North Carolina Highway 86

NC Highway 86
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length:	53.1 mi[1] (85.5 km)
Existed:	1940[2] – present
Major junctions
South end:	US 15 / US 501 / NC 54 in Chapel Hill
	I‑40 in Chapel Hill I‑85 in Hillsborough US 70 in Hillsborough US 158 in Yanceyville
North end:	SR 86 in Danville, VA
Location
Counties:	Orange, Caswell
Highway system
North Carolina Highway System Interstate U.S. State Scenic ← I‑85 NC 87 →

North Carolina Highway 86 (NC 86) is a 53.1-mile-long (85.5 km) state highway in North Carolina that runs north and south through Caswell and Orange counties from Chapel Hill, North Carolina to the Virginia state line at Danville. The highway primarily links up the towns of Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, and Yanceyville, along with providing a route between Chapel Hill and Virginia. Between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, NC 86 serves as an alternative to Interstate 40 (I-40).

Route description

NC 86's northern terminus at the Virginia state line.

NC 86 travels north from its southern terminus at US 15-501/NC 54 Bypass (Fordham Boulevard) in Chapel Hill, 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.

Entering the small community of Prospect Hill, 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 state line, where the route continues as State Route 86 and travels into Danville.

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, 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.^[2]

Major intersections

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Orange	Chapel Hill	0.0	0.0	US 15 / US 501 / NC 54 (Fordham Boulevard) – Carrboro, Pittsboro	Interchange
	​	5.5– 5.7	8.9– 9.2	I‑40 – Raleigh, Greensboro	Exit 266 (I-40)
	Hillsborough	12.1– 12.3	19.5– 19.8	I‑85 / NC 86 Truck north – Durham, Greensboro	Exit 165 (I-85); southern terminus of NC 86 Truck
		12.8	20.6	US 70 Bus. east / Elizabeth Brady Road	Southern end of US 70 Bus. Concurrency
		14.5	23.3	US 70 Bus. west (Corbin Street)	Northern end of US 70 Bus. Concurrency
		14.8	23.8	US 70 / NC 86 Truck south (Cornelius Street) – Durham, Burlington	Northern terminus of NC 86 Truck
	​	15.2	24.5	NC 57 north – Roxboro	Southern terminus of NC 57
	​	27.0	43.5	NC 49 south – Graham	Southern end of NC 49 concurrency
Caswell	Prospect Hill	27.5	44.3	NC 49 north – Roxboro	Northern end of NC 49 concurrency
	Hightowers	34.3	55.2	NC 119 – Mebane, Semora
	​	38.9	62.6	US 158 east – Roxboro	Southern end of US 158 concurrency
	Yanceyville	41.9	67.4	NC 62 north – Milton	Southern end of NC 62 concurrency
		42.1	67.8	NC 62 south (Main Street)	Northern end of NC 62 concurrency
		44.2	71.1	US 158 west / County Home Road – Reidsville
	​	53.1	85.5	SR 86 north – Danville	Virginia state line
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

Bannered routes

Hillsborough truck route

NC Highway 86 Truck
Location:	Hillsborough, North Carolina
Length:	8.3 mi[3] (13.4 km)

North Carolina Highway 86 Truck (NC 86 Truck) is a bypass route for truck drivers that are traveling through the city of Hillsborough. This 8.3-mile (13.4 km) route goes west around the entire city, via I-85 (between exits 165 and 160), I-85 Connector and US 70. The routing is well marked throughout and there are warning signs for truck drivers, including "tolerance ends," for that continue through the city.

References

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• Media related to North Carolina Highway 86 at Wikimedia Commons
• NCRoads.com: N.C. 86