North Carolina Highway 55
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| NC 55 |
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| Length: | 192 mi (309 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1957[1] | ||||||||
| East end: | Oriental Road in Oriental, NC | ||||||||
| Major junctions: |
 US 17 in Bridgeton; US 70 in New Bern; US 258 in Kinston; US 70 in Kinston; US 117 in Mount Olive;  US 13/701 in Newton Grove; I-40 near Newton Grove; I-95 in Dunn; US 421 in Erwin; US 401 in Fuquay-Varina; US 1 in Apex; US 64 in Apex; I-40 in Durham; NC 147 in Durham |
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| West end: |  I-85 in Durham, NC |
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| Counties: | Pamilico, Craven, Lenoir, Wayne, Johnston, Sampson, Harnett, Wake, Durham | ||||||||
| Major cities: | Durham, Apex, Angier, Erwin, Dunn, Mount Olive, Kinston | ||||||||
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NC 55 is a 192-mile (309 km) North Carolina state highway that serves as a traffic artery connecting Durham to numerous small cities and towns in the The Triangle on its way toward the Pamlico Sound. A portion of NC 55 extends through Research Triangle Park.
[edit] Route description
Though it is signed East/West the most used section of road actually runs almost due North/South. Between Durham and Erwin "EAST" is really northbound and "WEST" is really southbound.
Starting at the northern terminus from US 15/501 Business near Interstate 85, the highway cuts a path through a fairly urbanized section of Durham. As it exits Durham, it passes through the western side of Research Triangle Park. Much of this way route is forested and undeveloped. The next leg of the journey enters Cary and Apex. Much of this roadway is under construction as of 2006, to widen the highway in anticipation of higher traffic volumes from construction in Apex and Cary.
After the junction with US 64 and a few shopping-centers, NC 55 passes through downtown Apex and Holly Springs. Finally, it proceeds to an open landscape with scattered sections of dense forest for the stretch towards Fuquay-Varina. The highway contines southeastward across US 401, eventually exiting Wake County into Harnett County.
In the Erwin/Dunn area the road heads east and merges with NC 50 in Newton Grove. NC 55 leaves to take a more easterly course towards the coast, ending at the Pamlico Sound in Oriental[1].
[edit] 2006 Apex Chemical Fire
Late on Thursday, October 5, 2006 a chemical fire broke out at the EQ chemical company in central Apex, North Carolina. Many of the town's residents were evacuated; the evacuation area essentially ecompassed the land between US 1, US 64, and NC 55. Traffic was allowed to flow along these corridors throughout the crisis, but only emergency crews were allowed to exit into the evacuated area. The fire was extiguished and residents were allowed to return on the following Saturday.
