# North Carolina Highway 53

North Carolina Highway 53 (NC 53) is a 126-mile-long (203 km) primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina that mainly runs west–east in the eastern part of the state.

## Route description

The highway begins near Fayetteville in Cumberland County. It runs through mostly rural areas in Bladen County, Pender County, and Onslow County before emerging near Jacksonville.
The NCDOT extended the highway in August 2010 along the NC 24 bypass around the southern side of the city, then continuing onto Western Boulevard. This thoroughfare consists of the most commercially used area in the city. It was done to facilitate ease of obtaining future funding to maintain the roadway there.

## History

NC 53 was created in 1923 as a new state route. It ran from NC 50 (where the old US 1, US 15/US 501/NC 87 split is) to Pittsboro. In 1924 NC 53 was extended to Sanford then replaced NC 241 then went down current NC 24 into Fayetteville. In 1928 NC 53 was truncated to Sanford. In 1933 NC 53 was extended to US 701, NC 41, NC 201 in Elizabethtown. In 1934 NC 53 was extended along the entire routing of NC 201 to Jacksonville. Also in 1934 NC 53 was truncated to NC 24 in Fayetteville. In 2010 NC 53 was extended around the NC 24 bypass in Jacksonville to Gum Branch Road where its current terminus is.

### North Carolina Highway 601

NC 601 originally ran from NC 60 (current US 421) to NC 40 in Burgaw. In 1930 NC 601 was extended west to Atkinson. The same year NC 601 was extended to NC 24 in Jacksonville. In 1932 NC 601 was renumbered as part of NC 201. Today it is part of NC 53.

## Major intersections

| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
| Cumberland | Fayetteville | 0.0 | 0.0 | NC 24 / NC 210 north (Grove Street) | Western end of NC 210 concurrency |
| Cumberland | Fayetteville | 3.5– 3.7 | 5.6– 6.0 | I-95 – Lumberton, Benson | Exit 49 (I-95) |
| Cumberland | ​ | 6.7 | 10.8 | NC 210 south – Moores Creek | Eastern end of NC 210 concurrency |
| Bladen | ​ | 34.5 | 55.5 | NC 242 north – Jones Lake State Park | Western end of NC 242 concurrency |
| Bladen | Sutton's Corner | 34.6 | 55.7 | US 701 south / NC 41 south / NC 242 south – Elizabethtown | Eastern end of NC 242 concurrency; Western end of US 701 / NC 41 concurrency |
| Bladen | White Lake | 38.6 | 62.1 | US 701 north / NC 41 north – White Lake | Eastern end of US 701 / NC 41 concurrency |
| Bladen | ​ | 60.0 | 96.6 | NC 210 north – Fayetteville | Western end of NC 210 concurrency |
| Bladen | Colly | 60.7 | 97.7 | NC 210 south – Moores Creek, Hampstead, Acme | Eastern end of NC 210 concurrency |
| Bladen | ​ | 64.3 | 103.5 | NC 11 south – Freeman | Western end of NC 11 concurrency |
| Pender | Ward's Corner | 74.5 | 119.9 | US 421 / NC 11 north – Wilmington, Clinton | Eastern end of NC 11 concurrency |
| Pender | Burgaw | 83.1 | 133.7 | US 117 Bus. south (Walker Street) / Wilmington Street | Western end of US 117 Bus. concurrency |
| Pender | Burgaw | 83.5 | 134.4 | US 117 Bus. north (Timerly Lane) | Eastern end of US 117 Bus. concurrency |
| Pender | Burgaw | 83.8 | 134.9 | US 117 – Wallace, Wilmington | |
| Pender | ​ | 85.3– 85.5 | 137.3– 137.6 | I-40 – Wilmington, Benson | Exit 398 (I-40) |
| Pender | Maple Hill | 98.6 | 158.7 | NC 50 – Chinquapin, Holly Ridge, Topsail Island | |
| Onslow | ​ | 114.0 | 183.5 | US 258 / NC 24 west / NC 24 Bus. east (Richlands Highway) – Richlands, Kinston, Jacksonville | Western end of NC 24 concurrency; Western terminus of NC 24 Bus. |
| Onslow | Jacksonville | 114.7– 115.1 | 184.6– 185.2 | US 17 Bus. (Wilmington Highway) to US 17 south – Jacksonville, Wilmington | Interchange |
| Onslow | Jacksonville | 115.6 | 186.0 | US 17 south – Wilmington | Interchange; Western end of US 17 concurrency; eastbound entrance / westbound exit only |
| Onslow | Jacksonville | 118.3 | 190.4 | Montford Point Road | Interchange; eastbound exit / westbound entrance only |
| Onslow | Jacksonville | 118.7 | 191.0 | US 17 north – New Bern | Interchange; Eastern end of US 17 concurrency; eastbound exit / westbound entrance only |
| Onslow | Jacksonville | 119.3– 119.6 | 192.0– 192.5 | NC 24 Bus. west (Lejeune Boulevard) to US 17 north – New Bern, Jacksonville | Interchange; Eastern terminus of NC 24 Bus.; eastbound entrance / westbound exit only |
| Onslow | Jacksonville | 119.7– 120.0 | 192.6– 193.1 | Camp Lejeune | Interchange with Wilson Blvd |
| Onslow | Jacksonville | 120.6 | 194.1 | NC 24 east (Lejeune Boulevard) / Tarawa Boulevard – Morehead City, Camp Lejeune | Eastern end of NC 24 concurrency |
| Onslow | Jacksonville | 123.1 | 198.1 | US 17 (Marine Boulevard) – Wilmington, New Bern | |
| Onslow | Jacksonville | 126.5 | 203.6 | Gum Branch Road / Western Boulevard | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access ||||||