North Carolina State Highway 86
Encyclopedia
North Carolina Highway 86 runs north/south for 53 miles (85 km) through Caswell
and Orange
counties in North Carolina, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina
to the Virginia state line at Danville, Virginia
.
, passing through the UNC campus
, and the town center. Exiting Chapel Hill into rural Orange County, NC 86 meets I-40
before arriving in Hillsborough
. There, the route meets I-85
and then joins NC 57 for about a mile through Hillsborough's central business district. Splitting to the northwest (signed north), NC 86 briefly joins NC 49 as they cross the Caswell County line.
, NC 86 splits from NC 49 and travels north toward Yanceyville
. Just outside Yanceyville, NC 86 joins U.S. 158
and crosses NC 62. After passing through central Yanceyville, US 158 splits west while NC 86 continues north to the North Carolina
–Virginia
state line, where the route continues as State Route 86 and travels into Danville, Virginia
.
Old North Carolina Highway 86, (sometimes referred to as Old 86), is a highway that parallels North Carolina Highway 86. Heading from NC 54 near Carrboro
, it follows northwest to Homestead/Dairyland Road near the unincorporated community of Calvander, North Carolina
, it heads north paralleling Interstate 40
until the intersection
at exit 261. Then intersecting Interstate 85
, at exit 164, it ends at the intersection with U.S. Route 70 Business, and North Carolina Highway 86. The highway was moved to the more heavily-traveled corridor between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough in the 1950s.
Caswell County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,501 people, 8,670 households, and 6,398 families residing in the county. The population density was 55 people per square mile . There were 9,601 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile...
and Orange
Orange County, North Carolina
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 133,801. Its county seat is Hillsborough...
counties in North Carolina, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
to the Virginia state line at Danville, Virginia
Danville, Virginia
Danville is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. It was the last capital of the Confederate States of America. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with Pittsylvania county for...
.
Route description
Orange County
NC 86 travels north from its southern terminus at US 15-501/NC 54 Bypass (Fordham Boulevard) in Chapel HillChapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
, passing through the UNC campus
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, and the town center. Exiting Chapel Hill into rural Orange County, NC 86 meets I-40
Interstate 40 in North Carolina
Interstate 40 runs through the state of North Carolina from the Tennessee state line in the west to its eastern terminus in Wilmington.-Pigeon River Gorge:...
before arriving in Hillsborough
Hillsborough, North Carolina
Hillsborough is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 5,653 at the 2008 census. It is the county seat of Orange County....
. There, the route meets I-85
Interstate 85 in North Carolina
In the U.S. state of North Carolina, Interstate 85 scales the state for from the South Carolina border to the Virginia border. As the second-longest interstate in the state , it provides an important link between the cities of Atlanta, Georgia, Charlotte, Greensboro, Richmond, Virginia and...
and then joins NC 57 for about a mile through Hillsborough's central business district. Splitting to the northwest (signed north), NC 86 briefly joins NC 49 as they cross the Caswell County line.
Caswell County
Entering the small community of Prospect HillProspect Hill, North Carolina
Prospect Hill is a small community in Hightowers Township, Caswell County, North Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of North Carolina Highways 49 and 86. It is in extreme southeastern Caswell County, North Carolina, and has about 789 people....
, NC 86 splits from NC 49 and travels north toward Yanceyville
Yanceyville, North Carolina
Yanceyville, first incorporated in 1833, is the county seat of Caswell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,091 at the 2000 census. It has been the county seat since 1792 . The original Caswell County Courthouse has been renovated and provides offices for county departments...
. Just outside Yanceyville, NC 86 joins U.S. 158
U.S. Route 158
U.S. Route 158 is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Mocksville to Nags Head, entirely in the U.S. state of North Carolina.-Route description:...
and crosses NC 62. After passing through central Yanceyville, US 158 splits west while NC 86 continues north to the North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
–Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
state line, where the route continues as State Route 86 and travels into Danville, Virginia
Danville, Virginia
Danville is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. It was the last capital of the Confederate States of America. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with Pittsylvania county for...
.
History
Prior to 1940, this was numbered as NC 14. It was renumbered to match up with Virginia's State Route 86. Simultaneous with that change, the old NC 65 was renumbered as NC 14.Old North Carolina Highway 86, (sometimes referred to as Old 86), is a highway that parallels North Carolina Highway 86. Heading from NC 54 near Carrboro
Carrboro, North Carolina
Carrboro is a town in Orange County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 19,582 at the 2010 census. The town, which is part of the Durham-Chapel Hill metropolitan statistical area, was named after North Carolina industrialist Julian Shakespeare Carr.Located near Chapel Hill and...
, it follows northwest to Homestead/Dairyland Road near the unincorporated community of Calvander, North Carolina
Calvander, North Carolina
Calvander is a rural unincorporated community in southeastern Orange County, North Carolina, United States north-northwest of Carrboro. It lies at the intersection of Old North Carolina Highway 86 , and Homestead/Dairyland Road....
, it heads north paralleling Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
until the intersection
Intersection (road)
An intersection is a road junction where two or more roads either meet or cross at grade . An intersection may be 3-way - a T junction or fork, 4-way - a crossroads, or 5-way or more...
at exit 261. Then intersecting Interstate 85
Interstate 85
Interstate 85 is a major interstate highway in the Southeastern United States. Its current southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus interchanges with Interstate 95 in Petersburg, Virginia, near Richmond...
, at exit 164, it ends at the intersection with U.S. Route 70 Business, and North Carolina Highway 86. The highway was moved to the more heavily-traveled corridor between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough in the 1950s.