North Carolina Highway 20
NC 20 is a 32-mile North Carolina state highway that runs through Robeson and Hoke counties. It serves as a major road in each of the three incorporated communities it passes through. The route is codesignated as Central Street in downtown Raeford, Main Street in Lumber Bridge, and Broad Street in St. Pauls.
Route description
NC 20 begins at its eastern terminus at NC 87 in northwest Bladen County near Tar Heel and the Cape Fear River. From there, the route travels in a westerly direction into Robeson County and through the heart of St. Pauls. After crossing US 301 (Fifth Street), NC 20 continues to an interchange with I-95 (exit 31) at the edge of town.
After the interchange, NC 20 darts northwest through the town of Lumber Bridge, where it crosses NC 71 (Fayetteville Street). Crossing over the county line into Hoke County, NC 20 heads northwest to meet with Business US 401 (Central Avenue) in downtown Robeson. There, NC 20 joins Business US 401 SOUTH for approximately 0.25 miles to end at NC 211 (Main Street). [1]
History
The original NC 20 was at one time the longest numbered route in North Carolina, running from the Tennessee border to the port city of Wilmington for a distance of 401 miles. After the introduction of U.S. highways in North Carolina in 1934, the route was carved up between routes US 19, US 70, US 74, US 76 and US 17.[2]
The modern NC 20 was originally NC 220. Despite a few minor reroutings, the state highway has remained largely unchanged since the 1930s. The NC 220 designation was dropped permanently from the state highway system around 1935 after the introduction of US 220 into North Carolina.[3]