North Carolina Highway 147

NC 147
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length:	13 mi (21 km)
Existed:	1970[1] – present
Major junctions
South end:	I-40 near Durham
	US 15 / US 501 in Durham
North end:	I-85 in Durham
Location
Counties:	Durham
Highway system
North Carolina Highway System ← NC 146 NC 148 →

North Carolina Highway 147 is a North Carolina state highway assigned to the Durham Freeway. It lies entirely within Durham County, and has the additional titles East–West Expressway, Buck Dean Expressway, and Triangle Parkway on various segments.

Route Description

The route's entire length is a limited access freeway. It links downtown Durham and Research Triangle Park (RTP) with the Interstates 85 and 40. It is a fairly urbanized commuter-route and suffers from peak-traffic during conventional rush hours. Speed limits on the freeway range from 55 mph (89 km/h) to 65 mph (105 km/h). The route is being extended southwards to NC 540 as part of the Triangle Expressway.

Termini

The northern end of NC 147 is only a partial interchange with I-85. Northbound NC 147 merges onto I-85 southbound, likewise only drivers on I-85 northbound can directly access NC 147 southbound. Drivers which to make the missing interchanges must utilize the nearby U.S. 15-501 freeway.

At the freeway's southern terminus, shortly after NC 147's interchange with I-40, the freeway crosses under NC 54 (with no interchange), and comes to its southern terminus at T.W. Alexander Drive inside Research Triangle Park. This terminus is at a traffic signal. NC 54 can be accessed by taking Alexander Drive north for approximately 0.5 miles (0.80 km). The southern terminus is to be extended as part of the Triangle Expressway project, which is expected to be completed in December, 2011.

History

The first section of the road, completed in the early 1970s around downtown Durham, was designated I-40. The road was later extended southward to where it now meets the current I-40, but the decision was made for I-40 to bypass Durham. The section inside the city was renamed. Eventually, the problems that caused the original I-40 extension to I-85 to be delayed were overcome, and N.C. 147 was extended through the city.

Future

The North Carolina Turnpike Authority has approved of extending NC 147 (Triangle Parkway) southward to meet the future western segment of NC 540 (Western Wake Parkway). The new segment will be part of the multi-highway Triangle Expressway, which becomes the state's first toll road. It is currently under construction and is expected to be complete in December 2011 ^[2]. It will be signed as an Electronic State Toll Highway with a purple highway shield with the word TOLL on the top instead of the standard black shield.

This Triangle Parkway is not to be confused with the existing Triangle Parkway in Morrisville, the short road that connects NC 54 to International Drive (the existing road is east of I-540).

Junction list

County	Location	Mile	#	Destinations	Notes
Wake	Morrisville			NC 540	Under Construction (Projected: December, 2011)[3]
Durham				Davis Drive	Under Construction (Projected: December, 2011)[3]
				Hopson Road	Under Construction (Projected: December, 2011)[3]
				T.W. Alexander Drive	Permanently closed as of September 6, 2011[4][5]
			5	I-40 to NC 54 – Raleigh, Chapel Hill, RDU Airport	NC 147 begins; signed as exit 5A (east) and 5B (west)
			6	Cornwallis Road  – Research Triangle Park
			7	T.W. Alexander Drive
			8	Ellis Road
	Durham			US 70 Conn.	Proposed East End Connector (Currently in planning and environmental study)[6]
			10	Briggs Avenue  – Durham Technical Community College
			11	NC 55 (Alston Avenue)
			12A	Fayetteville Street  – North Carolina Central University
			12B	US 15 Bus. / US 501 Bus. (Mangum Street/Roxboro Street)  – Downtown	To Durham Bulls Athletic Park
			12C	Duke Street	To North Carolina Museum of Life and Science
			13	Chapel Hill Street
			14	To US 70 Bus. / Swift Avenue  – Duke University East Campus	To North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and Northgate Mall
			15A	Elba Street / Trent Drive	To Duke Medical Center
			15B	Hillandale Road / Fulton Street	To Veterans Affairs Medical Center
			16	US 15 / US 501 to I-85 north – Chapel Hill, Duke University West Campus	Signed as exit 16A (north) and 16B (south)
				I-85 south – Greensboro
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi      Concurrency terminus •      Closed/Former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened

Gallery

• 

  Northbound Exit 16A.

• 

  Southbound from the Lasalle St overpass.

• 

  Southbound from the Vickers Ave overpass.

• 

  Southbound from the Duke St overpass.

• 

  NC 147 winding around downtown Durham.

• 

  NC 147 southbound from the Cornwallis Rd overpass.

• 

  Northbound Exit 6.

See also

• American Tobacco Historic District
• Duke University
• Duke University Medical Center
• Durham Bulls Athletic Park
• Durham Performing Arts Center
• North Carolina Central University
• Research Triangle Park

References

1. ^ NCRoads.com: N.C. 145 to 149
2. ^ http://www.ncdot.org/projects/eastendconnector/
3. ^ ^{a b c} "North Carolina Turnpike Authority: Triangle Expressway". http://www.ncturnpike.org/projects/Triangle_Expressway/. Retrieved 2011-08-19. 
4. ^ "SECTION OF N.C. 147 IN DURHAM TO CLOSE SEPT. 6". https://apps.dot.state.nc.us/pio/releases/details.aspx?r=5333. Retrieved 2011-08-19. 
5. ^ "Crosstown Traffic - RTP commuters: The NC 147 southern spur is closed today, for good". http://blogs.newsobserver.com/crosstown/rtp-commuters-the-nc-147-southern-spur-is-closed-today-for-good. Retrieved 2011-09-06. 
6. ^ "East End Connector". http://www.ncdot.gov/projects/eastendconnector/. Retrieved 2011-08-19. 

External links

• NCRoads - NC 147
• NC 147 Exit List