It runs from nearby Hope Mills to Eastover, passing through the eastern side of downtown Fayetteville.

The entire route, except for two short segments at its northern and southern termini, is concurrent with US Highway 301 (US 301).

[2] In the two remaining incomplete sections, one around Fayetteville and the other around Wilson and Rocky Mount, traffic was routed over four-lane divided stretches of US 301.

[3][4] Despite appeals to the US Supreme Court,[3] their efforts failed but delayed completion of I-95 around Fayetteville.

In anticipation of the completion of the penultimate stretch of I-95 in North Carolina, bypassing the cities of Wilson and Rocky Mount, the former "Temporary I-95", consisting largely of parallel US 301, was designated I-95 Bus.

The route ran concurrently with US 301 from Kenly through Wilson and Rocky Mount to just south of Battleboro, and it then proceeded alone over a four-lane divided connector road back onto mainline I-95 (the former North Carolina Highway 1522 [NC 1522]).

was decommissioned;[5] NC 4 was extended onto the connector road from Gold Rock to its current southern terminus at US 301 south of Battleboro.