U.S. Highway 15 (US 15) is a north–south

United States Numbered Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

running from

Walterboro, South Carolina Walterboro is a city in Colleton County, South Carolina, Colleton County, South Carolina, United States. The city's population was 5,398 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Colleton County. Walterboro is locate ...

, to

Painted Post, New York Painted Post is a village in Steuben County, New York. The village is in the town of Erwin, west of the city of Corning. The population was 1,809 at the 2010 census. The name comes from a Seneca carved post found by explorers at the junction ...

. In the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, the highway runs for from the

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

state line to the south of

Laurinburg Laurinburg is a city in and the county seat of Scotland County, North Carolina, United States. Located in southern North Carolina near the South Carolina border, Laurinburg is southwest of Fayetteville and is home to St. Andrews University. Th ...

to the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

state line north of

Bullock Bullock may refer to: Animals * Bullock (in British English), a castrated male cattle, bovine animal of any age * Bullock (in American English), a young bull (an uncastrated male bovine animal) * Bullock (in Australia, India and New Zealand), an o ...

. US 15 travels in

concurrency Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with US 501 for between Laurinburg and

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city in north east England **County Durham, a ceremonial county which includes Durham *Durham, North Carolina, a city in North Carolina, United States Durham may also refer to: Places ...

Route description

From the

state line, US 15 is in concurrency with US 401 to

. Merging with US 501, it becomes what is known as "15-501" ("Fifteen Five-o-one"), a

that extends for across central

; US 15 also the dominant partner, using its milemarkers along the route. After

, it goes north to

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

, linking briefly with US 1 before continuing to Pinehurst. In Pinehurst, US 15/US 501 goes through a

roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...

, then continues north, through

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

, back to US 1. After another brief concurrency with US 1 through Sanford, it exits off the freeway and goes due north to Pittsboro. After Pittsboro, US 15/US 501 becomes an expressway, connecting the cities of Chapel Hill and

; this section of the route is famous because of the two universities it connects:

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

and

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

. Though the road is a symbol of the separation of the

Carolina–Duke rivalry The Duke–North Carolina rivalry refers to the sports rivalry between the Duke University Blue Devils and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, particularly in the sport of basketball. It is considered one of the most intense rivalries ...

, the

North Carolina Department of Transportation The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) 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 North Carolina ...

has been trying to remedy that by making the route a superstreet for better traffic flow. In Durham, US 15/US 501 upgrades to an urban

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

, allowing for quick access from south Durham to north; the freeway ends merging into Interstate 85 (I-85). At exit 176B (on I-85), US 501 splits off toward Roxboro, while US 15 continues with I-85 toward

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. After Durham, US 15 continues to follow I-85 till exit 186A, where it goes first to Creedmoor, then on into Oxford. After going through downtown Oxford, it continues north, near

Mayo Lake Mayo Lake is a reservoir located in northeastern Person County, North Carolina. Boating entrance, walking trails, swimming access, picnic and camp site areas (collectively known as Mayo Park) are accessed from Neals Store Road about 9 miles nor ...

, to

Clarksville, Virginia Clarksville is a town in Mecklenburg county in the U.S. state of Virginia, near the southern border of the commonwealth. The population was 1,139 at the 2010 census. Since the town has numerous buildings of the 18th-, 19th-, and early 20th-cen ...

History

Established in 1927, it was aligned along

North Carolina Highway 75 North Carolina Highway 75, also known as the Waxhaw Highway in most of North Carolina (NC 75), is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Its entire length runs through Union County, North Carolina, Union County an ...

from the

state line, through Rockingham, Pinehurst, and

, to the

state line. In 2023,

AASHTO The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test quality control, protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction through ...

approved a request to reroute US 15 in Pittsboro; continuing its overlap with NC 87 and then onto US 64, with its old alignment through the downtown area downgraded to secondary roads. In May 2025, NCDOT completed the route change.

Junction list

References

External links

*
NCRoads.com: U.S. 15
{{state detail page browse, type=US, route=15, state=North Carolina, statebefore=South Carolina, stateafter=Virginia 15-501 North Carolina

Transportation in Durham, North Carolina Transportation in Scotland County, North Carolina Transportation in Hoke County, North Carolina Transportation in Moore County, North Carolina Transportation in Lee County, North Carolina Transportation in Chatham County, North Carolina Transportation in Orange County, North Carolina Transportation in Durham County, North Carolina Transportation in Granville County, North Carolina

Route description

History

Junction list

See also

References

External links