| NC 3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dale Earnhardt Boulevard | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by NCDOT | ||||
| Length: | 25 mi[1] (40 km) | |||
| Existed: | 2002[1] – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end: | NC 73 in Concord | |||
|
I-85 in Kannapolis (via Dale Earnhardt Blvd) |
||||
| North end: | NC 152 in Mooresville | |||
| Highway system | ||||
|
||||
North Carolina Highway 3 (NC 3) is a North Carolina state highway approximately 25 miles (40 km) in length. It is numbered after Dale Earnhardt, the late NASCAR legend, who was driving the #3 car when he died at the 2001 Daytona 500.[2] This state highway runs from Kannapolis, Earnhardt's birthplace, to downtown Mooresville. A short section of NC 3 is named Dale Earnhardt Boulevard, a name which was given to the road prior to Earnhardt's death. From Kannapolis to the Cabarrus-Iredell county line, it is signed as Mooresville Road.
Contents |
NC 3's southern terminus is in Concord, at NC 73. From there, NC 3 travels north through Kannapolis and on to Mooresville. After meandering through downtown Mooresville and switching roads multiple times, NC 3 meets its northern terminus at Main Street (NC 152).
In 1934, NC 3 was signed as a short 1.5-mile (2.4 km) route on Buck Island traveling from U.S. Highway 158 to the Currituck Sound in Currituck County.[1]
On October 23, 2002, Governor Mike Easley signed into law a bill officially reassigning NC 136 to NC 3's current route and vice versa. NC 3 was moved because it was the hometown of the aforementioned Dale Earnhardt who died in the 2001 Daytona 500. Earnhardt drove the #3 Goodwrench Chevrolet and grew up in the Mooresville region. NC 136 now follows the old NC 3 route.[2]
| County | Location | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabarrus | Concord | NC 73 (Corban Avenue) – Huntersville, Albemarle | Southern terminus | |
| I-85 / US 601 (Exit 60) – Charlotte, Salisbury | Access to I-85 via Copperfield Boulevard | |||
| Kannapolis | US 29 (Cannon Boulevard) – Concord, Salisbury | |||
US 29 Alt. (Main Street) |
||||
| Iredell | Mooresville | NC 152 (Main Street) – China Grove | Northern terminus | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | ||||