U.S. Route 17 in North Carolina

U.S. Highway 17
US 17 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length	286.0 mi[1] (460.3 km)
Existed	1927–present
Major junctions
South end	US 17 at the South Carolina state line
Major intersections	I-140 near Winnabow US 74 / US 76 / US 421 / NC 133 in Leland US 117 / NC 132 in Wilmington NC 140 in Kirkland US 70 near New Bern US 264 in Washington US 13 / US 64 in Williamston US 158 in Elizabeth City
North end	US 17 at the Virginia state line
Location
Counties	Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender, Onslow, Jones, Craven, Beaufort, Martin, Bertie, Chowan, Perquimans, Pasquotank, Camden
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided North Carolina Highway System Interstate US State Scenic ← NC 16 → NC 18

U.S. Route 17 (US 17) in the U.S. state of North Carolina is a north–south highway that is known as the Coastal Highway in the southeastern half of the state and the Ocean Highway in other areas. The route enters the state from South Carolina near Calabash, and leaves in the vicinity of the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia. Between the US 64 freeway and the Virginia state line, US 17 is a four-lane divided highway with speed limits varying between 45 miles per hour (72 km/h) and 70 miles per hour (110 km/h).

Route description[]

US 17 enters Brunswick County in Carolina Shores amid a variety of golf course communities. Carolina Shores was part of Calabash until 1998.

In Wilmington, US 17 (here concurrent with US 76 and US 421) crosses the Cape Fear River between New Hanover County and Brunswick County over the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge. US 17 then travels east through the city of Wilmington with US 76 on Wooster/Dawson Streets and Oleander Drive, intersecting US 117, NC 132 and US 74. At the end of the US 76 concurrency near Wrightsville Beach, US 17 travels north as Military Cutoff Road before meeting up with Market Street and US 17 Business and exiting the city northeast.^[2] North of Holly Ridge US 17 begins to move further away from the Atlantic Coast. Then, it bypasses Jacksonville along with NC 24. Between New Bern and James City, US 17 (concurrent with US 70 and NC 55) crosses the Trent River by way of the Freedom Memorial Bridge. Farther east, between James City and Bridgeton, US 17, still concurrent with NC 55, crosses the Neuse River over the Neuse River Bridge. Traffic going north on US 17 when using US 70's concurrency can bypass New Bern altogether via NC 43, ironically both the west end of US 17's concurrency on US 70 and NC 43's southern terminus both, respectively have a north and south protrusion of unused highway since full cloverleaf junctions were scrapped in the area.^{[clarification needed]}

US 17 northbound/US 158 westbound past the northern terminus of US 17 Business. and US 17 Business. Truck in Elizabeth City

In Washington, US 17 crosses the Pamlico River over the Pamlico-Tar River Bridge and intersects with US 264. Farther along in , US 17 joins a concurrency with a limited-access portion of US 13/US 64, although US 64 moves east before US 13/US 17 reaches Williamston, where the limited-access segment ends. US 13/US 17 uses the Roanoke River Bridge to cross the Roanoke River, then before US 13 moves onto the interchange with North King Street it crosses the Cashie River Bridge over the Cashie River at Windsor. At the Bertie County-Chowan County line, US 17 traverses the Chowan River from Edenhouse to Edenton. East of Edenton, US 17 shares a concurrency with NC 37 until they reach Hertford where it branches off to the northwest onto US 17 Business. US 17 crosses the Perquimans River via the Perquimans River Bridge. Between Perquimans County and Pasquotank County, US 17 crosses the over the Little River Bridge. A bypass route splits off to the northwest as US 17 (Mainline) continues into Elizabeth City as Hughes Boulevard, picking up concurrency with US 158 until US 158 splits off to the west at . US 17 crosses the Pasquotank River between in Pasquotank County and South Mills in Camden County, before entering Virginia adjacent to the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.

History[]

Historical Marker along US 17

US 17 was established in 1927, traversing from South Carolina, near Fair Bluff, to Virginia, near South Mills. Its routing was placed along the following state highways: NC 202, from the South Carolina state line to Chadbourn; NC 20, from Chadbourn to Wilmington; NC 30, from Wilmington to Windsor; , from Windsor to Elizabeth City; NC 34, from Elizabeth City to ; and NC 341, from Morgans Corner to the Virginia state line.^[3]

In May 2015, AASHTO approved a request to reroute US 17 back through Wilmington, following US 76 along Oleander Drive and Military Cutoff Road. The justification for the route change was to better serve industry and commerce.^[4] In May 2017, US 17 was officially rerouted through Wilmington, ending its northern bypass route.^[5]

Interstate proposals[]

As a major north-south corridor through the coastal area, US 17 has been the target of various Interstate Highway proposals over the years. The earliest known proposal was in 1964, with a proposal supported by then-governor Terry Sanford, was to build a new Interstate from Fayetteville to Norfolk, Virginia, via US 13 and US 17. Designated Interstate 13 (I-13), it received support from various local officials; but was not supported by the North Carolina Highway Commission, which ended discussions.^[6]

During the mid-1990s through mid-2000s, I-99 was proposed between Charleston, South Carolina and Wilmington, Delaware, completely overlapping all of US 17 in North Carolina. In 2006, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) completed a study on the feasibility of the interstate and concluded with the high cost and disinterest of other states, notably South Carolina, that it was not feasible and recommend to not pursue further.^[7]

In 2012, NCDOT backed and presented a letter to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requesting the establishment of a new high priority corridor between Raleigh and Norfolk, designated I-44 (or I-50, with I-56 and I-89 as other possible numbers). This corridor follows US 64 and US 17, north of Williamston.^[8] The following year, I-495 was established east of Raleigh and was routed on part of this proposed route. In 2014, various supporters, including Governor Pat McCrory, Congressman G. K. Butterfield, NCDOT and the Regional Transportation Alliance (RTA), have made cases and written letters to federal officials in support of the new interstate corridor.^[9][10][11] In 2016, AASHTO approved designation of I-87 along US 17 between Williamston and the Virginia state line.

North Carolina Highway 341[]

North Carolina Highway 341 (NC 341) was an original state highway that traversed from NC 34, in Morgans Corner, to South Mills. In 1923, it was extended north to the Virginia state line, meeting up with SR 40. In 1927, it was completely overlapped with US 17, which subsequently replaced it outright in 1934.^[3]

Future[]

In Chowan County, the existing freeway section of US 17, which bypasses Edenton, will be fully upgraded to modern interstate standards. At a cost of $13 million, it will mainly focus on widening travel lanes and building shoulders; construction is planned to start in 2025.^[13]

Junction list[]

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Brunswick	Carolina Shores	0.0	0.0		US 17 south – Myrtle Beach	South Carolina state line
	​				I-74 (Carolina Bays Parkway)	Proposed interchange (unfunded)[14][15]
		6.9	11.1		NC 904 – Ocean Isle Beach, Tabor City
	Shallotte	11.9	19.2		US 17 Bus. north – Shallotte
		13.2	21.2		NC 130 – Shallotte, Whiteville
		16.0	25.7		US 17 Bus. south – Shallotte
	Supply	21.6	34.8		NC 211 – Bolton, St. James, Southport
	​	23.6	38.0		US 17 Bus. north (Old Ocean Highway) – Bolivia	Superstreet intersection
	​	28.6	46.0		NC 906 south (Galloway Road) – Oak Island	Northern terminus of NC 906
	Bolivia	30.5	49.1		US 17 Bus. south (Old Ocean Highway) – Bolivia
	Winnabow	35.0	56.3		NC 87 south – Boiling Spring Lakes, Southport	South end of NC 87 overlap
	​	38.3	61.6		NC 87 north – Elizabethtown	North end of NC 87 overlap, superstreet intersection
	​	39.2	63.1	39	I-140 east – Topsail Island, Jacksonville, New Bern	I-140 exit 1
	Leland	44.0	70.8		US 74 / US 76 west – Whiteville	West end of US 74/US 76 overlap; south end of freeway section
		45.0	72.4		NC 133 south – Belville, Southport, Oak Island	West end of NC 133 overlap
	​	47.0	75.6		US 74 east / US 421 / NC 133 north – Wrightsville Beach, Battleship NC, Clinton	East end of US 74 and north end of US 421/NC 133 overlap
New Hanover	Cape Fear River			Cape Fear Memorial Bridge
	Wilmington				State Port ( US 421 Truck south)	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; north end of freeway section
					US 421 south / US 17 Bus. north (3rd Street) – Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, Downtown Wilmington	South end of US 421 overlap; to North Carolina Aquarium and Fort Fisher State Park
					US 117 / NC 132 (College Road) to I-40 – Carolina Beach, UNC Wilmington	Interchange; to the North Carolina State Ports Authority
					US 74 / US 76 east (Eastwood Road) – Wrightsville Beach	East end of US 76 overlap
					US 17 Bus. south (Market Street) – Downtown Wilmington
					NC 417 north (Military Cutoff Road)	Future interchange; planned to open in 2022
	Kirkland				NC 140 west to I-140 / I-40 – Myrtle Beach, Benson
Pender	Hampstead	69.1	111.2		NC 210 west – Rocky Point	West end of NC 210 overlap
	​	77.7	125.0		NC 210 east – Surf City, Topsail Beach	East end of NC 210 overlap
Onslow	Holly Ridge	81.9	131.8		NC 50 (Ocean Road) – Surf City, Maple Hill
		86.3	138.9		NC 172 north (Sneads Ferry Road) – Sneads Ferry	Southern terminus of NC 172
		89.9	144.7		NC 210 west (Rifle Range Road) – Topsail Beach, Sneads Ferry	Southern terminus of NC 210
	Jacksonville	101.2	162.9		US 17 Bus. north – Jacksonville	South end of freeway section; northbound left exit and southbound entrance
		101.6	163.5		NC 24 west to US 258 – Richlands, Kinston	West end of NC 24 overlap; southbound access to US 17 Bus. northbound
		104.6	168.3		Montford Point Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		105.0	169.0	109	NC 24 east / NC 24 Bus. west – Camp Lejeune, Morehead City	East end of NC 24 overlap
		106.4	171.2	110	West Huff Drive
		107.2	172.5	111	US 17 Bus. south to US 258 / Jacksonville Parkway – Jacksonville (Downtown)	North end of freeway section; no exit number southbound
Jones	Maysville	120.5	193.9		NC 58 south – Cape Cateret, Emerald Isle	South end of NC 58 overlap
	Pollocksville	127.5	205.2		NC 58 north – Trenton	North end of NC 58 overlap
	​	132.7	213.6		US 17 Bus. north – New Bern	At-grade intersection; south end of freeway section
Craven	​	132.8	213.7	141B	US 70 west – Kinston	South end of US 70 overlap; left entrance northbound, left exits; US 70 exit 410A
	​	139.1	223.9	411	NC 43 north – Greenville, Vanceboro	Southern terminus of NC 43; exit numbers follow US 70
	New Bern	141.3	227.4		Glenburnie Road – Craven Community College
		142.3	229.0	414	US 17 Bus. – New Bern, Jacksonville
		143.9	231.6	416	NC 55 west (Pembroke Road) – Trent Woods	West end of NC 55 overlap
	James City	145.1	233.5	417	US 70 east / East Front Street ( US 17 Bus. south) – New Bern, Havelock, Morehead City	Signed as exits 417A (Front St.) and 417B (US 70); east end of US 70 overlap; exit to US 70 east not numbered northbound; US 70 west exit 417B
	Bridgeton	147.8	237.9		NC 55 east – Bayboro	East end of NC 55 overlap
		158.2	254.6		NC 43 south (Weyerhaeuser Road) – New Bern	South end of NC 43 overlap
	Vanceboro	161.7	260.2		US 17 Bus. / NC 43 north – Vanceboro, Greenville	North end of NC 43 overlap
		165.1	265.7		US 17 Bus. south – Vanceboro
Beaufort	​	172.0	276.8		NC 102 west – Ayden	Eastern terminus of NC 102
	​	177.1	285.0		US 17 Bus. north – Chocowinity	Superstreet intersection
	Chocowinity	177.9	286.3	176	NC 33 – Chocowinity, Greenville	South end of expressway
	Washington	181.9	292.7	180	US 264 – Washington, Greenville
		182.7	294.0		US 17 Bus. south (Carolina Avenue) – Washington	Superstreet intersection; north end of expressway
		187.2	301.3		NC 171 north – Jamesville	Southern terminus of NC 171
Martin	Williamston	200.5	322.7	514	US 13 south / US 64 west / US 17 Bus. north – Williamston, Tarboro	South end of US 13 and west end of US 64 overlap
		202.0	325.1	515	US 64 east – Plymouth, Manteo	East end of US 64 overlap; southbound access via US 64 Alt.
		202.2	325.4		US 64 Alt. (Jamesville Road) to US 64 east
		203.4	327.3		US 17 Bus. south (Main Street)
Bertie	Windsor	214.6	345.4		US 13 north / US 17 Byp. north – Ahoskie, Edenton	North end of US 13 and south end of US 13 Bus overlap
		214.7	345.5		US 13 Bus. north (Granville Street)	North end of US 13 Bus overlap
		215.6	347.0		NC 308 west (King Street)	West end of NC 308 overlap
		216.8	348.9		NC 308 east (Cooper Hill Road)	East end of NC 308 overlap
	​	222.5	358.1		US 17 Byp. south – Williamston
		225.9	363.6		NC 45 – Plymouth, Colerain
	Chowan River			Eden House Bridge; south end of expressway
Chowan	​	232.9	374.8	224	US 17 Bus. north (Queen Street) – Edenton
	Edenton	235.0	378.2	226	Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue
		236.1	380.0	227	NC 32 (Virginia Road) – Edenton
		237.2	381.7	228	Paradise Road
	​	238.7	384.2	230	US 17 Bus. south (Broad Street) – Edenton	North end of expressway
Perquimans	​	240.9	387.7		NC 37 south – Plymouth, Columbia	South end of NC 37 overlap
	Hertford	246.8	397.2		US 17 Bus. north – Hertford
	Winfall	250.0	402.3		US 17 Bus. south / NC 37 north – Hertford	North end of NC 37 overlap
Pasquotank		257.9	415.0	254	Okisko Road	South end of freeway section
	​	258.5	416.0	255	US 17 Byp. north – Chesapeake VA	North end of freeway section; northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Elizabeth City	263.2	423.6		US 17 Bus. north (Ehringhaus Street) – Elizabeth City
		263.6	424.2		NC 344 (Halstead Boulevard) – Weeksville
		264.7	426.0		US 158 east (Elizabeth Street) – Camden, Outer Banks	East end of US 158 overlap
		265.6	427.4		US 17 Bus. south (Road Street south)
	​	272.9	439.2	264	US 17 Byp. south to US 158 – Hertford, Edenton	Partial interchange; at-grade access to southbound/from northbound, left exit southbound, left entrance northbound; US 17 Byp. exit 264
		276.0	444.2		US 158 west – Sunbury	West end of US 158 overlap
Camden	South Mills	277.4	446.4		US 17 Bus. north – South Mills, Nags Head
	​	279.8	450.3		US 17 Bus. south / NC 343 – South Mills, Camden
	​	286.0	460.3		US 17 north – Chesapeake	Virginia state line
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access       Unopened

Special routes[]

There are numerous existing and former special routes of US 17 within the state of North Carolina.

See also[]

• North Carolina Bicycle Route 3 - Concurrent with US 17 at multiple locations
• North Carolina Bicycle Route 5 - Concurrent with US 17 on its NC 133 concurrency

References[]

External links[]

• Media related to U.S. Route 17 in North Carolina at Wikimedia Commons
• NCRoads.com: U.S. 17
• NCRoads.com: U.S. 17-A
• NCRoads.com: U.S. 17 Business
• North Carolina @ AARoads - U.S. Highway 17

U.S. Route 17
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