 U.S. Highway 117 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 117 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Auxiliary route of US 17 | ||||
| Maintained by NCDOT | ||||
| Length | 114 mi[1] (183 km) | |||
| Existed | 1932–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end | Port of Wilmington | |||
| North end |  US 301 near Wilson | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | North Carolina | |||
| Counties | New Hanover, Pender, Duplin, Wayne, Wilson | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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U.S. Route 117 (US 117) is a north–south United States Highway located completely within the state of North Carolina. A spur route of US 17, the highway runs for 114 miles (183 km) from the Port of Wilmington, south of downtown Wilmington, to US 301 near Wilson. From its southern terminus, US 117 runs along Shipyard Boulevard and College Road, concurrent with North Carolina Highway 132 (NC 132) through Wilmington. US 117 intersects the eastern terminus of Interstate 40 (I-40) and parallels the interstate until reaching Faison, passing through Burgaw, Wallace, and Warsaw. The highway diverges from I-40 in Faison, running north-northeast through Mount Olive, Goldsboro, and Pikeville to its northern terminus. US 117 meets the southern end of I-795 in Goldsboro, and parallels that route before reaching its northern terminus at US 301 south of Wilson.
The general alignment of US 117 was originally signed as NC 40, one of the original North Carolina State Highways running from Fort Fisher to the Virginia state line. Upon the creation of the United States Numbered Highway System in 1926, US 17-1 was assigned concurrent with NC 40 from Wilmington to Virginia. US 17-1 was decommissioned in 1932 and US 117 was established, running from Conway, South Carolina to Wilson via Myrtle Beach and Wilmington. In 1939, US 17 replaced US 117 between Conway and Wilmington, truncating the southern terminus to Downtown Wilmington. US 117 has undergone several realignments since 1940, some of which have created special routes of US 117. In 2003, the southern terminus of US 117 was adjusted again, rerouting the highway along College Road and Shipyard Boulevard to the Port of Wilmington. Between 2006 and 2007, US 117 was routed onto a new freeway between Goldsboro and US 264 in Wilson. The freeway was subsequently renumbered as I-795 and US 117 was placed on its original routing north of Goldsboro. A southerly extension of I-795 from Goldsboro to I-40 is planned along the US 117 corridor.