It is part of the larger I-26, a regional Interstate that runs from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Charleston, South Carolina.

Along the segment from Mars Hill to Asheville, there are future I-26 signs as some parts of the road have not yet been upgraded to Interstate Highway standards.

In the first nine miles (14 km), designated as a scenic byway, it features mostly six travel lanes and three runaway truck ramps going eastbound.

At Weaverville, Future I-26 merges with US 25/US 70, coming from Marshall; however, US 25 soon disembarks in Woodfin and continues south along Merrimon Avenue.

The interchange also features warning lights for "stopped traffic ahead", a common condition during rush hour.

Westbound I-40/US 74 continues on to Canton and Knoxville; eastbound I-40 provides access to nearby Biltmore Estate and further on to Hickory.

Near East Flat Rock, US 25 separates again toward Greenville, South Carolina, while I-26 goes southeasterly down along Dodging Hill and crosses over the Green River along the Peter Guice Memorial Bridge, with a 235-foot (72 m) clearance from the river, making it the highest bridge in North Carolina.

[6] At Howard Gap (elevation around 1,900 ft or 580 m), an additional truck lane is available on westbound I-26 for three miles (4.8 km).

At 71.4 miles (114.9 km), which combines I-26 and Future I-26, I-26 crosses the state line and into South Carolina.

The ADHS provides additional funds, as authorized by Congress, which have enabled I-26 to benefit from the successive improvements and widening along its routing within the corridor.

In 2013, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) reopened the idea of widening I-26 from I-40, in Asheville, to US 25, near Flat Rock.

In 2015, it qualified and became part of the 2016–2025 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and will cost $396 million to build.

[12] Construction began sooner than that in October 2019, although it originally did not extend to US 25 in Flat Rock; it instead terminated at US 64 in Hendersonville.

[15] Section C (Alternative F1), the I-26/I-240/I-40 interchange, will be reconfigured to include missing ramp connects and a widening of I-40 through the area.

[16][17] However, this was delayed due to NCDOT having to make several refinements to the plans based on feedback from the community and the city of Asheville, as well as several other organization.

The final record of decision was approved in Spring 2023 and right-of-way acquisition for all of Section A began at that time.

Currently, preliminary engineering activities have begun for Section C, but construction has been delayed because it was not included in the state's 2024-2033 STIP.

[19] Another project, between Broadway Avenue and the US 19/US 23A interchanges, will be upgraded to Interstate standards by replacing bridges, expanding the highway width and adding shoulders.