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| N.C. 251 23 miles | |||
| The Road: | Starts at U.S. 19/23/70 in Asheville, Buncombe
County. Ends at U.S. 25/70 in Madison County.
The highway spends its entire life along the French Broad River, and is signed over Riverside Drive through Asheville and Woodfin. I've already made a bad "French Broad" joke on another page, and won't repeat it here. |
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| History: | N.C. 251 was first numbered around 1981, while
the four-lane U.S. 25/70 through northern Buncombe and southern Madison
counties was under construction. The new number combined parts of two older
highways: N.C. 191, from Asheville
north to Marshall Highway (SR 1839), and the old U.S. 25/70, from the Marshall
Highway north to Marshall. While 251 completely replaced 191 here, it would
stay co-signed with 25/70 until the four-lane bypass was finished.
Maps from the 1980s imply 251 originally ran further south along Riverside Drive than it does today, ending at U.S. 19/23/70's southernmost exit near I-240. It would have been cut back to its current southern terminus (19/23/70 and Broadway) by 1992. |
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| Comments: | The original N.C. 25 was very short (it ran over modern N.C. 75), so there were no 25x spur routes. However, the number 251 may have been chosen for this road because it ends at U.S. 25. If this is the case, the NCDOT is to be commended for giving a nod to the state's original numbering system. | ||
| 258 see U.S. 258 |
| N.C. 260 dead | |||
| Formerly: | Original designation of modern N.C.
93. Got its number around 1935; a 1932 map shows the road unnumbered.
260's parent route would have been N.C. 26. But the original 26 coincided with U.S. 21, and 26 was killed a year or two before 260 was signed. Even if the original 26 and 260 were around at the same time, they wouldn't have touched. Around 1940, 260 was renumbered to N.C. 93 to match Virginia 93. |
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| N.C. 261 13 miles | |||
| The Road: | Starts at N.C. 226 in Bakersville, Mitchell County. Crosses from Mitchell into Tennessee and becomes Tennessee 143. | ||
| History: | There have been two different N.C. 261s.
The original 261 was the old number for modern N.C. 51 from Polk Street in Pineville (Mecklenburg County) west, and dates as far back as 1923. It's shown on the N.C. 262 map below. North Polk Street was N.C. 26 and U.S. 21; South Polk Street was N.C. 26 and U.S. 521. Main Street through the center of Pineville was N.C. 261 and U.S. 21. Uh-oh. You can guess what happened to the original 261 in 1933. The modern 261 got its number in 1951, and has not changed since then. Its southern terminus, N.C. 226, was called N.C. 26 back then, which probably explains the choice of number. |
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| Comments: | Several interesting things happen to 261 at the
Tennessee line:
At Carvers Gap, 261 ascends to the highest point of any numbered highway in North Carolina. The BRP goes higher, but it is neither "numbered" nor "state". Roan High Knob, the highest peak in the area, rises to 6285 feet. Bakersville, in contrast, is located at 2570 feet. The road up to Carvers Gap, while decidedly nonstraight, does not curve quite as much as other roads in the area do. |
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| N.C. 262 dead | |||
| Formerly: |  Was
the equivalent of modern N.C. 16, aka
Providence Road, from Charlotte south to Waxhaw. 262 appeared around 1930
(official map, right). Its northern terminus was probably the intersection
of Tryon and Trade Streets in the center of Charlotte. Probably, because
no map explicitly shows 262 running all the way into the center of town.
But parent route N.C. 26 ran over Tryon Street back then, and in 1930 the
state was still trying hard to play by its numbering rules.
N.C. 262 was renumbered as part of N.C. 16 around 1940. For many years 16 followed a rather serpentine route in the Eastover area of Charlotte, as shown on the 1957 Charlotte map; 262 would have followed this same route. Also, 262 ran along Old Providence Road in southern Charlotte. When Old Providence was bypassed in uncertain. |
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| N.C. 264 dead | |||
| Formerly: |  Ran
from Durham east to Zebulon over modern-day N.C.
98 and 96. In Durham, N.C.
264 started at Miami Boulevard (Business U.S. 70) and ran east over Holloway
Street towards Wake Forest. The N.C. 264 designation was created in 1940,
replacing older N.C. 91. It was
actually not a direct renumbering, though: From Wake Forest, the original
91 went through the community of Rolesville on U.S.
401, whereas 264 ran north and east of Rolesville over newer roads.
N.C. 264's southeastern terminus was at modern N.C.
97 (mainline U.S. 64 back then) in
the center of Zebulon.
N.C. 264 was probably intended to become an extension of U.S. 264, which at the time ran from Zebulon east to the Outer Banks. Since 1934, no other state highway has ever used the same number as one of the state's U.S. highways. N.C. 264 was renumbered as N.C. 98 (east from Durham) and 96 (northwest from Zebulon) in late 1952 or early 1953. |
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| N.C. 268 86 miles | |||
| The Road: | Starts at U.S. 321 in Lenoir, Caldwell
County. Ends at N.C. 66 in Stokes
County. Serves the foothills well.
Through Wilkesboro, 268 spends most of its time co-signed with N.C. 18. This has apparently been so since 268's birth. The western two-thirds of the highway traces the Yadkin River. |
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| History: |  One
of the earliest state highways. Shows up on 1924 maps running from Elkin
northeast to modern U.S. 601. In Elkin, 268 spurred from the original N.C.
26. The 1924 official map at right is a bit inaccurate: 268 hit N.C. 80
(now 601) further south than the map suggests.
In late 1929 or early 1930, 268 was extended east to the town of Pilot Mountain. It ended there at the original N.C. 66, which in time became U.S. 121 and old U.S. 52 and should not be confused with the modern N.C. 66. In 1932, 268 was extended southwest from Elkin through Wilkesboro to its current terminus at U.S. 321. Around 1952, 268 was extended east from Pilot Mountain to its current endpoint at the modern N.C. 66. |
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Comments:
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Most of 268's alignment has not changed since it was signed 50-70 years ago. The only major exception occurs south of Wilkesboro, in the vicinity of the W. Kerr Scott Reservoir. The modern 268 probably runs south of the original route, which is most likely underwater. This is conjecture based on the fact that a short Old 268 exists on the east side of the reservoir near the Scott Dam. | ||
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