Current and historic US Highway ends at Whalebone Jct. NC
Near Manteo and Nags Head, on the Outer Banks
Additional research and/or photo credits: Mike Roberson; Michael Summa; me
| Highway | Approx. time period |
|---|---|
| US 264 | 1951-2002 |
| US 64 | 1951-present |
| US 158 | 1951-present |
Until the early 1950s, US 64 went only as far east as Ft. Landing, and the east end of US 264 was at Engelhard (where there was a ferry that went across Pamlico Sound to the town of Hatteras). The US 158 designation not only went down to Whalebone Jct, but from there west across the bridge to Roanoke Island, ending at or near Manteo. So back then, one could experience driving west on US 158 to reach its eastern terminus.
US 64 no longer goes through Ft. Landing - that change occurred in 1951, when both the US 64 and US 264 designations were extended to Whalebone. US 64 traffic was directed onto a new road along the south side of the Little Alligator River (opposite from Ft. Landing). Initially there was neither a bridge across the main Alligator River, nor across Croatan Sound, so ferries were used at both crossings. Meanwhile, US 264 has been extended north from Engelhard, joining US 64 at Manns Harbor. The two were twinned across Croatan Sound to Manteo, and then, running along former US 158, they continued to their new east terminus at Whalebone. US 158 was cut back to this junction, so for about 50 years, Whalebone served as a common terminus for three US highways - an unusual distinction.
The original junction was one block east of the current junction. That's because the original US 158 followed what is now NC hwy. 12 (Virginia Dare Trail) through Kitty Hawk and Nags Head. At Whalebone, that road turned west to cross the Sound, and it was that point where the US 158 designation ended, and the US 64/264 designations began. The photo below is looking south on Virginia Dare (NC 12):
Google Maps Street View, 2008
The road to the left allows you to continue south along the Outer Banks, via Old Oregon Inlet Trail. But this is where the main road veers to the right, to align with the bridge over the Sound. So a driver going that direction was once at the east end of US 158 and the east beginning of US 64/264. The shot below is looking the opposite direction:
Google Maps Street View, 2008
That was the east end of US 64/264, and straight ahead was the east beginning of US 158.
The William Umstead Bridge over the Sound was opened to traffic in 1957, and the Alligator River Bridge was completed a few years later (1960). That was about the same time that today's bypass route for US 158 was built through Kitty Hawk and Nags Head: Croatan Highway, which runs just inland from Virginia Dare. (For a time after that, the original US 158 was signed as "Business 158", but that designation was later removed, and Virginia Dare is now signed as NC 12.) Thus the highway junction that marked three endpoints was shifted slightly to the west. That was the situation at the time of the National Park Service map below, which I picked up in 1999:
Things changed a few years later: presumably in conjunction with the 2002 completion of the Virginia Dare Bridge over Croatan Sound, the US 264 designation was truncated such that it now ends at its junction with US 64 near Manns Harbor. So I'm glad I had a chance to take photos before that happened - this first one was looking north on NC 12:
me, Oct. 1999
The east beginning of both US 64 and 264 was to the left. That part makes sense - but then you might find it confusing that straight ahead is also marked "West", and a right turn is "North". Well, straight ahead is the east beginning of US 158, which - although it starts out heading north - eventually turns inland, and is ultimately an east/west route. Northbound NC 12 goes east here for one block to Virginia Dare, and then turns north again, along the original US 158. Below is a shot from southbound NC 12 (which is curving west at this point):
Summa, 1999
Heading east from Manteo, there were twin "End" signs...
me, Oct. 1999
...and you were also at the beginning of US 158 (to the left).
There was no "End" sign for US 158 where the road begins its curve towards Manteo, but here's a photo of the approach to its terminus:
Summa, 1999
The right lanes curve to the right; the photo below shows the twin "Begin" signs that were posted at the end of the curve:
me, Oct. 1999
Today the 264 assembly has been removed. As I've said, this part of the road was once just US 158, until the first bridge was built across Croatan Sound. More photos from this area can be viewed on Adam Prince's page.