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Continuing past Ocean Isle Beach Road, U.S. 17 travels 20 miles to Bolivia, the Brunswick County seat, and 40 miles to Wilmington. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Approaching the split with U.S. 17 Business into the village of Shallotte. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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U.S. 17 bypasses Shallotte to the north as U.S. 17 Business follows Main Street. Shallotte lies north of the sprawling Rivers Edge Golf Club near the Shallotte River. The business loop represents the main commercial strip of the area. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Old Shallotte Road ties into the Main Street intersection with U.S. 17 Business. U.S. 17 Business intersects North Carolina 179, that enters from the Ocean Isle Beach area, in two miles. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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North Carolina 130 crosses paths with U.S. 17 just northwest of Shallotte. The state highway travels a rural path ten miles northwest to Ash on the 34-mile drive to Whiteville. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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A rest area for U.S. 17 lines the northbound side of Ocean Highway adjacent to North Carolina 130 (Whiteville Road). Southbound travelers must use the off-ramp to Whiteville Road to access the facility. Northbound drivers may utilize the on-ramp to return onto U.S. 17. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Departing the rest area at North Carolina 130. North Carolina 130 continues south one mile to a brief merge with U.S. 17 Business in Shallotte. East of town, the route travels nine miles to its end at Holden Beach on the Atlantic. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Northbound on the expressway portion of U.S. 17 outside Shallotte. Frontage roads serve the handful of businesses along the route. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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U.S. 17 Business (Main Street) returns to U.S. 17 northeast of Shallotte at a signalized intersection. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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U.S. 17 curves away from Main Street on the eight-mile drive to Supply. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Bolivia is another 13 miles northeast from Shallotte. Wilmington is a half-hour away. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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North Carolina 211 intersects U.S. 17 (Ocean Highway) at the settlement of Supply. The north-south road travels over 150 miles from the Southport-Fort Fisher Ferry to U.S. 220 Alternate at Candor. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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East of Supply, U.S. 17 heads nine miles to Bolivia. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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A second business loop of U.S. 17 departs for Bolivia along Old Ocean Highway. This route travels eight miles as U.S. 17 travels an expressway like bypass to the north. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Northbound at the split with U.S. 17 Bolivia, six miles west of the county seat. There is not much to Bolivia itself outside the County Government Center and a handful of residences. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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U.S. 17 meanwhile continues along its rural expressway toward Galloway Road. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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U.S. 17 Business returns via Old Ocean Highway, eight miles after it began. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Four miles separate the business loop end from junction North Carolina 87 near Winnabow. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Mill Creek Road provides a cut-off between U.S. 17 north and North Carolina 87 south for interests to Boiling Spring Lakes and Southport. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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North Carolina 87 otherwise heads north and merges with U.S. 17 one mile south of Winnabow. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Entering the unsignalized intersection with North Carolina 87 south. The state highway travels ten miles south to Boiling Spring Lakes and 16 miles to its end at Southport. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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U.S. 17 north & North Carolina 87 share four miles of pavement through the rural settlements of Winnabow and Town Creek. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Elizabethtown joins Wilmington on this mileage sign for the North Carolina 87 destination beyond U.S. 17. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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North Carolina 87 departs U.S. 17 north at Bishop just outside the sprawl of Leland. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Meandering northwest, North Carolina 87 joins U.S. 74 & 76 in nine miles at Maco. The trio travel five miles together to Delco, where the state highway resumes a northwesterly course to Elizabethtown and Fayetteville. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Leaving Bishop, U.S. 17 enters the Leland area as the rural divided highway begins to pick up traffic and nearby development. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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U.S. 17 transitions into a commercial arterial north from the intersection with Wire Road. At-grade intersections through here are dealt with differently than conventional ones. Left-hand movements from the intersecting roads are restricted and drivers must utilize u-turn lanes at adjacent intersections. Therefore drivers emanating from Wire Road north must first turn onto U.S. 17 north and u-turn at the Grandflora Drive intersection after Jackeys Creek. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Traveling across Jackeys Creek, U.S. 17 approaches the intersection with Grandflora Drive north and West Gate Drive south. Grandflora Drive winds northward into the Magnolia Greens golf course community while West Gate Drive serves new commercial development on the south side. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Motorists turning onto U.S. 17 north from West Gate Drive use a u-turn lane for southbound access or to continue north along Grandflora Drive. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Northbound at a u-turn lane between Gregory Road and Old Waterford Way. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Ploof Road and Olde Waterford Way meet U.S. 17 in this scene. Old Waterford Way heads north to massive residential development at Palm Ridge Drive. Ploof Road loops east to an industrial area, with a tightly packed subdivision stemming from it to the southeast. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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One half mile south of the trumpet interchange with U.S. 74 & 76. U.S. 74 & 76 follow a freeway bypass of original areas of Leland and Belville between the Brunswick River and Lanvale Road. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Blackwell Road branches northeast from the U.S. 17 freeway transition through south Belville. Blackwell Road represents an old alignment of U.S. 17 through to its intersection with North Carolina 133 (River Road). Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Curving northward, U.S. 17 approaches its merge with U.S. 74 & 76 east. The trio share pavement for three miles east to junction U.S. 421 north. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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A loop ramp carries drivers bound for Lumberton westward onto U.S. 74 & 76. U.S. 74 & 76
continue 54 miles together to their split west of Whiteville. Much of the cosigning is already freeway or expressway grade, as the corridor represents Future Interstate 74. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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U.S. 17 north & 74-76 eastbound reassurance markers posted on the transition ramp. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
| U.S. Highway 17 North and U.S. Highway 74-76 East |
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After U.S. 17 north and U.S. 74-76 east merge together, they continue along the four-lane freeway en route to Wilmington. There are two exits (Junction North Carolina 133 south and Junction U.S. 421/North Carolina 133 north) between the merge and the Cape Fear River Bridge. The Cape Fear River serves as the county line, separating Brunswick County from New Hanover County. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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A companion set of North Carolina 133 trailblazers advise motorists of the forthcoming diamond interchange with Village Road north and River Road south. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Northbound U.S. 17 and eastbound U.S. 74-76 reach the off-ramp for North Carolina 133, which connects to secret North Carolina 1472 (Village Road) west into Leland and Belville. North Carolina 133 follows a two-lane highway, paralleling the west bank of the Cape Fear River from U.S. 17 south to North Carolina 87. North Carolina 87 continues south to end in Southport, near the Southport-Fort Fisher Ferry, while North Carolina 133 angles southwest to Oak Island. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Drivers span the Brunswick River along a pair of bridges east of the North Carolina 133 northbound on-ramp. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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Briefly, North Carolina 133 merges onto U.S. 17-74-76 northeastbound, but it will depart the freeway at the next interchange with U.S. 17 north & 74 east. U.S. 17-74-421/North Carolina 133 travel north to serve the U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship Memorial, then connect to the Parsley Street Bridge over the Cape Fear River. This second bridge carries U.S. 74 east & North Carolina 133 north into Wilmington. (U.S. 74 was rerouted onto the Parsley Street Bridge when the Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway was completed in September 2005). U.S. 421, meanwhile, continues north with U.S. 17 to meet the third crossing of the Cape Fear River: Interstate 140/U.S. 17 Bypass, which opened on August 22, 2005.
This guide sign was replaced by 2007 to reflect the U.S. 17 relocation onto Interstate 140 when the freeway between Interstate 40 and Scotts Hill opened on June 30, 2006. More information can be found about Interstate 140 on the Interstate Guide. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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This small guide sign and the following trailblazer assemblies were first posted to show the U.S. 17 and 74 relocations away from U.S. 76 through the city of Wilmington. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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This set of trailblazers were posted to reflect the U.S. 17 north and U.S. 74 east relocations onto U.S. 421 & North Carolina 133 north. The U.S. 17 & 74 shield have since been removed and replaced with conventional guide signs. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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In the greater Wilmington area, U.S. 421 begins its journey northwest toward Michigan City, Indiana. U.S. 421 is a very long route that serves much of the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest on a path parallel to U.S. 52. U.S. 421 and U.S. 52 intersect twice, once in Winston-Salem and again in Indianapolis, Indiana (the second intersection is part of the Interstate 465 beltway).
This particular sign panel was replaced and now displays "U.S. 17 North, U.S. 74 East, U.S. 421 North, North Carolina 133 North - Jacksonville - Wrightsville Beach", reflecting the U.S. 17 and 74 control points. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
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U.S. 17 Business overtakes the former alignment of U.S. 17 north through Wilmington. Photo taken 11/11/06. |
Page Updated April 3, 2009.
