North Carolina Highway 50

North Carolina Highway 50
Route of NC 50 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length:	164.2 mi (264.3 km)
Existed:	1935 – present
Major junctions
South end:	Florida Avenue in Topsail Beach
	US 17 in Holly Ridge US 117 in Warsaw US 13 / US 701 in Newton Grove I‑40 in Newton Grove I‑95 / NC 242 in Benson US 301 / NC 27 / NC 242 in Benson US 70 / US 401 in Garner I‑40 / US 64 in Raleigh I‑440 / US 1 in Raleigh I‑540 near Raleigh
North end:	US 15 / NC 56 in Creedmoor
Location
Counties:	Pender, Onslow, Duplin, Wayne, Sampson, Johnston, Wake, Granville
Highway system
North Carolina Highway System Interstate U.S. State Scenic ← NC 49 NC 51 →

North Carolina Highway 50 (NC 50) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It traverses north–south, from Topsail Beach to Creedmoor, connecting the cities of Warsaw, Newton Grove, Benson, and Raleigh.

With a total of 164.2 miles (264.3 km) from the Coast to the Triangle area, NC 50 serves to directly link several cities in the Cape Fear region to the Research Triangle and North Carolina State Capitol. However, because it parallels I-40 along the majority of its route, the highway is typically relegated to local traffic except at its southern end.

The highway begins at Florida Avenue (SR 1555), in Topsail Beach, and goes northeast through the southern half of Topsail Island to Surf City, where it crosses over the Intracoastal Waterway and onto the mainland, in concurrency with NC 210. Entering Onslow County, it connects with US 17 at Holly Ridge. Entering back into Pender County, it crosses NC 53 at Maple Hill and skirts nearby Angola Bay State Game Land. In an event of emergency, NC 50 is designated and signed as an evacuation route for the coastal area. On Topsail Island, the highway is flanked predominantly by houses, with some view to Onslow Bay. Bicycle lanes also flank the highway in and around Surf City. North of Holly Ridge, the highway traverses through the Holly Shelter Swamp, Great Sandy Run Pocosin and Angola Swamp; most of which drains into the Cape Fear River.