# North Carolina Highway 87

North Carolina Highway 87 (NC 87) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. NC 87 begins in the Atlantic coastal town of Southport and crosses into Virginia at the Virginia state line five miles (8 km) north of Eden in Rockingham County. At 240 miles (390 km) in length, NC 87 is the second longest state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina with only North Carolina Highway 24 (NC 24) being longer. Labeled as a north–south route, NC 87 travels along a relatively straight southeast–northwest path, connecting Cape Fear region with the Piedmont. It is also the main north-south route connecting the cities of Fayetteville, Sanford, Burlington and Reidsville.

## Route description

NC 87 is a four-lane, divided highway with at-grade crossings between Elizabethtown and Sanford with the exception of Fayetteville, where NC 87 is a freeway. Other sections that are four-lane, divided highways include concurrencies with US 17 and US 74/US 76 in Brunswick County.
In Sanford, it intersects US 421, on which users can travel east to Lillington, or northwest to Greensboro, and Winston-Salem. North of Sanford, NC 87 runs concurrent with US 15/US 501 to Pittsboro. It then continues towards Graham as a two-lane highway. It returns to four-lanes in southern Graham, returning to two-lane in downtown Graham. The route makes a left turn one block north of the Alamance County Courthouse, where it follows a two-lane road before making a right turn onto a four-lane street. The highway remains four-lane through downtown Burlington, returning to mostly two lanes for the remainder of its route in North Carolina, save for Reidsville, where it intersects US 29, and runs on four-lane commercial corridor Freeway Drive.

## History
### North Carolina Highway 303

North Carolina Highway 303 (NC 303) was a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Established as an original state highway, NC 303 was routed from NC 30, in Pollocksville, west through Trenton, before ending at NC 10/NC 11, in Kinston. In 1925, all of NC 303 was renumbered as part of NC 12. In 1930, NC 303 was resurrected as a new primary routing from NC 130 (now NC 211), near Southport, to NC 30 (became US 17 in late 1934), near Winnabow. On October 23, 1952, NC 303 was renumbered as an extension of NC 87.

## Major intersections

| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| Brunswick | Southport | 0.0 | 0.0 | NC 211 (Howe Street) – Supply | Southern terminus |
| Brunswick | Southport | 1.3 | 2.1 | NC 133 south (Long Beach Road) – Caswell Beach | South end of concurrency with NC 133 |
| Brunswick | Boiling Spring Lakes | 3.3 | 5.3 | NC 133 north (River Road) – Belville | North end of concurrency with NC 133 |
| Brunswick | Winnabow | 15.2 | 24.5 | US 17 south (Ocean Highway) – Bolivia, Shallotte | South end of concurrency with US 17 |
| Brunswick | Bishop | 18.6 | 29.9 | US 17 north (Ocean Highway) to I-140 – Leland, Wilmington | North end of concurrency with US 17 |
| Brunswick | Maco | 27.9 | 44.9 | US 74 / US 76 east (Andrew Jackson Highway) – Leland, Wilmington | South end of concurrency with US 74/US 76 |
| Columbus | Delco | 32.4 | 52.1 | US 74 / US 76 west (Andrew Jackson Highway) – Bolton, Whiteville | North end of concurrency with US 74/US 76 |
| Columbus | Sandyfield | 38.4 | 61.8 | NC 11 (General Howe Highway) – Bolton, Long View | |
| Bladen | Elizabethtown | 62.7 | 100.9 | NC 87 Bus. north (Broad Street) | Southern terminus of NC 87 Bus. |
| Bladen | Elizabethtown | 64.7 | 104.1 | US 701 / NC 242 – Clarkton, Bladenboro, White Lake, Roseboro | |
| Bladen | Elizabethtown | 69.2 | 111.4 | NC 41 north / NC 87 Bus. south – White Lake, Harrells | South end of concurrency with NC 41; Northern terminus of NC 87 Bus. |
| Bladen | Dublin | 70.9 | 114.1 | NC 41 south – Lumberton, Fairmont | North end of concurrency with NC 41 |
| Bladen | Dublin | 72.4 | 116.5 | NC 410 south (3rd Street) – Bladenboro | Northern terminus of NC 410 |
| Bladen | Tar Heel | 79.2 | 127.5 | NC 131 south – Bladenboro | Northern terminus of NC 131 |
| Bladen | Tar Heel | 84.2 | 135.5 | NC 20 west – St. Pauls | Eastern terminus of NC 20 |
| Cumberland | Fayetteville | 97.9 | 157.6 | I-95 north – Benson, Smithfield I-95 south – Lumberton, Florence | Cloverleaf interchange with Collector/distributor lanes; Exit 46 |
| Cumberland | Fayetteville | 100.3 | 161.4 | Owen Drive | Diamond interchange |
| Cumberland | Fayetteville | 102.0 | 164.2 | I-95 BL / US 301 (Eastern Boulevard) – St. Pauls, Eastover | Partial cloverleaf interchange |
| Cumberland | Fayetteville | 102.8 | 165.4 | Gillespie Street | Partial cloverleaf interchange |
| Cumberland | Fayetteville | 103.5 | 166.6 | US 401 Bus. south (Robeson Street) – Raeford | South end of concurrency with US 401 Bus.; Partial cloverleaf interchange |
| Cumberland | Fayetteville | 104.2 | 167.7 | Hay Street | Diamond interchange |
| Cumberland | Fayetteville | 104.7 | 168.5 | US 401 Bus. north (Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway) / NC 24 east (Rowan Street) – Raleigh, Stedman | North end of concurrency with US 401 Bus.; South end of concurrency with NC 24; Diamond interchange |
| Cumberland | Fayetteville | 108.6 | 174.8 | US 401 (Skibo Road/Pamalee Drive) – Lumberton, Lillington | |
| Cumberland | Spring Lake | 114.1 | 183.6 | NC 210 south (Murchison Road) – Fayetteville | South end of concurrency with NC 210 |
| Cumberland | Spring Lake | 114.5 | 184.3 | NC 210 north (Lillington Highway) – Lillington | North end of concurrency with NC 210 |
| Cumberland | Spring Lake | 116.7 | 187.8 | NC 690 west (Vass Road) – Vass | Eastern terminus of NC 690 |
| Harnett | Spout Springs | 123.1 | 198.1 | NC 24 west – Johnsonville, Cameron | North end of concurrency with NC 24; Partial cloverleaf interchange |
| Harnett | Pineview | 126.5 | 203.6 | NC 27 – Carthage, Lillington | Diamond interchange |
| Lee | Sanford | 135.5 | 218.1 | NC 87 Byp. north to US 421 – Raleigh, Pittsboro | |
| Lee | Sanford | 137.0 | 220.5 | US 421 Bus. south – Lillington | South end of concurrency with US 421 Bus. |
| Lee | Sanford | 138.1 | 222.3 | NC 42 east / NC 78 west (Main Street) – Fuquay-Varina | South end of concurrency with NC 42; Eastern terminus of NC 78 |
| Lee | Sanford | 140.7 | 226.4 | US 1 Bus. / NC 42 west (Carthage Street) – Carbonton | North end of concurrency with NC 42 |
| Lee | Sanford | 141.9 | 228.4 | US 1 south / US 15 south / US 501 south (Jefferson Davis Highway) / US 421 Bus. north (Horner Boulevard) – Cameron, Carthage, Goldston | South end of concurrency with US 1/15/501; North end of concurrency with US 421 Bus.; Partial cloverleaf interchange |
| Lee | Sanford | 142.5 | 229.3 | Burns Drive/Canterbury Road | Partial cloverleaf interchange; exit 69B on US 1 |
| Lee | Sanford | 143.0 | 230.1 | US 421 (Oscar Keller Jr. Highway) / NC 87 Byp. south – Lillington, Siler City, Greensboro | Cloverleaf interchange; exit 70 on US 1 |
| Lee | Sanford | 144.2 | 232.1 | US 1 north / US 1 Bus. south (Hawkins Avenue) – Moncure, Raleigh | North end of concurrency with US 1; Northern terminus of US 1 Bus.; Partial cloverleaf interchange |
| Chatham | Pittsboro | 157.5 | 253.5 | US 15 / US 501 north (Sanford Road) – Fearrington, Chapel Hill | North end of concurrency with US 15/US 501 |
| Chatham | Pittsboro | 158.0 | 254.3 | NC 902 west – Bear Creek | South end of concurrency with NC 902 |
| Chatham | Pittsboro | 158.9 | 255.7 | US 64 Bus. / NC 902 (West Street) | Eastern terminus of NC 902; North end of concurrency with NC 902 |
| Chatham | Pittsboro | 160.8 | 258.8 | US 64 – Siler City, Raleigh | Diamond interchange |
| Alamance | Graham | 186.5 | 300.1 | I-40 / I-85 – Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Hillsborough, Durham | Diamond interchange; exit 147 on I-85 |
| Alamance | Graham | 187.3 | 301.4 | NC 49 north / NC 54 east (Harden Street) – Haw River, Durham | South end of concurrency with NC 49/NC 54 |
| Alamance | Graham | 187.8 | 302.2 | NC 49 south / NC 54 west (Harden Street) – Liberty, Burlington | North end of concurrency with NC 49/NC 54 |
| Alamance | Burlington | 189.1 | 304.3 | NC 100 east (Anthony Avenue) | South end of concurrency with NC 100 |
| Alamance | Burlington | 190.1– 190.3 | 305.9– 306.3 | US 70 / NC 62 (Fisher and Church Streets) – Greensboro, Haw River, Julian, Pleasant Grove | One-way pair streets |
| Alamance | Burlington | 192.8 | 310.3 | NC 100 west (Haggard Avenue) – Whitsett | North end of concurrency with NC 100 |
| Caswell | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions | No major junctions |
| Rockingham | ​ | 208.1 | 334.9 | NC 150 east – Yanceyville | East end of NC 150 concurrency |
| Rockingham | Williamsburg | 209.2 | 336.7 | NC 150 west – Oak Ridge | West end of NC 150 concurrency |
| Rockingham | Reidsville | 212.9 | 342.6 | US 29 – Greensboro, Danville, VA | Diamond interchange |
| Rockingham | Reidsville | 214.4 | 345.0 | US 29 Bus. south | South end of concurrency with US 29 Bus. |
| Rockingham | Reidsville | 215.8 | 347.3 | Front Street to US 158 west (Richardson Drive) – Monroeton | Partial cloverleaf interchange; South end of concurrency with US 158 |
| Rockingham | Reidsville | 217.9 | 350.7 | US 29 Bus. north / US 158 east (Freeway Drive) / NC 65 east (Harrison Street) – Yanceyville, Roxboro | North end of concurrency with US 29 Bus. and US 158; South end of concurrency with NC 65; Diamond interchange |
| Rockingham | Wentworth | 221.8 | 357.0 | NC 65 west – Stokesdale | North end of concurrency with NC 65 |
| Rockingham | ​ | | | US 311 south / NC 770 west / Old NC 87 | South end of concurrency with US 311/NC 770 |
| Rockingham | Eden | 229.5 | 369.3 | NC 14 south – Reidsville | South end of concurrency with NC 14 |
| Rockingham | Eden | 231.8 | 373.0 | US 311 north / NC 700 east / NC 770 east (Meadow Road) – Stoneville, Pelham | Partial cloverleaf interchange; north end of concurrency with US 311/NC 770; western terminus of NC 700 |
| Rockingham | ​ | 236.8 | 381.1 | SR 87 north (Morehead Avenue) – Ridgeway NC 14 ends | Northern terminus, Virginia state line; north end of concurrency with NC 14 |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus ||||||

## Special routes
### Elizabethtown business loop

North Carolina Highway 87 Business (NC 87 Bus.), was established in 1997, when mainline NC 87 was moved south to bypass downtown Elizabethtown. NC 87 Business follows the original alignment along Broad Street.
The entire route is in Elizabethtown, Bladen County.
| mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| 0.0 | 0.0 | NC 87 – Fayetteville, Wilmington | |
| 2.0 | 3.2 | US 701 / NC 41 east (Poplar Street) / NC 242 – Clinton, Whiteville | East end of NC 41 overlap |
| 6.4 | 10.3 | NC 41 west / NC 87 – Fayetteville, Lumberton, Wilmington | West end of NC 41 overlap |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus ||||

### Fayetteville alternate route 1

North Carolina Highway 87 Alternate (NC 87A), was established between 1940-44 as a new primary routing. It ran from US 15A/NC 87 (Hay Street) north along Robeson Street and then west along Fort Bragg Boulevard, recombining with mainline NC 87 on Fort Bragg Road. Sometime between 1945–49, it switched with mainline NC 87.

### Fayetteville alternate route 2

North Carolina Highway 87 Alternate (NC 87A), was established between 1945–49, the second NC 87A in Fayetteville followed the original NC 87 alignment along Hay Street, Morganton Road, and Fort Bragg Road. The route was decommissioned between 1955-57.

### Sanford bypass

North Carolina Highway 87 Bypass (NC 87 By-pass) was established in 2013 as a new primary route along existing sections of the Sanford Bypass (formally SR 9000), from NC 87 to US 1/US 15/US 501. The request to establish a bypass was pushed by the Sanford City Council and Lee County. Typically, the old alignment would become a business loop, but instead the NC 87 mainline remained unchanged. The bypass is built as a freeway; which shares designation with US 421.