U.S. Route 264

U.S. Route 264 is an east-west United States Highway located completely within the U.S. state of North Carolina, running for. Its western terminus is located at Interstate 87, I-440, and US 64 in Raleigh. US 264 is a freeway between Raleigh and Wilson, with segments running concurrently with I-87, I-587, I-795, and US 64. The highway is largely parallel to I-587 between Wilson and Greenville and primarily serves smaller communities such as Saratoga and Farmville. East of Greenville, US 264 is an important highway connecting communities such as Washington, Belhaven, Swan Quarter, and Engelhard. The eastern terminus of US 264 is located at US 64 in Manns Harbor.
Prior to the establishment of US 264, North Carolina Highway 91 running along the general corridor between Zebulon and Engelhard. In 1932, the American Association of State Highway Officials approved the establishment of US 264 between Zebulon and Engelhard, running concurrently with NC 91. By 1935, the eastern terminus of NC 91 was truncated to Zebulon, removing the concurrency with US 264. US 264 was extended east to Nags Head by 1951, running along its own routing between Engelhard and Manns Harbor and concurrently with US 64 from Manns Harbor to Nags Head. Improvements to the highway were gradually made, including the creation of a freeway between Zebulon and Greenville. The freeway was completed by 2003 with the final segment opening near Sims. US 264 was extended west from Zebulon to Raleigh in 1997, with the new routing completely concurrent with US 64. In 2021, I-587 was established running along the US 264 freeway between I-95 in Wilson and US 264 and NC 11 Bypass in Greenville. US 264 was subsequently removed from the freeway between Wilson and Greenville and was placed along portions of its old routing and a concurrency with NC 11 Bypass.

Route description

Raleigh to Wilson

The western terminus of US 264 is located at an interchange with I-87, I-440, and US 64 in Raleigh. Beyond the interchange, I-87, I-440, and US 64 travel south and west toward I-40, while I-440 travels north and west toward US 1. US 264 travels east concurrently with I-87 and US 64 along a freeway. The highways interchange with New Hope Road before crossing Crabtree Creek and the Neuse River. I-87, US 64, and US 264 continue east, meeting Hodge Road at exit 6 and the eastern terminus of I-540 at exit 7. Beyond the interchange with I-540, the freeway travels to the south of Knightdale. Interchanges with Smithfield Road, Wendell Falls Parkway, and US 64 Business provide access to the town. The freeway briefly turns to the northeast between Smithfield Road and US 64 Business, but turns back to the east.
I-87 ends at an interchange with Rolesville Road northwest of Wendell. US 64 and US 264 travel to the north of Wendell and Lizard Lick paralleling North Carolina Highway 97. The highway enters northern Zebulon from the west, and meets NC 96 at an interchange, before diverging from US 64 and travelling to the southeast. US 264 travels along the northern limits of Zebulon until meeting NC 97 at an interchange. East of the interchange, the highway leaves the town limits of Zebulon and travels southeast through rural Wake County. It meets US 264 Alternate and NC 39 at a diamond interchange near Five County Stadium. US 264 continues southeast for until leaving Wake County, briefly entering Johnston County, and then entering Nash County.
Continuing into rural Nash County, US 264 largely parallels US 264 Alternate, located to its south. The highway travels to the north of Middlesex and meets NC 231 at an interchange north of the town. US 264 then crosses Turkey Creek and Big Branch before running north of Bailey where it meets NC 581. Approximately east of NC 581, US 264 leaves Nash County and enters into Wilson County. The highway meets Green Pond Road east of the Nash County-Wilson County line. US 264 travels north of Sims before turning further to the southeast and meeting US 264 Alternate at a partial cloverleaf interchange. The highway then crosses over a railroad owned and operated by the Carolina Coastal Railway before meeting I-95, I-587, and I-795 at a cloverleaf interchange.
I-587 and I-795 run concurrently with US 264 to the east. The highways travel along the western side of Wilson and have interchanges with NC 42 and Downing Road. I-795 diverges to the south towards Goldsboro at exit 43C. The incomplete interchange only has access to I-795 south from I-587 east and US 264 east, while traffic along I-795 north can only access I-587 west and US 264 west at exit 43C. A nearby interchange with US 301 provides further access to I-795 and to the northern terminus of US 117. I-587 and US 264 turn to follow an easterly direction before crossing over two railroads owned and operated by CSX Transportation. The highways meet Black Creek Road, Old Stantonsburg Road, and NC 58 at interchanges south of Wilson. Additionally, I-587 and US 264 cross over the Carolina Coastal Railway between Old Stantonsburg Road and NC 58. Beyond NC 58, the freeway makes an s-shaped curve before reaching a diamond interchange between Wilson and Saratoga. US 264 exits the freeway at the interchange and turns to the southeast toward Saratoga. The eastern terminus of US 264 Alternate is also located at the interchange.

Wilson to Washington

From I-587, US 264 travels through rural Wilson County for until reaching the town limits of Saratoga and picking up the name Main Street. In the center of the town, US 264 intersects NC 111 and NC 222. US 264 continues southeast, leaving the town limits southeast of Shackleford Street. The highway continues through rural Wilson County for before crossing into Greene County. As it approaches Walstonburg, US 264 turns to the east and intersects NC 91 north of the town. The highways travel concurrently for before NC 91 turns to the north toward I-587. US 264 continues for until intersecting NC 121 west of Farmville. At the intersection, US 264 turns southeast to run concurrently along NC 121 for approximately. NC 121 then turns to follow Wilson Street towards Farmville while US 264 continues southeast and enters into Pitt County. The highway crosses the Carolina Coastal Railway at an at-grade crossing and begins to run along the southern limits of Farmville. At Main Street, US 264 intersects US 258 and US 258 Business. US 258 follows concurrently with US 264 for approximately until turning to the northeast along Wesley Church Road.
Leaving Farmville to the southeast, US 264 travels for approximately southeast of US 258 before intersecting US 13. At the intersection, US 13 and US 264 begin running concurrently towards Greenville. The route turns to the northeast and crosses over Little Contentnea Creek before reaching NC 11 Bypass at a diamond interchange. At the interchange, US 264 turns to run concurrently along NC 11 Bypass to the north. US 264 and NC 11 Bypass meet I-587 and Stantonsburg Road at exit 73, a cloverleaf interchange. The highways continue north, meeting NC 43 at a diamond interchange and then crossing over the Tar River. North of the river, US 264 and NC 11 Bypass meet NC 33 at a diamond interchange and then turn to the east. US 264 meets US 13, NC 11, and NC 903 at a partial cloverleaf interchange, marking the northern terminus of NC 11 Bypass and the end of the freeway. The highway continues as a non-controlled access divided highway through an industrial area of Greenville. It turns to the southeast and continues straight for approximately before turning to the south. US 264 then intersects US 264 Alternate and NC 33 at Pactolus Highway. US 264 turns to the east at the intersection travelling along a non-controlled access divided highway which somewhat parallels the Tar River.
As US 264 continues east on Pactolus Highway, it leaves the city of Greenville and reenters rural Pitt County. It passes to the south of Pactolus and intersects the southern terminus of NC 30 east of the community. US 264 then turns to the south and travels approximately east of NC 30 until crossing Tranters Creek, a tributary of the Tar River, and entering Beaufort County. The highway continues southeast and enters Washington from the northwest, picking up the name 5th Street. US 264 meets US 17 at a diamond interchange northwest of downtown Washington. It continues southeast along 5th Street and intersects US 17 Business and the western terminus of NC 92 at Bridge Street. US 264 and NC 92 run concurrently along Bridge Street to the southeast. The highway turns to the northeast west of an intersection with Harvey Street, and changes names to John Small Avenue at an intersection with 5th Street. It then turns to the east near Highland Drive, crosses Runyon Creek, and leaves Washington to the east.

Washington to Manns Harbor

US 264 and NC 92 continue to travel east from Washington through an exurban area of Beaufort County. The highways intersect NC 32 in the community of Bunyan and then enter a rural area. Approximately east of Bunyan, NC 92 splits from US 264 and continues southeast towards Bath. US 264 turns to the northeast near the NC 92 intersection but soon returns to an easterly orientation. The highway continues to travel east through rural Beaufort County, crossing Tankard Creek and Pungo Creek. East of the Pungo Creek crossing, US 264 turns toward Pantego following a northeasterly orientation. US 264 enters Pantego from the southwest where it picks up the name Main Street. The highway crosses a tributary of the Pungo River before intersecting NC 99 at Pungo Road. US 264 and NC 99 begin a concurrency and travel east along Main Street, crossing a branch of the Carolina Coastal Railway at an at-grade crossing. The highways then leave the town and turn to the southeast toward Belhaven, roughly paralleling the railroad. US 264 and NC 99 enter Belhaven from the northwest and pick up the name Main Street. Northwest of downtown Belhaven, US 264 intersects NC 99 and US 264 Business, marking the end of the NC 99 concurrency. At the intersection, US 264 turns to the northeast, bypassing downtown Belhaven. The highway continues east, intersecting US 264 Business once more in a rural area northeast of Belhaven. US 264 continues east for until crossing another tributary of the Pungo River and entering into Hyde County.
After entering Hyde County, US 264 travels for until intersecting NC 45. At the intersection, NC 45 turns to follow concurrently with US 264, and the highways begin a turn to the southeast. US 264 and NC 45 continue southeast for until turning to the south and crossing the Intracoastal Waterway along the Walter B. Jones Bridge. The highways continue south for approximately through rural Hyde County passing the community of Scranton to the east. Near Hodges Road, the highways turn to the east and continue for approximately before turning to the southeast. US 264 and NC 45 continue for another until NC 45 diverges from the highway northwest of Swanquarter, marking the end of the US 264 and NC 45 concurrency. The highway turns to the east, bypassing Swanquarter to the north. Northeast of Swanquarter, US 264 intersects NC 94 at Main Street. US 264 and NC 94 run concurrently to the northeast toward Lake Mattamuskeet. As it approaches the lake, the highway turns to follow alongside its southern shoreline. US 264 intersects NC 94 west of New Holland, marking the end of the US 264 and NC 94 concurrency. It then continues northeast through New Holland and Lake Landing toward Engelhard. As it approaches the community, US 264 turns to the east near an intersection with Lake Road. The highway then enters Engelhard from the west and turns to the northeast at an intersection with Golden Road. US 264 crosses Far Creek which drains into the nearby Pamlico Sound and exits Engelhard to the north.
Northeast of Engelhard, US 264 travels through rural Hyde County. It passes adjacent to the Hyde County Airport before making a turn to the north. US 264 travels in a northerly orientation for before turning back to the northeast for approximately. The highway then turns to the east and crosses the Long Shoal River where it enters into Dare County. Approximately east of the Long Shoal River, US 264 turns to the southeast. It remains in a southeasterly orientation for before briefly turning to the east and then begins a gradual turn to the north. The remainder of the route largely parallels shoreline of the Pamlico or Croatan Sound. In the vicinity of Stumpy Point, the highway runs adjacent to the shoreline of Stumpy Point Bay. On the north side of the bay, it intersects Bayview Drive which provides access to the community of Stumpy Point. US 264 continues north through the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge for before turning to the northwest. The highway continues northwest for before making a final turn to the northeast. US 264 travels for an additional before intersecting its eastern terminus at US 64 west of Manns Harbor in Dare County.