North Carolina Highway 24

NC 24
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length:	278 mi (447 km)
Existed:	1922 – present
Major junctions
West end:	I-485 in Charlotte
	I-77 in Charlotte I-73 / I-74 / US 220 in Biscoe I-95 near Fayetteville I-40 in Warsaw US 17 in Jacksonville
East end:	US 70 in Morehead City
Location
Counties:	Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Stanly, Montgomery, Moore, Harnett, Cumberland, Sampson, Duplin, Onslow, Carteret
Highway system
North Carolina Highway System ← US 23 US 25 →

North Carolina Highway 24 is a North Carolina state highway. It is one of the longest in the state, running 278 miles (447 km) from Charlotte to Morehead City. About 100 miles (160 km) of NC 24 is cosigned with North Carolina Highway 27.

Route description

NC 24 is both one of the longest and most concurrent routes in the state. Besides the approximately 100-mile (160 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.

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 Air Force Base, 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.

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 (24 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 (1.6 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.

Junction list

County	Location	Mile	Destinations	Notes
Mecklenburg	Charlotte	0	I-485 – Pineville, Huntersville	NC 24 begins
		1	I-77 – Charlotte, Statesville
		2	US 21 (Statesville Road)
		3	NC 115 (Old Statesville Road)
		7.5	I-85 – Charlotte, Greensboro
		8	US 29 (North Tryon Street)
		9	NC 49 (University City Boulevard)	Exit also for UNC Charlotte
		10	Old Concord Road
		16.5	NC 27 west (Albemarle Road)	West end of NC 27 overlap
	Mint Hill	21	I-485 – Pineville, Concord
		22.5	NC 51 south (Blair Road)
Cabarrus	Midland	30	US 601 – Monroe, Concord
Stanly	Locust	35	NC 200 – Stanfield, Monroe, Concord
	Red Cross	39	NC 205 south – Oakboro
	Albemarle	49.5	US 52 north / NC 73 west / NC 138 south	North end of US 52 overlap and west end of NC 73 overlap
		50	US 52 south / US 52 Bus. – Norwood, Wadesboro	South end of US 52 overlap
		51.5	NC 740 north – Badin
Montgomery		58	NC 73 east – Mount Gilead	East end of NC 73 overlap; enter Uwharrie National Forest
		66	NC 109 south – Mount Gilead	South end of NC 109 overlap
	Troy	69	NC 109 north / NC 109 Bus. – Denton	North end of NC 109 overlap; south end of NC 109 Business overlap
		70	NC 134 north / NC 109 Bus. north (Main Street)	North end of NC 109 Business overlap
	Biscoe	76.5	US 220 Alt. (Main Street)
		77	I-73 / I-74 / US 220 – Rockingham, Asheboro
Moore		89	NC 705 – Robbins
		94	NC 22 north – Ramseur, Greensboro	North end of NC 22 overlap
	Carthage	99	NC 22 south (McNeill Street)	South end of NC 22 overlap
		100	US 15 south / US 501 south – Pinehurst, Aberdeen	South end of US 15 & 501 overlap
		102	US 15 north / US 501 north – Sanford	North end of US 15 & 501 overlap
	Cameron	109	To US 1 Bus. south – Southern Pines
		110	US 1 – Southern Pines, Sanford
Harnett	Johnsonville	119	NC 27 east – Lillington	East end of NC 27 overlap
	Spout Springs	122	NC 87 north – Sanford	North end of NC 87 overlap
Cumberland	Spring Lake	129	NC 690 west (Vass Road) – Vass
		130	NC 210 north (Lillington Highway) – Lillington	North end of NC 210 overlap
		131	NC 210 south (Murchison Road)	South end of NC 210 overlap
	Fayetteville	137	US 401 (Skibo Road/Pamalee Drive) – Raeford, Lillington
		140	US 401 Bus. / NC 87 south (MLK Jr. Highway)	South end of NC 87 overlap
		141	NC 210 north (Murchison Road)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; north end of NC 210 overlap
		142	I-95 Bus. / US 301 (Eastern Boulevard)
		143	NC 53 east (Ceder Creek Road) / NC 210 south	South end of NC 210 overlap
	Vander	146	I-95 – Lumberton, Dunn, Benson
Sampson	Roseboro	164	NC 242 (East Street) – Elizabethtown, Salemburg
	Clinton	174	US 421 north / US 701 north (Faircloth Freeway) – Dunn, Newton Grove	North end of US 421 & 701 overlap
		175	US 421 south / US 701 south (Faircloth Freeway) – Wilmington	South end of US 421 & 701 overlap
		176	US 701 Bus. south (Southeast Boulevard)	South end of US 701 Business overlap
		177	US 701 Bus. north (Southeast Boulevard)	North end of US 701 Business overlap
Duplin	Warsaw	187	I-40 west / NC 24 Bus. – Benson	West end of Interstate 40 overlap
	NC 24 overlaps with Interstate 40 (exits 364 to 373)
		196	I-40 east / NC 903 south – Wilmington, Magnolia	East end of I-40 overlap; south end of NC 903 overlap
		198	NC 11 – Kenansville
		200	NC 50 – Kenansville, Chinquapin
		201	NC 903 north – Pink Hill, Albertson	North end of NC 903 overlap
	Beulaville	211	NC 41 / NC 111 (Jackson Street) – Wallace
Onslow		222	US 258 west – Kinston	West end of US 258 overlap
		231	NC 111 north (Catherine Lake Road) – Chinquapin, Wallace
	Jacksonville	236	US 258 east (Richlands Highway) / NC 53 west (Burgaw Highway) – Burgaw	East end of US 258 overlap
		237	US 17 south – Wilmington	South end of US 17 overlap
		240	Montford Landing Road	Eastbound entrance and westbound exit
		241	US 17 north – New Bern	North end of US 17 overlap
	Hubert	251	NC 172 south	NC 172 Restricted - Military Use Only
Carteret	Cape Carteret	262	NC 58 – Emerald Isle, Trenton
	Morehead City	278	US 70 (Arendell Street)	NC 24 ends

Business routes

NC 24 Business
Location:	Warsaw–Kenansville, North Carolina

NC 24 Business
Location:	Jacksonville, North Carolina

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 (171 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 its current western terminus at I-77.
• 2006: NC 24 is rerouted unto the Jacksonville Bypass US 17 for 4 miles (6.4 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 (1.6 km) to the route.

Photo gallery

• 

  NC 24 End at Interstate 485 in Charlotte (2010-10-17).

See also

• U.S. Highway 17-1
• Camp Lejeune
• North Carolina Bicycle Route 6
• Croatan National Forest
• Fort Bragg
• Reed Gold Mine
• Uwharrie National Forest

External links

• State Ends - NC 24 Ends
• NCRoads Annex - NC 24