State Route 42, 44 and 50 in North Carolina
State Route 42 in North Carolina
| SR-42 | |||
| Get started | Asheboro | ||
| End | Colerain | ||
| Length | 223 mi | ||
| Length | 359 km | ||
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According to directoryaah, State Route 42 or NC-42 is a state route in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The road forms an east-west route from Asheboro via Sanford and Wilson to Colerain. With a length of 359 kilometers, it is the third longest state route in North Carolina.
Travel directions
State Route 42 begins in the town of Asheboro at an intersection with US 220. On the outskirts of Asheboro, the road joins the bypass ( US 64 ). The road then follows a somewhat secondary single carriageway to Sanford, a road through gently sloping and densely wooded terrain. There are no real villages on this 70 kilometer stretch. Around the city of Sanford one crosses a number of US Highways that are designed as freeways.
After Sanford, State Route 42 follows a somewhat tortuous and secondary route before passing just south of the metropolitan area of Raleigh. Here is a connection to Interstate 40. To the east, the forests become less dense and you reach the town of Wilson, where you cross Interstate 95. East of Wilson, State Route 42 again follows a secondary route, progressively closer to the Pamlico Sound estuaries. Here you cross a number of US Highways running east-west. Finally, the road ends in Colerain on State Route 45.
History
The original 1922 State Route 42 was a mere 20 miles (31 km) connection between Wilson and Pinetops in eastern North Carolina. The road was gradually extended to the west and east during the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s, creating the current route from Asheboro to Colerain from the early 1960s. The uncoherent character of the road reflects the phased extensions via secondary rural roads. The road is only slightly upgraded.
State Route 44 in North Carolina
| SR-44 | |||
| Get started | goldsboro | ||
| End | goldsboro | ||
| Length | 21 mi | ||
| Length | 33 km | ||
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State Route 44, signposted as US 70 Bypass, is a state route and freeway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. NC-44 is the temporary number for Goldsboro’s northern bypass, which will later become part of US 70 in North Carolina, and eventually Interstate 42. The highway is 33 kilometers long.
Travel directions
State Route 44 begins west of Goldsboro from US 70 from Selma, then forms a freeway along the north side of Goldsboro. There is an interchange with Interstate 795. The highway passes well outside Goldsboro and curves to the southeast. The highway ends east of Goldsboro again on US 70, which continues to Kinston and New Bern.
History
Between 2008 and 2011, the first section of the Goldsboro bypass was constructed, between I-795 and Wayne Memorial Drive. This section opened to traffic on December 16, 2011. After that, the western part was built in more than 3 years, which was opened on October 17, 2015, six months ahead of schedule. Then, on May 27, 2016, the remaining 12 miles from Wayne Memorial Drive to US 70 east of Goldsboro opened. The bypass has been signposted as the US 70 Bypass since completion.
Future
The highway is numbered State Route 44, and should eventually become part of US 70. In the future, the status of Interstate Highway is foreseen, in May 2016 the number Interstate 42 was assigned to the route.
State Route 50 in North Carolina
| SR-50 | |||
| Get started | Topsail Beach | ||
| End | Creedmoor | ||
| Length | 164 mi | ||
| Length | 264 km | ||
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According to ehotelat, State Route 50 or NC-50 is a state route in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The road forms a north-south route in the east of the state from Topsail Beach on the Atlantic coast via the state capital Raleigh to Creedmoor in the north of the state. State Route 50 is 264 kilometers long.
Travel directions
State Route 50 / US 70 in Raleigh.
State Route 50 begins in Topsail Beach, a seaside town on the Atlantic Ocean, located on a barrier island off the coast, not far from the port city of Wilmington. The road first leads parallel to the coast to Surf City, then crosses the lagoon via a large bridge and then heads inland. At Holly Ridge you cross US 17. Further inland, State Route 50 is a minor road, this is a simple two-lane road through mostly fairly densely wooded area, which is also sparsely populated, with only a few hamlets on the route closer to Raleigh.
At Newton Grove you cross Interstate 40 for the first time and at Benson you cross Interstate 95. State Route 50 then parallels I-40 north to the metropolitan area of the state capital Raleigh.
Through Raleigh, the road largely coincides with US 70. The road is an important urban arterial, has mostly 2×3 lanes and also has some grade separated connections. On the south side of Downtown Raleigh, one crosses I-40, in the center US 64 and US 401. Just after the interchange with Interstate 440, State Route 50 and US 70 split again. State Route 50 then forms another major 2×3 lane urban arterial until it joins Interstate 540 in northern Raleigh.
North of I-540, State Route 50 is a single-lane road through sparsely developed forest. The road crosses Falls Lake and eventually ends at US 15 in Creedmoor, not far from Interstate 85 and 31 miles south of the Virginia border.
History
The current State Route 50 was renumbered in 1935 and ran from Newton Grove to Benson at the time, which was only a fairly short connection in the interior of North Carolina. In 1937 the route was extended north to US 70 at Garner, just outside the capital Raleigh. In 1953 the route was extended south from Newton Grove to Faison. A further extension southwards followed in 1956-58, all the way to Topsail Beach. The road was also extended north through Raleigh to Creedmoor in 1957, creating the current route.
State Route 50 has been upgraded very little, since the 1990s Interstate 40 has largely paralleled State Route 50 south of Raleigh. As a result, the road has retained a secondary character.
At Surf City was a swing bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. Between 2016 and 2018, the bridge was replaced by a higher fixed bridge. The bridge opened almost two times ahead of schedule on December 4, 2018. The old bridge was subsequently demolished.