Wade Avenue
Wade Avenue is an arterial in The Triangle region of North Carolina that links Interstate 40, Interstate 440, and downtown Raleigh. The roadway is internally designated as Secondary Road 1728 from I-40 to Glenwood Avenue, however it is not signed as such. The short piece east of Glenwood Avenue carries U.S. [Route 70 in North Carolina|U.S. Route 70] and North Carolina Highway 50.
Route description
Wade Avenue begins at a modified Y-interchange with I-40 in West Raleigh and continues as a four-lane expressway, known locally as the Wade Avenue Extension. From here, the expressway continues southeast along mostly wooded areas and approaches a modified diamond interchange with Edwards Mill Road, providing access to Lenovo Center and the Carter–Finley Stadium. The highway then curves to a more easterly direction as it approaches another diamond interchange with Blue Ridge Road, which provides motorists access to the State Fairgrounds and North Carolina Highway 50. From here, the two highways overlap with Wade Avenue until it ends at an interchange with U.S. [Route 401 in North Carolina|U.S. Route 401] a half mile after, where US 70 and NC 50 join US 401 heading south toward downtown Raleigh.
History
The highway was named after Senator Benjamin Wade, a prominent anti-slavery figure, at a time when it passed through a Black neighborhood built in the 1870s. The eastern mostly-boulevard section was finished by the mid 20th century, while the western freeway stretch would be finished in the 1980s. Prior to the completion of I-40 to South Raleigh, and the southern portion of the Beltline, I-40 was temporarily signed along the then recently finished western segment, where it terminated at the Raleigh Beltline, which was then just U.S. [Route 1 in North Carolina|U.S. Highway 1]/U.S. [Route 64 in North Carolina|64].