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Westbound U.S. 76 turns left ahead, at Causeway Drive. Waynick Boulevard ends here, and Lumina Avenue continues north through Wrightsville Beach via a right turn at the signal ahead. Photo taken 05/29/05. |
| U.S. Highway 74-76 West |
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Westbound U.S. 74-76, now fully merged, prepare to exit Wrightsville Beach and enter Wilmington via a draw bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway. Photo taken 05/29/05. |
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The bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, which separates Wrightsville Beach from Wilmington, is a drawbridge that is governed by these traffic signals. Sailboats and other high profile vessels may result in delays at the bridge. Photo taken 05/29/05. |
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Upon descending from the Intracoastal Waterway Bridge, U.S. 74-76 enter the city of Wilmington. The two routes will follow divergent routes through the city, with U.S. 74 following Eastwrood Road to the September 2005-completed Martin Luther King Jr Parkway and U.S. 76 following Oleander Drive, which is also designated as part of Truck U.S. 17. Photo taken 05/29/05. |
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Westbound U.S. 74-76 approaches the intersection with Oleander Drive (Truck U.S. 17 south and U.S. 76 east) and Military Cutoff (Truck U.S. 17 north). The truck route meets up with U.S. 17 Business northeast of here, and it is a faster route to Jacksonville and other areas served by U.S. 17 to the north. U.S. 74 continues west along Eastwood Road, meeting U.S. 17 Business (Market Street) near the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Photo taken 05/29/05. |
| Truck U.S. Highway 17 South and U.S. Highway 76 West
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Use U.S. 76 west and Truck U.S. 17 south to connect to North Carolina 133. The detour was in place at the time this photo was taken for the construction near the Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway corridor (U.S. 74). This sign is posted after the U.S. 117/North Carolina 132 (College Drive) intersection. Photo taken 06/01/05. |
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These reassurance shields are posted on westbound U.S. 76 and southbound Truck U.S. 17 on Oleander Drive after the North Carolina 133 detour sign shown in the previous photobox. Photo taken 06/01/05. |
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A few miles northeast of the U.S. 117/North Carolina 132 intersection, Oleander Drive splits into Wooster Street (westbound) and Dawson Street (eastbound). Photo taken 06/01/05. |
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These reassurance shields for Truck U.S. 17 and U.S. 76 are posted once traffic transitions from Oleander Drive onto Wooster Street. Photo taken 06/01/05. |
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The next major intersection is the junction with former U.S. 17 and former U.S. 74 (16th Street/17th Street one-way couplet). Photo taken 06/01/05. |
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Westbound U.S. 76 and Southbound Truck U.S. 17 meet former U.S. 17 northbound and former U.S. 74 eastbound at the 17th Street intersection. The following signal is the junction with former U.S. 17 south and former U.S. 74 west. Photo taken 06/01/05. |
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The end of Truck U.S. 17 is signed with an end shield, although the truck route may continue west to U.S. 17 Business at 3rd Street post-2005. From here, U.S. 76 west continues along Wooster Street toward downtown Wilmington and the Cape Fear River Bridge. Photo taken 06/01/05. |
| U.S. Highway 76 West
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U.S. 76 continues west solo after the 16th Street/17th Street couplet (former U.S. 17-74). This is the first reassurance shield assembly after the former merge with U.S. 17 south & 74 west. U.S. 76 east follows parallel Dawson Street. Photo taken 06/01/05. |
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Continuing west along Wooster Street, U.S. 76 approaches U.S. 421 & U.S. 17 Business. U.S. 17 Business south, U.S. 76 west, and U.S. 421 merge on Wooster Street westbound, which crosses the Cape Fear River en route to Brunswick County. Photo taken 06/01/05. |
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The confusing part of this merge is that U.S. 17 Business south and U.S. 421 north cross the Cape Fear River along with westbound U.S. 76. This makes for a brief section of highway that carries two routes in seemingly opposite directions (north and south), which can be confusing. The intersection between Wooster Street and 3rd Street serves as the former southern terminus of Business U.S. 17, which originally traveled north into downtown Wilmington and serves the historic district. The business loop was extended over former parts of U.S. 17 leading west to Leland and east to Ogden when U.S. 17 was realigned onto the new Interstate 140 freeway in summer 2005. Photo taken 06/01/05. |
| U.S. Highway 17 Business South, U.S. Highway 76 West, U.S. Highway 421 North
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After the 3rd Street intersection, Wooster Street shifts into an expressway configuration, with no other exits prior to the Cape Fear River Bridge. This was the first and only westbound shield assembly for U.S. 17-74-76-421; U.S. 421 departs at the first interchange once the highway reaches Brunswick County. Note that since the Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway was completed in September 2005, U.S. 74 was relocated from this bridge to the Parsley Street Bridge (designated as North Carolina 133). Photo taken 06/01/05. |
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The Cape Fear River lift bridge comes into view as the highway gradually gains elevation to clear the river channel. According to North Carolina Waterways, the lift bridge has a vertical clearance of 135 feet over the river, and it can be raised on signal 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Since the river is approximately 40 feet deep near downtown Wilmington, large ships can navigate the river. Photo taken 06/01/05. |
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The first interchange in Brunswick County represents the current U.S. 17 Business southbound end, the split of U.S. 421 north from U.S. 76 west, and the merge of U.S. 17 south, U.S. 74 west, and North Carolina 133 south with U.S. 76 west. Use U.S. 421 north to reach Battleship Park as well as the Parsley Street Bridge, one of three bridges to cross the Cape Fear River. (The Parsley Street Bridge became a part of U.S. 74 when the Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway was completed in September 2005).
This sign was replaced by 2007 and the light fixtures removed. Photo taken 06/01/05. |
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This traffic signal regulates traffic crossing the lift bridge. Whenever the lights turn red, the lift raises the central portion of the bridge over the river and any river traffic. Photo taken 06/01/05. |
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The deck of the bridge is metal grating, and it can be slippery during rainstorms or any kind of moist weather. The grating also seems to create an undulating ride over the central part of the bridge. Photo taken 06/01/05. |
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Although it is in need of a paint job, the truss portion of the bridge serves the lifting function of the bridge well. Photo taken 06/01/05. |
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After passing under the second tower, U.S. 17 Business-76-421 westbound begins to descend to dry land in Brunswick County. As the highway descends, the proposed extension of Interstate 20 from Florence east to Wilmington is proposed to begin near here. Under plans publicized by North Carolina officials but not necessarily agreed upon by South Carolina, Interstate 20 would follow U.S. 76 east to Chadborn, then follow U.S. 74-76 through Whiteville and end near the foot of this bridge west of Wilmington in Brunswick County. Interstate 20 may connect with Interstate 40 via a link on U.S. 421/North Carolina 133 to the Parsley Street Bridge and Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway (U.S. 74). Photo taken 06/01/05. |
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Use the right lane to exit onto northbound U.S. 17-421, east U.S. 74, and North Carolina 133. U.S. 421 follows a northeasterly trajectory from here, paralleling Interstate 40 between Wilmington and Greensboro, where the two routes meet. West of Greensboro, U.S. 421 generally trends west, exiting the Tarheel State northwest of Boone. Much of U.S. 421 near the Triad is freeway.
This sign was replaced by 2007 to reflect the addition of U.S. 74 east for U.S. 421 north. Photo taken 06/01/05. |
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Southbound U.S. 17 Business/westbound U.S. 76 reach the off-ramp for U.S. 17 & 421/North Carolina 133 northbound and U.S. 74 east. Unlike U.S. 421, North Carolina 133 is a local state highway that remains in the Wilmington area. To the north, North Carolina 133 follows U.S. 421 to the Parsley Street Bridge, then crosses the Cape Fear River, connects to Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway (U.S. 74), and turns north to end at U.S. 117 north of Wilmington. The part of North Carolina 133 between Martin Luther King Jr Parkway and U.S. 117 is a former part of U.S. 117, before U.S. 117 was rerouted onto North Carolina 132 and Shipyard Boulevard.
These overheads were replaced and their light fixtures removed by 2007. Photo taken 06/01/05. |
Page Updated March 18, 2009.
