U.S. Route 421 in North Carolina

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 421 in North Carolina. For the entire length of the highway, see U.S. Route 421.

U.S. Route 421
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length:	328 mi (528 km)
Existed:	1931 – present
Major junctions
South end:	Fort Fisher
	I-140 / US 17 near Wilmington US 701 in Clinton I-95 in Dunn I-85 near Pleasant Garden I-73 in Greensboro I-40 in Greensboro I-77 near Brooks Crossroads
North end:	US-421 / SR-34 at the TN line near Zionville
Location
Counties:	New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, Sampson, Harnett, Lee, Chatham, Randolph, Guilford, Forsyth, Yadkin, Wilkes, Watauga
Highway system
United States Numbered Highways List Bannered Divided Replaced North Carolina Highway System ← NC 411 I-440 →

U.S. Route 421 traverses approximately 328 miles (528 km) across North Carolina; from Fort Fisher, on a peninsula between the Atlantic and Cape Fear River, to the Tennessee state line near the community of Zionville.

Majority of the highway is part of the North Carolina Strategic Highway Corridors system. Because of this designation, the state has made numerous changes converting a rural two-lane highway into a major Freeway/Expressway with 4 or more 6 lanes. Finding a road named "Old U.S. Route 421" is not uncommon along the entire route.

Route description

I-40 BUS/US 421/NC 150 near Kernersville

US 421 South near the Red White and Blue Road (exit 276) in eastern Wilkes County

King Street (US 421), going through downtown Boone

New Hanover County

US 421 starts at a parking/dock area on the Cape Fear side of the peninsula; within a quarter of a mile, the Fort Fisher Ferry Terminal is located where travelers can ride a ferry to Southport. Immediately after the ferry terminal is the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, where the first and second battles of Fort Fisher took place.

The highway continues north, going through popular tourist destinations in New Hanover county: Kure Beach, Wilmington Beach, and Carolina Beach. US 421 eventually enters Wilmington along the riverside of the city. At Wooster Street, it goes west, merging with several other highways and funnel through Brunswick county before returning back in northwestern New Hanover county; there it links with I-140 before continuing north towards Clinton.

Down East

The road between Wilmington and Dunn is mostly two-lane road through the countryside (with exception to Clinton, where it is a freeway bypassing west of the city). There is one rest area located just north of Delway. Most travelers today use I-40, which parallels US 421 10 miles (16 km) to its east. Thus this section will unlikely to ever be widen like it has throughout the rest of the state.

From Dunn to Lillington, it expands into an expressway, connecting the two cities and Campbell University in Buies Creek. At Lillington, it goes through town before redirecting towards Sanford to its west, via two-lane road.

Lee County to Randolph County

At Sanford, US 421 currently goes through the town, but eventually it will bypass the city entirely with the Sanford Bypass (majority of which already built, but does not link to US 421). Once the Sanford Bypass is completed, it connect Greensboro to Fayetteville on a four-lane highway that bypasses most cities along its route with US 421 and NC 87.

Just west of the US 1/15/501 freeway, US 421 becomes an expressway; passing effortlessly by towns it once serviced: Goldston, Bear Creek, Siler City, Staley, and Liberty.

Piedmont Triad

Near Pleasant Garden, US 421 transitions from an expressway to a freeway by overlapping with I-85; it also goes west from this point till Sugar Grove. As the modern eight-lane I-85/US 421 overlap loops south of Greensboro, it soon connects with I-73 and switches to overlap it. Another six miles later, it switches again to I-40 and continues on towards Winston-Salem. Near Kernersville, US 421 switches one last time with Business Loop I-40 going into downtown Winston-Salem. The freeway section through Winston-Salem is the oldest in the Triad and will typically have some construction for either road or bridge repair; Luckily, people can bypass the downtown area by staying on I-40 then taking exit 188, where US 421 meets up again.

Western Piedmont and Foothills

At either exit 1 (via Business Loop I-40) or exit 188 (via I-40), US 421 separates toward Yadkinville. From Winston-Salem to Wilkesboro, US 421 continues on four-lane freeway, much of which was built between 1992-2002. This section of the highway is mostly farmland, with only Yadkinville as a viable place to stop for food and drink. When the highway nears North Wilkesboro, drivers will be able to see the North Wilkesboro Speedway (access via exit 282); there is also a Visitor Center, built in 2009 as the state's first environmentally friendly rest area, located at mile marker 283. As US 421 enters Wilkesboro city limits, it downgrades to an expressway with various stores and restaurants along it. Travelers should anticipate higher traffic volumes between US 421 Business junction and NC 16 junction in Wilkesboro.

High Country

As it leaves Wilkesboro, US 421 begins a gradual climbs up the Blue Ridge Mountains, till approximately five miles from Deep Gap where it climbs up significantly. Fortunately, compared to US 221 and US 321 that heads towards Boone, US 421 is considered the safest by being the least steep and curvy route. Access to the Blue Ridge Parkway is located at Deep Gap, as US 421 continues on towards Boone.

As US 421 enters Boone, the expressway ends into a construction zone that plans to widen the highway to Hardin Street. Once past Hardin Street, the road narrows through the downtown area. Traffic is typically bumper-to-bumper, so drivers can follow the US 421 Truck route as an alternate to avoid the downtown area. Boone is also unique that sister routes US 221 and US 321 connect at various points in town; however only the Truck Routes of US 221, US 321, and US 421 join together as they overlap with NC 105 going southwest around town. After leaving Boone, US 421 continues on as a two-lane road to the Tennessee state line, heading on to Mountain City.

Scenic byways

Cape Fear Historic Byway is an 8-mile (13 km) byway in downtown Wilmington. US 421 only makes-up only a small section of the total byway, near Greenfield Parks and Gardens. The overall byway is noted for its scenic urban areas, colonial-era streets, the U.S.S. North Carolina, and the city parks. Other roads and highways that make-up the byway are: US 74, US 17 Bus., 3rd Street, Water Street, Front Street, Castle Street, 5th Street, and Lake Shore Drive.

U.S. 421 Scenic Byway is an 8-mile (13 km) byway from the Blue Ridge Parkway to the South Fork New River near Boone, all within Watauga County. The route is noted for its panoramic views of Snake Mountain and Elk Knob, as well as the forests, horse/cattle farms, and Fraser Fir Christmas Tree farms.

History

Overlapping US 221, US 321, and US 421 Truck routes along NC 105 in Boone

• 1931 - US 421 officially appears on highway maps starting from Winston-Salem (junction with US 70/170) to Boone at King/Harding Street intersection (junction with US 221/321). It was solely within the state of North Carolina and was completely overlapped with NC 60.
• 1932 - US 421 was extended both north and south. North from Boone, it extended to Sugar Grove where it then replaced US 321 heading towards Mountain City, Tennessee; US 321 redirects towards Elizabethton, Tennessee. From Winston-Salem, the highway is routed to Wilmington following NC 60.
• 1933 - Highway was realigned around Boone (using a straighter alignment) and in Greensboro (Market Street).
• 1934 - NC 60 is completely removed from its original route, leaving US 421. NC 60 gets renumbered on a short highway in Cherokee county, where it continues to this day.
• 1936 - US 421 is extended south from Wilmington to Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, and Fort Fisher, replacing NC 40.
• 1951-1952 - US 421 bypasses Clinton (on what would be today's Faircloth Freeway). The Wilkesboro area is realigned through town to North Wilkesboro.
• 1954-1955 - US 421 is rerouted going west out of Wilmington via US 17/74/76, then north following NC 133.
• 1957-1958 - US 421 is realigned onto a straighter routing between Deep Gap to Wilkesboro. US 421 is redirected out of North Wilkesboro, old routing is rebranded as US 421-A (Now US 421 Business). US 421 is placed onto one-way streets within Winston-Salem (using 4th and 5th streets), it is also rerouted in Greensboro going from Market Street to Henry Blvd Freeway. Between Erwin and Dunn, US 421 is realigned onto a new four-lane expressway.
• 1962-1963 - US 421 is realigned onto a new road near Sugar Grove and Zionville, leaving the communities of Amantha and Mabel. Between Yadkinville and Winston-Salem, US 421 is given its current alignment, expanding to a freeway after the Yadkin River to I-40; it then overlaps with I-40 through downtown Winston-Salem. In Harnett county, US 421 is moved north, avoiding the community of Mamers, and enters Lillington via Front Street. US 421 is straighten out through Harrells.
• 1964-1968 - US 421 becomes one-way streets through downtown Greensboro (Market Street and Madison/Gaston Avenues). US 421 is rerouted onto the new Faircloth Freeway in Clinton.
• 1969-1970 - US 421 is rerouted onto the new Cape Fear Bridge in Wilmington. US 421 is realigned around Bonlee and Bear Creek.
• 1971-1984 - US 421 completes its bypass around Wilkesboro. Between Greensboro and Staley is upgraded to expressway standards (Joseph M. Hunt Jr Expressway) and bypasses the communities of Pleasant Garden, Climax, Julian, and Liberty. US 421 is rerouted in Sanford, avoiding the community of Broadway.
• 1987-1990 - The Siler City bypass is completed. US 421 is rerouted going north around Greensboro then going south on Henry Boulevard (US 29).
• 1994-1999 - US 421 is removed from all surface roads from Kernersville to Greensboro, follows I-40 to Joseph M. Hunt Jr Expressway.
• 2000-2003 - US 421 is realigned and widen to 4-lane freeway between Yadkinville to Wilkesboro and a 4-lane expressway between Wilkesboro to Boone (though some parts already pre-existed for before 2000). This completes US 421 as a 4-lane (or more) highway from Sanford to Boone.
• 2008 - US 421 is realigned in Greensboro to follow the new southern loop, overlapping with I-73 and I-85 to Jospeph M. Hunt Jr Expressway. This was done to give drivers a route direction to Winston-Salem after I-40 returned to its original routing after one year on the southern loop.
• 2012 - In Boone, a 1.1-mile (1.8 km) section, known as King Street, was widened to four to six lanes with a raised concrete median from US 321 (Hardin Street) to east of NC 194 (Jefferson Road). The project cost $16.2 million.

Future

In Kernersville, the roadway improvements and extension of Macy Grove Road will include the construction of a new interchange with I-40 Business/US 421. Property acquisition is to begin in 2012.

In Winston-Salem, shared with I-40 Business, a 1-mile (1.6 km) section from west of Fourth Street to east of Church Street has begun project development studies to completely upgrade and streamline. The project includes removing the existing pavement and replacing it with new concrete pavement, upgrade and modernize entrance and exit ramps, and replace most of the bridges on and over the freeway. No cost or time frame has been given at this time.

In New Hanover and Brunswick counties, the Cape Fear Skyway has begun its project development studies (since 2007) to build a toll road and bridge that will bypass Wilmington. Early estimates range from $950–$1.1 billion. The environmental impact study is expected to complete in 2014, a record of decision and a complete financial feasibility will be done in 2015.

Junction list

County	Location	Mile	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
New Hanover	Fort Fisher	0.2	0.3		Fort Fisher Ferry Terminal	US 421 begins .2 miles (0.32 km) south of terminal; ferry service to Southport
	Myrtle Grove	13.5	21.7		NC 132 north (College Road) – Wilmington	Southern terminus of NC 132
	Wilmington	15	24		US 117 (Shipyard Boulevard) – Wilmington, State Port
		18	29		US 76 east / US 17 Bus. north (3rd Street) – Wrightsville Beach, Downtown Wilmington	East end of US 76 overlap, north end of US 17 Business overlap
		19	31		Front Street	Partial interchange
Brunswick		21	34		US 17 / NC 133 south / US 74 / US 76 west – Bolivia, Southport, Whiteville	South end of US 17/US 17 Business/NC 133 overlap, west end of US 74/76 overlap
New Hanover		22	35		U.S.S. North Carolina Road/Battleship Road	To the N.C. Battleship
		24	39		US 74 east / NC 133 north – Wrightsville Beach, Hightsville	East end of US 74 overlap, north end of NC 133 overlap
		25.5	41.0		I-140 east / US 17 north – Hampstead, Topsail Island	North end of US 17 overlap
Pender	Long Creek	38.5	62.0		NC 210 – Rocky Point, Currie	Also to Moores Creek National Battlefield on west NC 210
	Malpass Corner	44	71		NC 11 south / NC 53 – Atkinson, Burgaw	South end of NC 11 overlap
		52	84		NC 11 north – Penderlea, Willard	North end of NC 11 overlap
Sampson	Harrells	60	97		NC 41 (Tomahawk Highway/Wallace Highway) – Tomahawk, Wallace
	Delway	65	105		NC 903 (Magnolia-Lisbon Road) – Magnolia, Kenansville
	Clinton	79	127		US 701 south (Garland Highway) / US 701 Bus. north (Sunset Boulevard) – Garland, Clinton	South end of US 701 overlap
		80	129		To NC 24 east (Tam Road) – Warsaw
		81	130		NC 24 east (Southwest Boulevard) – Warsaw	Southbound entrance and northbound exit, east end of NC 24 overlap
		82	132		NC 24 west (Sunset Avenue) – Roseboro, Fayetteville	West end of NC 24 overlap
		83	134		US 701 north (Faircloth Freeway) – Newton Grove	North end of US 701 overlap
		95	153		NC 242 south (Salemburg Highway) – Salemburg, Roseboro	South end of NC 242 overlap
	Spivey's Corner	99	159		US 13 (Fayetteville Highway/Newton Grove Highway) – Fayetteville, Newton Grove
		100	161		NC 242 north (Benson Highway) – Benson	North end of NC 242 overlap
Harnett	Dunn	109	175		I-95 / NC 55 east – Fayetteville, Benson, Newton Grove	East end of NC 55 overlap
		110	177		US 301 (Clinton Avenue) – Fayetteville, Benson
	Erwin	114	183		NC 55 north / NC 82 south / NC 217 south (13th Street) – Erwin, Coats	West end of NC 55 overlap
		119	192		NC 27 east – Coats	East end of NC 27 overlap; Harnett County Airport at intersection
	Lillington	124	200		US 401 north (Cornelius Harnett Boulevard) / NC 210 north (Main Street) – Fuquay-Varina	North end of US 401 and NC 210 overlap
		125	201		US 401 south / NC 27 east / NC 210 south (Main Street)	South end of US 401/NC 210 overlap, east end of NC 27 overlap
Lee	Sanford	144	232		NC 87 south – Fayetteville	South end of NC 87 overlap (Future Exit 143 on Sanford Bypass)
		145	233		NC 42 east / NC 78 west (Main Street) – Fuquay-Varina	East end of NC 42 overlap (Future Exit 144 on Sanford Bypass)
		147	237		US 1 Bus. / NC 42 west (Carthage Street)	West end of NC 42 overlap; also junction of U.S. Bike Route 1
		149	240		US 1 / US 15 / US 501 / NC 87 north – Raleigh, Southern Pines	North end of NC 87 overlap (Future Exit 149 on Sanford Bypass)
Chatham		163	262		NC 902 – Pittsboro
		168	270	168	Sam Fields Road – Siler City
	Siler City	171	275	171	US 64 – Siler City, Pittsboro
		174	280	174	Piney Grove Church Road
Randolph	Staley	180	290	180	Old US Highway 421 – Liberty, Staley
	Liberty	181	291	181	NC 49 – Liberty, Ramseur
		184	296		Old Liberty Road – Liberty
Guilford	Julian	190	306		NC 62 – High Point, Burlington
		197	317	197	I-85 north to I-40 – Durham, Raleigh	North end of I-85 overlap
US 421 overlaps with Interstate 85 (exits 126 to 121), Interstate 73 (exits 97 to 103), Interstate 40 (exits 212 to 206), and Interstate 40 Business (exits 16 to 1).
Forsyth	Winston-Salem	234	377	238	I-40 / I-40 Bus. east – Winston-Salem, Statesville	West end of Interstate 40 Business overlap
		235	378	239	Jonestown Road
		236	380	240	Peace Haven Road
	Lewisville	238	383	242	Lewisville-Clemmons Road – Lewisville, Clemmons
		240	386	244	Williams Road – Lewisville
		242	389	246	Shallowford Road
Yadkin		245	394	249	Dinkins Bottoms Road/Baltimore Road
		247	398	251	Spear Bridge Road
		249	401	253	Shacktown Road/Old Stage Road
		252	406	256	Unifi Industrial Road
	Yadkinville	253	407	257	US 601 (State Street) – Yadkinville, Mocksville
		255	410	259	Reavis Road
	Brooks Crossroads	259	417	263	US 21 – Jonesville
		260	418	264	Asbury Church Road
		262	422	265	I-77 – Elkin, Statesville, Charlotte	Northbound is exit 265A, southbound is exit 265B
		264	425	267	Windsor Road/Oak Grove Church Road
Wilkes		267	430	270	Dennyville Road
		269	433	272	To NC 268 (Clingman Road/Somers Road)
		273	439	276	To NC 268 (Red, White, and Blue Road/Mathis Farm Road)
		274	441	277	Windy Gap Road/Speedway Road
		279	449	282	US 421 Bus. / NC 115 (Statesville Road) – North Wilkesboro, Statesville
	Wilkesboro	282	454	285	Brushy Mountain Road – Wilkesboro
		283	455	286A	NC 16 south / NC 18 (Cherry Road) – Wilkesboro, Taylorsville, Lenoir	South end of NC 16 overlap
		283.5	456.2		NC 268 – Wilkesboro
		284	457		US 421 Bus. (D Street) – North Wilkesboro
		287	462		NC 16 north – Jefferson	North end of NC 16 overlap
Watauga	Deep Gap	304	489		Blue Ridge Parkway
		305	491		US 221 north – West Jefferson	North end of US 221 overlap
	Boone	313	504		NC 194 north (Jefferson Road) – Todd	North end of NC 194 overlap
		314	505		US 221 south / NC 105 south (Highway 105 Extension) – Linville, Banner Elk	South end of US 221 overlap
		314.5	506.1		US 321 south (Hardin Street) – Blowing Rock	South end of US 321 overlap
	Vilas	320	515		NC 194 south – Valle Crucis	South end of NC 194 overlap
	Sugar Grove	321	517		US 321 north – Elizabethton	North end of US 321 overlap
	State line	328	528		US-421 north / SR-34 north – Mountain City
Concurrency terminus       Closed/former       HOV only       Incomplete access       Tolled/ETC       Unopened

Note – Exit numbers west of Winston-Salem are aligned when US 421 went north around Greensboro in late-1980s/early-1990s. As a result from realignments in Greensboro, the actual mileage vs. exit number mileage is off by an average of 3.5 miles (5.6 km).

Alternate names

Though the highway is commonly known as "421" throughout the state, the highway does have other known names it uses locally in areas.

• Burnett Boulevard - Road name briefly used in Wilmington, between Carolina Beach Road and 3rd Street.
• Carolina Beach Road - Road name from Seabreeze to Burnett Boulevard in Wilmington.
• Cornelius Harnett Boulevard - Road name from Main Street to Lillington city limit.
• Cumberland Street - Road name within Dunn city limits.
• Delway Highway - Road name between Harrells to Delway in Sampson county.
• Doc and Merle Watson Highway - Official name of highway between the Wilkes/Watauga county line to Boone.
• Faircloth Freeway - Road name within Clinton city limits.
• Fort Fisher Boulevard - Road name from Kura Beach to south terminus of US 421.
• Front Street - Road name from main street to Lillington city limit.
• King Street - Road name within Boone city limits.
• Lake Park Boulevard - Road name within Carolina Beach city limits.
• Jackson Boulevard - Road name within Erwin city limits.
• Joseph M. Hunt Jr Expressway - Road name from Randolph/Guilford county line to I-85; expressway continues on into Greensboro, which was an old US 421 alignment.
• Paul Green Memorial Highway - Road Name from Erwin to Lillington.
• Plain View Highway - Road name from US 13 in Spivey's Corner to I-95 near Dunn.
• Main Street - Road name between Cornelius Harnett Boulevard and Front Street in Lillington.
• Northwest Boulevard - Road name from Clinton to Kitty Fork.
• Spivey's Corner Highway - Road name from Kitty Fork to US 13 in Spivey's Corner.
• Taylors Bridge Highway - Road name from Delway to Clinton.
• Watson Brame Expressway - Road name throughout Wilkes county.
• Wilmington Highway - Road name from the Sampson/Pender county line to Harrells.

See also

• Bannered routes of U.S. Route 421
• Cape Fear River
• Carolina Beach State Park
• Fort Fisher State Recreation Area
• Hagan Stone Park
• Moores Creek National Battlefield

• Raven Rock State Park
• South Fork New River
• U.S. Route 21
• U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship Memorial
• W. Kerr Scott Reservoir
• Yadkin River

External links

• Media related to U.S. Route 421 in North Carolina at Wikimedia Commons
• NCRoads.com Annex: US 421
• NCRoads.com Annex: US 421A
• North Carolina US Highway Termini - US 421

U.S. Route 421
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