Planning for the Fayetteville Outer Loop began in the late 1980s. The first segment – from Ramsey Street to River Road – opened in 2003, creating a new route over the Cape Fear River. Two years later, the Outer Loop was extended eastward to Interstate 95.
In August 2014, the N.C. Department of Transportation opened a 1.7-mile section of the Fayetteville Outer Loop from Murchison Road to Bragg Boulevard.
In August 2016, a $146 million, 6.5-mile portion from Bragg Boulevard to Ramsey Street opened, providing a direct eastward connection from Fort Bragg to I-95, which is critical to deployment and national security. It is also a key factor in future plans to close Bragg Boulevard through the military post.
When the entire, 39-mile outer loop is completed, it will connect I-95 in northern Cumberland County and I-95 in Robeson County just below the Cumberland County line.