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Q. When will the Urban Loop be designated I-840 instead of “Future 840?” Does it have to be completed before it is designated as such? It seems it would make things less complicated if it was called I-840 now since so much of it is completed.

—David B. Craft, Greensboro

A. The short answer is yes, all of it needs to be finished before that part of the loop gets its permanent shield.

Interstate 840 will be the name for the northern half of the loop around Greensboro. Those sections will go north from I-40 on Greensboro’s eastern side, then west across the city’s northern tier to reconnect with 40 near the airport in western Greensboro.

The “future” can’t be lifted until that entire link is complete from east to west, said Mike Mills of the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Two of five sections have been built, from Interstate 40 in eastern Greensboro north to U.S. 70, and from I-40 near the airport to Bryan Boulevard on the west.

Three intervening sections extend about 18 miles from U.S. 70 to U.S. 29; from there to Lawndale Drive; and from Lawndale to Bryan Boulevard. Preliminary estimates peg remaining construction costs at more than $405 million.

But right now, it’s anybody’s guess when any of these segments will be built, Mills said.

DOT leaders are evaluating all loop projects statewide in a process they expect to wrap up in February or March, Mills said. Residents will see the practical results of that analysis next spring when DOT releases its five-year construction plan, Mills said.

That will give everybody a better idea of how quickly “Future 840” becomes a thing of the past.

— Staff writer Taft Wireback