North Carolina Highway 86
North Carolina Highway 86 (NC 86) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina that runs north and south through Orange and Caswell Counties from Chapel Hill to the Virginia state line at Danville, Virginia. The highway primarily links up the towns of Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, and Yanceyville, along with providing a route between Chapel Hill and Virginia. Between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, NC 86 serves as an alternative to I-40. Route description. NC 86 travels north from its southern terminus at US 15/US 501/NC 54 Bypass (Fordham Boulevard) in  Chapel Hill, passing through the UNC campus and the town center. Exiting Chapel Hill into rural Orange County NC 86 meets I-40 before arriving in Hillsborough. There, the route meets I-85 and then passes through downtown Hillsborough. Further north, 86 meets the southern terminus of NC 57. NC 86 briefly joins NC 49 as they cross the Caswell County line. Entering the small community of Prospect Hill, NC 86 splits from NC 49 and travels north toward Yanceyville. Just outside Yanceyville, NC 86 joins US 158 and crosses NC 62. After passing through central Yanceyville, US 158 splits west while  NC 86 continues north to the state line, where the route continues as State Route 86 and travels into Danville, Virginia. History. Prior to 1940, this was numbered as NC 14. It was renumbered to match up with Virginia's Route 86. Simultaneous with that change, the old NC 65 was renumbered as NC 14. Old North Carolina Highway 86, (sometimes referred to as Old 86), is a highway that parallels NC 86. Heading from NC 54 near Carrboro, it follows northwest to Homestead/Dairyland Road near the unincorporated community of Calvander, it heads north paralleling I-40 until the intersection  at exit 261. Then intersecting I-85, at exit 164, it ends at the intersection with US 70 Business, and NC 86. The highway was moved to the more heavily traveled corridor between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough in the 1950s. Special routes. Hillsborough truck route. North Carolina Highway 86 Truck (NC 86 Truck) is a bypass route for truck drivers that are traveling through the city of Hillsborough. This route goes west around the entire city, via I-85 (between exits 165 and 160), I-85 Connector and US 70. The routing is well marked throughout and there are warning signs for truck  drivers, including "tolerance ends," for that continue through the city.