U.S. Route 301 in North Carolina

U.S. Route 301
Route of US 301 in North Carolina highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 1
Maintained by NCDOT
Length:	193.7 mi[1] (311.7 km)
Existed:	1932 – present
Major junctions
South end:	US 301 / US 501 at the South Carolina line near Rowland
	I‑95 (multiple times) I‑74 / US 74 near Lumberton I‑795 near Wilson US 264 near Wilson US 64 in Rocky Mount
North end:	US 301 at the Virginia line near Pleasant Hill
Location
Counties:	Robeson, Cumberland, Harnett, Harnett, Johnston, Wilson, Nash, Edgecombe, Halifax, Northampton
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided Replaced North Carolina Highway System Interstate U.S. State Scenic ← NC 295 NC 304 →

U.S. Route 301 (US 301) is a north–south United States highway that runs for 194 miles (312 km) in North Carolina from the South Carolina state line near Rowland to the Virginia state line near Pleasant Hill.

Route description

US 301 generally follows the same route as Interstate 95 (I-95) through North Carolina; they both enter the state near the South of the Border attraction in South Carolina, overlap together around Lumberton, and share multiple interchanges before reaching Virginia.

Starting at the South Carolina border concurrent with US 501, it goes northwest through Rowland before merging with I-95 from exit 10 to exit 22. North of Lumberton, it crosses I-95 twice before entering Fayetteville, overlapped with I-95 Business along Eastern Boulevard. North of Eastover, it crosses under North Carolina Highway 295 (NC 295), also known as Future I-295, as it parallels I-95 to its immediate west. Traversing through the cities of Wade, Godwin, Dunn, and Benson, where it crosses over I-40 without an interchange; it continues on through Smithfield, Selma, and Micro. At Kenly, US 301 goes away from I-95 into the cities of Wilson and Rocky Mount, before returning to a more easterly parallel to the Interstate. US 301 continues north through the towns of Enfield, Halifax, Weldon, and Garysburg before crossing into Virginia.^[1]

History

US 301 was established in 1932, replacing US 217 from the South Carolina state line to Wilson, and US 17-1 from Wilson to the Virginia state line. In 1934, NC 22 and NC 40 were dropped along the route.^[2][3]

Route changes along US 301 started in the early-1950s with a new bypass (Eastern Boulevard) around central Fayetteville and a new bypass west of Halifax. In 1955 or 1956, a new bypass (Ward Boulevard) was built east of Wilson. By 1958, US 301 was widen to a four-lane road around Lumberton, Fayetteville, and between Kenly and Rocky Mount; it was also at this time that Elm City was bypassed. In 1961, I-95 was overlapped with US 301 on the Lumberton bypass. By 1984, US 301 was extended south along I-95 to exit 10, keeping its routing through Rowland.^[2]

U.S. Route 217

U.S. Route 217 (US 217) was an original U.S. Highway, established in 1926, and was completely overlapped with NC 22. The original highway continued south into South Carolina to end in Pee Dee. US 217 entered from South Carolina south of Rowland where it went north through Rowland and into Lumberton via Hilly Branch Road and 5th Street. Going north on Pine Street and Fayetteville Road, it connected with Fayetteville where it went north on Gillespie Street, then east on Person Street, before it went north again on Dunn Road. Entering Dunn on Clinton Street, it went west on Cumberland Street (NC 60), then north on Ellis Avenue. It entered Smithfield on 3rd Street, and went east on Market Street then north again on 8th Street. As it approached Wilson from the south, it ended at US 17-1/NC 40 (Dixie Inn Road). In 1932, the entire route was renumbered as part of US 301.

Junction list

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Robeson	​	0.0	0.0		US 301 south / US 501 south – South of the Border, Dillon I‑95 – Lumberton, Fayetteville, Florence	South Carolina state line; exits 1A–1B (I-95)
	Rowland	2.7	4.3		US 501 north / NC 130 – Laurinburg, Fairmont	North end of US 501 overlap
	​	11.8	19.0	10	I‑95 south – Florence	South end of I-95 overlap
	Lumberton	14.5	23.3	13	I‑74 / US 74 – Whiteville, Wilmington, Laurinburg, Rockingham	Signed as exits 13A (east) and 13B (west)
		18.5	29.8	17	NC 72 / NC 711 north – Lumberton, Pembroke, Red Springs	Southern terminus of NC 711
		20.2	32.5	19	Carthage Road
		21.4	34.4	20	NC 211 to NC 41 – Lumberton, Red Springs, Fairmont
		23.0	37.0	22	I‑95 north – Fayetteville	North end of I-95 overlap
	​	27.0	43.5		I‑95 – Lumberton, Fayetteville	Exit 25 (I-95)
	Saint Pauls	33.2	53.4		NC 20 (Broad Street) – Lumber Bridge, Elizabethtown
	​	35.5	57.1		I‑95 – Lumberton, Fayetteville	Exit 33 (I-95)
	​	40.2	64.7		NC 71 south – Parkton, Lumber Bridge, Red Springs
Cumberland	​	43.0	69.2		I‑95 Bus. south to I‑95 south – Lumberton	South end of I-95 Business overlap; interchange; northbound US 301 to northbound BL 95 and southbound BL 95 to southbound US 301 access only
	Hope Mills	43.6	70.2		NC 59 to I‑95 – Hope Mills	Interchange
		45.6	73.4		NC 162 west (Elk Road)	Eastern terminus of NC 162
	Fayetteville	50.6	81.4		NC 87 (Martin Luther King Jr Freeway) – Elizabethtown	Exit 102 (NC 87)
		52.4	84.3		NC 24 / NC 210 to US 401 (Grove Street) – Roseboro
		53.8	86.6		Middle Road	Interchange
	​	55.6	89.5		Dobbins Holmes Road	Interchange
	Eastover	57.3	92.2		I‑95 Bus. north to I‑95 north – Benson	North end of I-95 Business overlap; interchange
		60.2	96.9		To I‑95 to US 13 / Pembroke Lane – Newton Grove
	Godwin	68.5	110.2		NC 82 (Main Street) – Erwin, Falcon
Harnett	Dunn	76.4	123.0		US 421 / NC 55 (Cumberland Street) – Erwin, Lillington, Clinton
Johnston	Benson	83.2	133.9		NC 27 west / NC 50 / NC 242 south (Main Street) – Coats, Newton Grove	South end of NC 242 overlap
		83.7	134.7		NC 242 north to I‑40	North end of NC 242 overlap
	​	93.9	151.1		I‑95 / US 701 south / NC 96 south – Benson, Rocky Mount, Newton Grove	Exit 90 (I-95); northern terminus of US 701; south end of NC 96 overlap
	Smithfield	98.4	158.4		US 70 Bus. / NC 210 (Market Street) – Goldsboro, Clayton
	Selma	101.0	162.5		US 70 / NC 39 south – Clayton, Goldsboro	South end of NC 39 overlap
		102.5	165.0		NC 96 north (Richardson Street) – Zebulon	North end of NC 96 overlap
		103.4	166.4		NC 39 north – Bunn	North end of NC 39 overlap
	Kenly	112.0	180.2		I‑95 – Smithfield, Rocky Mount	Exit 107 (I-95)
		112.5	181.1		NC 222 (Second Street) – Fremont
Wilson	​	114.7	184.6		NC 581 – Bailey, Goldsboro
	​	123.2	198.3		I‑795 – Goldsboro, Raleigh	Exit 5 (I-795)
	​	123.6	198.9		US 117 south – Fremont, Pikeville	Northern terminus of US 117
	Wilson	123.9	199.4		US 264 – Greenville, Raleigh	Exit 43 (US 264)
		126.6	203.7		US 264 Alt. west (Ward Boulevard)	West end of US 264 Alternate overlap
		128.2	206.3		US 264 Alt. east / NC 58 south (Martin Luther King Jr Parkway) – Stantonsburg, Saratoga	East end of US 264 Alternate overlap, south end of NC 58 overlap
		128.7	207.1		NC 58 north (Lipscomb Road)	North end of NC 58 overlap
		129.9	209.1		NC 42 (Herring Avenue) – Pinetops, Wilson	Interchange
	​	132.4	213.1		Rosebud Church Road	Interchange
	​	135.0	217.3		Langley Road – Elm City	Interchange
Nash	​	141.5	227.7		US 301 Bus. north (Tarboro Road)	Southern terminus of US 301 Bus.
	Rocky Mount	143.4	230.8		NC 97 (Tarboro Road) – Raleigh	Interchange; to Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport
		146.6	235.9		US 64 Bus. (Sunset Avenue) / May Drive	Interchange; northbound exit via May Drive
		147.2	236.9		US 64 – Tarboro, Raleigh	Exit 468A (US 64)
		148.2	238.5		NC 43 / NC 48 (Benvenue Road) – Red Oak, Gold Rock	Interchange
		150.0	241.4		US 301 Bus. south (Church Road)	Northern terminus of US 301 Bus.
	Battleboro	153.5	247.0		NC 4 north to I‑95	Interchange; northbound US 301 to northbound NC 4 and southbound NC 4 to southbound US 301 only; other access via Red Oak-Battleboro Road
	Whitakers	159.1	256.0		NC 33 west (Nash Street) – Red Oak	West end of NC 33 overlap
		159.3	256.4		NC 33 east (Main Street) – Tarboro	East end of NC 33 overlap
Halifax	Enfield	164.0	263.9		NC 481 west – Glenview	West end of NC 481 overlap
		165.3	266.0		NC 481 Bus. west (Whitaker Street)	Eastern terminus of NC 481 Bus.
	​	167.1	268.9		NC 481 east – Tillery	East end of NC 481 overlap
	​	173.4	279.1		NC 125 south / NC 903 south – Scotland Neck	South end of NC 125/NC 903 overlap
	​	175.6	282.6		NC 561 east – Tillery	East end of NC 561 overlap
	​	176.0	283.2		NC 561 west – Brinkleyville, Louisburg	West end of NC 561 overlap
	Halifax	176.5	284.0		US 301 Bus. north (King Street)	Southern terminus of US 301 Bus.
		177.1	285.0		NC 125 north / NC 903 north – Roanoke Rapids	North end of NC 125/NC 903 overlap
		177.4	285.5		US 301 Bus. south (David Street)	Northern terminus of US 301 Bus.
	Weldon	184.0	296.1		US 158 west (Second Street) – Roanoke Rapids	West end of US 158 overlap
Northampton	Garysburg	186.4	300.0		US 158 east – Jackson, Murfreesboro	East end of US 158 overlap
		186.8	300.6		NC 46 west / NC 186 west – Gaston	Eastern terminus of NC 46; south end of NC 186 overlap
		187.0	300.9		NC 186 east – Seaboard	North end of NC 186 overlap
	Pleasant Hill	193.0	310.6		NC 48 south – Gaston	Northern terminus of NC 48
	​	193.7	311.7		US 301 north – Emporia	Virginia state line
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

See also

• North Carolina portal
• U.S. Roads portal
• Special routes of U.S. Route 301
• North Carolina Bicycle Route 5 - Concurrent with US 301 from Wade Stedman Road to Sisk Culbreth Road in Wade

References

External links

• Media related to U.S. Route 301 in North Carolina at Wikimedia Commons
• NCRoads.com: U.S. 217
• NCRoads.com: U.S. 301

U.S. Route 301
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