List of unused highways in North Carolina facts for kids

An unused highway is like a road that was started but never finished, or a road that was built but later closed down. Imagine building a path for a game, but then you don't use it, or you block it off! These unused parts of roads are sometimes called stub ramps or just stubs. They are often leftovers from old plans or changes in how roads are designed.

Unused Roads in North Carolina

Bryson City: The Road To Nowhere

In Bryson City, there's a famous unused road called "The Road To Nowhere." It was meant to replace a highway that got flooded. But building it became too expensive, so construction stopped on February 2, 1944. You can drive about 7.2 miles (11.6 km) of this road, but then barriers stop cars from going further, especially near the Forney Ridge tunnel. In 2010, the government paid Swain County $52 million because the road was never finished. See it on the map.

Cary: A Bridge Waiting for a Road

Near Cary, there's a bridge to nowhere that crosses over the Triangle Expressway. This bridge is waiting for Morrisville Parkway to be completed. Right now, the parkway ends in stubs on both sides of the bridge. The town of Cary and private companies are slowly building the parkway in different parts, and eventually, it will connect. Check out the bridge here.

Charlotte: Leftover Road Sections

In Charlotte, you can find several unused road sections:

• Two stubs of Galloway Road exist on either side of I-85, south of the I-485 interchange. One part goes on for a while, while the other is much shorter.
• An unused part of Statesville Road is near the I-77 and I-485 interchange. It connects to the main Statesville Road, but it doesn't lead anywhere important.
• When Interstate 277 opened, some old bridges and pavement from the original U.S. Route 74 (Independence Boulevard) were left behind. Parts of this old road are now called different names like Wilkinson Boulevard. One bridge that used to carry six lanes of traffic is now just a single-lane ramp. See an old bridge.
• There's also a closed stub ramp in Uptown that used to be an on-ramp from North Graham Street to I-277 North. View the old ramp. It closed after 1998 when the train tracks were rebuilt.

Durham: Ghost Exits and Future Connections

Durham has some interesting road remnants:

• Near Interstate 85 and NC 147, you can still see where an exit for U.S. Route 70 Business used to be. See the grading. This exit was removed in the early 1990s.
• On NC 147, there's grading for a future connection to U.S. Route 70. The bridges over Ellis Road are wide enough for three lanes, even though only two are used now. This area is designed for a future "East End Connector." Construction for this connector began in March 2015. Look at the wide bridges.
• A stub of NC 147's old end point is visible near T.W. Alexander Road. This exit was closed to make way for NC 147's extension to NC 540. Find the stub here.

Gastonia: Old Interstate Ramps

In Gastonia, you can see ramp stubs from when Interstate 85 used to end there temporarily. These ramps helped I-85 traffic connect to U.S. Route 29 and U.S. Route 74. The bridge that carried an I-85 off-ramp is now an overpass for Aberdeen Boulevard. See it on the map.

Greensboro: Future Loops and Unfinished Roads

Greensboro has parts of highways that are planned but not yet finished:

• Interstate 840 is supposed to be a 40-mile (64 km) loop around Greensboro. Only a small part of it is built and signed right now. There are main road stubs for where it will extend around the city. This loop will take a long time to complete. See the planned route.
• More of Interstate 840 is being built on the western side of the city. You can see stubs, grading, and unfinished ramps at the Bryan Boulevard interchange. View the construction area.

Greenville: A Half-Built Interchange

In Greenville, there's a partially completed cloverleaf interchange at mile marker 73 on U.S. Route 264. A cloverleaf interchange is a fancy way roads connect, shaped like a four-leaf clover. Here, Route 264 goes north, and the east-west road becomes Stantonsburg Road. See the half-finished interchange.

New Bern: Roads Pointing to the Future

New Bern also has some interesting road features:

• A partially completed cloverleaf interchange exists where U.S. Route 17 suddenly ends at U.S. Route 70. From there, both roads are signed together. Look at the interchange.
• Right next to that, North Carolina Highway 43 ends at U.S. Route 70. But there are stubs pointing south, suggesting the road might be extended in the future. See the stubs.

Raleigh: The Beltway That Changed Plans

The Interstate 540 in Raleigh was supposed to be a full circle around the city. But plans changed! In 2005, the state decided that the southern part of I-540 would become a toll road, meaning you'd have to pay to use it. This led to I-540 signs being removed and replaced with NC 540 signs. Because of this, many stubs of pavement exist at the eastern end of I-540 See the eastern stubs and the western end of NC 540. Check out the western stubs.

• Also, three interchanges along the Interstate 440 beltway are no longer full cloverleaf shapes. You can still clearly see where the old parts of the roads were. Wade Avenue, Glenwood Avenue, and New Bern Avenue.

Wilmington: Unfinished Interstate Sections

As of October 2014, satellite images show stub ramps on I-140 near U.S. 74/U.S. 76 near Leland. There's also a short main road stub on southbound I-140 near U.S. 421. Grading has started for new parts of the road, and the remaining sections of I-140 are now finished.

Winston-Salem: Many Stub Ramps

Winston-Salem has several stub ramps:

• There are 5 stub ramps around the interchange of U.S. 311 and Interstate 40 east of Waughtown.
• One stub ramp is part of Metropolitan Drive and E. 2nd Street near Downtown. Another is on the other end of Metropolitan Drive, north of E. 5th Street on U.S. 52/U.S.311. Both of these ramps were part of Exit 110A, which closed in 2012.
• Construction at Exit 59 on I-74 near Union Cross might create new stub ramps as the current ramps are changed.