U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highway runs for from

Fort Fisher, North Carolina Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865. The fort was located on one of Cape Fear River' ...

, to US 20 in

Michigan City, Indiana Michigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana Metropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City Combined sta ...

. Along its routing, US 421 serves several cities including Wilmington, North Carolina, Greensboro, North Carolina, Bristol, Tennessee,

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

, and Indianapolis, Indiana. US 421 is a

spur route A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A bypass or beltway should not be considered a true spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the s ...

US 21 U.S. Route 21 or U.S. Highway 21 (US 21) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway System, United States Numbered Highway in the Southeastern United States that travels . The southern terminus is in Hunting Island Sta ...

, which it meets west of Yadkinville, North Carolina.

Route description

, - , NC , , - , TN , , - , VA , , - , KY , , - , IN , , - , Total , US 421 begins at

, and heads generally to the northwest to

. Along the way, it passes through Bristol, Tennessee, and Virginia,

, and Indianapolis, Indiana.

North Carolina

US 421 begins at Fort Fisher and heads through North Carolina's southeastern beaches to Wilmington. It then heads in a northwesterly direction through

Clinton Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has frequently been used as a given ...

, Dunn,

Lillington Lillington may refer to: Places England * Lillington, Dorset, a hamlet in Dorset * Lillington, Warwickshire, a suburb of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire * Lillington Gardens, a housing estate in Pimlico, London Elsewhere * Lillington, North Carolina ...

, Sanford and

Siler City Siler City is a town in western Chatham County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 7,702. History Siler City began when Plikard Dederic Siler and his wife, Elizabeth Hartsoe Siler, settled about fou ...

to the Piedmont Triad region. Major highway junctions between north of Wilmington and Greensboro are

North Carolina Highway 11 North Carolina Highway 11 (NC 11) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Traveling in a north–south alignment through Eastern North Carolina, it connects the towns and cities of Wallace, Kenansville, Ki ...

(NC 11),

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), US 401, US 1, US 64 and

I-85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 65, I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with Interstate 95, I ...

. In Greensboro, it follows the Greensboro Urban Loop paired with I-85 south of Greensboro, close to Pleasant Garden, and I-73 northwest of Greensboro, close to Colfax. It then departs the urban loop and connects to I-40 towards Forsyth County as it becomes its own freeway along the former Business Loop 40 alignment. Major intersections are NC 150, NC 66, NC 67, US 158 and US 52 between Greensboro and Winston-Salem. After Winston-Salem, it intersects I-40 once again but continues westerly passing through Lewisville, Yadkinville, Wilkesboro and Boone. Major highway junctions between Winston-Salem and Boone are US 601,

I-77 Interstate 77 (I-77) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the ...

, NC 16, Blue Ridge Parkway, US 221 and US 321. US 421 continues westerly into Tennessee towards Mountain City, Tennessee. US 421 is a limited-access freeway through Siler City northward. US 421 is a divided highway from north of NC 49 all of the way to Wilkesboro.

Tennessee

US 421 enters Tennessee from North Carolina at Trade. It is the oldest crossroads community in Tennessee and is the easternmost part of the state. The road "as the crow would fly" is a short distance in Volunteer State but traverses through two mountain ranges. After Trade, it ventures into Mountain City through a zone while bypassing the downtown area. After Mountain City, begins the two mountain ranges and in between them is the area of Shady Valley. The two ranges are a popular motorcycle route known as "The Snake". More than 400 curves over an approximately ride. After the second mountain range, it flattens out after the South Fork Holston River heading towards Bristol. US 421 enters Virginia on the Old Dominion side of Bristol. Major highway junctions between the NC and VA state lines are State Route 67 (SR 67) in Mountain City, SR 91 the new Mountain City bypass, SR-394, and US 11E.

Virginia

US 421 enters from Tennessee in Bristol and goes west to Weber City, Duffield, and Pennington Gap in Southwest Virginia. The route goes through the Cumberland and Powell Mountains, and goes by Natural Tunnel State Park near Duffield.

Kentucky

US 421 enters the Bluegrass State running from the Pennington Gap area in Virginia into Harlan County. For the distance between the Virginia state line and closer to

Hal Rogers Parkway The Hal Rogers Parkway, formerly named the Daniel Boone Parkway, connects Somerset and Hazard in southeastern Kentucky. This toll road opened in November 1971, and the tolls were removed June 1, 2003. The original extent of the highway was t ...

, it is a major north-south two-lane highway. However, its passing zones are largely limited to a stretch after the Virginia line, through Harlan and along US 119. US 421 then crosses Pine Mountain and enters

Leslie County Leslie County is located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Hyden. Leslie is a prohibition or dry county. History Leslie County was founded in 1878. It was named for Preston H. Leslie, Governor of Kentucky (1871-1875). The Hur ...

, turning west at Hyden and paralleling the Hal Rogers Parkway. Between Manchester and

McKee McKee is a surname of Scottish or Irish origin. The surname is derived from the Gaelic ''Mac Aodha'' ("son of ''Aodh''") a patronymic form of an old Gaelic personal name which means "fire". Similar surnames which also are derived from the same Ga ...

, US 421 functions as more of a local road with many curves. The roadway improves as it descends from the Cumberland Plateau into the Bluegrass Region at Big Hill in Madison County near

Berea Berea may refer to: Places Greece * Beroea, a place mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, now known as Veria or Veroia Lesotho * Berea District Romania * Berea, a village in Ciumești Commune, Satu Mare County * Berea, a tributary of the Va ...

. It joins US 25 at the Blue Grass Army Depot south of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

and roughly parallels I-75 towards Lexington. Through Lexington, it is Richmond Road, Main Street and Leestown Road. The segment between Lexington and Frankfort was once designated

Kentucky Route 50 U.S. Route 62 (US 62) in Kentucky runs for a total of across 20 counties in western, north-central, and northeastern Kentucky. It enters the state by crossing the Ohio River near Wickliffe, then begins heading eastward at Bardwell, and ...

(KY 50). US 62 runs briefly with US 421 in this section. In Frankfort, US 421 runs with US 60 on the west side of town, then runs within the city's northern bypass, briefly joining US 127. US 421 then traverses the very hilly area northwest of Frankfort, then through Henry and Trimble counties, exiting the state at

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

, crossing the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

into Madison, Indiana via the Milton–Madison Bridge.

Indiana

US421nRoad-NorthOfInt94-NearEnd (32357916096)

US 421 winds through the southern part of Indiana as it runs from Madison, in the southeastern part of the state, to

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

. North of Greensburg, US 421 intersects and merges with I-74 west, through the Shelbyville area en route to Indianapolis. Originally, US 421 followed Southeastern Avenue into downtown Indianapolis, where it merged with US 40 ( Washington Street) to West Street, then turned north, following West Street, Northwestern Avenue (later MLK Street), and Michigan Road up to the northwest side of the city. US 421 went past the Pyramids, an Indianapolis landmark. North of

, US 421 continues to the north-northwest, providing a direct highway link between Indianapolis and Michigan City. US 421 ends at its junction with US 20 on the south side of Michigan City. Originally, the highway's end was a few miles north at the junction with US 12 near the shores of Lake Michigan.

History

North Carolina

US 421 mainly followed the same route between Clinton and Wilmington. However, there are several old alignments from Clinton to the Tennessee state line. *US 421 bypasses Clinton, old alignment uses local streets. *Between Dunn and Sanford, uses an old alignment, fully connected. *Between Goldston and Greensboro, uses several old alignments but not fully connected. *Between Greensboro and Wilkesboro, uses multiple old alignments of different alignments. In *addition, they are no longer connected consistently. *US 421 bypasses Wilkesboro, with a special US Business route. *Between Deep Gap and Boone, uses a new alignment. *Between Vilas and the Tennessee state line, uses an old alignment.

Future

US 421 is projected to be upgraded to a freeway in Indiana from Greensburg to Versailles. US 421 freeway will go near, or pass through

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

and Osgood.

Major intersections

;North Carolina : Parking area in

Federal Point Federal Point is an unincorporated community in Putnam County, Florida, United States, located northwest of Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of ...

: in Wilmington : in Wilmington. The highways travel concurrently to Eagle Island. : on Eagle Island. US 17/US 421 travels concurrently to west of Wrightsboro. US 74/US 421 travels concurrently to southwest of Hightsville. : west of Wrightsboro : south-southeast of

. The highways travel concurrently to Clinton. : in Spivey's Corner : in Dunn : in Dunn : in

. The highways travel concurrently through Lillington. : in Sanford : in

: in Greensboro. The highways travel concurrently to south-southwest of Greensboro. : south of Greensboro. I-73/US 421 travels concurrently to Greensboro. : south-southwest of Greensboro : in Greensboro. I-40/US 421 travels concurrently to west of Greensboro. : in Winston-Salem. The highways travel concurrently through Winston-Salem. : in Winston-Salem : in Winston-Salem : in Yadkinville : in Brooks Crossroads : west-northwest of Hamptonville : north-northeast of Deep Gap. The highways travel concurrently to Boone. : in Boone. The highways travel concurrently to north-northwest of Vilas. ;Tennessee : in Bristol. The highways travel concurrently to

Bristol, Virginia Bristol is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,219. It is the twin city of Bristol, Tennessee, just across the state line, which runs down the middle of its main street, State S ...

. ;Virginia : in Bristol. US 11W/US 421 travels concurrently to the Tennessee– Virginia state line on the Bristol, Tennessee–Bristol, Virginia city line. : in Bristol. US 58/US 421 travels concurrently to southeast of Woodway. : in Weber City. The highways travel concurrently to Duffield. ;Kentucky : in Baxter. The highways travel concurrently to northeast of Baxter. : at the Blue Grass Army Depot south-southeast of

. The highways travel concurrently to Lexington. : in Richmond : south-southeast of Lexington. The highways travel concurrently to Lexington. : in Lexington. The highways travel concurrently through Lexington. : in Lexington : northwest of Lexington. The highways travel concurrently to Midway. : in Frankfort. The highways travel concurrently through Frankfort. : in Frankfort : in Frankfort. The highways travel concurrently through Frankfort. : west-southwest of Campbellsburg : in Bedford. The highways travel concurrently through Bedford. ;Indiana : in Versailles. The highways travel concurrently through Versailles. : northwest of Greensburg. The highways travel concurrently to

. : in Indianapolis. I-465/US 36/US 40/US 421 travels concurrently through Indianapolis. US 31/US 421 travels concurrently to

Carmel Carmel may refer to: * Carmel (biblical settlement), an ancient Israelite town in Judea * Mount Carmel, a coastal mountain range in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea * Carmelites, a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order Carmel may also ...

. : in Indianapolis. The highways travel concurrently through Indianapolis. : in Indianapolis : in Indianapolis : in Monticello. The highways travel concurrently to

Reynolds Reynolds may refer to: Places Australia *Hundred of Reynolds, a cadastral unit in South Australia *Hundred of Reynolds (Northern Territory), a cadastral unit in the Northern Territory of Australia United States * Reynolds, Mendocino County, Calif ...

. : in

Wanatah Wanatah is a town in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. The population was 1,048 at the 2010 census. History The first settlements were made at Wanatah in the 1850s when the railroad was extended to that point. Wanatah was platted in 1865. ...

: south-southeast of Westville. The highways travel concurrently to Westville. : southeast of

Otis Otis may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Otis (Superman), in the films ''Superman'' and ''Superman II'' and related DC Comics media ** Otis Graves, in the TV series ''Supergirl'' * Otis (The Walking Dead), Otis (''The Walking Dead' ...

: south of Michigan City : in Michigan City

Reference

External links

*
Endpoints of U.S. Highway 421
{{US 21 21-4 4

Route description

North Carolina

Tennessee

Virginia

Kentucky

Indiana

History

North Carolina

Future

Major intersections

See also

Reference

External links