U.S. Route 301 in North Carolina

U.S. Route 301 (US 301) is a north–south United States highway that runs for 194 miles (312 km) in North Carolina from the South Carolina state line near Rowland to the Virginia state line near Pleasant Hill. The entire route parallels I-95. From the southern border to Hope Mills, it runs very close to I-95, crossing it several times and having a short concurrency with the freeway in Lumberton. From Hope Mills to Eastover, North Carolina it follows Interstate 95 Business, a partial freeway that passes through the center of Fayetteville. Passing through towns such as Dunn, Benson, Smithfield, and Selma that are bypassed by I-95, numerous local businesses targeted at I-95 travellers line this stretch, rarely does it veer more than a fraction of a mile from I-95. At Kenly, it leaves its close parallel of I-95, taking a route approximately 5 miles east of I-95 and passing through the center of the cities of Wilson and Rocky Mount. North of Rocky Mount it passes through several small towns, including Whitakers, Enfield, Halifax, and Weldon before passing into Virginia near Pleasant Hill. Through Rocky Mount the route divides into a Business and Bypass route, and there is also a short business loop in Halifax.

U.S. Highway 301 marker
U.S. Highway 301
Map
US 301 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 1
Maintained by NCDOT
Length193.7 mi[1] (311.7 km)
Existed1932–present
Major junctions
South end US 301 / US 501 at the South Carolina state line
Major intersections
North end US 301 at the Virginia state line
Location
CountryUnited States
StateNorth Carolina
CountiesRobeson, Cumberland, Harnett, Johnston, Wilson, Nash, Edgecombe, Halifax, Northampton
Highway system
NC 295 NC 304

Route description

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US 301 generally follows the same route as I-95 through North Carolina; they both enter the state near the South of the Border attraction in South Carolina, overlap together around Lumberton, and share multiple interchanges before reaching Virginia.

US 301 enters North Carolina at the South Carolina border, south of Rowland and north of South of the Border. The highway enters the state as a four-lane divided highway, concurrent with US 501. It immediately meets I-95 (I-95 exit 1) at an interchange partially in North Carolina and partially in South Carolina. US 301 and US 501 continue north of the interchange toward Rowland, and the highway narrows to a two-lane undivided roadway. It goes northwest until passing through the Bracey Swamp where both routes curve northeast running parallel to the CSX South End Subdivision until they enter Rowland where the concurrency with US 501 ends. US 301 then makes two sharp right curves and then one left curve where it passes through Raynham before merging with I-95 from exit 10 to exit 22. North of Lumberton, it crosses I-95 twice before entering Fayetteville, overlapped with I-95 Business along Eastern Boulevard. North of Eastover, it encounters a connecting road to US 13 just before it crosses under North Carolina Highway 295 (NC 295), also known as Future I-295, as it parallels I-95 to its immediate west. Traversing through the cities of Wade, Godwin, Dunn, and Benson, where it crosses over I-40 without an interchange; it joins the southbound right-in/right-out interchange from Exit 90 on I-95 before serving as the northern terminus of US 701 in Four Oaks, and starts a concurrency with North Carolina Highway 96 (NC 96). From there it continues on through Smithfield, then Selma where the NC 96 concurrency ends, and then passes through Micro. At Kenly, US 301 crosses under I-95 then moves away from that interstate again, into the cities of Wilson, Elm City, Sharpsburg, and Rocky Mount, before returning to a more easterly parallel to the Interstate. US 301 continues north through the towns of Enfield, Halifax, and Weldon, where it joins US 158 in an overlap with a bridge over the Roanoke River, then leaves the overlap as it enters Garysburg. The last major intersection with US 301 in the state is with NC 48 in Pleasant Hill before crossing into Virginia.[1]

History

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US 301 was established in 1932, replacing US 217 from the South Carolina state line to Wilson, and US 17-1 from Wilson to the Virginia state line. In 1934, NC 22 and NC 40 were dropped along the route.[2][3]

Route changes along US 301 started in the early-1950s with a new bypass (Eastern Boulevard) around central Fayetteville and a new bypass west of Halifax. In 1955 or 1956, a new bypass (Ward Boulevard) was built east of Wilson. By 1958, US 301 was widen to a four-lane road around Lumberton, Fayetteville, and between Kenly and Rocky Mount; it was also at this time that Elm City was bypassed. In 1961, I-95 was overlapped with US 301 on the Lumberton bypass. By 1984, US 301 was extended south along I-95 to exit 10, keeping its routing through Rowland.[2]

From 1978 to 1986, US 301 was overlapped by a second I-95 Business Loop between Kenly and Rocky Mount, which also used part of what is today an extension of NC 4.[4][5]

U.S. Route 217

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U.S. Highway 217
LocationSC state line-Wilson, NC
Length126.7 mi[6] (203.9 km)
Existed1926–1932

U.S. Route 217 (US 217) was an original U.S. Highway, established in 1926, and was completely overlapped with NC 22. The original highway continued south into South Carolina to end in Pee Dee. US 217 entered from South Carolina south of Rowland where it went north through Rowland and into Lumberton via Hilly Branch Road and 5th Street. Going north on Pine Street and Fayetteville Road, it connected with Fayetteville where it went north on Gillespie Street, then east on Person Street, before it went north again on Dunn Road. Entering Dunn on Clinton Street, it went west on Cumberland Street (NC 60), then north on Ellis Avenue. It entered Smithfield on 3rd Street, and went east on Market Street then north again on 8th Street. As it approached Wilson from the south, it ended at US 17-1/NC 40 (Dixie Inn Road). In 1932, the entire route was renumbered as part of US 301.[citation needed]

Junction list

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CountyLocationmi[1]kmExitDestinationsNotes
North CarolinaSouth Carolina line0.000.00 
 
 
 
US 301 south / US 501 south – South of the Border, Dillon
Continuation into South Carolina
  I-95 – Lumberton, Fayetteville, FlorenceI-95 exit 1
RobesonRowland2.74.3 
 
  US 501 north / NC 130 – Laurinburg, Fairmont
North end of US 501 overlap
11.819.0 
 
I-95 south – Florence
South end of I-95 overlap; I-95 exit 10
Lumberton14.523.313   I-74 / US 74 – Whiteville, Wilmington, Laurinburg, RockinghamExit numbers follow I-95; signed as exits 13A (east) and 13B (west); I-74 exit 209
14  US 74Permanently closed in 2007; replaced by exit 13
18.529.817  
 
NC 72 / NC 711 north – Lumberton, Pembroke, Red Springs
Southern terminus of NC 711
20.232.519Carthage Road
21.434.420  
 
NC 211 to NC 41 – Lumberton, Red Springs, Fairmont
23.037.0 
 
I-95 north – Fayetteville
North end of I-95 overlap; I-95 exit 22
27.043.5  I-95 – Lumberton, FayettevilleI-95 exit 25
Saint Pauls33.253.4  NC 20 (Broad Street) – Lumber Bridge, Elizabethtown
35.557.1  I-95 – Lumberton, FayettevilleExit 33 (I-95)
40.264.7 
 
NC 71 south – Parkton, Lumber Bridge, Red Springs
Cumberland43.069.2 
 
 
 
 
I-95 BL south to I-95 south – Lumberton
South end of I-95 BL overlap; interchange; southbound left exit and northbound entrance
Hope Mills43.670.2 
 
To I-95 / Main Street – Hope Mills
Interchange
45.673.4 
 
NC 162 west (Elk Road)
Eastern terminus of NC 162
Fayetteville50.681.4  NC 87 (Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway) – ElizabethtownNC 87 exit 102
52.484.3   
 
NC 24 / NC 210 to US 401 (Grove Street) – Roseboro
At-grade intersection; south end of freeway
53.886.6Middle Road
55.689.5Dobbins Holmes Road
Eastover57.392.2 
 
 
 
 
I-95 BL north to I-95 north
North end of I-95 BL overlap; north end of freeway section
60.296.9 
 
 
 
Pembroke Lane to I-95 / US 13 – Newton Grove, Eastover Central Elementary School
To NC 295
Godwin68.5110.2  NC 82 (Main Street) – Erwin, Falcon
HarnettDunn76.4123.0   US 421 / NC 55 (Cumberland Street) – Erwin, Lillington, Clinton
Mingo SwampBridge
JohnstonBenson83.2133.9 
 
  
 
NC 27 west / NC 50 / NC 242 south (Main Street) – Coats, Newton Grove
South end of NC 242 overlap
83.7134.7 
 
 
 
NC 242 north to I-40
North end of NC 242 overlap
Four Oaks93.9151.1  
 
 
 
I-95 / US 701 south / NC 96 south – Benson, Rocky Mount, Newton Grove
Exit 90 (I-95); northern terminus of US 701; south end of NC 96 overlap
Smithfield98.4158.4 
 
  US 70 Bus. / NC 210 (Market Street) – Goldsboro, Clayton
Selma101.0162.5  
 
US 70 / NC 39 south – Clayton, Goldsboro
South end of NC 39 overlap
102.5165.0 
 
NC 96 north (Richardson Street) – Zebulon
North end of NC 96 overlap
103.4166.4 
 
NC 39 north – Bunn
North end of NC 39 overlap
Kenly112.0180.2  I-95 – Smithfield, Rocky MountExit 107 (I-95)
112.5181.1  NC 222 (Second Street) – Fremont
Wilson114.7184.6  NC 581 – Bailey, Goldsboro
123.2198.3  I-795 – Goldsboro, RaleighExit 5 (I-795)
123.6198.9 
 
US 117 south – Fremont, Pikeville
Northern terminus of US 117
Wilson123.9199.4   I-587 / US 264 – Greenville, RaleighExit 43 (US 264)
126.6203.7 
 
 
US 264 Alt. west (Ward Boulevard west)
South end of US 264 Alt. overlap
128.2206.3 
 
 
 
 
US 264 Alt. east / NC 58 south (Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway) – Stantonsburg, Saratoga
North end of US 264 Alt. overlap; south end of NC 58 overlap
128.7207.1 
 
NC 58 north (Ward Boulevard north)
North end of NC 58 overlap
129.9209.1  NC 42 (Herring Avenue) – Pinetops, WilsonInterchange
132.4213.1Rosebud Church RoadInterchange
135.0217.3Langley Road – Elm CityInterchange
Nash141.5227.7 
 
 
US 301 Bus. north (Tarboro Road)
Southern terminus of US 301 Bus.
Rocky Mount143.4230.8   NC 97 (Tarboro Road) – RaleighInterchange; to Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport
146.6235.9 
 
US 64 Bus. – Rocky Mount, Nashville
Interchange; northbound exit via May Drive
147.2236.9  US 64 – Tarboro, RaleighUS 64 exit 468A
148.2238.5   
 
NC 43 / NC 48 to I-95
Interchange
150.0241.4 
 
 
US 301 Bus. south (Church Road)
Northern terminus of US 301 Bus.
Battleboro153.5247.0 
 
 
 
NC 4 north to I-95
Partial interchange; northbound left exit and southbound entrance; southbound access via Red Oak-Battleboro Road
Whitakers159.1256.0 
 
NC 33 west (Nash Street) – Red Oak
West end of NC 33 overlap
159.3256.4 
 
NC 33 east (Main Street) – Tarboro
East end of NC 33 overlap
Fishing CreekEdgecombe-Halifax county line
HalifaxEnfield164.0263.9 
 
NC 481 west – Glenview
West end of NC 481 overlap
165.3266.0 
 
 
NC 481 Bus. west (Whitaker Street)
Eastern terminus of NC 481 Bus.
167.1268.9 
 
NC 481 east – Tillery
East end of NC 481 overlap
173.4279.1 
 
 
 
NC 125 south / NC 903 south – Scotland Neck
South end of NC 125/NC 903 overlap
175.6282.6 
 
NC 561 east – Tillery
East end of NC 561 overlap
176.0283.2 
 
NC 561 west – Brinkleyville, Louisburg
West end of NC 561 overlap
Halifax176.5284.0 
 
 
US 301 Bus. north (King Street)
Southern terminus of US 301 Bus.
177.1285.0 
 
 
 
NC 125 north / NC 903 north – Roanoke Rapids
North end of NC 125/NC 903 overlap
177.4285.5 
 
 
US 301 Bus. south (David Street)
Northern terminus of US 301 Bus.
Weldon184.0296.1 
 
US 158 west (Second Street) – Roanoke Rapids
West end of US 158 overlap
Roanoke RiverRockfish Capital Bridge
NorthamptonGarysburg186.4300.0 
 
US 158 east – Jackson, Murfreesboro
East end of US 158 overlap
186.8300.6 
 
 
 
NC 46 west / NC 186 west – Gaston
Eastern terminus of NC 46; south end of NC 186 overlap
187.0300.9 
 
NC 186 east – Seaboard
North end of NC 186 overlap
Pleasant Hill193.0310.6 
 
NC 48 south – Gaston
Northern terminus of NC 48
193.7311.7 
 
US 301 north – Emporia
Continuation into Virginia
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "US 301" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "NCRoads.com Annex: U.S. 301". Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2011.[self-published source]
  3. ^ Staff (May 6, 1935). "Route 301 Has Been Restored To 5th Street". The Robesonian. Lumberton, North Carolina. Retrieved July 10, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "NCRoads.com: I-95". Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  5. ^ "NCRoads.com: N.C. 4". Retrieved January 12, 2019.
  6. ^ "U.S. Route 217" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
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  U.S. Route 301
Previous state:
South Carolina
North Carolina Next state:
Virginia