| Nearing the junction with U.S. 19 & 23 on Interstate 40 westbound. The paired routes again interact with Interstate 40 at Exit 37 and indirectly at Exit 27. Featured along the east-west roadway is Hominy and Candler (via North Carolina 151) between here and Exit 37. Photo taken 08/23/03. |
| Westbound Interstate 40 & U.S. 74 at the Exit 44 off-ramp for U.S. 19 & 23 (Patton Avenue) at the community of Acton. A partial-cloverleaf interchange facilitates the movements between the two multiplexes. The freeway passes over an adjacent railroad line alongside U.S. 19 & 23 north otherwise. Photo taken 09/12/04. |
| U.S. 19 & 23 shield assembly at the end of the Exit 44 loop ramp of Interstate 40 westbound. Patton Avenue is to the left and Smoky Park Highway is to the right. The terrain of the area see U.S. 19 & 23 dip below the Interstate 40 overcrossing to the right. Photo taken 08/23/03. |
| The last Buncombe County interchange of Interstate 40 & U.S. 74 serves East Canton via U.S. 19 & 23 (Smoky Park Highway). A diamond interchange exists at Exit 37 with Georges Branch Road. Georges Branch Road extends SR-1200 south from the freeway to U.S. 19 & 23 and Old U.S. 19 & 23 at Coburn. Photo taken 09/12/04. |
| Traveling westbound on Interstate 40 & U.S. 74 to the north of Canton in eastern Haywood County. A pair of interchanges serve the U.S. 19 & 23 town for the freeway. First in line is Exit 33 with Newfound Road and Main Street. Photo taken 08/13/04. |
| Use Newfound Road northeast for the Buncombe County community of Leicester northwest of Asheville. Newfound Road also travels to Newfound and Georgetown on the northeasterly trek out of Canton. Photo taken 09/12/04. |
| Exit 33 consists of a diamond interchange with Newfound Road at Canton. Newfound Road travels southwest 0.75 miles to Main Street and 1.7 miles to Bridge Street just north of U.S. 19 & 23 (Church Street) near downtown Canton. Photo taken 09/12/04. |
| 1.75-mile guide sign for North Carolina 215 (Exit 31) on Interstate 40 & U.S. 74 westbound after the Newfound Road interchange. Photo taken 09/12/04. |
| North Carolina 215 spurs southward 1.9 miles into Canton (pop. 4,029) and West Canton (pop. 1,156) from Exit 31 on Interstate 40 & U.S. 74 westbound. The state highway joins U.S. 19 & 23 (New Clyde Highway) for one half mile east between Blackwell Drive and Penland Street. Photo taken 09/12/04. |
| Continuing westbound on Interstate 40 & U.S. 74 at the northern terminus of North Carolina 215 (Exit 31). SR-1582 spurs north of the freeway into the nearby hillside north of Canton. Use North Carolina 215 south for Woodrow, Sunburst, Rosman (pop. 490) and the Pisgah National Forest. Photo taken 08/13/04. |
| U.S. 74 departs Interstate 40 westbound for the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway at Exit 27. The federal route quickly joins U.S. 19 & 23 outside of Clyde (pop. 1,324) and Waynesville (pop. 9,232). U.S. 19 merges onto the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway for just three miles between Clyde and Waynesville before departing southbound for Delwood, Maggie Valley (pop. 607), and Cherokee. Photo taken 08/13/04. |
| The Great Smoky Mountains Expressway derives its name from its connection to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The freeway / divided highway provides links to the park via U.S. 19, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and U.S. 441. U.S. 23 & 74 itself stays well south of the high mountains between Waynesville, Sylva (pop. 2,435), and Bryson City. Photo taken 09/12/04. |
| Auxiliary guide sign for Exit 27 displaying the communities of Bryson City (pop. 1,411), Cherokee, and Franklin (pop. 3,490). Cherokee is home to the resort area for the Great Smoky Mountains and Harrahs Casino, Bryson City exists where U.S. 19 and U.S. 74 merge, and Franklin is the Macon County seat along U.S. 23 & 441 southbound in the Nantahala National Forest. Use U.S. 74 west to Bryson City also for the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad (a tourist railroad out of Dillsboro and Bryson City). The Railroad consists of a scenic train ride on a branchline Norfolk Southern sold off in the late 1980s. Photo taken 09/12/04. |
| U.S. 74 westbound also serves Lake Junalaska and the West Carolina University campus at Sylva. Lake Junalaska resides just west of the Great Smoky Mountain Expressway off U.S. 19. The settlement and adjacent lake is a popular home of christian retreats. Photo taken 08/13/04. |
| One mile east of the split with U.S. 74 on Interstate 40 westbound. U.S. 74 travels another 107 miles in the Tar Heel State to the Tennessee state line with U.S. 64 west of Ranger. U.S. 23 departs the state at Norton into Georgia with U.S. 441. U.S. 19 leaves U.S. 64 & 74 with U.S. 129 into Georgia southeast of Ranger. Photo taken 09/12/04. |
| Another Exit 27 auxiliary guide sign. This assembly displays the U.S. 19 control points of Cherokee and Maggie Valley. The federal route is not advised for truck traffic between the two towns as the highway follows a narrow winding roadway through Soco Gap. Photo taken 09/12/04. |
| Typical summertime fog takes a hold on Interstate 40 at the Exit 27 trumpet interchange with the Great Smoky Mountain Expressway. U.S. 74 leaves Interstate 40 for a five mile jaunt to Waynesville and 22 mile drive to Sylva. The highway in conjunction with U.S. 19 continues traffic southwest to Murphy and ultimately Atlanta, Georgia. Attached to the SR-1534 overpass in the background is the Exit 27 gore point sign. Photo taken 09/12/04. |
| Low clouds and fog are typical through Pigeon River Gorge during any time of year along Interstate 40. The freeway parallels Pigeon River closely from Cove Creek northward into the higher Appalachian Mountains. Pictured here is a typical scene along the four lane freeway near Hurricane Ridge. A high jersey barrier separates the movements between the two carriageways throughout much of Pigeon River Gorge. Photo taken 11/12/04. |
| Interstate 40 west draws to within one mile of its final North Carolina interchange (Exit 7). Intersecting the freeway ahead is Cold Springs Road from the east and Harmon Den Road from the west. Photo taken 11/12/04. |
| Exit 7 serves an isolated area within Pigeon River Gorge from Interstate 40. Cold Springs Road stems east along Cold Springs Creek between Hurricane Ridge and Harmon Den Mountain. Harmon Den Road hugs the west bank of the Pigeon River before climbing toward Buzzard Roost. Photo taken 11/12/04. |
| A pair of two-lane tunnels carries Interstate 40 through the south end of Dry Gap Ridge near Big Bend of the Pigeon River. The Pigeon River Gorge section of Interstate 40, including this set of tunnels, opened to traffic in 1968. These were the first tunnels along the Interstate system east of the Mississippi River.1 Photo taken 11/12/04. |
Page Updated November 19, 2007.
