Existed: 1921 – present Constructed 1921 | Length 115.4 km | |
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West end: Edgemont Road (SR 1420) in Edgemont East end: US 21 / US 64 in Statesville Counties Caldwell County, North Carolina, Alexander County, North Carolina, Iredell County, North Carolina | ||
North Carolina Highway 90 (NC 90) is a primary state highway in the state of North Carolina. It is one of the few highways in the state with an unpaved portion.
Contents
Map of NC-90, North Carolina, USA
Route description
The western terminus is in Edgemont (in Caldwell County) at an intersection with Edgemont Road (SR 1420), Roseboro Road (Pisgah National Forest FR 981) and Edgemont Church Place (SR 1358). The first 8 miles (13 km) of the highway are quite curvy and unpaved. Sixty-six miles after its inception, NC 90 ends at US 21/US 64 in Statesville. Major cities that the highway serves are Lenoir and Taylorsville, North Carolina.
History
Established in 1921 as an original state highway, it started at NC 50 (Person Street), in Raleigh, going east to Columbia. In 1927, NC 90 was extended west from Raleigh to Lenoir at NC 18. In 1929, NC 90 extended east from Columbia to Fort Landing.
In 1932, US 64 was established and was overlapped on NC 90 from just west of Statesville to Fort Landing. In late 1934, NC 90 was removed from all overlap with US 64 east of Statesville; at same time, NC 90 was extended west from Lenoir to US 221 near Linville, replacing NC 171.
Sometime between 1939–44, NC 90 was extended east back in Statesville to its current east terminus, replacing some of US 64 through the downtown area. At some point in the 1960s, NC 90 was truncated to its current west terminus in Edgemont, its former route to Linville moved under Pisgah National Forest management.
In 2008, NC 90 was removed from downtown Lenoir, creating an overlap with US 321.
Rocky Mount alternate route
North Carolina Highway 90 Alternate (NC 90A) was new alternate routing through downtown Rocky Mount, via Thomas Avenue. In 1934, it was replaced by US 64A.