North Carolina Highway 28
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| NC 28 |
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| Length: | 73 mi (117 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | 1938 | ||||||||
| South end: |  Georgia 28 near Satola, GA |
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| Major junctions: |
 US 64 in Highlands US 64 in Franklin US 23 in Franklin US 74 in Lauada |
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| North end: |  US 129 near Rymers Ferry |
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| Counties: | Macon, Graham | ||||||||
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NC 28 is a North Carolina state highway that travels through scenic mountainous country in the southwestern corner of the state.
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[edit] Route description
NC 28 starts at the Georgia state line in Macon County. Southward the road continues as Georgia 28. This is the sole state highway that keeps its exact number as it crosses between Georgia and North Carolina. (NC 60 may also be considered to sort-of keep its route. It continues in Georgia as Spur 60. Mainline Georgia 60 meets the state line some miles to the west).
From the state line, it follows a winding course northwards to Highlands. There it begins a 14 mile concurrency with US 64 on the way west to Franklin. From Franklin it leaves US 64 and travels north/northwest, mostly following the Little Tennessee River valley. There is a 3 mile concurrency with US 74 between the unincorporated communities of Lauada and Needmore. From Needmore, it follows a westerly course along the southern shore of man-made Fontana Lake. A side road crosses the TVA constructed Fontana Dam; NC 28 skirts the southern boundary of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park before reaching its northern terminus at US 129.
[edit] History
- This road is the third to bear the NC 28 designation.[1]
- The first NC 28 was an original 1922 state highway in the same general part of the state. With the coming of the U.S. Highways, it was replaced by US 64 and US 221 in 1934.
- The number was recycled to replace the original NC 21 south of Fayetteville, which was itself removed in favor of US 21. This routing lasted from 1935-1938, when it was renumbered as NC 87
- The modern NC 28 was returned to the mountains in 1938, and followed its current route from the state line to Lauada. It was extended to its current terminus in 1955. The portion of NC 28 that follows US 64 was part of the original NC 28 from 1922, but did NOT bear the designation continuously, as there was the 3 year gap noted above.
