U.S. Route 70 in North Carolina

It has been suggested that this article should be split into a new article titled Interstate 42. (discuss) (January 2024)

It has been suggested that this article be merged with Wendover Avenue (Greensboro). (Discuss) Proposed since April 2024.

U.S. Highway 70
Route of US 70 in North Carolina highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length	488 mi[1] (785 km)
Existed	November 11, 1926 (November 11, 1926)–present
Tourist routes	Appalachian Medley Clayton Bypass Scenic Byway Outer Banks Scenic Byway
Major junctions
West end	US 25 / US 70 at the Tennessee line near Paint Rock
Major intersections	I-26 / I-240 in Asheville I-77 in Statesville I-74 in High Point I-73 / US 421 in Greensboro I-40 in Greensboro I-85 / I-885 in Durham I-540 near Raleigh I-40 / US 64 in Raleigh I-40 in Garner I-95 near Selma
East end	School Drive in Atlantic
Location
Country	United States
State	North Carolina
Counties	Madison, Buncombe, McDowell, Burke, Catawba, Iredell, Rowan, Davidson, Guilford, Alamance, Orange, Durham, Wake, Johnston, Wayne, Lenoir, Jones, Craven, Carteret
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided North Carolina Highway System Interstate US State Scenic
← NC 69 → NC 71

U.S. Route 70 (US 70) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Globe, Arizona, to the Crystal Coast of the US state of North Carolina. In North Carolina, it is a major 488-mile-long (785 km) east–west highway that runs from the Tennessee border to the Atlantic Ocean. From the Tennessee state line near Paint Rock to Asheville it follows the historic Dixie Highway, running concurrently with US 25. The highway connects several major cities including Asheville, High Point, Greensboro, Durham, Raleigh, Goldsboro, and New Bern. From Beaufort on east, US 70 shares part of the Outer Banks Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway, before ending in the community of Atlantic, located along Core Sound.

US 70 is an original US Highway, signed on November 11, 1926, when the US Highway System was approved. Since then, the highway has been realigned in places. One of the larger extensions of US 70 came in 1931 when the highway was extended concurrently along North Carolina Highway 101 (NC 101) from Beaufort to Atlantic. While sections of US 70 have been converted to freeway standards, along most of the routing it is a four-lane highway. Several new projects beginning in the 2000s have placed US 70 on interstate grade freeways, such as the Clayton and Goldsboro bypasses. On May 24, 2016, AASHTO assigned the Future I-42 designation to the majority of US 70's routing east of Garner. Additionally, a short freeway segment in east Durham was officially designated as I-885 on June 30, 2022, a route that connects I-40 to I-85 through the Research Triangle Park and east Durham.