#NC 24 September 23

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This is a post about the longest state highway in North Carolina.

Over the Labor Day weekend I traveled thru South Carolina, Tennessee, and North Carolina. I observed the state highway signs in each state.

The South Carolina Signs have a little more art to them versus Tennessee & North Carolina state highway signs. SC also went with a blue and white sign.

The North Carolina Highway System consists of a vast network of interstate, US Routes, and state roads all maintained by the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

All roads in the state of North Carolina are either maintained by the State or the local municipality-I was surprised to learn in North Carolina there are no county maintained roads. Eliminating the county roads gives North Carolina the largest state maintained roads in the country. South Carolina and Tennessee have county maintained roads.

North Carolina State Highways numbered under 1000 are primary NC State Highways.

A North Carolina Highway shield has the route’s number in black inside a white diamond with rounded corners. The diamond shape does not alter to accommodate larger route numbers; the numbers are reduced in size to fit within the diamond. That is why a two digit sign has always been easier for me to see than a three digit sign.

The longest State Highway in North Carolina is NC 24.

NC 24 runs 278 miles east to west from Morehead City to Charlotte. When you travel east it ends when you hit US 70 in Morehead City. When you are traveling west it ends at I-485.

NC 24 has special significance  to the military since it pass close by both Fort Bragg and Camp Lejeune. All told NC 24 travels thru 11 of North Carolina 100 counties.

NC 24 also connects a driver to I-485, I-77, I-85, I-73, I-74, I-95, and I-40 in the state. NC 24 spends a lot of its time sharing the road with other highways including NC 27.

Here is a 2013 YouTube video on the widening of NC 24 west of SR 1006 in Cumberland County to US 421 in Clinton. That 2 lane road became 4 lanes. It makes it an easier ride for me when I want to dine at Alfredo’s Ristorante Italiano in Clinton NC