U.S. Route 264

U.S. Route 264
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 64
Maintained by NCDOT
Length:	216 mi (348 km)
Existed:	1932 – present
Major junctions
West end:	I-440 / US 64 / US 64 Bus. in Raleigh
	I-540 near Knightdale I-95 / I-795 near Wilson
East end:	US 64 in Manns Harbor
Location
Counties:	Wake, Nash, Wilson, Greene, Pitt, Beaufort, Hyde, Dare
Highway system
United States Numbered Highways List • Bannered • Divided • Replaced North Carolina Highway System ← NC 261 NC 268 →

U.S. Route 264 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 216 miles (348 km) from Raleigh to Manns Harbor, entirely in the U.S. state of North Carolina.

Route description

U.S. Route 264 begins at the Raleigh Beltline (which carries US 64 and Interstate 440) and travels to the east from a directional T interchange, concurrently with US 64 along with it on a freeway alignment. It meets the eastern terminus of Interstate 540, which features several unused stub ramps. The route curves to the northeast, paralleling NC 94, until it passes by Zebulon. At the north side of town, US 64 continues to the northeast, while the US 264 freeway continues east through a long wooded stretch. It curves to the south just before it meets Interstate 95/Interstate 795, just west of Wilson.

As the freeway loops south of Wilson, the short concurrency of Interstate 795 splits-off towards Goldsboro as US 264 continues east to Greenville. In Greenville, the freeway downgrades to expressway grade at the US 13/NC 11/NC 903 interchange. After completing the loop north around Greenville, it continues east, on Pactolus Highway, through a largely developed area and passes through Washington and US 17.

The route continues east on a two-lane road, cutting through mostly farmland. It begins to curve to the northeast after meeting NC 99, entering Pantego on Main Street. Within the town, it curves to the east again and then south toward Belhaven, where it bypasses north of town while US 264 Business goes through it. After Belhaven, US 264 continues eastward once again entering Hyde county, passing south of Lake Mattamuskeet through an area dominated by farmland and through the community of Engelhard. Turning north, US 264 goes through the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge before finally reaching Manns Harbor, where US 264 ends at intersection with US 64.

Scenic byways

Pamlico Scenic Byway is an 127-mile (204 km) byway from Washington to Manns Harbor. US 264 overlap several sections of the byway. The byway is noted for its history, scenic views, and the three national wildlife refuges that the route goes through. Other roads and highways that make-up the byway are: NC 32, NC 45, NC 92, and NC 94.

History

Established in 1932, US 264 started from US 64/NC 90, in Zebulon, to the community of Engelhard, in Hyde County. The route was overlapped entirely with NC 91 and was paved west of Swan Quarter. In 1934, NC 91 was removed along the route; in 1935, US 264 was paved from Swan Quarter to Engelhard.

Sometime between 1948-'50, US 264 was moved south around Wilson, on Ward Boulevard; the old route became US 264 Alternate, which later became US 264 Business in 1960 till 1980-'84.

Sometime between 1951-'52, US 264 was extended east from Engelhard to Manns Harbor, where it connected back with US 64. It continued east, overlapped with US 64, ending at Whalebone Junction with US 158 and NC 12.

Sometime between 1953-'54, US 264 was bypassed Farmville and Greenville; the old routes became US 264 Alternate, eventually both were decommission by 1990. By 1958, US 264 was moved north around Swan Quarter, replaced by NC 45 and NC 94. In 1962-'63, US 264 was bypassed north around Belhaven, old route through town becoming US 264 Business.

Between 1972-'78, US 264 was moved onto a Super-2 routing north of Sims, Bailey, and Middlesex. Much of the old route become US 264 Business, which is today part of US 264 Alternate. In 1979, the Super-2 was upgraded to freeway standards.

Between 1987-'90, US 264 was moved onto new freeway south of Wilson; the old route along Ward Boulevard became part of the current US 264 Alternate route. Also during this time, US 264 was upgraded to freeway standards east of Farmville to Greenville. Between 1991-'93, US 264 was moved north onto new freeway, bypassing Farmville.

Sometime between 1994-'99, US 264 was extended west from Zebulon, to the junction with I-440 in Raleigh. This would later change on July 8, 2005, when the Knightdale Bypass was completed.

In August, 2002, US 264 was truncated east at Manns Harbor.

In 2004, US 264 was rerouted, between I-95 and NC 121, onto new freeway, south of Wilson. In 2007, part of this route was overlapped with I-795.

Junction list

County	Location	Mile	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Wake	Raleigh	0	419*	I-440 / US 64 west / US 64 Bus. east – Durham, Benson, Wake Forest	US 264 begins; west end of US 64 overlap
		1	420*	New Hope Road
	Knightdale	3	422*	Hodge Road
		4	423*	I-540 west – Wake Forest, RDU Airport
		6	425*	Smithfield Road
	Wendell	8	427*	Taylor Road
		10	429*	US 64 Bus. (Wendell Boulevard) – Knightdale
		11	430*	Rolesville Road – Rolesville	Eastbound entrance and westbound exit
		13	432*	Lizard Lick Road – Wendell
	Zebulon	16	435*	US 64 Bus. west / NC 96 – Zebulon, Oxford
		17	436*	US 64 east – Nashville, Rocky Mount	East end of US 64 overlap
		18		NC 97 – Zebulon, Oxford
		19		US 264 Alt. east / NC 39 – Selma, Louisburg
Nash	Middlesex	24		NC 231 – Middlesex
	Bailey	28		NC 581 – Bailey, Spring Hope
Wilson	Sims	32	34	Green Pond Road – Sims
		34	36	US 264 Alt. – Sims, Wilson	Signed as exits 36A (west) and 36B (east)
		36	38	I-95 – Smithfield, Rocky Mount, Roanoke Rapids	North end of I-795 overlap; signed as exits 38A (south) and 38B (north)
		37.5	40	NC 42 – Wilson, Clayton
		39	42	Downing Street – Wilson
		40	43C	I-795 south – Goldsboro, Kenly	South end of I-795 overlap
		41	43	US 301 to US 117 – Wilson	Signed as exits 43A (south) and 43B (north)
		44	46	Black Creek Road
		46.5	49	NC 58 – Wilson, Kinston
		50	51	US 264 Alt. – Wilson, Saratoga
		52	53	NC 111 / NC 222 – Saratoga, Fountain
Greene		58.5	59	NC 91 – Walstonburg, Snow Hill
		59	60	NC 121 north – Farmville	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Pitt	Farmville	63	63	US 258 – Tarboro, Farmville
		66	66	Wesley Church Road
	Greenville	71	71	Mozingo Road
		73	73	Stantonsburg Road – Greenville Downtown	Signed as exits 73A (west) and 73B (downtown)
		75	75	NC 43 – Greenville, Rocky Mount
		77	77	NC 33 – Greenville, Tarboro
		80	80	US 13 / NC 11 / NC 903 – Greenville, Bethel
		83		US 264 Alt. west / NC 33 – Greenville
		90		NC 30 west – Bethel
Beaufort	Washington	99		US 17 – New Bern, Williamston
		101		US 17 Bus. – New Bern, Williamston	West end of NC 92 overlap
		107		NC 32 – Plymouth
		110		NC 92 east – Bath	East end of NC 92 overlap
	Pantego	126		NC 99 north – Plymouth	North end of NC 99 overlap
	Belhaven	130		US 264 Bus. east / NC 99 south	South end of NC 99 overlap
		132		US 264 Bus. – Belhaven
Hyde		139		NC 45 north – Plymouth	North end of NC 45 overlap
		154		NC 45 south – Swan Quarter	South end of NC 45 overlap
		157		NC 94 south – Swan Quarter	South end of NC 94 overlap
		164		NC 94 north – Columbia	North end of NC 94 overlap
Dare	Manns Harbor	216		US 64 – Columbia, Nags Head	US 264 ends
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi      Concurrency terminus •      Closed/former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened

Note – Exit numbers with one asterisk (*) are numbered by US 64.

Bannered routes

Alternates

U.S. Route 264 Alternate
Location:	Middlesex-Greenville, North Carolina
Length:	63.2 mi (101.7 km)

Currently, there is one U.S. Route 264 Alternate route in North Carolina:

• Middlesex to Greenville – A 63.2-mile (101.7 km) route that goes the towns of Middlesex, Wilson, and Greenville. It was established, between 1980–1985, as the fourth US 264 Alternate route; it replaced business loops in Middlesex and Wilson. In 2004, it was extended east absorbing the fifth US 264 Alternate route between Farmville-Greenville.

Historically, four additional alternate routes had existed in Wilson (Alt #1: 1948-'50 till 1960), Greenville (Alt #2: 1953-'54 till 1960), Farmville (Alt #3: 1953-'54 till 1985-'90), and Farmville-Greenville (Alt #5: 1985-'90 till 2004). The first two routes were converted to business routes, Farmville's US 264 Alternate was decommissioned, and the Farmville-Greenville US 264 Alternate was absorbed by US 264 Alternate (#4) route.

Business loops

U.S. Route 264 Business
Location:	Belhaven, North Carolina
Length:	2.9 mi (4.7 km)

Currently, there is one U.S. Route 264 Business loop in North Carolina:

• Belhaven – Established in 1963 or 1964, the 2.9-mile (4.7 km) route goes through downtown Belhaven, via Main Street and Pamlico Street.

Historically, three additional business loops had existed in Wilson (1960-1980-'84), Greenville (1960 till 1986-'90), and Middlesex (1973-'78 till 1980-'84).

See also

• Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
• Intracoastal Waterway
• Lake Mattamuskeet
• Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge
• North Carolina Bicycle Route 2
• Pamlico Sound
• Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge
• Tar River

External links

• Media related to U.S. Route 264 at Wikimedia Commons