U.S. Route 421 in North Carolina


U.S. Route 421 traverses approximately across North Carolina; from Fort Fisher, on Pleasure Island between the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Fear River, to the Tennessee state line near the community of Zionville. The highway is nominally labeled "north" and "south" throughout North Carolina, though it really follows a general northwest-southeast path. The segments from Buies Creek to Sanford and from Greensboro to Boone take on more of an east-west route direction, with compass west corresponding to the signed north direction.
A majority of the highway is part of the North Carolina Strategic Highway Corridors system. Because of this designation, the state has made numerous changes converting a rural two-lane highway into a major freeway/expressway with 4 or more lanes. Numerous former segments of the highway named "Old U.S. Route 421" are found along the entire route.

Route description

US 421 starts at a parking/dock area on the Cape Fear side of Pleasure Island. Within, US 421 passes through its unsigned junction with NC 211 and the approach to the Fort Fisher Ferry Terminal, where travelers can board to cross the Cape Fear River toward Southport. Immediately after the ferry terminal is the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, where the first and second battles of Fort Fisher took place.
The highway continues north, going through popular tourist destinations in New Hanover county: Kure Beach, and Carolina Beach. US 421 eventually enters Wilmington along the river side of the city. At Wooster Street, it goes west, overlapping with several other highways and funnels through Brunswick County before returning in northwestern New Hanover County; there it links with Interstate 140 before continuing north towards Clinton.
From about north of the I-140 interchange, the road remains a four-lane divided highway for another. After its intersection with NC 210, it becomes a rural two-lane highway for much of its remainder until Dunn. The exception is in Clinton, where it follows Faircloth Freeway to bypass the city, running concurrent to US 701 for about. There is one rest area located just north of Delway. US 421 meets I-95 in Dunn. From Wilmington to Dunn, the route parallels I-40 approximately to US 421's east.
After crossing downtown Dunn and Erwin immediately to the east, US 421 becomes a four-lane divided highway again until reaching Lillington, with a short segment in Buies Creek containing a center lane and reduced speed limit as it crosses Campbell University. Upon reaching the junction with US 401, NC 27, and NC 210, all four routes collect onto a thoroughfare heading south over the Cape Fear River into downtown Lillington. US 421 then splits off to the west, following two-lane Front Street until Sanford.
Upon reaching Sanford, US 421 formerly followed Horner Boulevard with NC 87 to cross downtown, but it is now rerouted onto the recently completed Sanford Bypass, the entirety of which is freeway. It runs concurrent with NC 87 Bypass until the US 1/US 15/US 501/NC 87 interchange, from which it continues until the end of the bypass near Cumnock.
For the rest of its route until Greensboro, US 421 remains almost entirely free-flowing. It is an expressway from Sanford to just south of Siler City, bypassing Goldston, Bear Creek, and Siler City. From here to the Greensboro Urban Loop, US 421 becomes a freeway, bypassing Staley, Liberty, and Julian. All of these cities/places were connected by US 421's old alignment, now called some variant of Old US 421 for the majority of its route.
Near Pleasant Garden, US 421 joins I-85 on the Greensboro Urban Loop, staying with the loop as I-85 leaves and I-73 joins it. Another later, US 421 leaves the Greensboro Urban Loop to join I-40 and continue westward towards Winston-Salem. Near Kernersville, US 421 remains with I-40 Business, a former alignment of I-40, going through downtown Winston-Salem.
West of Winston-Salem, I-40 Business ends at an interchange with mainline I-40 and US 421 continues west as a freeway towards Yadkinville and Wilkesboro. When the highway nears North Wilkesboro, the highway passes North Wilkesboro Speedway ; there is also a visitor center built in 2009 as the state's first environmentally friendly rest area, located at mile marker 283. As US 421 enters Wilkesboro city limits, it downgrades to an expressway with various stores and restaurants along it.
As it leaves Wilkesboro, US 421 begins a gradual climb in elevation, until approximately from Deep Gap, where it climbs up the steep escarpment along the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Access to the Blue Ridge Parkway is located at Deep Gap, as US 421 continues on towards Boone.
As US 421 approaches Boone, the expressway comes to an end just before an intersection with Old US 421. The road continues into Boone as four lane boulevard, becoming two lanes at the intersection with US 321. US 321 north, US 421 north, and NC 194 south all run concurrent through the downtown area via King Street. After leaving Boone, US 421 continues on as a two-lane road to the Tennessee state line, heading on to Mountain City.

Designations

US 421 overlaps with two state scenic byways: the Cape Fear Historic Byway, in downtown Wilmington, and the U.S. 421 Scenic Byway, between Deep Gap and Boone. Two of North Carolina's Bicycle Routes run concurrent for portions of US 421. North Carolina Bicycle Route 5 is concurrent from US 421's southern terminus at Fort Fisher to north of Snows Cut, through downtown Wilmington to Blueberry Road near Montague, North Carolina, and a short portion near Coats. A small part of North Carolina Bicycle Route 3 is concurrent with US 421 in downtown Wilmington.

History

In Winston-Salem, a section from west of Fourth Street to east of Church Street was reconstructed between 2018 and 2020 to completely upgrade and streamline. The project included removing the existing pavement and replacing it with new concrete pavement, upgrade and modernize entrance and exit ramps, and replace most of the bridges on and over the freeway. Work began on this rehab in 2018 with the closure of several miles of U.S. 421. The closed section was reopened earlier than expected in early February 2020. Concurrent with the rehabilitation of the route, the Interstate 40 Business designation was dropped from the entire route, with the route remaining U.S. 421, exits renumbered to US 421 mileage, and the highway taking on a new name, The Salem Parkway.

Future

In September 2019, the Greensboro Urban Area Transportation Advisory Committee passed a resolution in support of giving US 421 interstate designation between I-40 in Greensboro and I-95 near Fayetteville and bringing it up to interstate standards. The resolution noted that an interstate along US 421 would provide a “valuable alternate route for military and freight traffic” as well as “additional evacuation routes and relief and recovery routes to the region.” The resolution also stated that US 421 becoming an interstate would “support economic development, including the four designated megasites in the Carolina Core.” The resolution states that the North Carolina Board of Transportation has already passed a resolution in support of the future interstate designation for US 421. Other MPOs along the proposed route would have to pass similar resolutions for NCDOT to start seriously considering the proposal. No interstate route numbers have been chosen for the corridor.
In New Hanover and Brunswick counties, the Cape Fear Skyway has begun its project development studies to build a toll road and bridge that will bypass Wilmington. Early estimates range from $950 million to $1.1 billion. The environmental impact study is expected to be completed in 2014, a record of decision and a complete financial feasibility will be done in 2015.

Junction list

Through Winston-Salem, the exit numbers concurrent with Business 40 were renumbered to reflect U.S. 421's mileage.
Note – Exit numbers west of Winston-Salem are aligned when US 421 went north around Greensboro in late-1980s/early-1990s. As a result, from realignments in Greensboro, the actual mileage vs. exit number mileage is off by an average of.

Alternate names

Though the highway is commonly known as "421" throughout the state, the highway does have other known names it uses locally in areas.