It is planned to continue northeast through Rocky Mount, Williamston, and Elizabeth City, ending in Norfolk, Virginia.

The remainder to the Virginia border is not built as a limited access freeway and will require expansion parallel to existing US Highways, including US 13, US 17, and US 158.

A portion of I-87, originally designated I-495, was first designated as an Interstate Highway on February 20, 2013, when the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) submitted a request to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in order to establish I-495 as a new auxiliary route of I-95.

This older section of freeway will eventually be expanded to Interstate standards, which include road rehabilitation and wider lanes and shoulders.

Long-term plans by the Raleigh–Durham area's Regional Transportation Alliance (RTA) called for extension of the interstate east of I-95 toward Elizabeth City, then northeastward to the I-64/I-464 interchange in Hampton Roads.

[11] Representative G. K. Butterfield introduced legislation in June 2014 to add the corridor to the Interstate Highway System through Congressional authority.

[12] An NCDOT policy paper said they were "seeking language in the reauthorization of surface transportation programs legislation to enhance the description of the Raleigh–Norfolk Corridor to include the route via Rocky Mount–Elizabeth City for clarity, and to designate the entire route from Raleigh to Norfolk as a future part of the Interstate system as I-44 or I-50".

[9][10] Had the I-44 designation been approved, it would have been discontinuous with the current I-44, which runs between Wichita Falls, Texas, and St. Louis, Missouri.

[17] The I-87 designation pays tribute to several important dates in the history of both North Carolina and Virginia: the Roanoke Colony was founded in 1587, James Madison's Virginia Plan helped to develop the US Constitution in 1787, and North Carolina State University was created in 1887.

[19] I-87 signage were installed on September 5, 2017; in May 2019 milemarkers and exit numbers were changed along the already completed segment from the I-440 junction to Rolesville Road.

NCDOT maps show the Interstate roughly following the US 17 corridor between Williamston and South Mills.

[20][needs update] To the north of South Mills, NCDOT has laid out two plans on how the Interstate would proceed to Virginia.

In contrast, a second plan shows an interchange with I-87 and US 17 just north of modern-day McPherson Road and the Dismal Swamp Welcome Center.

However, the westernmost segment of I-587 that would connect with I-87 near Wendell is still marked as US 264 (and Future I-587) until it is upgraded to current Interstate Highway standards.