positive impacts here with the Goldsboro Bypass and other completed highway improvements. As more segments of the new I-42 open, additional economic and population growth in Carteret County will follow. Additionally, Carteret County is a value destination for developers looking for long-term appreciation and growth potential, especially for those homeowners and investors who have been priced out of the Research Triangle market.

These population and economic expansions forecast with the arrival of I-42 will create a myriad of challenges to the quality of life here in Carteret County. Thankfully, county and municipal leaders are already planning for these challenges so the Crystal Coast can maintain and continue to promote its beautiful natural resources and unique quality of life. This interstate will help the Crystal Coast and the counties along this corridor to attract businesses and people and retain population that might have otherwise move away. Bottom line, now is a good time to invest in Crystal Coast real estate.

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