North Carolina Highway 24 (NC 24) is the longest primary state highway in the state of North Carolina. Traveling eastâ€"west between the Charlotte metropolitan area and the Crystal Coast, connecting the cities of Charlotte, Fayetteville, Jacksonville and Morehead City.
Route description
NC 24 is both one of the longest and most concurrent routes in the state. Besides the approximately 100-mile (160Â km) concurrency with NC 27 between Johnsonville and Charlotte, this route also shares long stretches of pavement with:
- US 258 between Richlands and Jacksonville (16.5 miles)
- NC 50 between Kenansville and Warsaw (7.5 miles)
- NC 87 between Fayetteville and Spout Springs (18 miles)
- Shorter concurrencies with I-40, NC 903, US 421, US 701, US 17, NC 210 (twice), NC 22, NC 109, and NC 73. It also runs briefly concurrent with US 15-501 in Carthage.
All told, about half of the total length of NC 24 runs concurrent with other routes.
As a route, it is designated as a "High Priority Corridor" for North Carolina, and much of it is highly traveled, providing the most direct access between Charlotte, Fayetteville and Jacksonville. It passes near or through three major Military installations (Fort Bragg, Pope Army Airfield, and Camp Lejeune), as well as Morrow Mountain State Park, Lake Tillery and the Uwharrie National Forest. Most of the route east of I-40 is at least four lanes, with sections at or near freeway grade.
Along its eastern portions, NC 24 is known as Lejeune Boulevard thru Jacksonville, Freedom Way from the Camp Lejeune Main Gate to Swansboro, Corbett Avenue through Swansboro, Cedar Point Boulevard through Cedar Point, the W. B. McLean Highway through much of central Carteret County from JCT NC 58 to its terminus in Mansfield at US 70.
History
- 1922: NC 24 runs from Warsaw to Laurinburg, through Fayetteville. Most of this routing west of Fayetteville is now US 401.
- 1925: NC 24's western terminus is extended to the South Carolina line and its eastern terminus is extended to Kenansville.
- 1930: The route is extended east to Swansboro, using part of US 17. Also, NC 24 is rerouted through Kenansville, Beaulaville, Richlands, and Jacksonville; NC 24 still uses most of this route today. Furthermore, NC 24 is given a more direct route from Laurinburg to Wagram.
- 1930s: NC 24 is rerouted numerous times after the introduction of new U.S. Highways to North Carolina.
- 1941: NC 24 west of Fayetteville is truncated; NC 87 and NC 78 take control of the truncated route.
- 1963: The western terminus of NC 24 is moved and extended to Charlotte; this produced the 106-mile (171Â km) concurrency with NC 27.
- Mid 1960s: NC 24 is routed around Clinton and its routing through Fayetteville changed.
- Early 1970s: The construction of the Cape Fear River bridge at Fayetteville removed many zigzags of NC 24 in Fayetteville.
- 1982: NC 24 is routed along a four-lane bypass around Vander to access the newly built I-95.
- 2000: NC 24 is routed onto I-40 for a segment between exits 364 and 373 and onto NC 11 around Kenansville and Warsaw. The old route was signed as Business NC 24.
- 2003: NC 24 splits from NC 27 in eastern Charlotte to follow Harris Boulevard to a new western terminus at I-77.
- 2006: NC 24 is rerouted onto the Jacksonville Bypass US 17 for 4 miles (6.4Â km). The old route is signed as Business Route 24.
- 2008: NC 24 western terminus is extended from I-77 to I-485 on December 8, 2008. The extension added 1 mile (1.6Â km) to the route.
Termini
In March 2003, The state DOT rerouted the west end of NC 24 from US 74 to Interstate 77 (Exit 18). This was facilitated by following Harris Boulevard in east Charlotte instead of following NC 27. This added nearly 15 miles (24Â km) onto the highway's length. On December 8, 2008, Interstate 485 opened in Northwest Mecklenburg County; at that same time NC 24 was extended again by 1 mile (1.6Â km) to the new freeway (Exit 21) along West WT Harris Boulevard.
Before this rerouting, NC 24 was extraneous west of Johnsonville. It was concurrent with NC 27 over its entire length to its terminus at U.S. 74, at which point NC 27 continued while NC 24 did not.
NC 24's eastern terminus is at US 70 in Morehead City. This eastern segment leading to the terminus provides access to communities on the mainland side of the Bogue Sound.
North Carolina Highway 243
North Carolina Highway 243 (NCÂ 243) appeared in 1931 as a renumbering of NCÂ 24 from Hubert to Swansboro; which NCÂ 24 went northeast to Stella then east towards Morehead City. In 1934, NCÂ 243 was reverted to NCÂ 24 when the White River bridge was completed in Swansboro.
North Carolina Highway 605
North Carolina Highway 605 (NCÂ 605) was established in 1932 as a new primary route between USÂ 1/USÂ 15/NCÂ 50/NCÂ 75, in Tramway, and USÂ 421/NCÂ 60, in Jonesboro. In 1936, NCÂ 24 was extended northwest from Fayetteville to Tramway, replacing NCÂ 605.
Junction list
Special routes
Warsawâ€"Kenansville business loop
North Carolina Highway 24 Business (NCÂ 24 Bus) was established in March, 1999 when mainline NCÂ 24 was rerouted overlapping I-40 and NCÂ 903 (Kenansville Bypass); the old alignment through downtown Warsaw and Kenansville was redesignated as a business loop.
Jacksonville business loop
North Carolina Highway 24 Business (NCÂ 24 Bus) was established in January 2008 when mainline NCÂ 24 was placed on new bypass south of Jacksonville. The business loop follows the old alignment through downtown Jacksonville, via Richlands Highway (in concurrency with US 258), Marine Boulevard (in concurrency with US 17 Business), Johnson Boulevard and Lejeune Boulevard.
See also
- North Carolina Bicycle Route 6
References
External links
- Media related to North Carolina Highway 24 at Wikimedia Commons
- NCRoads.com: N.C. 24
- NCRoads.com: N.C. 24 Business
- NCRoads.com: N.C. 243
