U.S. Route 117


U.S. Route 117 is a north–south United States Highway located completely within the state of North Carolina. A spur route of US 17, the highway runs for from the Port of Wilmington, south of downtown Wilmington, to US 301 near Wilson. From its southern terminus, US 117 runs along Shipyard Boulevard and College Road, concurrent with North Carolina Highway 132 through Wilmington. US 117 intersects the eastern terminus of Interstate 40 and parallels the interstate until reaching Faison, passing through Burgaw, Wallace, and Warsaw. The highway diverges from I-40 in Faison, running north-northeast through Mount Olive, Goldsboro, and Pikeville to its northern terminus. US 117 meets the southern end of I-795 in Goldsboro, and parallels that route before reaching its northern terminus at US 301 south of Wilson.
The general alignment of US 117 was originally signed as NC 40, one of the original North Carolina State Highways running from Fort Fisher to the Virginia state line. Upon the creation of the United States Numbered Highway System in 1926, US 17-1 was assigned concurrent with NC 40 from Wilmington to Virginia. US 17-1 was decommissioned in 1932 and US 117 was established, running from Conway, South Carolina to Wilson via Myrtle Beach and Wilmington. In 1939, US 17 replaced US 117 between Conway and Wilmington, truncating the southern terminus to Downtown Wilmington. US 117 has undergone several realignments since 1940, some of which have created special routes of US 117. In 2003, the southern terminus of US 117 was adjusted again, rerouting the highway along College Road and Shipyard Boulevard to the Port of Wilmington. Between 2006 and 2007, US 117 was routed onto a new freeway between Goldsboro and US 264 in Wilson. The freeway was subsequently renumbered as I-795 and US 117 was placed on its original routing north of Goldsboro. A southerly extension of I-795 from Goldsboro to I-40 is planned along the US 117 corridor.

Route description

As the entire route is located within the U.S. state of North Carolina the North Carolina Department of Transportation is responsible for maintenance along the entirety of US 117. NCDOT measures average daily traffic volumes along many of the roadways it maintains. In 2019, average daily traffic volumes along US 117 varied from 1,400 vehicles per day near Watson Road in Wayne County and Great Swamp Loop in southern Wilson County to 56,500 vehicles per day alongside the University of North Carolina Wilmington in Wilmington. US 117 is a part of National Highway System, a network of highways in the United States which serve strategic transportation facilities, in two segments. The southern terminus of the first segment is located at the Port of Wilmington in Wilmington and the northern terminus is at Holly Shelter Road in Castle Hayne. The southern terminus of the second segment is located at the intersection with US 117 Connector near Calypso and the northern terminus is located at an interchange with US 13 and US 70 in northern Goldsboro. When it is not a part of the National Highway System, US 117 makes connects to it at Interstate 40 near Wallace and Warsaw, at North Carolina Highway 24 Business in Warsaw, and at US 301 near Wilson.

Wilmington to Wallace

US 117 begins at the Port of Wilmington at an intersection with River Road. The highway runs eastward along Shipyard Boulevard a four-lane divided highway. US 117 intersects US 421 at Carolina Beach Road and continues along Shipyard Boulevard for until reaching North Carolina Highway 132 at South College Road. At the intersection, US 117 turns to the north, running concurrently with NC 132. South College Road is a six-lane highway from Shipyard Boulevard to Wilshire Boulevard, with two northbound lanes, three southbound lanes, and a central turning lane. US 117 and NC 132 meet US 17 and US 76 at an intersection with Oleander Drive. Following South College Road, the highway makes a slight bend to the northeast before widening to a six lane divided highway and intersecting Wilshire Boulevard. Access to the University of North Carolina Wilmington is provided at intersections with Hurst Drive, Crews Drive, and Randall Parkway/Randall Drive. North of New Centre Drive, US 117 and NC 132 makes a slight turn to the northwest, before meeting US 17 Business at a partial cloverleaf interchange with Market Street.
File:US117nNC132nRoadSigns.jpg|thumb|US 117 running concurrently with NC 132 through Kings Grant
North of Market Street, the road name switches from South College Road to North College Road. The highway meets US 74 at an intersection with Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway along the Wilmington city limits. North of the intersection, the highway runs through the community of Kings Grant before meeting the eastern terminus of I-40. The northbound lanes of US 117 run concurrently with I-40 for until reaching exit 420B. The southbound lanes utilize an on-ramp to the freeway and run concurrently with I-40 for at its eastern terminus.
North of I-40, US 117 and NC 132 follow northwestward along North College Road, a four-lane divided highway. The highway narrows to a two-lane road north of an intersection with Murraysville Road. The highway utilizes an overpass to cross over I-140 but does not connect with the Interstate. Access to the North Campus of Cape Fear Community College is provided by utilizing Blue Clay Road, which intersects US 117. The highway crosses a railroad branch owned and operated by CSX Transportation. US 117 intersects NC 133 at a roundabout south of Castle Hayne. The roundabout marks the northern terminus of NC 132, while NC 133 follows US 117 to the north. US 117 and NC 133 passes through downtown Castle Hayne before crossing the Northeast Cape Fear River and entering into Pender County. North of the bridge, the highway briefly runs adjacent to the river, before reaching an intersection that marks the point where the US 117 and NC 133 overlap ends. US 117 travels north for until intersecting NC 210 in Rocky Point.
The highway exits Rocky Point to the north and is routed to the east of the communities of Ashton and St. Helena. South of Burgaw, US 117 Business splits from the mainline route at Walker Street. US 117 widens to a two-lane road with a central turning lane as it continues as a bypass of downtown Burgaw. The U.S. highway meets NC 53 in a retail area, northeast of downtown Burgaw. US 117 continues northwest of NC 53 before reaching the northern terminus of US 117 Business at Timberlake Drive. The central turning lane ends at the US 117 Business intersection and the highway continues north of Burgaw along a two lane highway. Entering into a rural area of Pender County, US 117 makes a turn to the northeast north of the terminus of Old Savannah Road and subsequently crosses over I-40. US 117 runs to the east of I-40 for before meeting the Interstate at a diamond interchange south of Wallace. The highway briefly becomes a four-lane undivided road at the interchange but narrows to two-lanes on either side. US 117 meets NC 11 northeast of I-40. NC 11 runs concurrently with US 117 for to the northwest until reaching the outskirts of Wallace. North of the NC 11 intersection, US 117 is renamed as Norwood Street, and enters Wallace from the south. The highway becomes a four-lane undivided road south of Medical Village Drive and runs through the central business district of Wallace. US 117 intersects NC 41 at East Main Street in downtown Wallace. Exiting Wallace to the north, US 117 narrows to a two-lane road north of Stallings Road.

Wallace to Calypso

Beginning in downtown Wallace, US 117 begins to parallel the W&W Subdivision railroad, owned and operated by CSX Transportation. The W&W Subdivision is a former part of the historic Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. US 117 enters into a residential area on the eastern side of Teachey and travels east of the downtown area. A central turning lane is added to the roadway at Rosemary Road and continues as US 117 continues north. The highway enters Rose Hill from the south, running along Sycamore Street. Southeast of downtown Rose Hill, US 117 intersects Charity Road which provides access to Greenevers and I-40. The roadway widens to a four-lane undivided roadway between Charity Road and Ridge Street. North of Ridge Street, the roadway narrows to a two-lane road. US 117 exits Rose Hill to the north and runs through a rural area between Rose Hill and Magnolia. Approaching Magnolia from the south, US 117 widens to a four-lane undivided roadway. The highway travels through central Magnolia and meets NC 903 at an intersection with Main Street. As the highway progresses north, the roadway narrows to two-lanes at Pickett Street and leaves Magnolia. US 117 travels north of Pickett Street before meeting I-40 and NC 24 at a folded diamond interchange. The highway continues to the north, paralleling the railroad to the east. The highway enters into Warsaw along Pine Street and runs through a residential area south of downtown. US 117 meets NC 24 Business and NC 50 at an intersection with College Street. The intersection marks the southern end of the concurrency between US 117 and NC 50. Both highways run to the north along Pine Street and exit Warsaw.
North of Warsaw, US 117 primarily runs through a rural area until reaching Faison. The highway briefly runs through the community of Bowdens, located between Warsaw and Faison. US 117 and NC 50 enter into Faison along Center Street. On the southern side of the town, the highway begins to make a gradual turn to the northeast. US 117 intersects NC 403 and NC 50 in the downtown area of Faison. NC 50 turns west to run concurrently with NC 403, marking the northern end of the US 117 and NC 50 concurrency. The highway completes its northeastern turn as it exits Faison, paralleling both the railroad and US 117 Connector located to the north. Nearing Calypso, the highway widens to a four-lane divided highway and makes a turn to the north. US 117 crosses over the railroad and runs along the western side of Calypso. The highway then makes a turn to the northwest and meets US 117 Connector at an intersection. At the intersection, US 117 turns to the northeast, following the four-lane divided highway toward Mount Olive.