North Carolina Highway 108 (NC 108) is a 22-mile-long (35 km) two lane highway in North Carolina. It connects U.S. Route 176 (US 176) in Tryon to Rutherfordton and passes through both Polk County and Rutherford County. It is a rural country road through eastern Polk County and western Rutherford County, and moderately developed from Tryon through Columbus and in Rutherfordton. It is also known as Lynn Road between Tryon and Columbus, Mills Street through Columbus, and Tryon Road in Rutherford County. It was built in the year 1940.
Route description
NC 108 begins at US 176 in Tryon and travels east through the unincorporated town of Lynn, where it crosses the Pacolet River. NC 108 has an interchange with Interstate 26 (I-26) and US 74 in Columbus, and another interchange with US 74 east of Columbus. NC 108 passes through the center of Columbus, the county seat of Polk County, which is the most developed portion of the route in Polk County. Three miles (4.8 km) east of the second US 74 interchange, NC 108 intersects NC 9 at the unincorporated town of Mill Spring. The section from Tryon to Mill Spring closely follows the front range of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It passes over the Green River in Polk County and the Broad River in Rutherford County. NC 108 ends at the intersection of South Main Street (carrying US 221 and US 74 Business west) and Charlotte Road (carrying US 74 Business east and US 221A) in Rutherfordton.[1]
NC 108 has two roundabouts at the I-26/US 74 interchange. These were constructed between 2004 and 2007 to improve the level of service at the interchange.[2]
Future
The NCDOT I-4729 Feasibility Study was completed in 2006 and recommended improvements to NC 108 at its interchange with I-26 in Columbus, including widening the facility to four lanes.[3] The project was split into two sections, A and B, with the former including modifications to the I-26 and US 74 interchange. Construction of Section A began in 2017 and was completed in 2019. Section B will improve NC 108, including the construction of a new structure across I-26, but will only add a center turn lane west of the interchange.[4] Construction was scheduled to begin in 2021, but has been delayed until 2029.[5]
The Comprehensive Transportation Plan Study Report for Polk County, completed in October 2008 by the Transportation Planning Branch of the NCDOT, recommended upgrading NC 108 to a four-lane divided facility from its western terminus at US 176 in Tryon to the US 74 interchange east of Columbus.[6] A project to widen NC 108 from I-26 to Tryon - R-5838 - was added to the STIP, but was later removed after receiving local opposition.[7]
Major intersections
| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk | Tryon | 0.0 | 0.0 |  US 176 (North Trade Street) – Saluda | |
| Columbus | 3.4– 3.6 | 5.5– 5.8 |    I-26 to US 74 – Spartanburg, Saluda, Asheville | Exit 67 (I-26) | |
| | 5.1– 5.3 | 8.2– 8.5 |  US 74 to I-26 – Forest City, Asheville | Exit 163 (US 74) | |
| Mill Spring | 8.4 | 13.5 |  NC 9 – Spartanburg, Lake Lure, Chimney Rock | ||
| Rutherford | Rutherfordton | 22.1 | 35.6 |     US 221 (South Main Street) / US 74 Bus. / US 221A south (Charlotte Road) | Northern terminus of US 221A |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
References
- ^ a b c Google (February 28, 2016). "North Carolina Highway 108" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
- ^ https://connect.ncdot.gov/projects/planning/FeasibilityStudiesDocuments/I-4729_Feasibility-Study_0314A_Report_2006.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ I-4729 Feasibility Study
- ^ I-4729B Public Meeting Map
- ^ NCDOT 2020-2029 STIP, December 2020
- ^ Comprehensive Transportation Plan Study Report for Polk County - NCDOT Transportation Improvement Branch
- ^ Tryon Daily Bulletin - One step closer - July 14, 2018
External links
Media related to North Carolina Highway 108 at Wikimedia Commons
