 North Carolina Highway 51 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byNCDOT | ||||
| Length | 22.2 mi[1] (35.7 km) | |||
| Existed | 1934–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  SC 51 at theSouth Carolina state line | |||
| Major intersections | ||||
| North end |   NC 24 /NC 27 in Mint Hill | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | North Carolina | |||
| Counties | Mecklenburg | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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North Carolina Highway 51 (NC 51) is a primarystate highway in the U.S. state ofNorth Carolina entirely inMecklenburg County. It connects the towns ofPineville,Matthews andMint Hill.
Though NC 51 begins at the state line,SC 51 is a short 1-mile-long (1.6 km) road that connects withUS 21, nearFort Mill, South Carolina. Crossing the state line, NC 51 quickly becomes a four-lane road as it goes through the town of Pineville. After its first intersection withI-485, it enters theCharlotte city limits. In Charlotte, NC 51 crosses the busy intersections of Johnston Road and Providence Road, known for rush-hour traffic during the weekdays. InMatthews, NC 51 bypasses the main downtown area, followed by a semi-controlled interchanged withUS 74 (Independence Boulevard). As the NC 51 enters Mint Hill, the road narrows to two-lane. NC 51 crosses intersects I-485 again, before ending atNC 24/NC 27 (Albemarle Road).[2][1]
The first NC 51 was an original state highway that traveled fromNC 20, inRockingham, toNC 74, inWadeville.[3] In 1928, Rockingham toEllerbe became an extension ofNC 75.[4] In 1934, NC 51 was decommissioned in favor ofNC 73, between Ellerbe andMount Gilead, andNC 109, between Mount Gilead and Wadeville.[5]
The second and current NC 51 was established in 1934 as a renumbering of NC 276, betweenUS 21/US 521, in Pineville, to NC 27, nearAllen.[5] In 1968, NC 51 was extended to theSouth Carolina state line, replacing a segment of US 21.[6] In 1981, NC 51 was placed on new alignment in Pineville, abandoning an old routing along Lee Street and eliminating a short concurrency with US 521.[7] In 1995, NC 51 was placed on new bypass north of downtown Matthews, marked as Matthews Township Parkway. The old alignment along Matthews-Mint Hill Road was downgraded to secondary road.[8]
 North Carolina Highway 276 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pineville–Allen |
| Length | 20.4 mi[9] (32.8 km) |
| Existed | 1930–1934 |
North Carolina Highway 276 (NC 276) appeared in 1930 as new primary routing fromNC 26, in Pineville, to NC 27, near Allen.[4] In 1934, it was renumbered as the second NC 51.[5]
The entire route is inMecklenburg County.
| Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pineville | 0.0 | 0.0 |  SC 51 south –Fort Mill | South Carolina state line | |
| 2.5– 2.8 | 4.0– 4.5 |  I-485 –Matthews,Huntersville | I-485 exit 64 | ||
| Charlotte | 8.5 | 13.7 |  NC 16 (Providence Road) –Waxhaw | ||
| Matthews | 13.1– 13.4 | 21.1– 21.6 |  US 74 (Independence Boulevard) –Charlotte,Monroe | Interchange | |
| Mint Hill | 18.9 | 30.4 |   NC 218 east (Fairview Road) / Wilgrove Mint Hill Road –Fairview | Western terminus of NC 218 | |
| 20.6– 20.7 | 33.2– 33.3 | I-485 –Matthews,Huntersville | I-485 exit 43 | ||
| 22.2 | 35.7 | NC 24 /NC 27 (Albemarle Road) –Charlotte,Albemarle | |||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
Media related toNorth Carolina Highway 51 at Wikimedia Commons
