North Carolina Highway 147

North Carolina Highway 147
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length	15.7 mi[1] (25.3 km)
Existed	1987–present
Major junctions
South end	NC 540 in Morrisville
	I-40 near Durham US 15 / US 501 in Durham
North end	I-85 in Durham
Location
Counties	Wake, Durham
Highway system
North Carolina Highway System Interstate US State Scenic ← NC 146 → NC 148

North Carolina Highway 147 (NC 147) is a North Carolina state highway. The route is a 15.7-mile-long (25.3 km) freeway that connects the Research Triangle Park (RTP) to both Western Wake County and the city of Durham. The section north of Interstate 40 (I-40) is known as the Durham Freeway, while the section south of I-40 is part of the Triangle Expressway. The portion of NC 147 between I-40 and the under-construction East End Connector is scheduled to become part of I-885 once the East End Connector and related road improvements are completed.

Route description[]

The route's entire length is a limited access freeway, linking NC 540 in Morrisville with the RTP, Downtown Durham and Interstates 40 and 85. It is a fairly urbanized commuter-route and suffers from peak-traffic during conventional rush hours. Speed limits on the freeway range from 55 mph (89 km/h) to 70 mph (110 km/h).

From NC 540 to I-40, the highway is a toll road, part of the Triangle Expressway. Tolling on this stretch of NC 147 began on January 3, 2012.^[2][3]

From I-40 to its northern terminus, the route is known as the Durham Freeway, and serves as the primary artery through the Research Triangle Park and Downtown Durham. The Durham Freeway portion was originally envisioned as an alignment of I-40, though the interstate was built to the south of the city center instead. The Durham Freeway received the NC 147 designation in 1986. From I-40 through the Research Triangle Park, to the Briggs Avenue exit the freeway goes primarily north-south, with wide medians and shoulders and interstate-grade entrance and exit ramps. Entering Downtown Durham past Briggs Avenue, the road turns towards a more southeast-northwest alignment, and narrows considerably, with narrow medians and shoulders, and short entrance and exit ramps, following a depressed road cut to the south of Downtown Durham, passing several major landmarks including the Durham Bulls Athletic Park (visible to the north of the roadway), the Durham Performing Arts Center, and the American Tobacco Historic District. Past Downtown Durham, the freeway passes through Duke University, forming the boundary between East Campus and Central Campus.

Past Duke University, the road reaches its northern terminus in a complex interchange with the U.S. 15-501 Freeway and I-85. Motorists must use U.S. 15-501 for access between I-85 south and NC 147 south, or between NC 147 north and I-85 north. At the actual northern terminus, traffic on NC 147 north merges with I-85 south, while I-85 north traffic can enter NC 147 south using exit 172.

Dedicated and memorial names[]

NC 147 features one dedicated stretch of freeway. The Buck Dean Expressway is the official name of NC 147 within the city limits of Durham that was approved on December 14, 1984.^[4]

Tolls[]

Tolls along NC 147 are done by electronic toll collection (ETC) and are enforced by video cameras. Several gantries are located along the route and entrance/exit ramps, where they collect toll via the NC Quick Pass or other interoperable ETC systems. Those that do not participate in the ETC program will receive a bill in the mail and will have 30 days from date on bill before additional fees and civil penalties are applied.^[5]

History[]

The Durham Freeway began with a 1962 bond referendum.^[6] The first section of the road, completed in 1970 around downtown Durham, extended from Chapel Hill Street to Alston Avenue and resulted in the destruction of a portion of the Hayti neighborhood as part of urban renewal,^[7] though a DOT engineer said the neighborhood likely would have been torn down anyway. The road was later extended west to Erwin Road and southward to where it meets I-40. In 1986, The freeway was designated as North Carolina Highway 147. The road's other names have included East-West Expressway and the I.L. "Buck" Dean Freeway.^[6]

In 1979, planners said many of the city's roads needed widening, and the decision was made to extend the freeway to I-85. The first section in 1982 disrupted the Crest Street neighborhood, but the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) moved 181 houses instead of tearing them down, an action that resulted in a 1987 third-place Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) award for "historic preservation and cultural enhancement".^[6] Eventually, the problems that caused the original I-40 extension to I-85 to be delayed were overcome, and NC 147 was extended through the city.^{[citation needed]} Work began in 1993, and the eastbound lanes opened May 21, 1997.^[8] The section connecting the road to I-85 opened July 31, 1998.^[7]

On September 6, 2011, the south terminus at T.W. Alexander Drive (exit 4) was permanently closed to make way for NC 147's extension to NC 540 in Morrisville; this made I-40 the temporary southern terminus for three months. On December 8, 2011, the southern extension was opened. Dubbed the Triangle Parkway, the 3.4-mile (5.5 km) stretch of road is also part of the Triangle Expressway.^{[2][3][9][10]}

Despite the spur to T.W. Alexander Drive being permanently closed, the pavement was never removed, and the abandoned section still sits just south of NC 147's interchange with I-40. (

35°53′41″N 78°52′41″W / 35.894653°N 78.878140°W / 35.894653; -78.878140) The road markings are also visible.

Future[]

Interstate 885[]

Future Interstate 885
Location	Durham, North Carolina

Interstate 885 (I-885) is a future designation traversing between I-40 and I-85/US 15 in Durham and the RTP area. Its first appearance was on August 19, 2014, when the October project letting was released, which included I-885 in the sign plans. The Interstate will begin at the I-40/NC 147 interchange (exit 279) then go north running concurrently with NC 147 to the East End Connector, a newly built roadway to that will bridge the short gap between NC 147 and US 70. Continuing north concurrently with US 70, it will end at the I-85/US 15/US 70 interchange (exit 178). The existing exit numbers now on NC 147 and US 70 would be replaced by I-885. The East End Connector began construction in March 2015^[11] and is scheduled to open to traffic in December 2021 and be completed by Spring 2022.^[12]

The NCDOT 2020-2029 Final STIP released in September 2019 indicates a project that will widen 3.9 miles of NC 147/I-885 to 6 lanes from the East End Connector Project south to I-40 at a cost of $1.8 million is scheduled to start in 2024.^[13]

NC 147 extension[]

In 2012, a proposal to extend the NC 147 from its current southern terminus south to McCrimmon Parkway, in Morrisville, was scheduled for reprioritization.^[14][15] As of October, 2020 the project is scheduled for right-of-way acquisition in 2024 and will break ground in 2027.^[16]

Junction list[]

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Wake	Morrisville				McCrimmon Parkway	Proposed extension (unfunded)[14][15]
		1.5	2.4	1	NC 540 Toll to I-40 / I-540 / US 1 – Raleigh, Sanford	Southbound exit left; Triangle Expressway continues as NC 540 south
Durham	Research Triangle Park	2.5	4.0	2 / 3	Davis Drive / Hopson Road	Signed exit 2 northbound, exit 3 southbound
				4	T.W. Alexander Drive	Permanently closed as of September 6, 2011[9][10]
		4.5	7.2	5	I-40 to NC 54 – Raleigh, Chapel Hill	Triangle Expressway northern terminus, Durham Freeway southern terminus. Signed as exit 5A (east) and 5B (west)
		5.5	8.9	6	Cornwallis Road  – Research Triangle Park
		6.5	10.5	7	T.W. Alexander Drive
		7.5	12.1	8	Ellis Road
	Durham			9	To I-85 / US 70 – Henderson, Greensboro, Petersburg	East End Connector (under construction)[11][17]
		10.5	16.9	10	Briggs Avenue  – Durham Technical Community College
		11.3	18.2	11	NC 55 (Alston Avenue)
		11.8	19.0	12A	Fayetteville Street  – North Carolina Central University
		12.0	19.3	12B	US 15 Bus. / US 501 Bus. (Mangum Street/Roxboro Street) – Downtown	To Durham Bulls Athletic Park
		12.6	20.3	12C	Duke Street	No southbound exit;to North Carolina Museum of Life and Science
		13.0	20.9	13	Chapel Hill Street
		13.7	22.0	14	To US 70 Bus. / Swift Avenue – Duke University East Campus	To North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and Northgate Mall
		14.3	23.0	15A	Elba Street / Trent Drive	Northbound exit, southbound entrance; to Duke Medical Center
		14.8	23.8	15B	Hillandale Road / Fulton Street	To Veterans Affairs Medical Center
		15.7	25.3	16	US 15 / US 501 to I-85 north – Chapel Hill, Duke University West Campus	Signed as exits 16A (north) and 16B (south)
		17.2	27.7		I-85 south – Greensboro	Northbound exit, southbound entrance
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Incomplete access       Unopened

References[]

External links[]

Route map:

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to North Carolina Highway 147.

• NCRoads - NC 147
• NC 147 Exit List
• Future I-885 Durham East End Connector