| U.S. Route 19/U.S. Route 19E | ||||
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| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by NCDOT | ||||
| Length: | 189 mi[1] (304 km) | |||
| Existed: | 1927 – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end: | US 19 / US 129 / SR 11 at Bellview | |||
| I-40 / US 74 in Asheville I-26 / I-240 in Asheville |
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| North end: | US-19E / SR-37 at Elk Park | |||
| Location | ||||
| Counties: | Cherokee, Graham, Swain, Jackson, Haywood, Buncombe, Madison, Yancey, Mitchell, Avery | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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United States Numbered Highways
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U.S. Route 19 in North Carolina traverses approximately 189 miles (304 km) across Western North Carolina; from the Georgia state line, at the community of Bellview, to the Tennessee state line, at the town of Elk Park. The designation from US 19 to U.S. Route 19E happens in Cane River, where US 19W splits from the main road towards Erwin, Tennessee.
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US 19 begins at the Georgia state line overlapped with US 129; 4 miles (6.4 km) into North Carolina, it joins with US 74 and US 76 in Ranger. From Ranger to Andrews, the highway is a 4-lane expressway that bypasses all the towns and communities along its route. After Andrews, US 19 goes through the Nantahala Gorge, which both scenic and somewhat curvy 21 miles (34 km) drive till Almond.
At the start of the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway, US 19 exits off towards the towns of Bryson City and Cherokee. At Cherokee, travelers may go north on US 441 to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or to the Blue Ridge Parkway before traveling through the rest of the Qualla Boundary.
The highway expands back into a 4-lane expressway in Maggie Valley, which it then merges with the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway for 3 miles (4.8 km) before exiting back off towards Clyde. From here, US 19 parallels with I-40 to Asheville. US 19 joins other highways in Asheville crossing over the French Broad River, then follows I-26 to Mars Hill, North Carolina. At exit 9, US 19 splits with both I-26 and US 23; after 10 miles (16 km), US 19 splits into US 19E and US 19W at Cane River. US 19 travels a total of 145 miles (233 km) from the Georgia state line to Cane River.[1]
US 19E (aka US 19 East) continues where US 19 left off, with a seamless transition that literately ignores US 19W existence, heading towards the towns of Burnsville and Spruce Pine. The highway is an easy drive, as it nears Spruce Pine, it expands to a four-lane that then bypasses the mountain city. US 19E reverts back to two-lane once out of city limits, briefly widening to four-lane again after entering Avery county. Once reaching the community of Ingalls, the highway becomes curvy as it follows along the banks of the North Toe River. Most travelers will take turn onto NC 194 (or Mullen Hill Road, a shortcut bypassing Ingalls) as an alternate route towards Elk Park. Passing through several small communities, it eventually reaches the town of Elk Park, where it then proceeds going into Tennessee, towards Roan Mountain and Elizabethton. US 19E travels a total of 45 miles (72 km) from Bald Creek to the Tennessee state line.[1]
| County | Location | Mile [1] | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee | Ranger | 4 | US 64 west / US 74 west – Cleveland | West end of US 64/74 overlap | |
| Murphy | 9 | US 19 Bus. north (Hiwassee Street) |
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| 9.5 | US 64 east – Hayesville, Franklin | East end of US 64 overlap | |||
| 12 | US 19 Bus. south (Pleasant Valley Road) |
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| Marble | 18 | NC 141 south | |||
| Andrews | 23.5 | US 19 Bus. north (Main Street) Airport Road – Western Carolina Regional Airport |
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| 26.5 | US 19 Bus. south (Main Street) |
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| Graham | Topton | 33.5 | US 129 north (Tallulah Road) – Robbinsville | North end of US 129 overlap | |
| Swain | Almond | 48 | NC 28 north (Mountain Waters Scenic Byway) – Robbinsville, Fontana | North end of NC 28 overlap; also to Fontana Dam | |
| Lauada | 51 | NC 28 south – Franklin | South end of NC 28 overlap | ||
| 53 | 64 | US 74 east (Great Smoky Mountains Expressway) – Dillsboro, Waynesville | East end of US 74 overlap | ||
| Cherokee | 66 | US 441 south – Dillsboro, Franklin, Atlanta | South end of US 441 overlap | ||
| 66.5 | US 441 north – Blue Ridge Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains National Park | North end of US 441 overlap | |||
| Haywood | 78 | Blue Ridge Parkway | |||
| Dellwood | 87 | US 276 north (Jonathan Creek Road) | North end of US 276 overlap | ||
| Lake Junaluska | 89 | US 276 south (Russ Road) – Waynesville | South end of US 276 overlap | ||
| 90 | 103 | US 23 south / US 74 west (Great Smoky Mountains Expressway) – Waynesville, Sylva | Northbound exit and Southbound entrance, south end of US 23 overlap, west end of US 74 overlap | ||
| 91 | 104 | US 23 Bus. / NC 209 – Lake Junaluska, Waynesville, Hot Springs |
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| 92 | 105 | West Jones Cove | |||
| Clyde | 93 | 106 | To I-40 / US 74 east (Great Smoky Mountains Expressway) – Asheville, Knoxville | East end of US 74 overlap | |
| Canton | 97 | NC 215 north (Blackwell Drive) | North end of NC 215 overlap | ||
| 98 | NC 215 south (Reed Street) | South end of NC 215 overlap | |||
| 98.2 | NC 110 south (Pisgah Drive) | ||||
| Buncombe | Candler | 107 | NC 151 south (Pisgah Highway) | ||
| Enka | 109 | NC 112 east (Sand Hills Road) | |||
| Asheville | 110 | I-40 / US 74 / US 74A – Statesville, Knoxville | West end of US 74A overlap | ||
| 113 | US 19 Bus. north / US 23 Bus. north (Haywood Road) |
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| 114 | NC 63 north (Leicester Highway) – Leicester | ||||
| 115 | I-26 east / I-240 west / US 19 Bus. south / US 23 Bus. south |
East end of I-26 overlap, west end of I-240 overlap; business routes hidden at intersection | |||
| US 19 overlaps with Interstate 26 (exits 3A to 9) | |||||
| Madison | 134 | I-26 / US 23 / US 23A north – Asheville, Wolf Laurel, Johnson City | West end of I-26 overlap, north end of US 23 overlap, brief US 23A overlap | ||
| Yancey | Cane River | 145 | US 19W north – Erwin | US 19 ends/US 19E begins | |
| Burnsville | 152 | NC 197 (Pensacola Road/Mine Fork Road) – Pensacola, Red Hill, Bakersville | Brief NC 197 overlap for .5 miles (0.80 km) | ||
| Micaville | 157 | NC 80 – Bakersville, Marion, Mount Mitchell | Brief NC 80 overlap for 1.2 miles (1.9 km) | ||
| Mitchell | Spruce Pine | 164 | NC 226 – Bakersville, Little Switzerland, Marion | Brief NC 226 overlap for .7 miles (1.1 km) | |
| Avery | Ingalls | 171 | NC 194 north (Three Mile Highway) – Newland | ||
| Cranberry | 187 | NC 194 – Newland, Banner Elk | Brief NC 194 overlap for .4 miles (0.64 km) | ||
Note – None of the Exit numbers listed are based on US 19, but to US 74 which overlaps it in some locations.
Though the highway is commonly known as "US 19" or "US 19E" throughout the state, the highway does have other known names it uses locally in areas.
| U.S. Route 19 | ||
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| Previous state: Georgia |
North Carolina | Next state: Tennessee |