West end: US 176 in Tryon | Length 35.6 km | |
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East end: US 221 / US 74 Bus. / US 221A in Rutherfordton Major cities Tryon, Columbus, Rutherfordton Counties Polk County, North Carolina, Rutherford County, North Carolina | ||
North Carolina Highway 108 (NC 108) is a 22-mile-long (35 km) two lane highway in North Carolina. It connects U.S. Route 176 (US 176) in Tryon to Rutherfordton and passes through both Polk County and Rutherford County. It is a rural country road through eastern Polk County and western Rutherford County, and moderately developed from Tryon through Columbus and in Rutherfordton. It is also known as Lynn Road between Tryon and Columbus, Mills Street through Columbus, and Tryon Road in Rutherford County.
Contents
Map of NC-108, North Carolina, USA
Route description
NC 108 begins at US 176 in Tryon and travels east through the unincorporated town of Lynn, where it crosses the Pacolet River. NC 108 has an interchange with Interstate 26 (I-26) and US 74 in Columbus, and another interchange with US 74 east of Columbus. NC 108 passes through the center of Columbus, the county seat of Polk County, which is the most developed portion of the route in Polk County. Three miles (4.8 km) east of the second US 74 interchange, NC 108 intersects NC 9 at the unincorporated town of Mill Spring. The section from Tryon to Mill Spring closely follows the front range of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It passes over the Green River in Polk County and the Broad River in Rutherford County. NC 108 ends at the intersection of South Main Street (carrying US 221 and US 74 Business west) and Charlotte Road (carrying US 74 Business east and US 221A) in Rutherfordton.
NC 108 is unique for having two roundabouts at the I-26/US 74 interchange. These were constructed between 2004 and 2007 to improve the level of service at the interchange.
Future
Widening of NC 108 to four lanes with a median and limited turn lanes near I-26 in Columbus is included as part of North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) project I-4729. This project includes making the I-26/US 74 interchange a full interchange with access ramps from I-26 westbound to US 74 eastbound and US 74 westbound to I-26 eastbound. Currently, the partial interchange between the two freeways requires traffic to use NC 108 for access from I-26 west to US 74 east and US 74 west to I-26 east. The construction of the roundabouts was meant as a temporary fix to alleviate congestion at the interchange until funding for this project is available. It is currently unfunded in the 2009-2015 TIP, and is not included in the Draft 2012-2018 STIP. It is scheduled for reprioritization in 2012, and will be considered for the 2018-2022 developmental STIP. The project was not included in the Draft 2012-2018 STIP because NCDOT Division 14's funding allocation has been assigned to other projects. Funding allocations may change before the Final 2012-2018 STIP is approved in 2011. The estimated project cost is $20.3 million.
The Comprehensive Transportation Plan Study Report for Polk County, completed in October 2008 by the Transportation Planning Branch of the NCDOT, recommends upgrading NC 108 in the future to a four-lane, divided facility from its western terminus at US 176 in Tryon to the US 74 interchange east of Columbus.