North Carolina State Highway 50 is a state highway that runs from Topsail Beach to Creedmoor. Despite being signed as a north-south highway, NC 50's route east of Raleigh is roughly east-west, spending much of its time running parallel to I-40.
Route Description
NC 50 enters Wake County from the south following two-lane Benson Road through an unincorporated section of Wake County near the town of Garner. Much of the development along this segment of NC 50 is predominantly residential, with occasional retail. Benson Road travels north to an interchange with US 70, with NC 50 traveling west along US 70 towards US 401. The three highways merge onto South Wilmington Street, carrying them out of Garner and into Raleigh. Less than a mile north, Wilmington Street splits to the northwest as US 70/401/NC 50 continue into Downtown Raleigh via South Saunders Street. The highways follow southbound Dawson and northbound McDowell Streets through Downtown Raleigh, after which they leave Downtown via Capital Boulevard. US 70/NC 50 then follow Wade Avenue to Glenwood Avenue and continue north to Crabtree Valley Mall. NC 50 splits from US 70 at four-lane Creedmoor Road, which serves a mixture of retail and residential development. At I-540, Creedmoor Road's landscape changes from commercial to residential, and the roadway transitions to a two-lane farm-to-market road north of the interchange. At an interchange with NC 98 in unincorporated Wake County, NC 50 passes by the Falls Lake State Recreational Area, with the Creedmoor Road designation terminating at Old Weaver Trail. NC 50 crosses into Granville County, ending at NC 56 in the town of Creedmoor.
NC 50 Corridor Study
A joint venture between the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, Wake and Granville Counties, and the cities of Raleigh and Creedmoor. The study focuses on the stretch of roadway between I-540 in Raleigh and NC 56 in Creedmoor. The ultimate plan will have most of NC 50 north of 540 widened to a four-lane median-divided road, with pedestrian and bicycle facilities available.
The first segment of the widening project, slated to begin property aquisition in 2021 and construction in 2024, covers the segment between I-540 and NC 98. Improvements being considered in addition to the four-lane widening include converting the I-540 interchange into a diverging diamond interchange and constructing superstreet intersections. The project will cost an estimated $92.3 million.
