NC 50 - WCR

Route:	Enters Wake County about 5 miles south of Garner. Leaves Wake County near Falls Lake, 2 miles north of the intersection with NC 98.
Major Intersections:	M-US 70 through Garner and downtown Raleigh. M-US 401 through downtown. I-40 Exit 298, 2 miles south of downtown. I-440 Exit 7, at Crabtree Valley Mall. I-540 Exit 9, north of the Raleigh city limits. NC 98, 1 mile south of Falls Lake.
History:	The original NC 50 was today's US 1. Today's NC 50 was originally US 15A, and it stayed like that until the mid-'50s. The 50 that we know and love originally ran from Garner to Newton Grove; after 15A was killed, 50 was routed as it is today, with a few changes: (1) it was originally on Wilmington St. (it's on McDowell now), and (2) after the Beltline was completely done around Raleigh in the early '80s, 50 was routed onto the new freeway. In 1994 or so, 50 was sent back through downtown, as it was before.
Attractions:	Goes through Garner; cuts through the western side of downtown Raleigh. Goes right past Crabtree Valley Mall, the biggest mall in the state. Crosses Falls Lake just before it goes into Granville County.
Comments:	50 at the I-440 interchange is a perennial traffic nightmare. Glenwood Ave is 10 lanes wide at this point, and it needs every one. Stay away at rush hour, and especially during big shopping season. Crabtree is a horrible traffic jam between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and also on rainy days. The only part of 50 that is referred to as such is the section south of Garner. Everywhere else, it's either superceded by US 70 or simply called Creedmoor Rd. north of 70. No through trucks are allowed on 70/50 inside the Beltline. 4-lane widening north of Strickland Rd to I-540 was completed in 2000, in conjunction with the opening of 540 to 50. That interchange (exit 9) was the end of 540 for 6 months or so, from January through June of 2001.

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