User:Ncchild/U.S. Route 1A (Wake Forest–Youngsville)

U.S. Route 1A (stylized as US 1A or US 1-A) is a 9.0 mi alternate route of US 1 through the towns of Wake Forest and Youngsville. was rerouted to bypass west of Wake Forest and Youngsville. US 1A begins at US 1 in southern Wake Forest. The highway travels north along South Main Street, intersecting NC 98 at the Dr. Calvin Jones Highway. In downtown Wake Forest, US 1A travel along the eastern side of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary concurrent with NC 98 Business. US 1A uses North Main Street to leave Wake Forest. At the Wake County-Franklin County line the road name changes to Youngsville Boulevard. US 1A enters Youngsville from the southwest and runs concurrently with NC 96 for 0.6 mi along College Street and Park Avenue before diverging to the north. The northern terminus of US 1A is located at US 1 north of Youngsville.

US 1A follows the former alignment of US 1 through the towns of Wake Forest and Youngsville. In 1953, US 1 was rerouted to bypass both towns to the west with the remaining route was signed as US 1A. Since its establishment, the routing of US 1A has remained unchanged.

Route description
US 1A begins at an at-grade intersection with US 1 and Falls of Neuse Road south of Wake Forest, North Carolina. The highway begins to run northeast along South Main Street, a four-lane road in the area. South Main Street runs through a commercial area of Wake Forest, providing access to multiple businesses. Beyond Ligon Mill Road, US 1A adjusts slightly to the north, giving the highway a more northerly orientation. At Rogers Road, the highway narrows to a three-lane road with two through lanes and a turning lane. US 1A passes through a residential area of Wake Forest and the community of Forestville. At Forestville, the highway approaches the CSX S-Line and parallels it for much of its remaining route. US 1A meets NC 98 at an at-grade intersection with the Dr. Calvin Jones Highway. Continuing north along South Main Street, US 1A runs west of the downtown commercial district of Wake Forest. Instead, it primarily runs through a historical residential area of Wake Forest. US 1A meets NC 98 Business at a roundabout south of the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary campus. The highways run concurrently along South Avenue and Front Street until reaching Roosevelt Avenue. NC 98 Business turns to follow Roosevelt Avenue while US 1A continues north along Front Street. On the north side of the seminary campus, US 1A intersects and turns to follow North Main Street. North Main Street is a two-lane divided highway with a tree-lined median and runs through a historical residential area. The highway passes to the west of the Glen Royall Mill Village Historic District before exiting Wake Forest to the north.

At the Wake County–Franklin County line, the road name changes from North Main Street to Youngsville Boulevard. The highway makes a turn to the north before turning once again to the northeast. US 1A enters into the town of Youngsville from the southwest, intersecting NC 96 (Main Street) west of downtown. NC 96 runs in concurrency with US 1A to the north along College Street. At Park Avenue, US 1A/NC 96 diverge to the northwest running along the town limits of Youngsville. The 0.6 mi concurrency ends northwest of Youngsville as US 1A and NC 96 split. US 1A runs in a northern orientation until reaching its northern terminus at US 1.

History
The routing of US 1A first appeared in 1916 as part of North Carolina's state highway system plan. At the time, the highway was detailed as part of an improved roadway which stretched from Raleigh to an undefined area east of Warrenton. Upon the creation of the North Carolina State Highway System in 1921, the highway running through Wake Forest and Youngsville was assigned as part of NC 50. NC 50 ran from South Carolina near Rockingham to Virginia near Wise. Between 1924 and 1926, the road through Wake Forest and Youngsville was paved. Upon the creation of the United States Numbered Highway System, US 1 was assigned to overlay with NC 50 establishing the highway through both Wake Forest and Youngsville. Begining in 1930, NC 91 was routed concurrent with US 1 for 0.17 mi in Wake Forest. The concurrency followed the modern-day US 1A/NC 98 Business concurrency along the southeastern side of then-Wake Forest University. In 1941, NC 91 was replaced by NC 264 which ran concurrent along the same section of US 1.

In 1953, US 1 was routed along a bypass to the west of Wake Forest and Youngsville, with the former alignment being established as US 1A. The same year, NC 98 was extended west replacing NC 264 to Durham. This created a concurrency between NC 98 and US 1A in downtown Wake Forest. Since its establishment, US 1A has remained along its current routing. On August 21, 2006, NC 98 was routed onto a bypass south of downtown Wake Forest, removing the US 1A/NC 98 concurrency. The former alignment of NC 98 became NC 98 Business, establishing a 0.17 mi concurrency with US 1A along South Avenue.