North Carolina Highway 90 (NC 90) 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 one of the few highways in the state with an unpaved portion.
Route description
The western terminus is in Edgemont (in
Caldwell County) at an intersection with Edgemont Road (SR 1420), Roseboro Road (
Pisgah National Forest
Pisgah National Forest is a National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The Pisgah National Forest is complet ...
FR 981) and Edgemont Church Place (SR 1358). The first of the highway are quite curvy and unpaved. NC 90 enters
Lenoir Lenoir may refer to:
Locations:
* Lenoir, North Carolina, United States
* Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States
* Lenoir City, Tennessee
In Universities:
* Lenoir-Rhyne University
* Lenoir Dining Hall, a dining hall at the University of N ...
on Valway Road (SR 1352). The route then turns left onto N. Main Street to then overlap with
US 321
U.S. Route 321 (US 321) is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It runs for from Hardeeville, South Carolina to Lenoir City, Tennessee; with both serving as southern termini. It reaches its northernmost point at Elizabethton, Tennessee. Because ...
on Blowing Rock Boulevard. NC 90 then turn left, after 2 miles, onto Wilkesboro Boulevard to overlap with
US 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 ...
and
NC 18
North Carolina Highway 18 (NC 18) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Traveling north–south through the Foothills region, it connects the cities of Shelby, Morganton, Lenoir, Wilkesboro and North Wil ...
. After about 2 miles, the route then turns right onto Taylorsville Road, keeping and overlap with US 64. After 40 miles, going through
Taylorsville, NC 90 ends at
US 21/
US 64 in
Statesville.
History
Established in 1921 as an original state highway, it started at
NC 50
North Carolina Highway 50 (NC 50) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It goes from Topsail Beach, North Carolina, Topsail Beach in the south to Creedmoor, North Carolina, Creedmoor in the north, connecting the ...
(Person Street), in
Raleigh
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
, going east to
Columbia. In 1927, NC 90 was extended west from
Raleigh
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
to
Lenoir Lenoir may refer to:
Locations:
* Lenoir, North Carolina, United States
* Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States
* Lenoir City, Tennessee
In Universities:
* Lenoir-Rhyne University
* Lenoir Dining Hall, a dining hall at the University of N ...
at
NC 18
North Carolina Highway 18 (NC 18) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Traveling north–south through the Foothills region, it connects the cities of Shelby, Morganton, Lenoir, Wilkesboro and North Wil ...
. In 1929, NC 90 extended east from
Columbia to
Fort Landing.
In 1932,
US 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 ...
was established and was overlapped on NC 90 from just west of
Statesville to
Fort Landing. In late 1934, NC 90 was removed from all overlap with
US 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 ...
east of
Statesville; at same time, NC 90 was extended west from
Lenoir Lenoir may refer to:
Locations:
* Lenoir, North Carolina, United States
* Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States
* Lenoir City, Tennessee
In Universities:
* Lenoir-Rhyne University
* Lenoir Dining Hall, a dining hall at the University of N ...
to
US 221
U.S. Route 221 (US 221) is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It travels from Perry, Florida, at US 19/ US 98/ US 27 Alternate to Lynchburg, Virginia, at US 29 Business ( Lynchburg Expressway). It travels through the stat ...
near
Linville, replacing
NC 171.
Sometime between 1939–44, NC 90 was extended east back in
Statesville to its current east terminus, replacing some of
US 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 ...
through the downtown area. At some point in the 1960s, NC 90 was truncated to its current west terminus in
Edgemont, its former route to
Linville moved under
Pisgah National Forest
Pisgah National Forest is a National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The Pisgah National Forest is complet ...
management.
In 2008, NC 90 was removed from downtown
Lenoir Lenoir may refer to:
Locations:
* Lenoir, North Carolina, United States
* Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States
* Lenoir City, Tennessee
In Universities:
* Lenoir-Rhyne University
* Lenoir Dining Hall, a dining hall at the University of N ...
, creating an overlap with
US 321
U.S. Route 321 (US 321) is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It runs for from Hardeeville, South Carolina to Lenoir City, Tennessee; with both serving as southern termini. It reaches its northernmost point at Elizabethton, Tennessee. Because ...
.
Major intersections
Special routes
Rocky Mount alternate route
North Carolina Highway 90 Alternate (NC 90A) was new alternate routing through downtown Rocky Mount, via Thomas Avenue. In 1934, it was replaced by
US 64A.
See also
*
North Carolina Bicycle Route 2
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 por ...
- Concurrent with NC 90 from US 64 / NC 18 in Lenoir to Main Avenue Drive in Taylorsville
References
External links
* {{commons category-inline, North Carolina Highway 90
NCRoads.com: N.C. 90
090
Transportation in Caldwell County, North Carolina
Transportation in Alexander County, North Carolina
Transportation in Iredell County, North Carolina