First listed in the City of Kinston's Comprehensive Transportation Plan in October 2007, the proposed Kinston Bypass has been under development for several years.
It was put on hold in November 2014 when the project was removed from the N.C. Department of Transportation's 10-year transportation plan, the State Transportation Improvement Program.
Development was reinitiated, however, in December 2016 when funding for the project was reinstated.