North Carolina Highway 306

NC 306 marker

NC 306
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length: 45.3 mi[1] (72.9 km)
Existed: 1930 – present
Major junctions
South end: NC 101 near Havelock
North end: NC 92 / NC 99 in Gaylord
Location
Counties: Craven, Pamlico, Beaufort
Highway system
← NC 305NC 307 →

North Carolina Highway 306 (NC 306) is a state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina that runs north–south in the eastern part of the state.

Route description

The highway's southern terminus is in Craven County, near Havelock. It follows Ferry Road north from its intersection with NC 101 for about five miles before it encounters the Neuse River. On the banks of the river is the dock for a free ferry, which the highway utilizes to cross the river. Many locals use this ferry to commute to and from the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in Havelock, which makes this particular crossing among the busiest in the state.

Once across the river, which serves as the county line for Pamlico County, the highway goes through the village of Minnesott Beach. The route goes due north through Pamlico County on the east bank of the river. It crosses NC 55 about halfway through the county before crossing into Beaufort County. Many from southern Craven and Carteret counties use this route to get to the popular destination of Oriental.

Once in Beaufort County, a brief concurrency begins a few miles into the county, with NC 33. NC 306 then turns left, skirting Aurora and bisecting the large PCS Phosphate Facilities. After going through PCS Phosphate, the road crosses the Pamlico River, again by a free ferry used by many commuters to get to the phosphate plant. On the other side of the river, the route immediately and abruptly comes to its northern terminus at NC 92 and NC 99, still in Beaufort County.

History

NC 306 was established in 1930 as a new primary routing from NC 55, in Grantsboro, to Minnesott Beach.[2] In 1932, NC 306 was extended north on new primary routing to NC 33, near Aurora.[3]

In 1976, NC 306 was extended on both directions. The northern extension overlaps with NC 33 to Aurora, where it then goes north on new primary routing to the Pamlico River Ferry, where it crosses the Pamlico River to Gaylord, where it ends at NC 92. The southern extension begins at Minnesott Beach, where it goes on the Neuse River Ferry, crossing the Neuse River to Cherry Point, then continuing south on new primary routing to NC 101.[4] In 2001, the routing between Aurora and the Pamlico River Ferry was adjusted related to expansion at the nearby PCS Phosphate site.[5]

Future

NCDOT has identified the need to replace the current ferry service across the Pamlico River with a 4.36-mile (7.02 km) two-lane bridge. The justification is to accommodate current existing and future commuter and commercial traffic growth related to the PCS Phosphate site. At an estimated cost of $101 million, it is currently unfunded.[6]

Junction list

CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
Craven 0.00.0 NC 101 – Havelock, Beaufort
Neuse River4.57.2 Cherry Branch-Minnesott Beach Ferry
PamlicoGrantsboro19.030.6 NC 55 – Bayboro, New Bern
Beaufort 30.148.4 NC 33 west – ChocowinityWest end of NC 33 overlap
Aurora33.353.6 NC 33 east – BayboroEast end of NC 33 overlap
Pamlico River41.566.8 Bayview-Aurora Ferry
Gaylord45.372.9 NC 92 west / NC 99 north – Bath, BelhavenTo Goose Creek State Park
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Google (June 7, 2014). "North Carolina Highway 306" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  2. ↑ State Highway System of North Carolina (PDF) (Map). Cartography by NCDOT. North Carolina Department of Transportation. 1930. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  3. ↑ North Carolina Primary Highway System (PDF) (Map). Cartography by NCDOT. North Carolina Department of Transportation. 1940. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  4. ↑ "NC Route Change (1976-10-01)" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. October 1, 1976. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  5. ↑ "NC Route Change (2001-03-30)" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. March 30, 2001. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  6. ↑ "SPOT ID: H090535" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. May 30, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2014.

External links