# Wade Avenue

Wade Avenue is an arterial in The Triangle region of North Carolina that links Interstate 40, Interstate 440, and downtown Raleigh. The roadway is internally designated as Secondary Road 1728 (SR 1728) from I-40 to Glenwood Avenue, however it is not signed as such. The short piece east of Glenwood Avenue carries U.S. Route 70 and North Carolina Highway 50.

## Route description

Wade Avenue begins at a modified Y-interchange with I-40 in West Raleigh and continues as a four-lane expressway, known locally as the Wade Avenue Extension. From here, the expressway continues southeast along mostly wooded areas and approaches a modified diamond interchange with Edwards Mill Road, providing access to Lenovo Center and the Carter–Finley Stadium. The highway then curves to a more easterly direction as it approaches another diamond interchange with Blue Ridge Road, which provides motorists access to the State Fairgrounds (home of the annual North Carolina State Fair, North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, and the North Carolina Museum of Art. Wade Avenue continues east toward a complex interchange with I-440/US 1; here, the expressway portion ends and Wade Avenue becomes a four-lane undivided arterial surface highway. Continuing east, the roadway passes by a pair of at-grade intersections that serve the city's Ridgewood section before the road downgrades and proceeds through a hilly terrain, passing by mostly residential neighborhoods for the next two miles. After a partial cloverleaf interchange with Oberlin Road, Wade Avenue returns to a southeasterly direction, passing by some state offices, then promptly turns to the northeast where it approaches an interchange U.S. Route 70 (US 70) and North Carolina Highway 50 (NC 50). From here, the two highways overlap with Wade Avenue until it ends at an interchange with U.S. Route 401 (Capital Boulevard) a half mile after, where US 70 and NC 50 join US 401 heading south toward downtown Raleigh.

## History

The highway was named after Senator Benjamin Wade, a prominent anti-slavery figure, at a time when it passed through a Black neighborhood built in the 1870s. The eastern mostly-boulevard section was finished by the mid 20th century, while the western freeway stretch would be finished in the 1980s. Prior to the completion of I-40 to South Raleigh (and on to Wilmington), and the southern portion of the Beltline (I-440), I-40 was temporarily signed along the then recently finished western segment, where it terminated at the Raleigh Beltline, which was then just U.S. Highway 1/64.

## Major intersections

The entire route is in Raleigh, Wake County. All exits are unnumbered.
| mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| 0 | 0.0 | I-40 – Wilmington, Durham | Western terminus; exit 289 on I-40 |
| 1.2 | 1.9 | Edwards Mill Road | Access to PNC Arena and Carter–Finley Stadium |
| 2.2 | 3.5 | Blue Ridge Road | Access to State Fairgrounds, NC Museum of Art, and Veterinary School |
| 3.0 | 4.8 | I-440 / US 1 – Wake Forest, Sanford | Exit 4 on I-440 |
| Eastern end of freeway section ||
| 4.9 | 7.9 | Oberlin Road | Interchange; access to Village District |
| 5.8 | 9.3 | US 70 west / NC 50 north (Glenwood Avenue) | Interchange; west end of concurrency with US 70 and NC 50 |
| 6.1 | 9.8 | US 401 / US 70 east / NC 50 south (Capital Boulevard) | Interchange; eastern terminus |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus ||||