User:Ncchild/U.S. Route 220 in North Carolina

U.S. Route 220 (US 220) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Rockingham, North Carolina to South Waverly, Pennsylvania. In the U.S. state of North Carolina, US 220 travels 123.4 mi from an intersection with US 1 in Rockingham to the Virginia state line near Price, North Carolina. The highway is a key north-south route in Central North Carolina, connecting Rockingham, Asheboro, Greensboro, Summerfield, and Madison. US 220 runs concurrently with Interstate 73 (I-73) from north of Rockingham to Greensboro, and from Summerfield to Stokesdale; while US 220 runs concurrently with I-74 from Rockingham to Randleman.

Portions of the modern-day US 220 corridor were added to the North Carolina state highway system upon its creation in 1921, split between NC 51 from Rockingham to Ellerbe; NC 512 for a short distance north of Ellerbe; NC 70 between Candor and Greensboro, NC 708 for a short distance south of Madison; and NC 897 from Madison to the Virginia state line. By 1930, the entire corridor was part of the North Carolina Highway System, NC 170 was created in 1929 between Ellerbe and Candor, and NC 704 was created in 1930 from Madison to Greensboro. In 1932, US 411 was created, travelling from US 74 in Rockingham to US 311 in Madison. US 220 was extended south through Virginia to Rockingham in 1934, replacing US 311 north of Madison and the entirety of US 411.

Richmond County
US 220 begins at an intersection with US 1 southwest of downtown Rockingham. From its southern terminus, US 220 travels north along a four-lane divided highway. It interchanges with Midway Road before crossing over a railroad owned by CSX Transportation. Immediately north of the bridge, US 220 intersects US 74 Business (Broad Avenue) and runs west of downtown Rockingham. The highway makes a gradual turn to the northwest, crosses Little Carr Creek, and exits Rockingham to the north. US 220 continues through a suburban area of Richmond County, with a mixture of forested areas and neighborhoods along the highway. North of Rockingham, US 220 travels through an incomplete trumpet interchange north of Rockingham, which is currently under construction. The interchange marks the beginning of a four-lane freeway portion of US 220 which continues for 2.7 mi. US 220 exits the freeway at exit 25, a diamond interchange south of Ellerbe and turns to the north along a two-lane undivided highway. The southern terminus of I-73 and the eastern terminus of the Central North Carolina segment of I-74 are located at the interchange, and both Interstates follow the freeway north.

Entering Ellerbe to the south along Main Street, US 220 travels through the downtown area of Ellerbe. North of downtown, US 220 diverges slightly to the northwest at an intersection with East Main Street. As it exits Ellerbe, US 220 travels adjacent to residential homes and some sporadic businesses. US 220 intersects NC 73 north of Ellerbe. The intersection marks the southern end of a concurrency between US 220 and NC 73, as the highways travel north along a rural two-lane highway. NC 73 diverges from US 220 south of Mineral Springs, and approximately 2000 ft west an interchange with I-73 and I-74. From the intersection, US 220 makes a sweeping turn to the northwest. It parallels I-73 and I-74 for approximately 1.5 mi until completing its northwesterly turn and entering into Norman. US 220 travels through central Norman on McLeon Avenue and intersects Moore Street in the center of the town. Exiting Norman to the northwest, US 220 leaves Richmond County and enters into Montgomery County.

Montgomery County
Upon entering Montgomery County, US 220 makes a turn to the north and once again begins to parallel I-73 and I-74. US 220 crosses over I-73 and I-74 south of Emery, and continues to parallel I-73 and I-74 on the eastern side of the Interstates. Approaching Emery, US 220 makes a turn to the northwest, largely running south of the community. US 220 runs briefly to the northwest before meeting I-73 and I-74 along with the southern terminus of US 220 Alternate at a diamond interchange. US 220 turns to merge onto the freeway and run concurrently with I-73 and I-74 to the north. US 220 Alternate largely parallels US 220, I-73, and I-74 on the western side of US 220.

US 220, I-73, and I-74 travel to the north, bypassing the town of Candor along its eastern edge. The highways have an interchange with NC 211 east of downtown Candor. North of the interchange, the freeway turns slightly to the northwest and approaches Biscoe to the southeast, where it turns north and bypasses the town to the east. An interchange with NC 24 and NC 27 is located east of downtown Biscoe. Continuing north, US 220, I-73, and I-74 bypass the town of Star to the east. An interchange with US 220 Alternate is located south of Steeds, and US 220 Alternate begins to parallel US 220 to the east. Near Steeds, US 220, I-73, and I-74 begin to parallel the Little River, a tributary of the Pee Dee River. US 220, I-73, and I-74 exit Montgomery County southwest of Seagrove and enter into Randolph County.

Randolph County
Entering into rural southern Randolph County, I-73, I-74, and US 220 makes a slight turn to the northwest to bypass Seagrove to the east. An interchange with NC 705 is located to the west of downtown Seagrove. Travelling north, much of the adjacent landscape is forested land mixed with some residential neighborhoods which branch of from adjacent roadways. I-73, I-74, and US 220 also largely parallel US 220 Alternate north of Seagrove. The highways interchange with US 220 Business at exit 68 south of Ulah, which marks the southern terminus of US 220 Business. The northern terminus of US 220 Alternate is located immediately east of the interchange at an intersection with US 220 Business. I-73, I-74, and US 220 bypass Ulah to the west. A cloverleaf interchange with US 64 is located to the northwest of Ulah.

I-73, I-74, and US 220 north, approaching Asheboro from the south. A diamond interchange with McDowell Road is located southwest of downtown Asheboro. The highways run adjacent to Randolph Community College and several government buildings which are located off the McDowell Road exit. Continuing north, the highway has an interchange with US 64 Business and NC 49 (Dixie Drive) and Albemarle Drive in a commercial district of Asheboro. North of US 64 Business and NC 49, I-73, I-74, and US 220 travel through a mixed residential and industrial section of Asheboro. Further north, the highway median widens for an interchange with NC 42 (Salisbury Street) and Lexington Road, with accelerating and decelerating lanes in the median of the freeway. Numerous commercial businesses and residential homes are located adjacent to I-73, I-74, and US 220 near the interchange. Another diamond interchange with Presnell Street is located 0.4 mi north of the Salisbury Street and Lexington Road interchange. From the Presnell Street interchange, the highway begins to travel away from downtown Asheboro but largely runs west of the city limits. As it travels north, the landscape transforms into a mixture of residential neighborhoods and forested land. A trumpet interchange with Vision Drive is located approximately 0.6 mi north of the Presnell Street interchange. Two more diamond interchanges with Spero Road and Pineview Road are located to the west of Asheboro. A quarry and several industrial businesses are located adjacent to the highway near the Pineview Road interchange.

Approximately 0.5 mi north of the Pineview Road interchange, I-73 and US 220 interchange with I-74, which diverges to the northwest toward High Point. I-73 and US 220 continue concurrently to the north along a four-lane freeway. The highway begins to travel around the western side of Randleman, and a partial cloverleaf interchange with a former segment of US 311 is located to the southwest of downtown Randleman. Immediately north of the interchange, I-73 and US 220 cross underneath a railroad owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway. I-73 and US 220 interchange with Academy Street west of downtown Randleman, and several commercial businesses are located off of the exit. The highway makes a sweeping curve to the northwest as it travels north of the interchange and enters into a rural area of Randolph County. It utilizes a partial causeway and bridge to cross Randleman Lake immediately following the curve. North of the lake crossing, I-73 and US 220 travel north, parallel with the lakeshore. An interchange with US 220 Business is located southwest of Level Cross. The highway then bypasses the community to the west and crosses into Guilford County approximately 2.0 mi north of the US 220 Business interchange.

Guilford County
Entering into Guilford County, the highway increasingly travels through suburban regions south of Greensboro. A diamond interchange with NC 62 is located 0.7 mi north of the Randolph County - Guilford County line. US 220 continues north concurrently with I-73 for 4.5 mi before interchanging with Old Randleman Road at a diamond interchange. From the interchange the highways continue north for 1.1 mi before reaching an interchange with I-85 and US 421 (Greensboro Urban Loop). At the interchange, I-73 breaks from its concurrency with US 220, following the Greensboro Urban Loop to the west. US 220 continues to the north, travelling through an urbanized region of southern Greensboro. It interchanges with I-85 Business, US 29, and US 70 1.1 mi north of the Greensboro Urban Loop, at a incomplete cloverleaf interchange. US 220 travels north along the freeway, crossing over Vandalia Road, before making a slight turn to the northwest and interchanging with Creek Ridge Road at a partial cloverleaf interchange. The freeway widens from four travel lanes south of the Creek Ridge Road interchange to six travel lanes north of the interchange. US 220 continues travelling north-northwest along the freeway for 0.3 mi before meeting I-40 at an interchange, where it follows I-40 to the east. The roadway continues north as a surface street known as Freeman Mill Road.

0.3 mi east of the I-40 and US 220 interchange, I-85 Business, US 29, and US 70 join I-40 and US 220 along a concurrency to the east. Interchanges with Randleman Road and Elm-Eugene Street are located immediately east of the I-85 Business, US 29, and US 70 interchange. The highway travels through an industrial region of Greensboro before interchanging with Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and O'Henry Boulevard. US 29, US 70, and US 220 diverge from I-40 and I-85 Business at O'Henry Blvd and following the road to the north. O'Henry Boulevard serves as an urban freeway, travelling through a residential area of Greensboro. A quadrant interchange provides access to Gate City Boulevard. The highways travel underneath a railroad owned and operated by the North Carolina Railroad, before interchanging with Market Street at a partial cloverleaf interchange. North of the interchange, US 29, US 70, and US 220 travel along the eastern side of North Carolina A&T State University. Access to and from Lutheran Street and Sullivan Street is provided to the northbound travel lanes only. A quadrant interchange with Bessemer Avenue is located at the northeastern corner of the North Carolina A&T State University campus near Truist Stadium. US 29, US 70, and US 220 interchange with Wendover Avenue immediately north of the Bessemer Avenue interchange. The US 29, US 70 and US 220 concurrency ends at the interchange as US 220 turns to follow Wendover Avenue to the west, US 29 continues north along O'Henry Boulevard, and US 70 follows Wendover Avenue to the east.

Following Wendover Avenue to the west, US 220 encounters multiple commercial business which line the roadway in the vicinity of the O'Henry Boulevard interchange and there are multiple at grade intersections. It interchanges with Summit Avenue and Yanceyville Street before passing south of the Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital and across Elm Street utilizing an overpass. Continuing west along Wendover Avenue, the highway travels through a commercial area before crossing North Buffalo Creek and entering a residential area. US 220 continues west of the creek for 0.6 mi until diverging northeast onto Battleground Avenue at an interchange. Utilizing Battleground Avenue, US 220 travels northeast through a commercial region of northeastern Greensboro. It parallels a former railroad line of the Atlantic and Yadkin Railway to the east for approximately 0.3 mi between Pembroke Road and Lawndale Drive. At the Lawndale Drive intersection, Battleground Avenue moves in an s-shaped pattern to cross the railroad line and parallels the railroad line to the west.

From there, US 220 continues northwest along Battleground Avenue with major intersections at Cone Boulevard, Martinsville Road, and Pisgah Church Road. Retail business are dominant along Battleground Avenue south of Pisgah Church Road. As US 220 moves north of the Pisgah Church Road intersection, the region becomes more residential with retail businesses and shopping centers located near major intersections. US 220 meets I-840 at a single-point urban interchange (I-840 exit 6). Continuing north along Battleground Avenue, US 220 continues through a residential area on the south side of Lake Brandt. US 220 crosses Lake Brandt along a partial causeway and bridge. North of the lake, US 220 continues through a residential area until reaching NC 150 south of Summerfield. US 220 and NC 150 run concurrently to the northwest, largely bypassing Summerfield to the east. North of Summerfield, US 220 and NC 150 intersect Scalesville Road. At the intersection, NC 150 turns to the west, ending the concurrency. US 220 continues northwest for 1.3 mi before meeting I-73 at an incomplete interchange, with a northbound freeway entrance and a southbound exit. At the interchange, US 220 merges onto I-73, marking the southern end of the second concurrency with I-73. I-73 and US 220 interchange with US 158 at exit 120, a diamond interchange east of Stokesdale. From there, the highways travel north for approximately 1/2 mi until leaving Guilford County and entering Rockingham County.

Rockingham County
Continuing north into Rockingham County, I-73 and US 220 travel for approximately 1 mi before meeting NC 65 at a diamond interchange, exit 122. Beyond the interchange, I-73 and US 220 travel concurrently for 1.5 mi before meeting the northern terminus of NC 68 an incomplete interchange. The interchange also marks the northern terminus of I-73 and the freeway ends. US 220 continues north along a four lane expressway, with Price Farm Road and Newnam Road being the first at-grade intersection since meeting I-73 north of Summerfield. The highway continues through a rural region of southern Rockingham County and the landscape consists of forested regions and farmland with sporadic businesses located off the highway. Approaching Madison, US 220 crosses over Hogan Creek and intersects Ellisboro Road at an at-grade intersection. US 220 largely becomes a freeway north of the intersection, although an occasional driveway is connected to the highway. Using the freeway, US 220 stays to the east of Madison. Although, it briefly enters the city limits at an interchange with US 311, NC 704, and the southern terminus of US 220 Business. From the interchange, US 311 begins running concurrently with US 220 to the north for 2.5 mi, crossing the Dan River east of downtown Madison. The concurrency ends at a diamond interchange with US 311 and NC 135 east of Mayodan. The freeway largely ends at the interchange as several at-grade intersections exist north of the US 311 and NC 135 interchange.

US 220 continues north toward Stoneville, crossing over a railroad owned and operated by Norfolk Southern Railway, before interchanging with the northern terminus of US 220 Business at a diamond interchange southwest of the town. US 220 stays west of Stoneville, interchanging with NC 770 west of the core area of town. As it continues north of Stoneville, US 220 primarily travels through a forested region with some sporadic farmland. An interchange with Smith Road is located 2.4 mi north of NC 770 and US 220 begins to run parallel to its former alignment and the Norfolk Southern railroad it crossed southwest of Stoneville. As the highway approaches Virginia, it intersects its former alignment and crosses under the Norfolk Southern railroad north of the intersection. The highway then begins to make a turn to the northeast which it completes in Virginia. A final at-grade intersection with Martinsville Loop is located 0.2 mi south of the North Carolina-Virginia state line. US 220 then enters into Virginia, continuing north-northeast toward Ridgeway and Martinsville.

Dedicated and memorial names
US 220 in North Carolina feature a few dedicated or memorialized stretches of freeway.
 * Governor John Motley Morehead Expressway – official North Carolina name of US 220 from the south Greensboro city limits to Interstate 40 (approved: April 12, 1996).
 * J. Elsie Webb Thoroughfare – official North Carolina name of US 220 from US 1, in Rockingham, to Ellerbe (approved: February 3, 1972).
 * Martha McGee Bell Bridges – official North Carolina name of US 220's twin bridges over the Deep River, near Randleman (approved: August 11, 1978).
 * Rush C. Collins Bridge – official North Carolina name of US 220's bridge over the Dan River (approved: October 2, 1969).
 * Thomas A. Burton Highway – official North Carolina name of US 220 from NC 68 to the Virginia state line (approved: March 4, 1994).

History
US 220 was established as an original United States Numbered Highway in 1926, but did not enter North Carolina at the time of establishment. It began at US 40 in Cumberland, Maryland and extended north to the New York-Pennsylvania border. By 1935, US 220 was extended south through West Virginia and Virginia, entering into North Carolina.

Predecessor highways
Portions of the corridor which would become modern-day US 220 in North Carolina would first appear on the 1916 map of the proposed North Carolina highway system. At the time, only the routing between Greensboro and Biscoe was shown. The routing in Guilford County was an "improved roadway" while the remainder of the route to Biscoe was an unimproved roadway. Upon the creation of the North Carolina Highway System, the entire modern-day US 220 corridor did not exist as one coherent route nor was it entirely part of the system. The route between Rockingham and an area roughly near the US 220 Business and NC 73 intersection north of Ellerbe was part of NC 51. The routing between Ellerbe and the US 220 Business and NC 73 intersection south of Norman was part of NC 512. NC 70 was signed along the route between Candor and Greensboro. The routing between Madison and the Virginia state line was a part of NC 897 A small section of NC 708 east of Madison later became a part of US 220. NC 897 became part of NC 77 by 1926.

When the United States Numbered Highway System was created in 1926, the only two sections of the modern-day US 220 which were assigned a U.S. Highway in 1926, between Candor and Randleman and between Madison and the Virginia line, both which were assigned to US 311. Additionally, by 1926, an unimproved secondary road was constructed between Greensboro and Stokesdale, roughly following modern-day US 220.

By 1929, US 15 and NC 75 were extended south between Rockingham and Ellerbe, replacing NC 51. A new routing between Ellerbe and Candor was created by 1929 and assigned the designation NC 170. The highway travelled for 11 mi between US 15 and NC 75 north of Ellerbe to NC 70 in Candor. Starting in 1929, the entire route was classified as a topsoil, sand, clay, or gravel road.

The secondary road north of Greensboro was assigned as NC 704 in 1930, which ran from US 170 and NC 70 in Greensboro to NC 708 southeast of Madison. By this time, all of the US 220 corridor had been paved except for a portion of NC 704 between NC 65 and NC 708 and a section of NC 708 between NC 704 and US 311 and NC 77 in Madison. The unpaved highway was classified as a topsoil, sand, clay, or gravel roadway on the 1931 North Carolina state transportation map. By 1933 the section of NC 708 was paved, as was much of NC 704 except for a portion near the intersection with NC 708 which was paved by 1935.

In 1932, U.S. Route 411 (US 411) was established, located entirely within the state of North Carolina. It never connected with its parent route US 11, but did connect with US 311 another auxiliary route of US 11. US 411 began at US 74 in Rockingham. It then ran north along Wasington Street concurrent with US 74 to Ellerbe Road then north through Ellerbe, Norman, Candor, Biscoe, Star, and Seagrove, mostly along what is today US 220 Bus and US 220 Alt. In Asheboro, it went along Fayetteville Street, then continued north on Randleman Road and on Old Randleman Road into Greensboro. Through Greensboro, US 411 was routed along Randleman Road, O'Connor Street, Elm Street, and Battleground Road; in 1934, it was rerouted north of Elm Street to Wendover Avenue, Winstead Place, Northwood Street, and Battleground Road. Going northwest, it continued to Madison, where it ended at US 311. In 1935, US 411 was renumbered as "US 220".

Establishment
US 220 first appeared in North Carolina on the 1935 State Transportation Map. The new southern terminus of the highway was located at US 15 and US 74 west of Rockingham. It continued north, concurrent with US 15 for 16 mi before the two highways diverged south of Norman. Travelling north through Candor, Biscoe, Ulah, and Seagrove, US 220 continued north for 42 mi until reaching US 64 in Asheboro. The intersection also marked the southern terminus of US 311 which ran concurrently with US 220 for 6 mi until US 311 diverged to the northwest to the south of Randleman. US 220 travelled north for 20 mi until reaching Greensboro, where it diverged northwest towards Summerfield. The highway shared a brief 0.3 mi concurrency with US 158 in southern Rockingham County before continuing northwest to Madison. In Madison, US 220 intersected the northern terminus of US 311 and continued north to the Virginia state line. It replaced US 311 and NC 77 from the state line to Madison, US 411 from Madison to Norman,NC 704 from Madison to Greensboro, NC 70 from Greensboro to Candor, NC 170 from Candor to Norman, and NC 75 from Norman to Rockingham.

By 1939, US 220 was realigned west of Seagrove, leaving Old US Highway 220 and an extension of NC 705. By 1963, US 220 bypassed Madison and Mayodan, the old route through the towns became US 220 Business. Between 1964-1966, Stoneville was bypassed to its west. Between 1967-1968, US 220 was realigned west, onto new freeway, of Asheboro, leaving US 220 Business. In 1970, US 220 was rerouted in Greensboro, from Randleman Road it overlapped with Interstate 85 then onto O. Henry Boulevard (in concurrency with US 29) going north till Wendover Avenue, then west to Battleground Avenue; the original alignment through downtown Greensboro became unnumbered.

Development of a US 220 freeway in Central North Carolina between Rockingham and Greensboro began in the ______. On November 2, 1972, NCDOT officially routed US 220 onto a new freeway beginning in south of Ulah to 5 mi north of US 311 west of Level Cross. After being rerouted, US 220 bypassed Ulah, Asheboro, and Randleman to the west. The former route which travelled through these cities became US 220 Business. On November 1, 1979, the highway was officially rerouted onto another segment of freeway, between Emery and Steed in Montgomery County. The former routing became US 220 Alternate. The freeway from Ulah to Level Cross was extended northward to I-85, US 29, and US 70 in Greensboro with US 220 being re-routed onto the freeway on March 1, 1982. US 220 then ran concurrently along I-85, US 29, and US 70 northeast to I-40 where it followed it's modern-day routing. The former segment of US 220 between Level Cross and Greensboro became secondary roads, except for a segment between the freeway and Level Cross which was added as part of US 220 Business.

In 1995, US 220 was moved onto new freeway between Interstate 85 to Interstate 40. The first segment of I-73 and I-74 were established concurrently along US 220 in September of 1996. The segment began at US 220 Alternate south of Steed and continued northward to US 220 south of Ulah.

On January 7, 2008, US 220 was moved onto new freeway between Emery to south of Ellerbe, leaving its old alignment another extension of US 220 Alternate.