North Carolina Highway 147
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| NC 147 |
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| Length: | 13 mi (21 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1970[1] | ||||||||
| South end: | Alexander Dr near Morrisville, NC | ||||||||
| Major junctions: |
 NC 54 via Alexander Dr at RTP I-40 at RTP  US 15-501 in Durham |
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| North end: |  I-85 in Durham, NC |
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| Counties: | Durham | ||||||||
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NC 147 is a North Carolina state highway entirely within Durham County. The entire route is cosigned with the Durham Freeway and has the additional titles East-West Expressway and the Buck Dean Expressway for various segments. The route's entire length, except for the traffic signal at its southern terminus, is a limited access freeway. It links downtown Durham and Research Triangle Park (RTP) with the Interstates 85 and 40. It is a fairly urbanized commuter-route and suffers from peak-traffic during conventional rush hours. Speed limits on the freeway range from 50 mph to 65 mph.
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[edit] Places of interest along the route
- Research Triangle Park (exits 5-8)
- North Carolina Central University (exits 11, 12A)
- Durham Bulls Athletic Park (exit 12B)
- American Tobacco Historic District (exit 12B)
- Duke University (exits 14-15)
- Duke University Medical Center (exit 15B)
[edit] Termini
Traffic traveling on northbound NC 147 eventually empties onto the southbound lanes of I-85 in Durham. In order to get to I-85 NORTH, travelers must exit onto the US 15/501 highway and then take that road's exit to I-85 NORTH. Also, at NC 147's northern terminus, there is no exit from I-85 southbound to NC 147 SOUTH. As a result, travelers must utilize US 15/501 to take the Durham Freeway south.
Shortly after NC 147's interchange with I-40, the freeway crosses over NC 54 (with no interchange), and comes to its southern terminus at T.W. Alexander Drive inside Research Triangle Park. This terminus is at a traffic signal. NC 54 can be accessed by taking Alexander Drive NORTH for approximately 0.5 miles.
[edit] Exits
| # | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | I-40 Interchange |
Connects to nearby highway exits for RTP (Davis Dr., Miami Blvd., and Page Rd.) |
| 6 | Cornwallis Rd. | Research Triangle Park |
| 7 | Alexander Dr. | Alternative access to RTP |
| 8 | Ellis Rd. | Alternative access to RTP |
| Durham City Limits | ||
| 10 | Briggs Ave. | Outskirts of Durham, mostly useful for destinations to the south such as Durham Technical Community College |
| 11 | Alston Ave. /  Highway 55 |
Just north of the speed limit drop from 65 to 55 mph. Useful for some East Durham destinations. North Carolina Central University can be accessed here, and in fact the law school is on this side |
| 12A | Fayetteville St. | NCCU, Hillside High School, and many other central Durham locations on it |
| 12B | Jackie Robinson Dr., Roxboro St. | Durham Bulls baseball park and downtown Durham |
| 12C | Duke St. | Western downtown, North Carolina Museum of Life and Science |
| 13 | Chapel Hill St., central-west Durham | (Does not directly lead to city of Chapel Hill - (for that, use I-40 or 15-501) |
| 14 | Swift Ave., Broad St. | Duke University East Campus, the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, and Northgate Mall |
| 15A/B | Elba St./Trent Dr. | 15A southbound, 15B northbound. Duke west campus and medical center access. |
| 16 | US 15-501 |
Leading to Oxford and Roxboro and other towns in the north and to  NC 751, west Durham, Chapel Hill Blvd. (which goes into Chapel Hill as Fordham Blvd.), and other towns such as Sanford in the south. |
[edit] Traffic problems
Traffic on NC 147 is usually found in the RTP area, especially on and around the exit onto I-40 EAST during the afternoon rush hour (at which time I-40 eastbound itself is often backed up). Several alternate routes are possible by taking nearby exits; for example, Alexander Drive will connect to Interstate 540 to North Raleigh, and NC 54 to Cary (though the latter is often backed up as well).
[edit] Future
The North Carolina Turnpike Authority is studying the possibility of extending NC 147 southward to meet the future western segment of Interstate 540 (Western Wake Parkway). The new freeway, which will be dubbed Triangle Parkway, if constructed, would likely be one of the state's first toll roads.
This Triangle Parkway is not to be confused with the existing Triangle Parkway in Morrisville, NC, the short road that connects NC 54 to International Drive (the existing road is east of I-540).
