U.S. Route 13 (US 13) is a

U.S. Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

running from

Eastover, North Carolina Eastover is a town in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,628 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated on July 25, 2007. History The Robert Williams House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in ...

to Morrisville, Pennsylvania. In North Carolina runs along a northeast–southwest alignment for connecting the cities of Fayetteville, Goldsboro, Greenville, Williamston, and Ahoskie. The southern terminus is located at

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) and I-295 near Eastover. From the terminus, US 13 travels along a northeastern-southwestern alignment through

Newton Grove Newton Grove, chartered in 1879, is a town in Sampson County, North Carolina, Sampson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 569 as of the 2010 census. History The town of Newton Grove was first incorporated in 1879 as the New T ...

to US 117 in Mar-Mac. US 13 runs concurrently along US 117 north to Goldsboro, where it also shares a brief concurrency with US 70. The highway continues northeastward to Greenville and then turns to the north until reaching US 64 near

Bethel Bethel ( he, בֵּית אֵל, translit=Bēṯ 'Ēl, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; el, Βαιθήλ; la, Bethel) was an ancient Israelite sanct ...

. US 13 and US 64 run concurrently to the east until Williamston where US 13 diverges to the north, concurrent with US 17. In Windsor, US 13 diverges from US 17 and runs northward through Ahoskie. US 13 turns to the northeast near Winton and continues in that direction until reaching the Virginia state line near

Gates, North Carolina Gates is an unincorporated community in Gates County, North Carolina, United States. Gates is located on North Carolina Highway 37, north of Gatesville. Gates has a post office with ZIP code 27937. The Freeman House and Joseph Freeman Farm ...

. In the 1925 plan for the United States Numbered Highway System, US 13 was to enter North Carolina south of

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

and continue southward to Wilmington, North Carolina. However, the finalized 1926 plan moved the southern terminus of US 13 to Norfolk while US 17 was assigned the corridor to Wilmington. In 1952, US 13 was extended south of Norfolk to Windsor, entering North Carolina at its modern-day location. US 13 was extended south to US 70 and US 117 in Goldsboro in 1957 and to I-95 near Eastover in 1963. Since 1963, US 13 has undergone some minor realignments and widening along its route but the corridor has remained the same.

Route description

Interstate 95 to Newton Grove

US 13 begins at a hybrid interchange incorporating elements of a cloverleaf, a directional-T, and a diamond, consisting of a junction with

(exit 58) and Interstate 295 (Fayetteville Outer Loop) near Fayetteville in

Cumberland County Cumberland County may refer to: Australia * Cumberland County, New South Wales * the former name of Cumberland Land District, Tasmania, Australia Canada *Cumberland County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Cumberland, historic county *Cumberlan ...

. It quickly reduces its lane count from the four of the I-295 freeway to two lanes with dirt shoulders. It bears eastward, passing through sparsely developed forest and farm lands, quickly crossing the county border and entering

Sampson County Sampson County is the largest county, by land area, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 59,036. Its county seat is Clinton. History Sampson County was established in April 1784 following the American ...

. The route turns slightly northeast and passes through Spivey's Corner, where the road intersects US 421, otherwise known as Spivey's Corner Highway. Nearing

, US 13 passes over Interstate 40 with no direct access. The route then enters the small town and is interrupted by a large

roundabout A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...

which brings three routes—itself;

North Carolina Highway 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 in the south to Creedmoor in the north, connecting the cities of Warsaw, Newton Grove, Benson, and Raleigh. R ...

, Raleigh Street west and Mount Olive Drive east; and

US 701 U.S. Route 701 (US 701) is an auxiliary route of US 1 in the U.S. states of South Carolina and North Carolina. The U.S. Highway runs from US 17 and US 17 Alternate in Georgetown, South Carolina north to US 301, North Carolina Highway 96 (NC ...

, Main Street north and Clinton Street south—to a central point in the city.

Newton Grove to Goldsboro

Continuing north from Newton Grove, US 13 enters Wayne County, traveling more easterly through more farmland and forests. After several miles, it curves northeast and meets

US 117 U.S. Route 117 (US 117) is a north-south United States Highway located completely within the state of North Carolina. A spur route of US 17, the highway runs for from the Port of Wilmington, south of downtown Wilmington, to US&nb ...

at an intersection. Here, it turns north on the four-lane, divided highway and begins to travel around the west side of Goldsboro, the beginning of a partial beltway around the city. Before turning east again, US 13 leaves US 117 at an at-grade intersection, the latter of which upgrades into a freeway. US 117 Bypass travels along with US 13. US 13 circles around the city on a four-lane, divided freeway alignment after another at-grade intersection, immediately interchanging with NC 581. Shortly after, it meets US 70 at a partial cloverleaf interchange, and US 70 joins the other two routes on its path east. The next interchange sends US 117 Alternate north at a partial trumpet interchange; US 117 continues north to the east of its parent until they both intersect

US 264 U.S. Route 264 (US 264) is an east–west United States Highway located completely within the U.S. state of North Carolina, running for . Its western terminus is located at Interstate 87 (I-87), I-440, and US 64 in Raleigh. US&nbs ...

. US 13 and US 70 continue east, next interchanging NC 111. The road interchanges Wayne Memorial Drive and Spence Avenue before curving southward. The freeway then interchanges with Berkeley Boulevard, where US 13 leaves. US 70 continues on the freeway, while US 13 turns northeast on Berkeley Boulevard, leaving the Goldsboro area.

Goldsboro to US 64

US 13 continues northeast, passing through one last community of Goldsboro before entering open fields and forests once again and entering Greene County. Outside Snow Hill, NC 58 joins US 13 and becomes Kingold Boulevard. US 13 leaves Kingold Boulevard once in the center of town, continuing northeast via Contentnea Boulevard. Contentnea Boulevard outside the city meets an intersection with US 258 and

NC 903 North Carolina Highway 903 (NC 903) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It serves as predominantly rural highway in the Inner Banks region and arterial road in and around Greenville. The road covers a total o ...

, which join US 13. The other side of the four-way intersection continues as NC 91. NC 903 leaves after two curves of the road, leaving US 13 and 258 to continue northeast through farmland. US 13 leaves US 258 after a stretch, turning east to meet and run concurrent with

, Dickinson Avenue. This arrangement continues until Greenville, where US 264 leaves, and US 13 bisects the city on Memorial Drive, forming concurrencies with NC 43,

and NC 11. The concurrency eventually drops NC 43, and later picks up

NC 33 North Carolina Highway 33 (NC 33) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Spanning a distance of , the east–west route passes through many small towns and communities in Eastern North Carolina's Inner Ba ...

and drops it, also dropping NC 903 before it heads northward. Still a four-lane divided road, it bypasses the town of

before it meets a diamond interchange with the US 64 freeway in the corner of

Edgecombe County Edgecombe County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,900. Its county seat is Tarboro. Edgecombe County is part of the Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

. US 13 turns east onto this freeway, while NC 11 continues northward.

US 64 to Virginia

US 13 and US 64 travel eastward to Williamston. The roadway curves around the south and east sides of the city, where US 17 joins and US 64 leaves. US 13/17 continue north on a four lane alignment until Williamston, where it bypasses the town to the west. On the north side, though, US 13 leaves at an interchange on North King Street, traveling north on a two-lane road, while US 17 carries the freeway east towards the ocean. The road continues through the farm and forest medium until it enters Ahoskie on city streets, forming concurrencies with

NC 42 North Carolina Highway 42 (NC 42) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina and a semi-urban traffic artery connecting Asheboro, Sanford, Clayton, Wilson and Ahoskie as well as many small- to medium-sized towns ...

and

NC 561 North Carolina Highway 561 (NC 561) is a North Carolina state highway and a rural traffic artery connecting Louisburg and Ahoskie with many small-to-medium-sized towns in the Down East and Coastal Plain regions within minutes from the Virginia ...

. These leave in the city before US 13 exits, finally crossing into Gates County along with

US 158 U.S. Route 158 (US 158) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Mocksville, North Carolina, Mocksville to Whalebone Junction, North Carolina, Whalebone Junction in Nags Head, North Carolina, Nags Head, entirely in the ...

. The concurrency travels for a few miles, the roads separating before the Virginia state border. Here, US 13 continues into Virginia as Whaleyville Boulevard.

Scenic byways

Blue-Gray Scenic Byway is an byway from Four Oaks to Trenton. US 13 overlap a short section of the byway, from Bentonville Road to Grantham School Road, northeast of

. The byway is noted for its Civil War history. Edenton-Windsor Loop is an is a double loop byway connecting the cities of

Edenton Edenton is a town in, and the county seat of, Chowan County, North Carolina, United States, on Albemarle Sound. The population was 4,397 at the 2020 census. Edenton is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. In recent years Edenton has b ...

and Windsor. US 13 and US 13 Business together form a short section of the loop, in Windsor. The byway is noted for historical homes in

, the

Sans Souci Ferry The Sans Souci Ferry is a cable ferry that provides access across the Cashie River in Bertie County, North Carolina. Since the 1930s, the ferry has been operated by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The ferry is located on SR 1500 ...

, the scenic river and coastal views, and history. Lafayette's Tour is an byway from Halifax to Lynch's Corner, in the Great Dismal Swamp. US 13 overlap a short section of the byway; from US 258, near Winton, to NC 137. The byway is noted and named after the French General Marquis de Lafayette, who visited the area in 1825. It is also noted for the Parker Island Cable Ferry, swamps/bogs, and history.

History

Established in 1952, US 13 came south from Virginia; replacing NC 97 from the state line to Windsor, ending at US 17 (now NC 308). Around 1956, US 13 was extended south to Goldsboro; following: US 17 to Williamston, US 64 to

, NC 11 to Greenville,

to Farmville, US 258 to Snow Hill, NC 102 to Goldsboro. Following west on US 70, it ended at the

interchange. In 1957, Windsor was bypassed, creating US 13 Business following the old downtown route. By 1960, US 13 was extended southwest again, replacing NC 102, to its current southern terminus at

. In 1970, US 13 moved onto cutoff road between US 258 and

, removing Farmville completely from the route. In 1974, Winton was bypassed, the old alignment became part of

NC 45 North Carolina Highway 45 (NC 45) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The highway traverses north-south, from Ocracoke to Winton. Route description NC 45 starts at the ferry terminal at Ocracoke, con ...

and

NC 461 North Carolina Highway 461 (NC 461) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Its western terminus is at North Carolina Highway 561, NC 561, passes through Winton, North Carolina, Winton and Cofield, North Carolina ...

. By 2000, US 13 was placed on new freeway from

to Robersonville, with US 64; the old alignment became US 64 Alternate. In 2002, it was extended to Williamston. In 2004,

was bypassed, creating US 13 Business following the old main street route.

Junction list

References

External links