North Carolina Highway 160
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| NC 160 |
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| Length: | 14 mi (23 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1946 | ||||||||
| North end: |  NC 49 in Charlotte, North Carolina |
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| Major junctions: |
  I-77/US 21 in Charlotte Route 4 in west Charlotte I-485 at Charlotte NC 49 near Carowinds |
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| South end: |  SC 160 near Tega Cay, SC |
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| Counties: | Mecklenburg | ||||||||
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NC 160 is a fourteen-mile state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina that runs north-south. It traverses from the South Carolina-North Carolina border to NC 49 in western Charlotte. NC 160 is utilized as a backroad to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport. It runs its entire length in Mecklenburg County. Combined with South Carolina Route 160, NC 160 provided a Charlotte bypass route for U.S. Highway 521 prior to its truncation to end at Interstate 485.
[edit] Route description
NC 160 begins at the South Carolina border, where SC 160 ends nearTega Cay, South Carolina. From the state line, the route heads northwards, crossing NC 49 for the first time one mile inside North Carolina, near the Carowinds theme park.
NC 160 winds its next five or six miles going through southwest Charlotte's industrial district. The main intersection with NC 160 in this area, known as Steele Creek, is at Westinghouse Boulevard; at this point, the route bears the street name Steele Creek Road.
Continuing north, NC 160 crosses over Interstate 485 (Exit 4). One mile after crossing 485, NC 160 crosses into Charlotte's city limits again and enters the city's airport district, where Charlotte/Douglas International Airport is located. After entering the district, NC 160 darts east-by-northeast onto West Boulevard, leaving Steele Creek Road (which continues as Dixie Road) to head to the greater airport. NC 160 is the only way to access the Airport Police, the North Carolina Air National Guard station and the Charlotte Aviation Museum.
One mile after leaving the airport area, NC 160 crosses over Billy Graham Parkway (formerly U.S. Highway 521), which is part of Charlotte Highway 4. NC 160 goes on a few more miles through the urban area of west Charlotte before crossing over the Interstate 77/U.S. Highway 21 freeway. At this interchange (Exit 9), there are only exits from the southbound lanes of the freeway and entrances onto the northbound lanes of the freeway. To access I-77/US 21 southbound or to access NC 160 from northbound I-77/US 21, one must take an alternate route like Remount Road (Exit 8).
NC 160 continues on a northeasterly direction toward Uptown Charlotte. Its eastern terminus is at NC 49 (South Tryon Street) nearly one mile southwest of center city. The road, West Boulevard, continues on as East Boulevard at this terminus. Turning north on NC 49 will take the driver to Uptown (downtown).
[edit] History
- 1946: NC 160 goes from the South Carolina border to NC 49. Previously, SC 160 was numbered as South Carolina Highway 211.
- 1959: NC 160 was extended northward towards Charlotte center city to end at Wilkinson Boulevard (US 29/74). This road is now known today as Morris Field Drive.
- 1967: NC 160 is rerouted eastward, now going to its current terminus at Tryon Street.
- 1970s: Small little "tweaks" of NC 160 occur to make way for the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport expansion.
