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| N.C. 288 dead and buried | ||
N.C. 288 was located in Swain County. It ran from N.C.
108 (modern U.S. 129) near Deals
Gap along the north bank of the Little Tennessee River, ending at the original
N.C. 10 in Bryson City. It was signed as a state highway by early 1929.
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| 288 originally did not touch parent N.C.
28, although it did eventually when 28 was extended through Bryson
City in the late 1930s. It instead ran between 10 and 108, so a 10x number
would have been more appropriate. But none were available.
Much of 288 today lies under Fontana Lake, which was created when the Little Tennessee River was dammed in 1945. Also under the lake lie several former villages such as Judson, Noland, Bushnell and Wayside. 288 was wiped off maps by 1946. However, a nine-mile stretch of the old road remained from Deals Gap east to the Fontana Dam area. This road became the access to Fontana Village, located on the south side of the dam. The road was paved by 1946, an honor old 288 never knew. The road had no state highway number for several years. But around 1951, it was numbered again as 288 (Map #2)! This death- and- resurrection is confirmed on maps by at least three different publishers. Alas, the reincarnated 288 would only last a few years more. By 1955, N.C. 28 was extended west from U.S. 19 to Fontana Village over a newly- paved road, and over 288 west to Deals Gap. |
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