If you drive I-95 through Johnston County, you have spent time in the widening work zone. NCDOT is taking 26 miles of the interstate from four lanes to eight, from Murphy Road at Exit 55 in Cumberland County to the I-40 junction at Exit 81 in Johnston County. Construction began in 2019, NCDOT estimates the cost at $708,956,000, and the project page gives no completion date. For drivers from Benson, Four Oaks, Smithfield and Selma, that means a long stretch of lane shifts, barriers and heavy trucks, and for many windshields, a chip or two.
Why work zones are hard on glass
A work zone packs traffic together. Lanes narrow and shift, the shoulder may be gravel or freshly graded earth, and dump trucks come and go carrying stone and fill.
North Carolina has a law for the loads themselves. G.S. 20-116(g) says no vehicle may be driven on a highway unless its load is secured against falling, blowing, dropping, sifting, leaking or otherwise escaping. Trucks over 7,500 pounds hauling rock, gravel or stone must keep the load six inches below the top of the walls and covered with a tarp or similar cover. The rule is there because loose stone is a road hazard.
Can you make the truck pay?
In theory, a driver whose uncovered load broke your windshield could be responsible. In practice it is hard: you need to know which vehicle the stone came from, show that its load or the truck broke the rules, and identify the owner, usually while driving at highway speed. Stones also come off the road surface and from tires, not only from loads. Most drivers end up claiming under their own comprehensive coverage instead.
The NC Department of Insurance lists breakage of glass, and missiles or falling objects, as comprehensive losses, paid less your deductible. A comprehensive glass claim is not an at-fault accident, so it adds no Safe Driver Incentive Plan points, although insurers may consider how often you claim. North Carolina has no law waiving the glass deductible, so check what your policy says.
What to do after a chip
- Note where and when. If you saw the truck, note the company name, the truck number and the mile marker. It may not lead anywhere, but it costs nothing to write down.
- Look at the damage once you are parked. A small chip is different from a crack that is already running.
- Cover it. A piece of clear tape over a fresh chip can help keep out dirt and water until it is seen to.
- Get it looked at soon. Impex says repair may be possible when damage is small, shallow and away from the edges. Left alone, chips can spread into cracks.
- Check your policy. Know your comprehensive deductible before you decide whether to claim.
The ROLAGS repair standard treats stone breaks up to two inches across and single line cracks up to 14 inches as repairable, but location matters too. A crack that reaches the edge of the glass, or damage right in the driver’s view, usually means a new windshield.
Chip or crack: what the technician looks at
The repair standard has its own vocabulary. ROLAGS calls a crack of six inches or less a short crack and anything longer a long crack, and a crack that runs to the edge of the glass an edge crack. Impex’s simpler test is whether the damage is small, shallow and away from the edges; a chip smaller than a quarter often qualifies. The technician also looks at where the damage sits: in front of the driver, or in the area the forward camera looks through behind the mirror, even a small break usually means new glass.
If it needs replacing
Impex Auto Glass comes to you along the corridor. Drivers near the I-40 junction can read about auto glass in Benson, NC, which also covers Four Oaks; north of the work zone, see windshield replacement in Smithfield, NC and windshield replacement in Selma, NC. If your car has a forward camera behind the mirror, Impex calibrates it on site after the new glass is in.
Request a quote
Three short steps: the damaged glass, your vehicle and how to reach you. Impex Auto Glass comes back to you with a quote and a time for the visit.
Safe driving in the work zone helps too: keep a longer gap behind trucks, especially ones carrying stone, and stay out of the spray behind a truck on a gravel shoulder where you can.
Questions drivers ask
Who pays for a windshield cracked in the I-95 work zone?
Usually your own comprehensive coverage, less the deductible. Holding a truck owner responsible means proving which vehicle threw the stone and that it broke the load rules.
When will the I-95 widening be finished?
NCDOT’s project page gives no completion date. Construction on the 26-mile stretch began in 2019.
Ready for a quote?
Send the quote form or call, and Impex Auto Glass will set a time for your glass.