US 220 in North Carolina
| US 220 | |||
| Get started | Rockingham | ||
| End | price | ||
| Length | 115 mi | ||
| Length | 185 km | ||
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According to toppharmacyschools, US 220 is a US Highway in the US state of North Carolina. The road forms a north-south route through the center of the state, from Rockingham in the south to Greensboro and on to the Virginia border. The section between Ellerbe and Greensboro is also known as Interstate 73 and Interstate 74. The route is 185 kilometers long.
Travel directions
The road begins in the southern town of Rockingham at an intersection with US 1 and US 74. US 1 continues south from Raleigh, while US 74 forms an east-west highway from Charlotte to Wilmington. The US 220 has 2×2 level lanes for the first few kilometers, but becomes a highway from Ellerbe. Interstate 73 and Interstate 74 also run over US 220. Parallel to the route runs Alternate US 220. 75 kilometers further north, at Asheboro one crosses US 64, which runs from Lexington to Raleigh. Not much further, at Randleman, US 311 ends, serving as a highway to High Point andWinston Salem running.
One then reaches the Greensboro conurbation, which has about 1.5 million inhabitants. Its south side crosses Interstate 85, the highway from Charlotte to Durham. US 220 then becomes a 2×2 lane freeway, then intersects US 70, also a freeway from High Point toward Greensboro. US 220 then has 2×3 lanes and intersects Interstate 40, an east-west highway from Winston-Salem to Raleigh. After this, the highway portion of US 220 ends, and the road continues through downtown Greensboro. US 220 then forms the northwest arterial route of the city, heading towards Martinsville in Virginia. Outside Greensboro, the road temporarily narrows to one lane in each direction and intersects US 158. Not far after that you also cross the US 311 again. The road then has 2×2 level lanes again and then crosses the Virginia border. US 220 in Virginia continues to Martinsville and Roanoke.
History
US 220 at Rockingham.
US 220 was created in 1926 but ran no further south than Maryland at the time. In 1934, the route was extended to Rockingham, North Carolina .
In 1963, the divided highway was opened north of Greensboro in the Madison and Mayodan area. In 1964-1966 the divided highway opened up to the Virginia border. A short 2×2 section between Rockingham and Ellerbe was also constructed in the 1960s.
The first highway section south of Greensboro was the Asheboro bypass, which opened circa 1968. In the 1970s this section was extended north to south of Greensboro. In 1980, the highway opened north of Biscoe, and in 1981-1983, the highway opened north at Greensboro to I-85. In 1995, a new freeway opened between I-40 and I-85 at Greensboro. In 1997 the highway around Ether opened and in 2008 the highway around Ellerbe opened. The section between Rockingham and Greensboro has been part of Interstate 73 and Interstate 74 since 1997.
US 221 in North Carolina
| US 221 | |||
| Get started | Rutherfordton | ||
| End | Twin Oaks | ||
| Length | 137 mi | ||
| Length | 220 km | ||
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US 221 is a US Highway in the US state of North Carolina. The road forms a north-south route through the west of the state, from the South Carolina border at Rutherfordton through Boone to the Virginia border. Much of the route passes through the Appalachian Mountains. The road is 220 kilometers long.
Travel directions
US 221 at Marion.
South of Rutherfordton, US 221 in South Carolina enters North Carolina from Spartanburg and continues north as a single-lane highway. Just before Rutherfordton you cross the US 74, a highway from Asheville to Charlotte. In Rutherfordton itself one crosses the US 64, which runs from Hendersonville to Morganton. US 221 then heads north, before Marion crosses Interstate 40, the east-west highway from Asheville to Winston-Salem. In Marion you cross the US 70which runs parallel to I-40. The area then becomes a lot more mountainous and wooded, you come along the Blue Ridge, part of the Appalachian Mountains. US 221 comes close to US 19E, but there is no direct intersection with it. The road then curves to the northeast and reaches an altitude of about 1,300 meters. This area is quite touristy and the road meanders through the mountains. One then descends slightly to Blowing Rock, where US 321 from Hickory ends. The road then turns north in 2×2 lanes and intersects with US 421 in Boone, where the road briefly merges. US 421 is an east-west route from Bristol to Winston-Salem. The road then remains in a fairly high area about 800 meters high to Twin Oaks. Here the road merges with US 21, then US 221 in Virginia continues to Roanoke.
History
US 221 was added to the network in 1930. The original route was only in North Carolina, from Ingalls to Twin Oaks. In 1932, US 221 was extended both north and south, creating the current route through North Carolina. To the south, an Alternate Route has been created between Rutherfordton and the South Carolina border.
The US 221 is not a very important road, partly because this region has quite a few north-south routes and the US 221 does not serve larger places. As a result, US 221 has largely remained single-lane. In 1981, a new single-lane line opened between Baldwin and Jefferson. The biggest upgrade to date was a 2×2 Marion diversion that opened in 1991. In 1997, a new 2×2 stretch opened east of Boone, which is double-numbered with US 421. Between 2015 and 2020, a 26-kilometer stretch in Ashe County was widened to a 2×2 divided highway.
On February 28, 2022, construction began on an eight-kilometer highway past Rutherfordton, which is a continuation of US 74 Alternate along the eastern side of the town.