North Carolina Highway 87 is a mostly rural

Rural

Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...

 highway traversing the eastern half of the U.S. state of 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...

. N.C. 87 begins in the Atlantic

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 coastal town of Southport

Southport, North Carolina

Southport is a city in Brunswick County, North Carolina, near the mouth of the Cape Fear River. It is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area...

 and ends at the 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 five miles (8 km) north of Eden

Eden, North Carolina

Eden is a city in Rockingham County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 15,908 at the 2000 census. The city was incorporated in 1967 through the consolidation of three separate towns: Leaksville, Spray, and Draper....

 in Rockingham County

Rockingham County, North Carolina

Rockingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2010, the population was 93,643. Its county seat is Wentworth.- History :The county was formed in 1785 from Guilford County...

. At 240 miles (386.2 km) in length, N.C. 87 is the second longest state highway in North Carolina (longer than 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...

 by about 10 miles)http://members.cox.net/ncroads/nc085089.html.

Route description

N.C. 87 is a four-lane, divided highway with at-grade crossings between Tar Heel

Tar Heel, North Carolina

Tar Heel is a town located in Bladen County, North Carolina, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 70.Tar Heel is home to the largest pork processing plant in the world which opened in 1992, operated by Smithfield Foods and is located just north of the Town...

 and Sanford

Sanford, North Carolina

Sanford is a city in Lee County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 23,220 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lee County.-Geography:Sanford is located at ....

. The section east of Tar Heel to N.C. 41

North Carolina Highway 41

North Carolina Highway 41 is a state highway in the eastern part of North Carolina, U.S.A. The highway travels in an east–west orientation between Trenton and Lumberton, and in a north–south orientation between Lumberton and the South Carolina border, where it continues as S.C. 41....

 near Elizabethtown

Elizabethtown, North Carolina

Elizabethtown is a town in Bladen County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,698 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bladen County.-Geography:Elizabethtown is located at ....

 is currently being upgraded to four lanes. There is already a by-pass route for Elizabethtown. Other sections that are four-lane, divided highways include concurrencies with U.S. 17

U.S. Route 17

U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 is a north–south United States highway. The highway spans the southeastern United States and is close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length. The highway's southern terminus is at Punta Gorda, Florida, at an intersection with U.S. Route 41...

 and U.S. 74

U.S. Route 74

U.S. Route 74 is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Cleveland, Tennessee to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.-Tennessee:Established in 1987, US-74 western terminus is exit 20 on I-75 in Cleveland...

-76

U.S. Route 76

U.S. Route 76 is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.-Tennessee:...

 in Brunswick County

Brunswick County, North Carolina

-External links:*******....

.

North of Sanford, N.C. 87 runs concurrent

Concurrency (road)

A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...

 with U.S. 15-501

U.S. Route 15-501 in North Carolina

U.S. Route 15-501 in North Carolina is a concurrency of U.S. Route 15 and U.S. Route 501; it traverses approximately across central North Carolina; from Laurinburg to Durham.-Route description:...

 to Pittsboro

Pittsboro, North Carolina

Pittsboro, North Carolina is a town located in Chatham County, 34 miles southwest of Raleigh, 47 miles southeast of Greensboro, and 17 miles south of Chapel Hill. The population was 3,743 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chatham County....

. It then continues towards Graham

Graham, North Carolina

Graham is a city in Alamance County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Burlington, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. The current population estimate is 14,533...

 as a two-lane highway. It returns to 4 lanes in southern Graham, returning to 2 lanes in downtown Graham. The route makes a left turn one block north of the Alamance County Courthouse, where it follows a 2-lane road before making a right turn onto a 4 lane street. The highway remains 4 lanes through downtown Burlington, returning to 2 lanes for the remainder of its route in North Carolina, save for a small section near its intersection with US Highway 29.

Exit List

In Fayetteville

Fayetteville, North Carolina

Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....

, N.C. 87 has a limited-access portion north of I-95

Interstate 95 in North Carolina

Interstate 95 is a major Interstate Highway, running along the East Coast of the United States from Florida to Maine. In North Carolina, I-95 runs diagonally across the eastern third of the state, from Rowland in the southwest to Roanoke Rapids in the northeast of the Inner Banks.-Route...

, the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway. According to NCDOT

North Carolina Department of Transportation

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina.-History:...

, the exits are listed as follows:

County	Location	Destinations	Notes
Cumberland Cumberland County, North Carolina -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 302,963 people, 107,358 households, and 77,619 families residing in the county. The population density was 464 people per square mile . There were 118,425 housing units at an average density of 181 per square mile...	Fayetteville Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville is a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is the county seat of Cumberland County, and is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a U.S. Army post located northwest of the city....		East of NC 24 overlap
		Hay Street
			The freeway continues
		Gillespie Street
		East Mountain Drive
			Full interchange
Bladen Bladen County, North Carolina -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 32,278 people, 12,897 households, and 8,937 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 15,316 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...	Elizabethtown Elizabethtown, North Carolina Elizabethtown is a town in Bladen County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,698 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bladen County.-Geography:Elizabethtown is located at ....
Columbus Columbus County, North Carolina -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 54,749 people, 21,308 households, and 15,043 families residing in the county. The population density was 58/sq mi . As of 2004, there were 24,668 housing units at an average density of 26/sq mi...	Sandyfield Sandyfield, North Carolina Sandyfield is a town in Columbus County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 340 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sandyfield is located at ....
	Delco Delco, North Carolina Delco is an unincorporated community in Columbus County, North Carolina, United States. It lies at an elevation of 49 feet . Delco is also the home of Acme Delco Middle School, Home of the Trojans....		East end of US 74/76 overlap
Brunswick Brunswick County, North Carolina -External links:*******....	Maco		East end of US 74/76 overlap
	Navassa Navassa, North Carolina Navassa is a town in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 644 at the 2007 census. It is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Navassa is located at along the Brunswick River....		North end of US 17 overlap
	Winnabow Winnabow, North Carolina Winnabow, North Carolina, is a place in Brunswick County in the U.S. states of North Carolina. It is located at It is mainly a farming community with ample farm land in the surrounding area. There are no big stores in the area except for a Hand Dee Hugo's at the intersection of NC 87 and US...		South end of US 17 overlap