North Carolina Highway 69 (NC 69) 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 runs north–south from the
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
state line to
Hayesville, west of
Chatuge Lake
Lake Chatuge is a man-made reservoir in Towns County, Georgia, and Clay County, North Carolina. It lies along the Hiwassee River created by the Chatuge Dam which finished construction in 1942. The lake is relatively shallow with depths of and re ...
.
Route description
NC 69 runs from the Georgia border south of Hayesville and along the western shore of Chatuge Lake. The route crosses
U.S. Route 64
U.S. Route 64 (US 64) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,326 miles (3,743 km) from Nags Head in eastern North Carolina to just southwest of the Four Corners in northeast Arizona. The western terminus is at U.S. Route 1 ...
(US 64) before entering downtown Hayesville, where it meets its northern terminus at a roundabout with
US 64 Bus.
NC 69 is also part of
Corridor A
The Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) is a series of highway corridors in the Appalachia region of the eastern United States. The routes are designed as local and regional routes for improving economic development in the historic ...
, in the
Appalachian Development Highway System
The Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) is a series of highway corridors in the Appalachia region of the eastern United States. The routes are designed as local and regional routes for improving economic development in the historical ...
(ADHS), which is part of
Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).
History
![NC69-Hayesville](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/NC69-Hayesville.jpg)
The second and current NC 69 was established in 1941 as a renumbering of NC 287, traversing from Georgia state line, along Myers Chapel Road, to US 64 (Chatuga Dam Road), south of Hayesville. In 1942, NC 69 was rerouted to its current alignment west of its former, most of which now under Chatuge Lake.
The first NC 69 was an original state highway that began at
NC 20, in
Marshall, to
NC 26, in
Twin Oaks. Its routing took NC 69 through
Burnsville,
Spruce Pine,
Cranberry,
Banner Elk
Banner Elk is a town in Avery County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,028 at the 2010 census. Banner Elk is home to Lees–McRae College.
History
The area surrounding the Elk River was inhabited by the Cherokee before weste ...
,
Boone and
West Jefferson. In 1928, NC 69 was extended south to the
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
state line, in concurrency with
US 25, taking it through
Asheville,
Arden
Arden may refer to:
Places
;Australia
*Arden, an area in North Melbourne, Victoria near the Arden Street Oval
;Canada
* Arden, Ontario
;Denmark
* Arden, Denmark, a town
**Arden Municipality, a former municipality, including the town of Arden
; ...
and
Hendersonville; this replaced most of
NC 29 and its old routing to Marshall became
NC 213. In 1930, NC 69 was rerouted at Cranberry towards
Elk Park and the
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
state line, in concurrency with
US 19E; its old alignment north was broken up with
NC 194 between Cranberry and
Villas
Villas may refer to:
Places
* Villas, Florida, United States
* Villas, Illinois, United States
* Villas, New Jersey, United States
* Las Villas, a region of Spain
* Las Villas (Cuba), a former Cuban Province
* The Villas, a housing estate in Stok ...
,
NC 60 between Villas and Boone, and
NC 691 between Boone Twin Oaks. In 1932, NC 69 was placed on new routing between Arden and Asheville, its old alignment became NC 69A, though remained part of US 25. In 1934, NC 69 was decommissioned in favor of US 25,
US 19 and US 19E.
Between 1930 and 1960, NC 69 was a usually part of a multi-state route 69 that travels through
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
and
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 ...
. During those times, NC 69 continues as
Georgia State Route 69 (SR 69) after crossing the Georgia border and entering
Towns County few miles before the route meets its southern terminus at
US 76/
SR 2 northwest of
Hiawassee
Hiawassee is the county seat of Towns County, Georgia, United States. The community's population was 880 at the 2010 census. Its name is derived from the Cherokee—or perhaps Creek—word ''Ayuhwasi'', which means meadow, (A variant spelling, ...
. In 1955,
SR 17 north of US 76/SR 2 was shifted to the west to travel concurrently with SR 69. Between 1957 and 1960, SR 69 was
decommissioned, while SR 17 stayed on this segment of highway right before
SR 515 was signed and existed.
North Carolina Highway 287
North Carolina Highway 287 (NC 287) was established in 1923 as a renumbering of part of
NC 109. It traversed from the Georgia state line (along Myers Chapel Road) to
NC 28 (Chatuga Dam Road), near Hayesville. In 1941, NC 287 was renumbered to NC 69.
Future
NCDOT plans to upgrade NC 69 into a divided four-lane
expressway
Expressway may refer to:
* Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic.
* Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road.
*Expressway, the fictional s ...
from the Georgia state line to US 64; which would complete a gap in
Corridor A
The Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS) is a series of highway corridors in the Appalachia region of the eastern United States. The routes are designed as local and regional routes for improving economic development in the historic ...
. In November 2019, NCDOT awarded a $46.3 million contract to Wright Brothers Construction for the expansion of NC 69. Widening is expected to be finished by March 2024.
[https://www.ncdot.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/2019/2019-11-26-nc-69-widening-clay-county.aspx]
Major intersections
Special routes
Arden–Asheville alternate route
North Carolina Highway 69 Alternate (NC 69A) was a renumbering of NC 69 between Arden and Asheville, connecting the communities of
Skyland
''Skyland'' (full French title: "Skyland, Le Nouveau Monde", or "Skyland, The New World"), is a CGI animated series developed in France in partnership with Canada and Luxembourg for television channels France 2 in France, Teletoon in Canada, Nic ...
and
Biltmore; it was in complete concurrency with
US 25. In 1934, NC 69A was decommissioned in favor of US 25.
See also
*
North Carolina Highway 175
North Carolina Highway 175 (NC 175) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The highway runs north from the Georgia state line to US 64, along the eastern banks of Chatuge Lake.
Route description
NC 1 ...
, which runs along the opposite side of Chatuge Lake
References
External links
* {{commons category-inline, North Carolina Highway 69
NCRoads.com: N.C. 69
069
Transportation in Clay County, North Carolina