End of US highway 13

View a map showing this route.

Photo credits: Steve Alpert; H.B. Elkins; Greg Osbaldeston; Adam Prince; Mike Roberson; "walmond217", Mac Watkins. Also, photos marked with a * were taken during a confab consisting of Carter Buchanan, Lou Corsaro, Doug Kerr, and Alex Nitzman.

Approx. time period North terminus South terminus
1926-1943 Morrisville, PA (old) Cape Charles, VA
1943-1952 Morrisville, PA (old) Chesapeake, VA
1952-1956 Morrisville, PA (old) Windsor, NC
1956-1963 Morrisville, PA (old) Goldsboro, NC
1963-present Morrisville, PA (new) Eastover, NC

US 13 has been around since the beginning, and its north end has always been in Morrisville PA, just across the river from Trenton NJ. However, originally the endpoint was at a slightly different location; US 13 used to be routed into town via the Bristol Pike, then Pennsylvania Avenue, ending at US 1, which was on Bridge Street. The shot below is looking south on Pennsylvania:

walmond217, Aug. 2002

The crossroad is Bridge, so straight ahead was the north beginning of US 13 for 37 years. Today both US 1 and US 13 have been rerouted. The photo below shows the last northbound US 13 marker:

Watkins, June 2006

The designation ends at US 1, just ahead. Signage at that junction is shown below:

*, October 2004

After the exit to southbound US 1, the following assembly is posted:

Alpert, Dec. 2006

Below, we're on northbound US 1 (which is actually heading east at this point), at the exit for the north beginning of US 13:

*, October 2004

The end of that ramp to US 13 is visible in the photo below:

Watkins, June 2006

That's looking south on Pine Grove Road, which becomes US 13 at the US 1 interchange. For more photos of current and historic endpoints of US 13, please visit Tim Reichard's page.

Originally southbound US 13 dead-ended in Cape Charles VA. It followed the routing of today's VA hwy. 184, coming in on Randolph Avenue, then dropping south one block on Fig Street and continuing west again on Mason Avenue (which is shown at the bottom of the map below):

VA DoT, c. 1936

At Bay Avenue, US 13 went north, and then back east on Washington Avenue, ending at the next intersection (Pine Street). I have no idea why it followed that routing - I imagine the landing for the ferry to Norfolk would've been on the south side of town, so I don't know why US 13 continued to the north side. The photo below shows the historic endpoint:

Roberson, Apr. 2007

That's looking east on Washington; Pine is to the right, and US 13 ended at this intersection. The photo below is looking the opposite direction:

Roberson, Apr. 2007

That was the original beginning of US 13, which turned to the left on Bay and spiraled around the town before ultimately heading to the right (north) a few miles behind the camera.

In 1943 the US 13 designation was extended south to Norfolk via the ferry (which continued to operate until 1964), and from the landing at Little Creek, it circled around on Military Highway, ending in Bowers Hill at its junction with US 58/460 (today this is within the city limits of Chesapeake):

Elkins, July 2008

This whole area was reconfigured when I-664 was built. So this probably isn't exactly where US 13 ended, but this junction is the modern functional equivalent. Below we're looking west on US 58/460:

Roberson, Apr. 2008

The south beginning of US 13 was to the right. The photo below was taken from the opposite direction:

Roberson, Apr. 2008

US 13 began to the left. In 1952 the US 13 designation was extended south to US 17 at Windsor NC. In the photo below, we're looking northwest on King Street:

Roberson, Apr. 2008

That was southbound US 17, which continued to the left on Granville Street. Straight ahead was the south beginning of US 13...

...but only for three years. In 1956, US 13 was extended again, this time to Goldsboro. Traffic then (as today) was directed into town via Berkeley Boulevard, and then west on the bypass. But until 1963, US 13 ended at its junction with US 117 (which is Business 117 today, or William Street):

Google Maps Street View, 2008

Finally, after I-95 was built, US 13 was extended to interchange 58 at Eastover NC (that's just north of Fayetteville, but as far as I know US 13 has never made it to that city). The photo below is looking west, just after crossing the I-95 interchange (the sign says "To US 301", which is about 1/2 mile ahead):

Prince, 2000

There was no "End" sign, but neither were there any more US 13 markers on this segment. The photos below also indicate that the US 13 designation does not extend to US 301; this next one is looking south on 301:

Nitzman, 2001

The signage indicates that the road that connects with I-95 to the east is NC hwy. 1863 - so it doesn't become US 13 until it reaches I-95. The shot below shows the first northbound US 13 sign, posted at the I-95 interchange...

Nitzman, 2001

...and this last one shows the signage for the south beginning of US 13 as seen from I-95:

Nitzman, 2001

Things have changed since those photos were taken. Now US 13 ties directly into the Fayetteville Outer Loop (Future I-295), and ends where that route begins:

Osbaldeston, May 2008

In case you can't quite make it out, that assembly says "End US 13; Future I-295 [ahead]; South I-95 [right]".