North Carolina Highway 16 (NC 16) is a 143.8-mile (231.4 km) 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 U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

. Traveling in a north–south direction, it connects the cities and towns of

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, Newton, Conover, Taylorsville, Wilkesboro and Jefferson, linking the

Charlotte metropolitan area The Charlotte metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as Metrolina, is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, within and surrounding the city of Charlotte. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gasto ...

with the mountainous High Country. NC 16 is part of a three-state route 16 that connects the Charlotte region with northwestern

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

Route description

NC 16 is part of a three-state highway 16, that totals , from Waxhaw, North Carolina to St. Marys,

. NC 16 begins as a two-lane road in Waxhaw, from its intersection with NC 75 (Main Street), it travels north along Broome Street to Weddington, where it widens to four-lane and becomes Providence Road. After crossing the Union-

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label= Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schweri ...

county line, it enters Charlotte's city limit. Along Providence Road, NC 16 connects with I-485 (exit 57) and NC 51 (Pineville-Matthews Road). In the Cherry neighborhood, Providence Road becomes 3rd Street; at the intersection of Charlottetowne Avenue, northbound NC 16 changes over to 4th Street, while southbound remains on 3rd Street. As NC 16 enters

Uptown Charlotte Uptown Charlotte, also called Center City, is the central business district of Charlotte, North Carolina. The area is split into four wards by the intersection of Trade and Tryon Streets, and bordered by Interstate 277 and Interstate 77. The ar ...

, it merges with I-277/ US 74 (John Belk Freeway, exit 2A); southbound travelers will encounter an awkward u-turn at 3rd Street to get on over to 4th Street. Going counter-clockwise around Uptown Charlotte, John Belk Freeway becomes Brookshire Freeway (with US 74 leaving to follow Independence Boulevard out of the city); at the

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 ...

/ US 21 interchange (exit 5/exit 11), NC 16's concurrency with I-277 ends and the highway becomes Brookshire Boulevard. In the Oakview Terrace neighborhood, NC 16 connects with

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

(exit 36). In the Paw Creek neighborhood, NC 16 connects again with I-485 (exit 16) before leaving the Charlotte city limits. Crossing Rozzelles Ferry Bridge at

Mountain Island Lake Mountain Island Lake is a lake northwest of Charlotte, North Carolina created in 1924 to coincide with the building of Mountain Island Hydroelectric Station. It is named after the mountain which appears as an island in the lake, and the surrounding ...

Catawba River The Catawba River originates in Western North Carolina and flows into South Carolina, where it later becomes known as the Wateree River. The river is approximately 220 miles (350 km) long. It rises in the Appalachian Mountains and drains into ...

, NC 16 enters

Gaston County Gaston County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 227,943. The county seat is Gastonia. Dallas served as the original county seat from 1846 until 1911. Gaston County is included in the ...

. At Lucia, NC 16 Business splits from mainline NC 16, where it travels through Lowesville,

Triangle A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colline ...

and

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, before merging back at Killian Crossroads. NC 16 through Gaston,

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

and southeast

Catawba County Catawba County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 160,610. Its county seat is Newton, and its largest city is Hickory. The county is part of the Hickory–Lenoir– Morganton, NC Metro ...

is a four-lane expressway, with

superstreet A superstreet, also known as a restricted crossing U-turn (RCUT), J-turn, or reduced conflict intersection (RCI), is a type of road intersection that is a variation of the Michigan left. In this configuration, in contrast to the Michigan left, ...

design at some at-grade intersections. Speed limit is on this portion of highway. Between Killian Crossroads and Newton, NC 16 drops down from four-lane to two-lane for . Near Newton, NC 16 Business splits and follows the old alignment through downtown Newton and Conover, while mainline NC 16 travels along a four-lane bypass east of both cities. After crossing

I-40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

(exit 132), NC 16 Business rejoins mainline NC 16, continuing north as a two-lane rural highway. At Lookout Shoals Lake/Catawba River, NC 16 enters Alexander County. Traveling through Millersville and Isenhour Park, NC 16 connects with US 64 and NC 90 in Taylorsville. Continuing north, the highway meanders through the Brushy Mountains, entering Wilkes County at Kilby Gap (). At

Moravian Falls Moravian Falls is a waterfall in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Geology The waterfall is located on Moravian Creek, where it flows over a large bedrock to a lower plunge pool. Natural history The falls is privately owned by a campground who ha ...

, NC 18 merges with NC 16 as the highway straightens out towards Wilkesboro. At US 421 (exit 286A), switches concurrency as NC 18 continues into downtown Wilkesboro. After , NC 16 splits with US 421, which continues towards Boone. In a northwesterly direction, NC 16 travels through Millers Creek and Wilbar before ascending along Piney Ridge and entering

Ashe County Ashe County is a county located in the United States state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,577. Its county seat is Jefferson. History Historical evidence shows that Ashe County was inhabited by Native A ...

at Horse Gap (, highest point along route). Immediately entering Ashe County is the

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park, runs for through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenan ...

followed by NC 163 towards West Jefferson. Continuing north, through Glendale Springs, NC 16 joins NC 88 in

Index Index (or its plural form indices) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Index (''A Certain Magical Index''), a character in the light novel series ''A Certain Magical Index'' * The Index, an item on a Halo megastru ...

, then goes northeasterly to Jefferson, where it switches concurrency with US 221. After , NC 16 splits from US 221, which continues on towards

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

. Continuing north, it reaches 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 are ...

state line near Grassy Creek, where it continues on as SR 16, towards Mouth of Wilson.

History

NC 16 was established in 1921 as an original state highway, traveling from SC 16, at 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, north through Gastonia,

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

and Lincolnton, to NC 10, in Conover. In 1926, NC 16 was rerouted along Aspen Street in Lincolnton towards High Shoals, removing it from a short concurrency with NC 27 to Boger City. In 1929, NC 16 was extended north through Taylorsville and Wilkesboro, replacing NC 67; then northwest through Jefferson and then west to the

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

state lane, replacing NC 68. In 1930, US 321 was assigned onto NC 16 between the South Carolina state line to Conover. In 1934, NC 16 was truncated at US 64/ US 70/US 321, in Conover; its former routing south replaced by US 321. In 1937, NC 16 was rerouted to its current alignment between Millers Creek and Glendale Springs, leaving behind secondary roads Old North Carolina Highway 16 (SR 1562 and SR 1559 in Wilkes County, SR 1648 in Ashe County) and Trading Post Road (SR 1632). Around 1940, NC 16 was extended south of Conover, via US 321 to Newton, then southeast through

and

, to its current southern terminus at NC 75, in Waxhaw; the new routing replaced part of NC 73 and all of NC 271 and NC 262. In 1940, NC 16 was rerouted to its current northern terminus at the

state line, in Grassy Creek, with continuation as SR 92 to Mouth of Wilson. Its old alignment, through Jefferson, to the Tennessee state line was replaced by NC 88; while NC 16 replaced all of NC 681. In 1954, NC 16 was rerouted in Wilkesboro, going west on NC 268 and then on new primary road bypassing west of

North Wilkesboro North Wilkesboro is a town in Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States, approximately 80 miles north of Charlotte. The population was 4,131 at the 2020 US Census. North Wilkesboro is the birthplace and original home of Lowe's Home Improvemen ...

. Its old alignment to North Wilkesboro continued on as NC 18; while Boone Trail (SR 1500), to

Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

, was downgraded. In 1958, NC 16 was placed on new primary road west from its former alignment, Old North Carolina Highway 16 (SR 1573), bypassing

Crumpler Crumpler is an Australian bag brand and manufacturer with two separately held companies who design and supply different products to their respective markets. The company's Pacific headquarterers are in Melbourne, Australia, while its European ...

and Grassy Creek. In 1962, NC 16 was rerouted, in Charlotte, along Hawthorne Lane from Casewell Street. In 1969, NC 16 was rerouted onto the new bypass route east of

; then added onto new US 421 bypass, in Wilkesboro, going west then onto new primary routing north to Millers Creek. The old alignment through Cricket were downgraded to secondary roads: Curtis Bridge Road (SR 1185) and Boone Trail (SR 1372). In 1970, NC 16 was converted to one-way streets in Newton, with northbound on College Avenue and southbound on Main Street. In 1974, NC 16 was rerouted, from Trade Street, onto North Graham Street then northwest onto the Northwest Freeway (future Brookshire Freeway); its old alignment along West Trade Street and Rozzelles Ferry Road were downgraded to secondary roads. In 1977, NC 16 was converted to one-way streets, with northbound along third street and Independence Boulevard, and southbound along Elizabeth Avenue and Hawthorne Lane. Final configuration of NC 16 in

came in 1982, with its removal along Hawthorne Lane, Elizabeth Avenue and Trade Street, rerouted along 3rd/4th streets onto the John Belk Freeway then north on the Brookshire Freeway. In 1989, NC 16 was rerouted onto new Brookshire Boulevard in northwest Mecklenburg County; its former alignment along BellHaven Boulevard and Rozzelles Ferry Road were downgraded to secondary roads. In 1990, NC 16 was placed on new four-lane expressway between

and Lucia; part of its old alignment was downgraded to secondary road, while NC 273 was extended along most of it. In 2007, NC 16 was extended on new four-lane

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

between Lucia and NC 73; its old alignment through Lowesville become NC 16 Business. In 2008, NC 16 was placed on new four-lane

boulevard A boulevard is a type of broad avenue planted with rows of trees, or in parts of North America, any urban highway. Boulevards were originally circumferential roads following the line of former city walls. In American usage, boulevards may ...

bypass east of Newton; its old alignment becomes the second NC 16 Business loop. In 2012, NC 16 was placed on new four-lane expressway, from NC 73 to Killian Crossroads; its old alignment through Denver becomes an extension of NC 16 Business from Lowesville.

North Carolina Highway 262

North Carolina Highway 262 (NC 262) appeared in 1930 as new primary routing from NC 25, in Waxhaw, to US 74/ NC 20 (7th Street), in Charlotte. In 1940, it was entirely replaced by an extension of NC 16.

North Carolina Highway 271

North Carolina Highway 271 (NC 271) appeared in 1926 running from Thrift to NC 20 near

. In 1931 the road was extended north to NC 10 in Newton. The next year the original section of NC 271 was renumbered as part NC 27A. Two years later NC 271 was truncated to

with the routing from Triangle to Newton becoming a part of NC 73. In 1940 the rest of the road was renumbered as part of NC 16.

North Carolina Highway 681

North Carolina Highway 681 (NC 681) was established in 1928 as a renumbering of part of NC 68; traveling from NC 68/ NC 69, in Jefferson, to the Virginia state line, at Grassy Creek. In 1931, Virginia established SR 139 to connect with NC 681 at the state line, which continued to Mouth of Wilson. In 1940, the route was decommissioned in favor of NC 16.

Future

NC 16, from Tower Road (SR 1895), near Killian Crossroads, to Claremont Road (SR 1801), near Newton, is to be widened to a four-lane expressway, using the

design. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2021 on the project.

Major intersections

Special routes

Lowesville–Denver business loop

North Carolina Highway 16 Business (NC 16 Bus) was established in December 2007 when NC 16 was placed on new construction between Lucia and Lowesville, its old alignment becoming a business loop. In March 2012, NC 16 Business was extended north to its current terminus at Anderson Mountain, north of Killian Crossroads, after mainline NC 16 was moved onto new construction bypassing

. NC 16 Business also connects the communities of

and Westport, along the western banks of

Lake Norman Lake Norman is the largest man-made body of fresh water in North Carolina. It was created between 1959 and 1964 as part of the construction of the Cowans Ford Dam by Duke Energy. Geography Lake Norman is fed by the Catawba River, and drains i ...

Newton–Conover business loop

North Carolina Highway 16 Business (NC 16 Bus) was established in January 2008 when NC 16 was placed on new construction east Newton andConover, its old alignment becoming a business loop. In Newton, it traverses along Charlotte Highway, D Street, College Street (northbound only) and Main Street. In Conover, it traverses completely on 1st Avenue. In November, 2012, a new overpass was built over

; the old overpass was originally connected to the I-40 (exit 131) before exit 132 was built.

Newton truck route

North Carolina Highway 16 Truck (NC 16 Truck) provides a different routing along NC 16 Business for truck drivers, bypassing downtown Newton. The route begins west on D and C Streets (overlap with NC 10), then north on Southwest Boulevard (overlap with US 321 Bus) and finally east on 20th Avenue, reconnecting with NC 16 Business.

Taylorsville truck route

North Carolina Highway 16 Truck (NC 16 Truck) provides truck drivers, that are passing through, a different route that bypasses the downtown area of Taylorsville, via US 64 and Liledoun Road.

References

External links