state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in the U.S. state of
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
that serves as a shortcut for
U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 (US 70) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. It is a major east–west highway of the Southeastern United States, Southeastern, Southern Unite ...
Beaufort Beaufort may refer to:
People and titles
* Beaufort (surname)
* House of Beaufort, English nobility
* Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England
* Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility
Places Polar regions ...
, bypassing
Morehead City
Morehead City is a port town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2010 census. Morehead City celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 5, 2007. It forms part of the Crystal Coast.
His ...
. Most of the area along NC 101 is rural with many farms and swamps.
Route description
NC 101 begins at a traffic light along US 70 in Havelock. NC 101 continues east from US 70 along Fontana Boulevard south of the Cherry Point Military Base. As NC 101 continues eastward it passes farms and forest along the routing. NC 101 meets up with the southern terminus of NC 306 south of the Minnesott Beach Ferry. At this point, the highway becomes
concurrent
Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to:
Law
* Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea''
* Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...
with
North Carolina Bicycle Route 7
The following is a List of bicycle routes in North Carolina. These routes are designated by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Division.
State U.S. Bicycle Route 1
The North Carolina po ...
. NC 101 continues to the east before reaching North Harlowe at the edge of the
Croatan National Forest
The Croatan National Forest () , from the North Carolina Collection's website at the
Carteret County. After three more miles NC 101 enters the town of Harlowe. NC 101 turns eastward and leaves the Croatan National Forest before crossing the
Intracoastal Waterway
The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a inland waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States, running from Massachusetts southward along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the southern tip of Florida, then following th ...
near Core Point.
After crossing the Intracoastal Waterway, NC 101 heads a southeastern direction towards Beaufort. The concurrency with Bike Route 7 ends at Laurel Road south of the Intracoastal Waterway. NC 101 parallels the Intracoastal waterway the rest of the way, passing waterfront neighborhoods on the west side of the road and farms on the east side. As NC 101 enters Beaufort, it passes to the east of
Michael J. Smith Field
Michael J. Smith Field is a public airport located one mile (2 km) north of the central business district of Beaufort and northeast of Morehead City, in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. It is owned by the Beaufort-Morehead ...
and reaches an intersection with US 70 opened in late January 2018. NC 101 ends at a stop sign with Live Oak Street in Beaufort.
History
NC 101 was an original state highway appearing on a 1922 state map of North Carolina. NC 101 started at former NC 10 south of Havelock. NC 101 then went southeast through the town of Newport, and the communities of Mansfield and Wildwood. NC 101 had its eastern terminus in Morehead City. In 1928 NC 10 and NC 101 swapped routing. When NC 10 and US 70 were extended to
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
in 1931, NC 101 was truncated east of Beaufort. The routing has been the same since 1931.