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North Carolina Highway 27

State highway in North Carolina, US

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North Carolina Highway 27
Route of NC 27 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length	198.0 mi[1] (318.7 km)
Existed	1922–present
Tourist routes	Pee Dee Valley Drive Sandhills Scenic Drive
Major junctions
West end	NC 10 near Toluca
Major intersections	US 321inLincolnton I-485inCharlotte I-85 in Charlotte I-77 / I-277 / US 21 / US 74 in Charlotte I-73 / I-74 / US 220inBiscoe US 52 / NC 73inAlbemarle US 15 / US 501inCarthage US 1inCameron US 401 / US 421 / NC 210inLillington
East end	US 301 / NC 50 / NC 242inBenson
Location
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Counties	Cleveland, Lincoln, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Stanly, Montgomery, Moore, Harnett, Johnston
Highway system
North Carolina Highway System Interstate US State Scenic
← I-26 → NC 28

North Carolina Highway 27 (NC 27) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The route traverses 198 miles (319 km) through southern and central North Carolina, about 100 miles (160 km) of it as a concurrency with NC 24.

Route description[edit]

NC 27 begins in Cleveland County near the unincorporated community of Toluca at a T-intersection with NC 10. From there it runs southeast to the city of Lincolnton. In Lincolnton, it serves as Main Street, and runs past the Lincoln County courthouse. From Lincolnton, it runs southeast again to Stanley where it follows Main Street. It enters Charlotte along Mount Holly Road, and follows several major thoroughfares through Charlotte, including Freedom Drive, Morehead Street, and Independence Boulevard.

On the east side of Charlotte, it begins its 100-mile (160 km) long concurrency with NC 24, approximately 1/2 of its total length. The two highways leave the city along Albemarle Road and remain joined until the unincorporated community of Johnsonville. Along this segment, they pass through the cities of Midland, Locust, Albemarle, Troy, Biscoe, and Carthage. They share further concurrencies with NC 109, NC 22, and US 15.

From the split with NC 24, the road runs northeast to Lillington where it follows Main Street, and leaves town as a concurrency with US 421. It passes Campbell UniversityinBuies Creek before entering Johnston County and ending in Benson just short of I-95. NC 50 continues east of NC 27's terminus at US 301.

History[edit]

NC 27 is one of North Carolina's original state highways.^[2] Its original routing connected Charlotte to Lincolnton. It used several streets through Charlotte, but followed roughly the same route. The road was extended several times:

• 1923: east to Albemarle
• 1928: west to Toluca (current terminus)
• 1934: east to Carthage (using the concurrency with NC 24)
• 1948-50: east to Cameron
• 1958: east to Benson (current terminus)

NC 27 has had a tumultuous history through Charlotte. It has always served as a major east–west route through the city, but it has been rerouted numerous times on different city streets as traffic patterns changed. All of the following roads have carried NC 27 at one time or another:

• Rozelles Ferry Rd. (1923–1936)
• Mount Holly Road (1923–present)
• Trade St.(1923-?)
• Hawthorne Lane(1924–1936)
• Central Ave.(1924–1955)
• Albemarle Rd.(1924–present)
• Mint St.(1936–1946)
• Morehead St. (1936–present)
• Thrift Rd.(1936–1946)
• McDowell St. (1946–1955)
• Independence Blvd. (1955–present)
• Freedom Dr. (1958–Present)

Major intersections[edit]

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Cleveland	Toluca	0.0	0.0	NC 10 (Casar Road)	Western terminus
Lincoln		0.7	1.1	NC 18 (Fallston Road) – Shelby, Morganton
	Hulls Crossroads	4.1	6.6	NC 274 south – Cherryville	Northern terminus of NC 274
	​	15.0	24.1	NC 182 west – Fallston, Lawndale	Eastern terminus of NC 182
	Lincolnton	15.3	24.6	ToNC 150 west (West Highway 150)
		17.2	27.7	US 321 Bus. / NC 150 west (Generals Boulevard) – Cherryville, Gastonia, Shelby, Maiden	West end of NC 150 overlap
		17.8	28.6	US 321 – Dallas, Gastonia, Hickory
	Boger City	19.3	31.1	NC 150 east – Mooresville	East end of NC 150 overlap
	​	21.0	33.8	NC 73 east – Lowesville	Western terminus of NC 73
Gaston	Stanley	30.5	49.1	NC 275 west (Chestnut Street) – Dallas	Eastern terminus of NC 275
	Mount Holly	36.9	59.4	NC 273 (Highland Street) – Belmont
Mecklenburg	Charlotte	40.0	64.4	I-485 – Pineville, Huntersville	I-485 exit 14
		45.0	72.4	I-85 – Spartanburg, Concord	I-85 exit 34
		47.2	76.0	US 29 south (Morehead Street) / Freedom Drive	South end of US 29 overlap
		47.5	76.4	I-77 / US 21 north – Statesville	I-77 exit 10A
		48.1	77.4	US 29 / NC 49 north (Mint Street)	North end of US 29/NC 49 overlap
		48.3	77.7	NC 49 south (South Tryon Street)	South end of NC 49 overlap
		50.5	81.3	US 74 west (Independence Freeway) to I-277 / NC 16	West end of US 74 overlap US 74 exit 243; eastbound entrance and westbound exit
		52.2	84.0	Briar Creek Road – Bojangles' Coliseum	US  74 exit 244; to Ovens Auditorium
		53.0	85.3	Wendover Road/Eastway Drive	US 74 exit 245; signed as exits 245A (Wendover) and 245B (Eastway)
		53.8	86.6	US 74 east (Independence Boulevard) – Monroe	East end of US 74 overlap US 74 exit 246; eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		56.5	90.9	NC 24 west (WT Harris Boulevard)	West end of NC 24 overlap
	Mint Hill	61.3	98.7	I-485 – Pineville, Huntersville	I-485 exit 41
		62.5	100.6	NC 51 south (Blair Road)
Cabarrus	Midland	70.3	113.1	US 601 – Monroe, Concord
Stanly	Locust	74.8	120.4	NC 200 (Central Avenue) – Stanfield, Monroe, Concord
	Red Cross	79.0	127.1	NC 205 south – Oakboro
	Albemarle	89.6	144.2	US 52 / NC 73 west (Aquadale Road) to NC 138 – Wadesboro, Salisbury	West end of NC 73 overlap
		89.9	144.7	US 52 Bus. (Second Street)
		91.7	147.6	NC 740 north – Badin	Southern terminus of NC 740
	Pee Dee River	97.7	157.2	James B. Garrison Bridge
Montgomery	​	97.9	157.6	NC 73 east – Mount Gilead	East end of NC 73 overlap
	​	106.0	170.6	NC 109 south – Mount Gilead	South end of NC 109 overlap
	Troy	109.4	176.1	NC 109 north (Bilhen Street) / NC 109 Bus. begin – Denton	North end of NC 109 and south end of NC 109 Bus. overlap
		109.9	176.9	NC 134 / NC 109 Bus. north (Main Street)	North end of NC 109 Bus. overlap
	Biscoe	116.5	187.5	US 220 Alt. (Main Street)
		117.3	188.8	I-73 / I-74 / US 220 – Rockingham, Asheboro	I-73 exit 49
Moore	Robbins	129.1	207.8	NC 705 (Pottery Highway) – Eagle Springs, Robbins
	​	134.2	216.0	NC 22 north – Ramseur, Greensboro	North end of NC 22 overlap
	Carthage	139.3	224.2	NC 22 south (McNeill Street)	South end of NC 22 overlap
		140.3	225.8	US 15 / US 501 south – Pinehurst, Aberdeen	South end of US 15/US 501 overlap
	​	142.3	229.0	US 15 / US 501 north – Sanford	North end of US 15/US 501 overlap
	Cameron	149.0	239.8	US 1 Bus. – Vass
	​	150.7	242.5	US 1 – Southern Pines, Sanford
Harnett	Johnsonville	159.1	256.0	NC 24 east – Fayetteville	East end of NC 24 overlap
	Pineview	161.4	259.7	NC 87 – Fayetteville, Sanford
	Lillington	178.8	287.8	US 401 / NC 210 south (Main Street) – Fayetteville	South end of US 401/NC 210 overlap
		179.2	288.4	US 421 north (Front Street) – Sanford	North end of US 421 overlap
		180.8	291.0	US 401 north (Cornelius Harnett Boulevard) / NC 210 north (Main Street) – Fuquay-Varina	North end of US 401/NC 210 overlap
	​	185.8	299.0	US 421 south (Paul Green Memorial Highway) – Dunn	South end of US 421 overlap; Harnett County Airport at intersection
	Coats	190.0	305.8	NC 55 (McKinley Street) – Erwin, Angier
Johnston	Benson	196.9	316.9	NC 50 north – Garner	North end of NC 50 overlap
		197.5	317.8	US 301 (Wall Street) / NC 50 south / NC 242 south (Main Street) – Dunn, Smithfield	Eastern terminus, South end of NC 50 overlap
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

Special routes[edit]

Lincolnton truck route[edit]

North Carolina Highway 27 Truck (NC 27 Truck) is a 6.0-mile (9.7 km) route that takes truck traffic south around downtown Lincolnton, via West Highway 150 and NC 150. Signage along the route only appears at key intersections.

Thrift–Charlotte alternate route[edit]

North Carolina Highway 27A (NC 27A) was established as a renumbering of NC 271. Starting at the former community of Thrift (located in present-day Paw Creek neighborhood), it went south from Mount Holly Road, entering Charlotte along Tuckaseegee/Thrift Roads. It then overlapped with US 29/US 74/NC 20 on Morehead Street and US 74 on McDowell Street, before reconnecting with mainline NC 27 at 7th Street. In 1936, NC 27A was replaced by mainline NC 27.

Pee Dee–Wadeville alternate route[edit]

North Carolina Highway 27A (NC 27A) was established when mainline NC 27 was rerouted on a more direct route between Lake Tillery and Troy, in Montgomery County. NC 27A follows NC 73 east, through Pee Dee, then continues straight along Pee Dee Road, connecting with NC 109, in Wadeville. Going back north, it reconnected with NC 27 west from Troy. In 1967, NC 27A was decommissioned, with Pee Dee Road only section to drop to a secondary road. From Lake Tillery to Wadeville, NC 27A formed the southern edge of the Uwharrie National Forest.^[6]

See also[edit]

• North Carolina Bicycle Route 5 - concurrent with NC 27 near Buies Creek
• North Carolina Bicycle Route 6 - concurrent with NC 27 from Lincolnton to NC 73

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Media related to North Carolina Highway 27 at Wikimedia Commons
• NCRoads.com: N.C. 27
• NCRoads.com: N.C. 27-A