North Carolina Highway 30

NC 30
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length:	15.7 mi (25.3 km)
Existed:	1970s[1] – present
Major junctions
North end:	US 13 near Bethel, NC
	NC 903 at Stokes, NC
South end:	US 264 near Washington, NC
Location
Counties:	Pitt
Highway system
North Carolina Highway System ← US 29 NC 32 →

NC 30 is a short North Carolina state highway entirely in Pitt County.

Route description

NC 30's northern terminus is at US 13 north of Greenville. From there it heads southeast, and meets up with US 264 east of Greenville. Not much else is on the route. It does make a convenient bypass of Greenville for travelers going from the north to the east of the city.

History

This road is the third to bear the NC 30 designation. The first was one of North Carolina's original 1922 state highways. As a multiple of "10" it was a major cross-state route, connecting Wilimington to the Virginia state line via Jacksonville, New Bern, Little Washington, and Ashoskie. In 1930, it was extened to South Carolina via Supply. When the U.S. Highways came in 1934-1935, much of it was replaced by US 17. It was rerouted several times in the late 1930s, but was fully gone by 1940. The remnants of the first NC 30 found in eastern Onslow County continue to serve as a key thoroughfare between Jacksonville and Unincorporated Onslow County; the road is known as "Old 30", "Old Highway 30", and "R.I.P. Road". The last nickname is pronounced as "rip road", where "R.I.P." is an acronym of "Rest In Peace". This name is a reference to the road's narrow width, sharp curves, low visibility, relative remoteness, and high speed limit; these factors combined make Old 30 one of the most dangerous roads in southeastern North Carolina.

The second NC 30 was created in 1948 near where it is today, connecting Greenville to Pactolus. In the mid 1970's, NC 30 and NC 33 swapped places. Today, this route is NC 33 inside of the Greenville Loop and US 264 outside of the loop. When this renumbering occurred, NC 30 was moved to an older alignment of NC 33, which it occupies today.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} NCRoads Annex - NC 30