U.S. Route 19 | ||||
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Route of US 19 in North Carolina highlighted in red
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Route information | ||||
Maintained by NCDOT | ||||
Length: | 145.0 mi (233.4 km) | |||
Existed: | 1927 – present | |||
Tourist routes: |
Mountain Waters Scenic Byway Nantahala Byway Mount Mitchell Scenic Drive |
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Major junctions | ||||
South end: | US 19 / US 129 / SR 11 at Bellview | |||
I‑40 / US 74 in Asheville I‑26 / I‑240 in Asheville |
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North end: | US 19E / US 19W at Cane River | |||
Location | ||||
Counties: | Cherokee, Graham, Swain, Jackson, Haywood, Buncombe, Madison, Yancey | |||
Highway system | ||||
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U.S. Route 19 (US 19) traverses 145 miles (233 km) across Western North Carolina; from the Georgia state line, at the community of Bellview, to Cane River, where US 19 splits into US 19E and US 19W, which take separate routes into Tennessee
US 19 begins at the Georgia state line overlapped with US 129; 4 miles (6.4 km) into North Carolina, it joins with US 64/US 74 in Ranger. From Ranger to Andrews, the highway is a four-lane expressway that bypasses all the towns and communities along its route. After Andrews, US 19 reverts to two-lane through the Nantahala Gorge, which both scenic and somewhat curvy 21 miles (34 km) drive till Almond.
At the start of the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway, US 19 exits off towards the towns of Bryson City and Cherokee. At Cherokee, travelers may go north on US 441 to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park or to the Blue Ridge Parkway before traveling through the rest of the Qualla Boundary.
The highway expands back into a four-lane expressway in Maggie Valley, where it then merges with the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway for 3 miles (4.8 km) before exiting back off towards Clyde. From here, US 19 parallels with I-40 to Asheville. US 19 joins other highways in Asheville crossing over the French Broad River, then follows I-26 to Mars Hill, North Carolina. At exit 9, US 19 splits from I-26/US 23; after 10 miles (16 km), US 19 splits into US 19E and US 19W at Cane River. US 19 travels a total of 145 miles (233 km) from the Georgia state line to Cane River.