# U.S. Route 401

U.S. Route 401 (US 401) is a north–south United States highway, a spur of U.S. Route 1, that travels along the Fall Line from Sumter, South Carolina to Interstate 85 near Wise, North Carolina.

## Route description

Starting in Sumter, South Carolina, US 401 goes northeast through mostly swamp and farmland, as it connects the cities of Darlington and Bennettsville before crossing the state line into North Carolina. Traversing the state for 77.2 miles (124.2 km), it is mostly a two-lane rural road, which is likely to only have local traffic along it due to nearby Interstate 95.
In North Carolina, the highway becomes more utilized, as it connects several mid-size and large cities in the state. In the sandhills region, it connects the cities of Laurinburg, Raeford, and Fayetteville, all three of which have business routes connecting the downtown areas. The road is typically two-lane still, but expands to four-lane (or more) in each city. The road then runs somewhat parallel to nearby Interstate 95 from Fayetteville through Lillington to Fuquay-Varina.
In Wake County, US 401 is center-stage again as a major north–south corridor, connecting bedroom communities to downtown Raleigh. Once it leaves the county, it reverts to a rural road connecting the small cities of Louisburg and Warrenton. US 401 finally ends at Interstate 85, just north of the community of Wise; completing a 173.8-mile (279.7 km) through the state.

## History

US 401 was established in 1957 as a renumbering of US 15A, from Sumter to Raleigh, and NC 59, from Raleigh to Norlina; it is the third and current route to bear the name.
In 1967, northbound US 401 was rerouted along South Street west onto McDowell Street, formally using Lenoir Street, in Raleigh. That same year, US 401 was rerouted onto a bypass route northwest of downtown Fayetteville, replacing part of NC 59; its old alignment became US 401 Business. In 1971, US 52/US 401 was placed on a new bypass northwest of Darlington; its old alignment became US 52 Business. In 1984, US 401 was rerouted along the eastern half of the Raleigh Beltline (Tom Bradshaw Freeway and Cliff Benson Beltline); its former alignment through downtown Raleigh was downgraded to secondary roads. In 1991, US 401 was rerouted back through downtown Raleigh after I-440 was established along the entire Raleigh Beltline. In 2001, US 401 was extended north, in concurrency with US 1, to its current northern terminus to I-85, north of Norlina. On July 16, 2015, US 401 was placed onto new four-lane superstreet alignment bypassing east of Rolesville; its former alignment through downtown Rolesville became US 401 Business.
The first US 401 existed between 1926 and 1931, solely in Virginia, it was replaced by US 52. The second US 401 existed between 1932 and 1934, in North Carolina and South Carolina, it was replaced by US 15 and US 15A.

## Future

Considered an important link between Fayetteville, Lillington and Raleigh, NCDOT has set up the US 401 Corridor Study. The purpose of the study is to identify deficiencies in the existing corridor and develop alternatives for accommodating future growth in traffic volumes (i.e. widen to multi-lanes). The corridor study also includes NC 55 and NC 210. Estimated costs for all road improvements along the corridor is around $193–222.6 million. Property acquisition and construction is unfunded at this time.

## Junction list

| State | County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| South Carolina | Sumter | Sumter | 0.0 | 0.0 | US 521 (Washington Street) / US 76 Bus. | |
| South Carolina | Sumter | Sumter | 0.5 | 0.80 | US 15 (Lafayette Drive) – Summerton, Bishopville | |
| South Carolina | Sumter | Sumter | 1.9 | 3.1 | US 76 / US 378 (Robert E. Graham Freeway) – Conway, Columbia | |
| South Carolina | Lee | St. Charles | 12.6 | 20.3 | SC 154 (St. Charles Highway) – Mayesville, Bishopville | |
| South Carolina | Lee | Elliott | 17.1 | 27.5 | SC 527 (Elliott Highway) – Kingstree, Bishopville | |
| South Carolina | Lee | ​ | 18.6 | 29.9 | SC 341 (Lynchburg Highway) – Lynchburg, Bishopville | |
| South Carolina | Darlington | Lamar | 24.5 | 39.4 | Main Street / Lee State Park Road – Lee State Park | |
| South Carolina | Darlington | ​ | 27.4 | 44.1 | SC 403 (Oates Highway) – Timmonsville, Hartsville | |
| South Carolina | Darlington | ​ | 28.0 | 45.1 | I-20 – Florence, Columbia | |
| South Carolina | Darlington | Darlington | 37.8 | 60.8 | US 52 south (Governor Williams Highway) – Florence | South end of US 52 overlap |
| South Carolina | Darlington | Darlington | 38.2 | 61.5 | SC 34 / SC 151 (Harry Byrd Highway) – Hartsville, Darlington, Charlotte | Interchange |
| South Carolina | Darlington | ​ | 41.1 | 66.1 | US 52 Bus. south (Main Street) – Darlington | |
| South Carolina | Darlington | ​ | 52.3 | 84.2 | US 15 south (Hartsville Highway) – Hartsville | South end of US 15 overlap |
| South Carolina | Darlington | Society Hill | 54.3 | 87.4 | US 52 north (Cheraw Highway) – Cheraw | North end of US 52 overlap |
| South Carolina | Marlboro | ​ | 61.3 | 98.7 | SC 912 (Willamette Road) | |
| South Carolina | Marlboro | Bennettsville | 64.6 | 104.0 | SC 385 north (Main Street) – Bennettsville | |
| South Carolina | Marlboro | Bennettsville | 65.6 | 105.6 | SC 9 north / SC 38 north (Cottingham Boulevard) – Cheraw | North end of SC 9/38 overlap |
| South Carolina | Marlboro | Bennettsville | 66.5 | 107.0 | SC 38 south / SC 9 Bus. north / SC 38 Bus. north (Broad Street) – Marion, Myrtle Beach | South end of SC 38 overlap |
| South Carolina | Marlboro | Bennettsville | 67.6 | 108.8 | SC 9 south (Tyson Avenue) – North Myrtle Beach, Dillon | South end of SC 9 overlap |
| South Carolina | Marlboro | ​ | | | I-73 | Proposed interchange |
| South Carolina | Marlboro | McColl | 75.6 | 121.7 | SC 381 (Main Street) – Clio, Blenheim, Hamlet | |
| | | | 77.20.0 | 124.20.0 | South Carolina–North Carolina state line | South Carolina–North Carolina state line |
| North Carolina | Scotland | Laurinburg | 5.2 | 8.4 | US 15 Bus. north / US 401 Bus. north (Main Street) | |
| North Carolina | Scotland | Laurinburg | 5.8 | 9.3 | I-74 / US 74 / US 501 south – Rockingham, Lumberton, Wilmington | South end of US 501 overlap |
| North Carolina | Scotland | Laurinburg | 7.0 | 11.3 | US 74 Bus. (Church Street) | |
| North Carolina | Scotland | Laurinburg | 8.8 | 14.2 | US 15 Bus. south / US 501 Bus. south (Aberdeen Road) US 15 north / US 501 north (Aberdeen Road) – Aberdeen, Sanford | North end of US 15/US 501 overlap |
| North Carolina | Scotland | Laurinburg | 9.8 | 15.8 | US 401 Bus. south (Wagram Road) | |
| North Carolina | Scotland | Wagram | 16.8 | 27.0 | NC 144 west (Old Wire Road) | To John Charles McNeill House |
| North Carolina | Hoke | Raeford | 26.9 | 43.3 | US 401 Bus. north (Harris Avenue) | |
| North Carolina | Hoke | Raeford | 27.2 | 43.8 | To NC 211 (Teal Drive) | |
| North Carolina | Hoke | ​ | 31.4 | 50.5 | US 401 Bus. south – Raeford | |
| North Carolina | Cumberland | Fayetteville | 43.8 | 70.5 | US 401 Bus. north (Raeford Road) | |
| North Carolina | Cumberland | Fayetteville | 46.3 | 74.5 | All American Expressway – Fort Bragg, Pope Army Airfield | |
| North Carolina | Cumberland | Fayetteville | 47.1 | 75.8 | NC 24 / NC 87 (Bragg Boulevard) | |
| North Carolina | Cumberland | Fayetteville | 49.4 | 79.5 | NC 210 | |
| North Carolina | Cumberland | Fayetteville | 51.7 | 83.2 | US 401 Bus. south (Ramsey Street) | |
| North Carolina | Cumberland | Fayetteville | 55.2 | 88.8 | I-295 north to I-95 / US 13 | |
| North Carolina | Cumberland | ​ | 64.3 | 103.5 | NC 217 north (Linden Road) – Linden | |
| North Carolina | Harnett | Lillington | 74.9 | 120.5 | NC 210 south – Spring Lake, Fort Bragg | South end of NC 210 overlap |
| North Carolina | Harnett | Lillington | 75.0 | 120.7 | NC 27 west (Old Road) – Cameron, Carthage | West end of NC 27 overlap |
| North Carolina | Harnett | Lillington | 75.4 | 121.3 | US 421 north (Front Street) – Sanford | North end of US 421 overlap; to Raven Rock State Park |
| North Carolina | Harnett | Lillington | 77.0 | 123.9 | US 421 south / NC 27 east / NC 210 north – Erwin, Dunn, Angier | South end of US 421, east end of NC 27, and north end of NC 210 overlap |
| North Carolina | Wake | Fuquay Varina | 89.7 | 144.4 | NC 42 west (Academy Street) – Sanford | West end of NC 42 overlap |
| North Carolina | Wake | Fuquay Varina | 90.5 | 145.6 | NC 55 west (Ennis Street) – Holly Springs | West end of NC 55 overlap |
| North Carolina | Wake | Fuquay Varina | 92.5 | 148.9 | NC 42 east / NC 55 east – Angier, Clayton | East end of NC 42/NC 55 overlap |
| North Carolina | Wake | ​ | 97.7 | 157.2 | NC 540 Toll | |
| North Carolina | Wake | Garner | 103.8 | 167.0 | US 70 east / NC 50 south – Garner, Smithfield, Goldsboro | East end of US 70 and south end of NC 50 overlap |
| North Carolina | Wake | Raleigh | 104.8 | 168.7 | Wilmington Street – Downtown Raleigh | |
| North Carolina | Wake | Raleigh | 105.5 | 169.8 | I-40 / US 64 – Cary, Durham, Benson | |
| North Carolina | Wake | Raleigh | 106.7 | 171.7 | Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard / Western Boulevard | |
| North Carolina | Wake | Raleigh | 108.2 | 174.1 | Peace Street | |
| North Carolina | Wake | Raleigh | 108.7 | 174.9 | US 70 west / NC 50 north (Wade Avenue) – RDU Airport, Research Triangle Park | West end of US 70 and north end of NC 50 overlap |
| North Carolina | Wake | Raleigh | 108.8 | 175.1 | Fairview Avenue | Northbound left exit, no northbound entrance |
| North Carolina | Wake | Raleigh | 109.5 | 176.2 | North Wake Forest Road | No southbound exit |
| North Carolina | Wake | Raleigh | 109.7 | 176.5 | South Wake Forest Road / Atlantic Avenue | |
| North Carolina | Wake | Raleigh | 111.2 | 179.0 | I-440 / US 1 south – Sanford, Rocky Mount | South end of US 1 overlap |
| North Carolina | Wake | Raleigh | 113.5 | 182.7 | US 1 north (Capital Boulevard) – Wake Forest, Henderson | North end of US 1 overlap |
| North Carolina | Wake | Raleigh | 115.9 | 186.5 | I-540 – Rocky Mount, Wilson, Durham | SPUI |
| North Carolina | Wake | ​ | 125.5 | 202.0 | NC 96 (Zebulon Road) – Zebulon, Youngsville | |
| North Carolina | Franklin | ​ | 127.4 | 205.0 | NC 98 – Bunn, Wake Forest | |
| North Carolina | Franklin | Louisburg | 136.9 | 220.3 | NC 56 west – Franklinton | West end of NC 56 overlap |
| North Carolina | Franklin | Louisburg | 137.6 | 221.4 | NC 39 south – Bunn | South end of NC 39 overlap |
| North Carolina | Franklin | Louisburg | 138.5 | 222.9 | NC 56 east / NC 581 south (Nash Street) – Rocky Mount | East end of NC 56 overlap |
| North Carolina | Franklin | Louisburg | 139.1 | 223.9 | NC 561 east – Centerville | |
| North Carolina | Franklin | Ingleside | 144.0 | 231.7 | NC 39 north – Henderson | North end of NC 39 overlap |
| North Carolina | Warren | Warrenton | 162.3 | 261.2 | US 158 Bus. east / NC 58 south (Macon Street) – Macon, Centerville | East end of US 158 Business overlap |
| North Carolina | Warren | Norlina | 165.5 | 266.3 | US 158 east – Macon, Roanoke Rapids | East end of US 158 and west end of US 158 Business overlap |
| North Carolina | Warren | Norlina | 166.7 | 268.3 | US 1 south / US 158 west – Middleburg, Henderson | South end of US 1 and west end of US 158 overlap |
| North Carolina | Warren | ​ | 173.8 | 279.7 | I-85 / US 1 north – Henderson, Richmond | Continuation as US 1 |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access Unopened |||||||