Flooding damage shuts down section of I-95 until Friday evening

By Julian Grace, WRAL anchor/reporter

The aftermath of Thursday’s storms and flooding is still disrupting traffic patterns along I-95.

Currently, all lanes are closed at I-95 northbound near Smithfield at Exit 102.

That stretch won’t reopen until Friday evening, after high waters created a hump in the interstate pavement.

On Thursday afternoon, multiple segments of I-95 were impacted by flooding.

During the height of the rainfall, a section of I-95 buckled in one place between Wilson and Rocky Mount.

Rocky Mount experienced more than 9 inches of rain over the last 48 hours – among the highest measurements in the region.

Some exits along I-95 near Rocky Mount were closed due to flooding, according to North Carolina Department of Transportation spokesman Jamie Kritzer.

The NCDOT earlier closed all lanes of I-95 in both directions near Wilson near Exit 121 (I-795/US-264). They closure wasn’t expected to reopen until Friday morning, but around 7:30 p.m. on Thursday the southbound lanes at Exit 121 near Wilson were able to open once again.

However, I-95 northbound is not expected to open until 5 p.m. on Friday.

Even as the bulk of the rain finally moved out, many roads are still flooded around the state. Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell said, “We have roadways with water running across them. We’re working with the NC DOT and Highway Patrol. We’ve got roadways that are impassable. Folks, be careful.”