Interstate 540 (North Carolina)

Template:Routeboxint Interstate 540 (abbreviated I-540) is the modern perimeter loop of Raleigh, North Carolina. The road is several miles further from downtown Raleigh than Interstate 440, the Cliff Benson Beltline. Known formally as the Northern Wake Expressway, the "Outer Loop" presently runs 16 miles (26 km) from I-40 near Raleigh-Durham International Airport around the northern part of Raleigh to U.S. Route 1 (Capital Boulevard) northeast of Raleigh.

When finished, the loop will total over 50 miles in length; as of 2005, only about one quarter of the project has been completed and is open to traffic. As of November 2005, sections from US 1 to US 64 in Knightdale, North Carolina in the east and from I-40 to NC 54 and NC 55 in the west are under construction. While work on the western section may be completed in 2006, NCDOT just announced that the work on the eastern portion will not be completed now until 2007. Work on the southern portion of the beltway has yet to begin, and the final segments may not open until 2030. At the request of several Wake County mayors, the North Carolina Turnpike Authority will study the use of tolls to complete I-540, potentially completing the project as early as 2012.

NCDOT once planned to renumber I-540 to I-640 once the Outer Loop is completed back to I-40 in Garner. These plans may change due to potential motorist confusion, but it will leave I-540 carrying an odd spur number even though it is a loop.

Exit list

This exit list encompasses both the completed portions of I-540 and any portions of the interstate which are currently under construction.

Exit	Road(s) intersected	Destination(s)	Notes
?	File:NC 54 Shield.PNG North Carolina State Highway 54		Under construction. Exit numbers for these interchanges unknown at this time.
?	North Carolina State Highway 55
1	File:Interstate 40.svg Interstate 40	Raleigh, Durham	Westbound only - End of freeway, all traffic exit at 1A. Split into exits 1A (I-40 East) and 1B (I-40 West)
2	Aviation Parkway	RDU Airport
3	Lumley Rd	North Cargo, General Aviation (RDU Airport)
4	U.S. Route 70	Raleigh, Durham	Split into exits 4A (US 70 East) and 4B (US 70 West)
7	Leesville Road
9	File:NC 50 Shield.PNG North Carolina State Highway 50	Raleigh, Creedmoor
11	Six Forks Road	North Carolina State Highway 98, Wake Forest Highway	SR 1005
14	Falls of the Neuse Road		SR 2000
16	U.S. Route 1 Capital Blvd	Raleigh, Wake Forest	Eastbound only
17	Triangle Town Blvd		Eastbound only - End of freeway, all traffic exit
19	U.S. Route 401	Rolesville	Under construction
21	Buffaloe Rd		Under construction
24	U.S. Route 64 Bypass U.S. Route 264	Raleigh, Knightdate	Under construction