North Carolina Highway 28 (NC 28) is a primary state highway in the state of North Carolina. The highway runs northâ€"south through the Nantahala National Forest in Western North Carolina.
Route description
NCÂ 28 is part of a three-state highway 28, that totals 238 miles (383Â km), from Beech Island, South Carolina to Deals Gap, North Carolina. Southward the road continues as Georgia State Route 28. This is the sole state highway that keeps its exact number as it crosses between Georgia and North Carolina. It heads southeast briefly through Georgia, enters South Carolina as South Carolina Highway 28, re-enters Georgia once more before terminating in South Carolina.
NC 28 starts at the Georgia state line in Macon County. From the state line, it follows a winding course northwards to Highlands. There it begins a 14-mile (23 km) concurrency with U.S. Route 64 (US 64) on the way northwest to Franklin. Following an interchange with US 23 and US 441, the US 64 concurrency ends and enters the downtown business district of the city. NC 28 forms a concurrency with US 441 Business on the one-way pair of Main Street and Palmer Street. The two roads cross the Little Tennessee River before NC 28 breaks off and heads north out of the city on Harrison Avenue. Though the official routing of the highway is along Harrison Avenue, signage shows NC 28 traveling along Depot Street and Riverview Street bypassing the city downtown.
From Franklin it travels north-northwest, mostly following the Little Tennessee River valley. There is a 3-mile (4.8Â km) concurrency with US 19 and USÂ 74 between the unincorporated communities of Lauada and Needmore. From Needmore, it follows a westerly course along the southern shore of man-made Fontana Lake. A side road crosses the TVA constructed Fontana Dam; NCÂ 28 skirts the southern boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park before reaching its northern terminus at USÂ 129.
NCÂ 28 overlaps with two state scenic byways: the Waterfall Byway, between Highlands and Franklin, and the Indian Lake Scenic Byway, between Almond and Deals Gap. NC 28 also overlaps parts of the Mountain Waters Scenic Byway, a National Forest Scenic Byway, that traverses through the Nantahala National Forest.
History
Established in 1938 as the third and current NCÂ 28, it traversed from the Georgia to Highlands, where it duplexed with USÂ 64 to Franklin. Continuing northeast from Franklin, it replaced NCÂ 286 to end at USÂ 19, in Lauada. In 1940, NCÂ 28 was extended northeast along USÂ 19 through Bryson City and Ela, then replaced part of NCÂ 107, ending in Cherokee. In 1947, NCÂ 28 was truncated back to its former northern terminus; its former routing to Cherokee becoming USÂ 19A. In 1954, NCÂ 28 was extended southwest along USÂ 19 to Almond and then northwest along new primary routing to Fontana, then replaced NCÂ 288 to its current northern terminus at Deals Gap. In 1974, NCÂ 28 was adjusted to one-way streets in downtown Franklin, in concurrency with USÂ 441 Bus, via Main Street and Palmer Street.
The first NCÂ was an original state highway that traversed from NCÂ 10, in Andrews, through Franklin, Highlands, Rosman, Brevard and Hendersonville, to NCÂ 20, in Bat Cave. In 1923, NCÂ 28 was rerouted west of Franklin on new primary routing to Elf and Hayesville, then replacing NCÂ 109 from Hayesville to NCÂ 10, in Murphy. In 1929, NCÂ 28 was extended west from Murphy along new primary routing to the Tennessee state line. In 1932, NCÂ 28 was extended northeast along new primary routing from Bat Cave to Old Fort, where it overlapped with USÂ 70 to Marion; going north from Marion, in concurrency with USÂ 221, it traversed through Linville, Boone and Jefferson (replacing NCÂ 691 in the process) to USÂ 21/NCÂ 26, in Twin Oaks, reaching its high point at 335 miles (539Â km) long. Also in 1932, USÂ 64 was assigned along NCÂ 28 from the Tennessee state line to Old Fort. In 1934, all of NCÂ 28 was decommissioned in favor of USÂ 64 and USÂ 221.
The second NCÂ 28 existed from 1935-1938, where it had replaced NCÂ 21 between Fayetteville and Delco, through Elizabethtown. It was renumbered as NCÂ 87.
North Carolina Highway 282
North Carolina Highway 282 (NCÂ 282) was established as a new primary routing from the Georgia state line to Highlands. In 1938, NC 282 was renumbered as part of NC 28.
North Carolina Highway 286
North Carolina Highway 286 (NCÂ 286) was an original state highway that began from the Georgia state line, near Otto, to NCÂ 10, along Old Alarka Road. In 1927, NCÂ 286 was renumbered as an extension of NCÂ 285, from the Georgia state line to Franklin. Around 1938, NCÂ 286 was replaced by NCÂ 28 and moved to the north terminus to the community of Swain (today known as Lauada).
North Carolina Highway 288
North Carolina Highway 288 (NCÂ 288) was a primary route that served the Fontana area from 1929-1944 and revived again from 1951-1954. The first NCÂ 288 traversed from NCÂ 108, in Deals Gap, to NCÂ 10, in Bryson City. In 1942, construction began on Fontana Dam; which by 1944, NCÂ 288 was decommissioned when a majority of the route was submerged. Various sections of the old highway still exist on higher ground and are incorporated in hiking trails that are easily reachable from the Fontana Dam parking area. The second NCÂ 288 was a return along the western part of the highway that wasn't submerged, linking to the relocated Fontana community. In 1954, new construction was completed between Fontana and Almond, and all of NCÂ 288 was renumbered NCÂ 28.
NCÂ 288 was originally to be rebuilt along the north shore of Fontana Lake by the National Park Service, an agreement that was made between the county, state, and federal government. Construction of New Fontana Road (SRÂ 1364) was completed in 1958, connecting Bryson City to the border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. From 1960-1970, 6.3 miles (10.1Â km) was built within the park, which was called Lakeview Drive; ending just west of a tunnel, that went through aptly named Tunnel Ridge. Since then, questions about the cost of building the highway and the environmental impact of the road had stopped all further construction. Known unofficially as "the Road to Nowhere," it provides access to various hiking trails within the National Park. After being in limbo for forty years, it was finally resolved in February, 2010 when the U.S. Department of Interior signed a settlement agreement paying Swain County $52 million in lieu of building the highway. As of June 2017, only $12.8 million of that has been paid.
Junction list
See also
- North Carolina Bicycle Route 2 - concurrent with NC 28 from Cullasaja to downtown Franklin
References
External links
- Media related to North Carolina Highway 28 at Wikimedia Commons
- Carolina Lost - The Road to Nowhere
- NCRoads.com: N.C. 28
- NCRoads.com: N.C. 282
- NCRoads.com: N.C. 286
- NCRoads.com: N.C. 288
