North Carolina Highway 46 (NC 46) is a primary

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 ...

; it is entirely in Northampton County. The route primarily connects the communities on the north side of

Roanoke Rapids Lake The Roanoke River ( ) runs long through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the App ...

and

Lake Gaston Lake Gaston is a hydroelectric reservoir in the eastern United States. Part of the lake is in the North Carolina counties of Halifax, Northampton, and Warren. The part extending into Virginia lies in Brunswick and Mecklenburg counties. Lake Gas ...

, as well as the north side of the

Roanoke River The Roanoke River ( ) runs long through southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the App ...

in the county.

Route description

NC 46 begins at its western terminus at the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

state line near Henrico. The road in Virginia continues north as

Virginia State Route 46 State Route 46 (SR 46) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway begins at the North Carolina state line near Valentines, Virginia, Valentines, where the highway continues as North Carolina Highway 46 (NC 46). ...

towards

Lawrenceville, Virginia Lawrenceville is a town in Brunswick County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,438 at the 2010 census. Located by the Meherrin River, it is the county seat of Brunswick County. In colonial times, Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswoo ...

. The two-lane roads heads east through a mostly forested area of the county, staying between north of the Roanoke Rapids Lake shoreline. At the intersection of River Road, North Carolina Bicycle Route 4 joins to form a

concurrency 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 NC 46 from here to Gaston. There is a small cluster of homes as the road passes the settlement of Vultare. Forested areas begin to give way to a mix of farms and small single-family houses. Soon, the road enters the town of Gaston intersecting NC 48 in the center of the town. This intersection marks the end of the Bike Route 4 concurrency. East of NC 48, the road begins to curve to the southeast as it passes through Gaston's residential neighborhoods. The road resumes a more rural surrounding again as it passes some farms, small homes, and light industrial businesses. Before an interchange with

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...

(I-95), NC 186 joins NC 46 from the north to form a concurrency for the remainder of NC 46's trip. In the vicinity of I-95's exit 176, a

diamond interchange A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road. Design The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...

, there are few traveler services in the immediate vicinity-- only one each of a gas station, restaurant, and motel. After a short stretch of road in a rural area, NC 46 enters Garysburg passing through a mainly residential section of the town before it ends at a stop-controlled T-intersection with U.S. Route 301 (US 301). NC 186 heads north from this point along US 301 before it continues towards Virginia to the northeast.

History

NC 46 was created between 1929 and 1930. The routing has changed very little since that time, but its eastern terminus used to be signed as US 1/ US 17/ US 117/NC 48/ NC 481.

Major intersections

References

External links

* {{commonscat-inline
NCRoads.com: N.C. 46
046 Transportation in Northampton County, North Carolina