U.S. Route 1 in North Carolina

I-40 east in Cary approaching the Raleigh Beltline, which includes US 1.

From the South Carolina state line, US 1 passes through downtown Rockingham as a two-lane road with five-lane boulevard segments before and after downtown. North of Rockingham continues as a two-lane road. Between NC 177 and the Moore County line, begins the multilane highway where it is mostly a five-lane rural highway with a continuous center turn lane. Near the Moore County line becomes a 4 lane divided arterial. In southern Moore County, it continues as a 4 lane arterial with five-lane boulevard segments in Pinebluff, Aberdeen and the southern part of Southern Pines. After the Saunders Boulevard traffic signal, US 1 becomes an Expressway grade bypass in Southern Pines. After North May Street, it becomes a brief four-lane arterial before it becomes a four-lane Expressway after Aiken Road. A mile south of the US 15/US 501` juncture, downgrades as a 4 lane arterial towards Tramway. After Tramway, it becomes a freeway bypassing Sanford and continues to Raleigh as a freeway, sharing briefly with US 64 at Cary and 11 miles (18 km) of the Raleigh Inner-Beltline with I-440. North of Raleigh, US 1 continues as an expressway through Wake Forest and Henderson. Exiting off the connector road before I-85, the highway reverts to a two-lane rural road, paralleling I-85 into Virginia. US 1 through North Carolina generally follows the Fall Line between the Piedmont and the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

The general route of US 1 in North Carolina was first part of the Capital Highway, an auto trail organized in 1909 to encourage counties along the route to improve the road between Washington and Atlanta.[6] It differed from US 1 north of Norlina, where it ran via Emporia and Roanoke Rapids, and between Southern Pines and Rockingham, where a route via Pinehurst - where the association's president lived - was followed.[7] The Quebec-Miami International Highway, organized in 1911 and renamed the Atlantic Highway in 1915,[8] also followed this corridor, overlapping many parts of the Capital Highway.[9] It initially followed even less of US 1 than the Capital Highway, only taking the same route between Raleigh and Cameron and south of Rockingham,[10] but was modified to match the Capital Highway by 1920.[11][12]

In 1922, the route was designated as North Carolina Highway 50, from the South Carolina state line to Roanoke Rapids. In 1923, the route from Norlina to Roanoke Rapids was renumbered as NC 48; redirecting NC 50 north to Virginia and continuing on to South Hill as VA 122. In 1926, US 1 was established, it was assigned to overlap all of NC 50; it would be in 1934 when NC 50 was dropped from the route.[13]

Since its establishment, US 1 has not changed its route from the South Carolina state line to Pinebluff. The first change along the route happened in 1930 in Raleigh, where minor road changes were done in the downtown area. In 1933, US 1 was moved off Rocky Church Fork Road near Tramway onto new road to the west. Between 1937 and 1944, US 1 was rerouted in Aberdeen to its current routing and also north of Wise where US 1 moved onto new road east of Mac Powell Road. In 1948, US 1 was removed from most of Wake Forest Road, in Raleigh, and placed onto Louisburg Road; the old route became US 1A. In 1953, US 1 was placed on a bypass west of Wake Forest, leaving the old route to become US 1A.[13]

Around 1956–1957, several changes along US 1 were made: A new bypass build west of Sanford, old route replaced by US 1A (later US 1 Business). In Raleigh, US 1 was redirected onto one-way streets Dawson and McDowell that connected to a new road called Capital Boulevard, which connected US 1 back onto Louisburg Road; Person Street and Wake Forest Road became secondary roads ever since. Finally, a new Super-2 bypass was built east of Henderson; which would later become a full freeway between 1991 and 1993.[13]

In 1960, US 1 was placed on a Super-2, bypassing Moncure. Around 1963, US 1 was placed onto new freeway between Apex (via NC 55) to North Boulevard (today an extension of Capital Boulevard), in north Raleigh. The old route to Hillsborough Road became what is today Salem Street, Old Apex Road and Chatham Street (via Cary), while the routing through Raleigh became US 1 Business (1963-1975). Around 1965, the Super-2, from Moncure, extended north into Apex. In 1975, the Super-2, from Moncure, extended south to Sanford, connecting to its bypass. The entire route between Sanford to Apex became a freeway by the mid-1990s.[13][14]

In 1999, NCDOT submitted a request to AASHTO to designate 32.36 miles (52.08 km) of US 1 from I-40, in Raleigh, to the future US 421 (Sanford Bypass) interchange, in Sanford as I-140. On April 17, 1999, the request was disapproved by the committee and has since been dropped.[15] I-140 was subsequently designated along the western part of the Wilmington Outer Loop in 2002.

In June 2005, a new freeway bypass was built east of Vass and Cameron; the old route became US 1 Business.[13]

The NCDOT, in collaboration with the Department of Commerce and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources,[16] has designated US 1 as a Strategic Highway Corridor from Interstate 85 in Henderson to the South Carolina state line. From I-85 to I-540 in Raleigh, US 1 is recommended to be improved to a freeway. From I-540 to I-440 (the Capital Boulevard section in Raleigh) it is recommended be improved to an expressway (nearby freeway I-540 will maintain mobility). From I-440 to south of I-74/US 220 in Richmond County, it is designated as a freeway. South of I-74 to the South Carolina state line, it is designated as an expressway.[17] The Strategic Corridors Initiative is an effort to protect and maximize mobility and connectivity on a core set of highway corridors, while promoting environmental stewardship through maximizing the use of existing facilities to the extent possible, and fostering economic prosperity through the quick and efficient movement of people and goods.[16]

• Special routes of U.S. Route 1
• North Carolina Bicycle Route 4 - Concurrent with US 1 near Norlina

• Media related to U.S. Route 1 in North Carolina at Wikimedia Commons

U.S. Route 1
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