NC 97 begins at US 64 Business between the towns of Knightdale and Wendell. The nearest community is the unincorporated Eagle Rock. Through Wake County, the route closely parallels US 64, following it to the south. After passing through the unincorporated community of Lizard Lick, NC 97 merges with US 64 Business and forms the main east-west street through the town of Zebulon, Gannon Avenue. West of Zebulon, just past the Wake–Nash County line, NC 97 has an interchange with US 264. Through Nash County, NC 97 is mostly a rural road oriented east-west. After intersecting Interstate 95, it turns to a more northeast-southwest alignment, passing Rocky Mount–Wilson Regional Airport, and then entering the city of Rocky Mount along West Raleigh Boulevard. In the center of Rocky Mount, NC 97 turns to a north-south alignment, and follows Arlington Street until it leaves the city, joining the east-west Cool Spring Road just north of the city limits. From here, NC 97 closely parallels the Tar River and through the small town of Leggett. After the bridge over Fishing Creek, NC 97 intersects with US 258 and travels another before ending at an intersection with NC 122 just outside the town of Hobgood.
History
NC 97 was originally NC 95 in the 1930s. It was renumbered in 1961 to avoid conflict with I-95. In 1975, its western terminus was extended to replace the old alignment of US 64 Business north of Wendell; a new US 64 Bypass freeway was built farther north of Wendell. The first NC 97 was NC 90 in Plymouth southeast to NC 91 in Pantego. In 1938, NC 97 was rerouted to continue southwest to US 264 near Bunyan, replacing NC 99. In 1940, NC 97 was renumbered as part of NC 32. The second NC 97 was born in 1940, running from US 17 Windsor north to NC 30 Winton. This was a renumbering of NC 30 and 30-A. In 1951, NC 97 was extended north as a duplex with US 158, then along a new route to NC 37 at the Virginia State Line. In 1952, NC 97 became part of US 13.
North Carolina Highway 95 was established in 1930 as a new primary routing from NC 40 in Rocky Mount to NC 12 in Lawrence. In 1933, NC 95 was extended south along US 301/NC 40 through Rocky Mount, then west on new routing to US 64/US 264/NC 39/NC 90/NC 91 in Zebulon. In 1935, NC 95 was extended east to NC 122 near Hobgood. In 1961, because of the establishment of I-95, NC 95 was renumbered as NC 97.
North Carolina Highway 95A
North Carolina Highway 95A was an alternate spur route from NC 95 to US 64/NC 90, via Legget Road, Myrtle Avenue, Grand Avenue and Atlantic Avenue. By around 1940, it was downgraded to secondary road.
