U.S. Route 15 | ||||
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Route of US 15 highlighted in red
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Route information | ||||
Maintained by NCDOT | ||||
Length: | 159 mi (256 km) | |||
Existed: | 1927 – present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end: | US 15 / US 401 at the SC line near McColl, SC | |||
I‑74 / US 74 in Laurinburg US 421 in Sanford I‑40 in Durham NC 147 in Durham I‑85 / US 70 in Durham |
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North end: | US 15 at the VA line near Clarksville, VA | |||
Location | ||||
Counties: | Scotland, Hoke, Moore, Lee, Chatham, Orange, Durham, Person | |||
Highway system | ||||
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U.S. Route 15 (US 15) is a north–south United States highway that traverses the majority of North Carolina in concurrency with U.S. Route 501, known as "15-501" ("Fifteen Five-o-one").
From the South Carolina state line, US 15 is in concurrency with US 401 to Laurinburg. Merging with US 501, it becomes what is known as "15-501" ("Fifteen Five-o-one"), a concurrency that extends for 106 miles (171 km) across central North Carolina; US 15 also the dominant partner, using its mile markers along the route. After Laurinburg it goes north to Aberdeen, linking briefly with US 1 before continuing to Pinehurst. In Pinehurst, 15-501 goes through a rare roundabout, then continues north, through Carthage, back to US 1. After another brief concurrency with US 1 through Sanford, it exits off the freeway and goes due north to Pittsboro. After Pittsboro, 15-501 becomes an expressway, connecting the cities of Chapel Hill and Durham; this section of the route is famous because of the two universities it connects: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University. Though the road is a symbol of the separation of the Carolina-Duke rivalry, NCDOT has been trying to remedy that by making the route a superstreet for better traffic flow. In Durham, 15-501 upgrades to an urban freeway, allowing for quick access from south Durham to north; the freeway ends merging into Interstate 85. At exit 176B (on I-85), US 501 splits off towards Roxboro, while US 15 continues with I-85 towards Oxford.