North Carolina Highway 121
North Carolina Highway 121 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by NCDOT | ||||
| Length | 7.64 mi[1] (12.30 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |   I-587 / US 258 in Farmville | |||
| North end |  NC 43 in Bruce | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | North Carolina | |||
| Counties | Pitt | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
North Carolina Highway 121 (NC 121) is a 7.6-mile-long (12.2 km) primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The highway travels through western Pitt County from Interstate 587 (I-587) at exit 66 and US 258 to NC 43 in the unincorporated community of Bruce. Though it is signed as a north–south highway, the overall length of the route travels more east–west.
Route description
NC 121 begins at an interchange with I-587 and US 258 northeast of Farmville. Farmland and small homes line the highway as it passes through the communities of Joyners Crossroads and California. After passing through California, NC 121 cuts through farmland with small swaths of forest before it ends at NC 43 in Bruce, a small settlement between Greenville and Falkland.
History
Previous designation
North Carolina Highway 121 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Richlands–Kinston |
| Length | 25 mi (40 km) |
| Existed | c. 1930[2]–c. 1935[3] |
NC 121 first appeared on North Carolina state transportation maps in 1930, travelling between NC 24 in Richlands and NC 12 south of Kinston.[2][4][5] At the time of establishment, the approximately 25 miles (40 km) highway was classified as a graded road. Construction along the roadway in Lenoir and Jones Counties began the same year that NC 121 was established.[2] Construction was completed and the entire highway was paved by 1933.[6] In June 1932, the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) approved the routing of US 258 which was ran concurrently with NC 121 between Richlands and Kinston.[6][7] By 1935, NC 121 was eliminated from its entire route.[3]
Current designation
The current designation of NC 121 first on state transportation maps in 1940, running northeast between US 264 in Farmville to NC 43 in Bruce. At the time of establishment, the highway was 8-mile-long (13 km) and was completely paved. The routing remained the same until July 1988, when NC 121 was extended west. From its former terminus, NC 121 replaced US 264A to US 264, where it shared a brief concurrency. The highway then extended west to NC 91 northeast of Walstonburg.[8] In 1992, US 264 Alternate replaced US 264 along the concurrency west of Farmville.[9] In 1999, the western terminus of NC 121 was shifted from NC 91 to US 264 northwest of Farmville. The former alignment became part of US 264 Alternate. In 2022, I-587 replaced US 264 in the vicinity of Farmville and US 264 was shifted to replace US 264 Alternate, reestablishing a concurrency between US 264 and NC 121. On March 13, 2024, NC 121 was truncated and realigned to follow Wesley Church Rd south to a new terminus at I-587 (Exit 48) and US 258. [10]
Junction list
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitt | Farmville | 0.00 | 0.00 | I-587 / US 258 – Farmville, Snow Hill, Tarboro, Wilson, Greenville | I-587 Exit 48 |
| 1.95 | 3.14 | Old NC 121 | |||
| Bruce | 7.64 | 12.30 | NC 43 – Greenville, Falkland | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
References
- ^ a b "NCDOT: State Mapping Resources". North Carolina Department of Transportation. 2011. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- Greene County Archived 2017-01-26 at the Wayback Machine
- Pitt County Archived 2011-10-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c North Carolina State Highway Commission (1930). State Highway System of North Carolina (Map) (1930 ed.). 1:1448228. Cartography by North Carolina State Highway Commission. Raleigh: Bynum Printing Company.
- ^ a b Sawyer, C.M.; Hampton, W.W. (1935). State highway system of North Carolina (Map). 1:11,520. Raleigh: North Carolina State Highway Commission.
- ^ North Carolina State Highway Commission (1929). State Highway System of North Carolina (Map). Raleigh: North Carolina State Highway Commission.
- ^ North Carolina State Highway Commission (1930). Lenoir County (PDF) (Map). Raleigh: North Carolina State Highway Commission. p. 55.
- ^ a b North Carolina State Highway Commission (1933). State Highway System of North Carolina (Map) (1933 ed.). 1:887,040. Cartography by C.M. Sawyer. Raleigh: North Carolina State Highway Commission.
- ^
- ^ "Route Changes (1988-07-11)" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. July 11, 1988. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "Route Changes (1992-08-21)" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. August 21, 1992. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "Certification of Rulemaking" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. March 12, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.