North Carolina Highway 51 (NC 51) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina entirely in Mecklenburg County. It connects the towns of Pineville, Matthews and Mint Hill.
 North Carolina Highway 51 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by NCDOT | ||||
| Length | 22.2 mi[1] (35.7 km) | |||
| Existed | 1934–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  SC 51 at the South Carolina state line | |||
| North end |   NC 24 / NC 27 in Mint Hill | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | North Carolina | |||
| Counties | Mecklenburg | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Route description
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Though NC 51 begins at the state line, SC 51 is a short 1-mile-long (1.6 km) road that connects with US 21, near Fort Mill, South Carolina. Crossing the state line, NC 51 quickly becomes a four-lane road as it goes through the town of Pineville. After its first intersection with I-485, it enters the Charlotte city limits. In Charlotte, NC 51 crosses the busy intersections of Johnston Road and Providence Road, known for rush-hour traffic during the weekdays. In Matthews, NC 51 bypasses the main downtown area, followed by a semi-controlled interchanged with US 74 (Independence Boulevard). As the NC 51 enters Mint Hill, the road narrows to two-lane. NC 51 crosses intersects I-485 again, before ending at NC 24/NC 27 (Albemarle Road).[2][1]
History
editThe first NC 51 was an original state highway that traveled from NC 20, in Rockingham, to NC 74, in Wadeville.[3] In 1928, Rockingham to Ellerbe became an extension of NC 75.[4] In 1934, NC 51 was decommissioned in favor of NC 73, between Ellerbe and Mount Gilead, and NC 109, between Mount Gilead and Wadeville.[5]
The second and current NC 51 was established in 1934 as a renumbering of NC 276, between US 21/US 521, in Pineville, to NC 27, near Allen.[5] In 1968, NC 51 was extended to the South Carolina state line, replacing a segment of US 21.[6] In 1981, NC 51 was placed on new alignment in Pineville, abandoning an old routing along Lee Street and eliminating a short concurrency with US 521.[7] In 1995, NC 51 was placed on new bypass north of downtown Matthews, marked as Matthews Township Parkway. The old alignment along Matthews-Mint Hill Road was downgraded to secondary road.[8]
North Carolina Highway 276
edit North Carolina Highway 276 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pineville–Allen |
| Length | 20.4 mi[9] (32.8 km) |
| Existed | 1930–1934 |
North Carolina Highway 276 (NC 276) appeared in 1930 as new primary routing from NC 26, in Pineville, to NC 27, near Allen.[4] In 1934, it was renumbered as the second NC 51.[5]
Major intersections
editThe entire route is in Mecklenburg County.
| Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pineville | 0.0 | 0.0 |  SC 51 south – Fort Mill | South Carolina state line | |
| 2.5– 2.8 | 4.0– 4.5 |  I-485 – Matthews, Huntersville | I-485 exit 64 | ||
| Charlotte | 8.5 | 13.7 |  NC 16 (Providence Road) – Waxhaw | ||
| Matthews | 13.1– 13.4 | 21.1– 21.6 |  US 74 (Independence Boulevard) – Charlotte, Monroe | Interchange | |
| Mint Hill | 18.9 | 30.4 |   NC 218 east (Fairview Road) / Wilgrove Mint Hill Road – Fairview | Western terminus of NC 218 | |
| 20.6– 20.7 | 33.2– 33.3 | I-485 – Matthews, Huntersville | I-485 exit 43 | ||
| 22.2 | 35.7 | NC 24 / NC 27 (Albemarle Road) – Charlotte, Albemarle | |||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
References
edit- ^ a b c "North Carolina Highway 51" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ^ Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (PDF) (Map). North Carolina Department of Transportation. August 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ^ State Highway System of North Carolina (PDF) (Map). Cartography by NCSHC. North Carolina State Highway Commission. 1922. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ^ a b State Highway System of North Carolina (PDF) (Map). Cartography by NCSHC. North Carolina State Highway Commission. 1930. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ^ a b c North Carolina Primary Highway System (PDF) (Map). Cartography by NCSHC. North Carolina State Highway and Public Works Commission. 1940. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ^ "Route Change (1968-10-25)" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. October 25, 1968. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ^ "Route Change (1981-04-01)" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. April 1, 1981. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ^ "Route Change (1995-02-20)" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. February 20, 1995. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ^ "North Carolina Highway 276" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
External links
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Media related to North Carolina Highway 51 at Wikimedia Commons- NCRoads.com: N.C. 51
- NCRoads.com: N.C. 276
