U.S. Route 158 (US 158) is an east–west

United States 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 ...

that runs for from Mocksville to Whalebone Junction in

Nags Head Nag's Head or Nags Head may refer to: London * Nag's Head, London, a locality in Holloway ** Nag's Head Market, a street market * Nag's Head, Covent Garden, a pub Elsewhere in the United Kingdom * Nag's Head Island, Abingdon-on-Thames * Nagshead ...

, and is located entirely in the state of

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 ...

. It is also a critical route that connects the cities of

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...

, Summerfield, and Reidsville with one another.

Route description

US 158 is a parallel of

U.S. Route 58 U.S. Route 58 (US 58) is an east–west U.S. Highway that runs for from U.S. Route 25E just northwest of Harrogate, Tennessee, to U.S. Route 60 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Until 1996, when the Cumberland Gap Tunnel opened, US 58 ran on ...

(which runs generally through southern

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 ...

), though route does not intersect its parent, instead intersecting its sibling, US 258. It currently runs for from Mocksville, at US 64/ US 601 to Whalebone Junction in the town of

, at US 64/ North Carolina Route 12. A stretch skirts the

Great Dismal Swamp The Great Dismal Swamp is a large swamp in the Coastal Plain Region of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the eastern United States, between Norfolk, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It is located in parts of t ...

. In Mocksville, it begins going east and heads north of the US 64/US 601 junction, through the downtown area. Out of town, it turns northeasterly, following in parallel to

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west transcontinental Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States, southeastern and Southwestern United States, southwestern portions of the United States. At a leng ...

(I-40) to

. In the city, the route uses the name Stratford Road which is an arterial thoroughfare which enters into a busy commercial district passing by Hanes Mall and it passes two folded diamond junctions with Interstate 40 and the expressway Silas Creek Parkway ( NC 67). US 158 leaves the road to merge with the

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 ...

Salem Parkway Salem Parkway may refer to: * Oregon Route 99E Business * Salem Parkway (North Carolina) {{roaddis ...

( US 421) for a short concurrency through the downtown area. Just east of town, it leaves US 421 and turns roughly north, closely paralleling nearby US 311, heading into Walkertown where both routes intersect with the future

Interstate 74 Interstate 74 (I-74) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Its western end is at an interchange with I-80 in Davenport, Iowa; the eastern end of its Midwest segment is at an interchange with I-75 in ...

, which is currently designated as NC 74, and NC 66. Here, Motorists can use both NC 66 and NC 74 to connect between US 158 and US 311 within town. It then passes through Belews Creek, taking on a northeasterly path and effectively bypassing the Kernersville area, and passes thru Stokesdale where it meets two more NC Highways, NC 65, and

NC 68 North Carolina Highway 68 (NC 68) is a north–south state highway in North Carolina. It serves as a connector between Interstate 40 (I-40)/ U.S. Route 421 (US 421) and Piedmont Triad International Airport (via I-73). On its rout ...

. Shortly after, it passes through the north part of Summerfield, intersecting

Interstate 73 Interstate 73 (I-73) is a north–south Interstate Highway, currently located entirely within the US state of North Carolina. It travels , from northwest of Rockingham, North Carolina to northeast of Stokesdale, North Carolina, Stokesdale, ...

(which carries

U.S. Route 220 U.S. Route 220 (US 220) is a spur route of US 20. It runs in a north–south layout in the eastern United States, unlike its parent route as well as conventionally even-numbered highways, which run east-west. US 220 extends for ...

along it). It then leads further east to Reidsville, where it links to US 29 Business. From Reidsville, US 158 connects the northern counties of North Carolina, going through the cities and towns of

Yanceyville Yanceyville is a town in, and the county seat of, Caswell County, North Carolina, United States. Located in the Piedmont Triad region of the state, it had a population of 1,937 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Established in 1791 as ...

, Roxboro,

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 ...

, Henderson, Roanoke Rapids,

Murfreesboro Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...

, and

Elizabeth City Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank county, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,629. Elizabeth City is the county seat and most populous city of Pasquotank County. It is the cultural, economic and educational h ...

. From North Carolina Highway 168 (NC 168) eastward, it carries traffic from the

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

region to the

Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separatin ...

. Normally, the route is a four-lane undivided highway with a speed limit of in

Dare County Dare County is the easternmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 36,915. Its county seat is Manteo, North Carolina, Manteo. Dare County is i ...

, from its eastern terminus to the Wright Memorial Bridge. Most of the route is otherwise a four-lane divided highway with a speed limit until NC 168 (which carries traffic to

Chesapeake, Virginia Chesapeake is an independent city in Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,422, making it the second-most populous city in Virginia, the tenth largest in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 92nd-most populous city in the ...

), where it turns left at an at-grade intersection. It then returns to being undivided. In Dare County, the highway runs in a north–south direction, although it is signed west–east. It acts as a bypass route for the Virginia Dare Trail ( NC 12), which runs parallel to US 158 to the east. For the entire length of the Outer Banks, US 158 is known as Croatan Highway.

History

US 158 was established in 1932, as a concurrency with NC 48 from Mocksville to

and NC 12, from Murfreesboro to

state line. US 158 also replaced US 117 routing between Murfreesboro to

Franklin, Virginia Franklin is the southwesternmost independent city in Hampton Roads, Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,180. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Franklin with Southampton County for statist ...

. In 1934, NC 48 and NC 12 were removed from its routing. In 1937 or 1938, US 158's western terminus moved from Depot Street to Main Street in Mocksville. In 1941, US 158 swapped routes with NC 65 between Stokesdale and Reidsville. Also in the same year, US 158 was rerouted east at Murfreesboro, replacing NC 30 to Camden and NC 34 crossing the

Croatan Sound Croatan Sound is an inlet in Dare County, North Carolina. It connects Pamlico Sound with Albemarle Sound, and is bordered to the east by Roanoke Island; Roanoke Sound is on the other side of the island. Its name comes from the Croatan The ...

and ending at NC 345, near Manteo; its old alignment north of Murfreesboro became part of US 258. Between 1945-1949, US 158's western terminus moved to its current location at Main and Lexington Streets, in Mocksville; also in same time period, US 158 was moved onto new routing through Roxboro; its old alignment along Main Street became US 501A. In 1946, US 158 bypassed north of Gatesville, with its old alignment became US 158A. Around 1951, US 158 was removed from

Roanoke Island Roanoke Island () is an island in Dare County, bordered by the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was named after the historical Roanoke, a Carolina Algonquian people who inhabited the area in the 16th century at the time of English colonizat ...

and was truncated at its current eastern terminus at Whalebone Junction, on

Bodie Island Bodie Island ( ) is a long, narrow barrier peninsula that forms the northernmost portion of the Outer Banks. The land that is most commonly referred to as Bodie Island was at one time a true island, but in 1811 Roanoke Inlet, which had separate ...

; its former routing was replaced by US 64/ US 264. In 1951, US 158 was placed on new bypass north of Henderson, leaving behind US 158A along its old alignment. Around 1954, US 158 was placed on one-way streets in downtown

: westbound via Clover Dale Street, Glade Street and fifth street; eastbound via first and fourth streets. In 1955, US 158 was bypassed north of Warrenton, leaving behind US 158A along its former alignment. In 1959, US 158 was moved onto new expressway between Stratford to Marshall and Cherry Streets, in Winston-Salem. In 1960, US 158 was moved onto its current routing in Bodie Island, leaving behind US 158 Business. By 1962, US 158 had completed its transition onto the

in Winston-Salem, leaving behind US 158 Business. Between 1963-1967, US 158 was routed onto one-way streets in Weldon. In 1968, US 158 was rerouted in

. In 1971, US 158 was placed onto the

bypass; its old routing through the downtown area was partly replaced by NC 62, with Main Street downgraded to secondary road. In 1973, US 13/US 158 was placed on new western bypass of Winton, its old alignment became part of NC 45. In 1979, US 158 was placed on bypass north of Reidsville, via US 29 Bus. and NC 14; its old alignment became mostly secondary roads, with just part remaining as NC 87. In 1984, US 17/US 158 was rerouted again in Elizabeth City. In 1995, US 158 was rerouted onto new bypass south of Murfreesboro, leaving behind US 158 Business. In May 2016, NCDOT's applied to AASHTO to change US 158's route in the Reidsville area. Instead of following Bus. US 29 and NC 87 north to NC 14 and then South-east on NC 14 to US 29, the route would bypass the City by taking US 158 south along Bus. US 29/NC 87 to where they split and then following NC 87 South to US 29. US 158 would then run concurrent with US 29 to the NC 14 exit where it would resume its old alignment. AASHTO approved the change on May 24 at the meeting of the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering in Waterloo, Iowa. NCDOT passed its ordinance approving the change on March 5, 2018.

U.S. Route 117

U.S. Route 117 (US 117) was established in 1926 to run for from Norlina, through the towns of Warrenton, Roanoke Rapids, and

; from there it went north into

through Franklin,

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, and

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the List of cities in Virginia, most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeaster ...

. It was cut back to Franklin in 1931 or 1932, being replaced by US 58 east of there, and soon afterwards the remainder was renumbered US 158.Virginia Highways Page: US 117
/ref>

Junction list

Special routes

Winston-Salem business loop

U.S. Route 158 Business, was established in 1962 as a renumbering of mainline US 158 in downtown Winston-Salem. The business loop traversed on one-way streets: eastbound used Cherry Street, 4th Street, and Dunleith Street; westbound used Marshall Street and 5th Street. In 1970, it was decommissioned.

Oxford alternate route

U.S. Route 158 Alternate (US 158A), was established in 1954 as a partial bypass of Oxford. As an alternate

spur route A spur route is a short road forming a branch from a longer, more important road such as a freeway, Interstate Highway, or motorway. A Bypass route, bypass or beltway is not considered a spur route as it typically reconnects with another or the ...

, it did not reconnect with US 158, instead going southwest to US 15. In 1971, US 158A was eliminated when

Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, ...

was built over it.

Oxford business loop

U.S. Route 158 Business, established in 1994, is a business loop that followed the original US 158 route through downtown Oxford, via Roxboro Road, College Street, and Williamsboro Street.

Henderson alternate route

U.S. Route 158 Alternate (US 158A), was established in 1951, when mainline US 158 bypassed north of Henderson. US 158A followed the original route through downtown Henderson until 1960, when it was renumbered to US 158 Business.

Henderson business loop

U.S. Route 158 Business, established in 1960, is a business loop through downtown Henderson, via Oxford Road, Dabney Drive, and Garnett Street.

Warrenton alternate route

U.S. Route 158 Alternate (US 158A), was established in 1950, when mainline US 158 bypassed north of Gatesville. US 158A followed the original route through downtown Warrenton until 1960, when it was renumbered to US 158 Business.

Warrenton business loop

U.S. Route 158 Business, established in 1960, is a business loop through downtown Warrenton.

Murfreesboro business loop

U.S. Route 158 Business, established in 1996, is a business loop that followed the original US 158 route through downtown Murfreesboro, via Main Street.

Gatesville alternate route

U.S. Route 158 Alternate (US 158A), was established in 1948, two years after mainline US 158 bypassed north of Gatesville. It followed the original route through downtown Gatesville. In 1960, it was renumbered to US 158 Business.

Gatesville business loop

U.S. Route 158 Business, established in 1960, is a business loop through downtown Gatesville.

Kill Devil Hills business loop

U.S. Route 158 Business, was established in 1960 as a renumbering of mainline US 158 on

. In 1988, US 158 Business was decommissioned, replaced by a northern extension of NC 12.

References

External links