A Raleigh Roads Primer

(Yes, I know that this page would be much better with pictures. They're coming, I promise.)

So you're thinking about coming to Raleigh? Sounds good! You wouldn't be the only one...while we're no Washington, DC, there's plenty of stuff that you can spend a couple of days doing. But this site is in the roads business, not the tourism business, so I'll spend my time coming up with "need-to-know" bits about the roads around here. (I'll refer you to the City of Raleigh homepage if you're looking for stuff to do.)

Terminology (Or, What the Traffic Report Won't Tell You)

We're not LA around here. I-440 is most definitely not referred to as "the 440", unless you just moved here from Pasadena yesterday and the Welcome Wagon hasn't arrived yet. But you will hear "the Beltline" a minimum of 10 times a day, and you'll wonder "What's that?" I bet by now you've figured it out...I-440 is the Beltline. Get used to it, because no one around here calls it I-440, and if you do you'll have tourist written all over you. It's kind of like the I-64/US 40 thing in St. Louis, where no one calls it the I- designation.

Meanwhile, I-40 isn't called anything but I-40. This includes the section that is multiplexed with I-440. It's not the Beltline, it's not 40/440, it's just 40. Got it?

You might also hear of "164". No, I-64 does not have a spur into Raleigh. "164" is simply the mushing together of US 1 and US 64, on what I call the "appendix" of the Beltline (it just kind of hangs there). The cardinal directions on 1/64 always assume the directions of US 1, so if you hear "northbound 164" it means 1/64 going into Raleigh proper.

Numbering

The quick answer to block numbering in Wake County is that there is no answer. So I'll do it this way: For each city/town/what have you, I'll list the city and the roads from which block numbers radiate. Some will be more cumbersome than others.

Apex: E/W streets are numbered from Salem St., and N/S streets are numbered from Williams St (NC 55).

Cary: Technically, E/W streets are numbered from Academy St. and Kildaire Farm Rd., and N/S streets are numbered from Chatham St. and Old Apex Rd. But in practice, this numbering pattern doesn't extend too far out from downtown Cary; most cul-de-sacs (of which there are plenty) have block numbers in the 100s no matter where they are in relation to downtown. The big streets (Kildaire Farm, High House, etc.) keep their block numbers in relation to the scheme, but even this isn't definite -- Chapel Hill Rd's block numbers are continued from Raleigh, giving plenty of numbers in the high 4-digits.

Knightdale: E/W streets are numbered from Smithfield Rd.; N/S streets are numbered from Main St.

Raleigh: E/W streets are numbered from (starting at the southern edge of the city proper) Wilmington St., Fayetteville St. Mall, Halifax St., and Six Forks Rd. (Halifax and Six Forks do not connect, but the imaginary-line philosophy determines what side you would be on.) N/S streets are numbered from Hillsborough St. and New Bern Ave.

Rolesville: E/W streets are numbered from Young St.; N/S streets are numbered from Main St.

Wake Forest: E/W streets are numbered from Main St.; N/S streets are numbered from Wait Ave. and the imaginary line due west of the seminary (opposite Wait Ave.).

Wendell: E/W streets are numbered from Main St., and N/S streets are numbered from the railroad tracks in the center of town.

Zebulon: E/W streets are numbered from Arendell Ave.; N/S streets are numbered from the RR tracks.

Wake County as a whole: I haven't figured it out yet, and I've lived here since 1987. My best guess is that in any unincorporated area, blocks are numbered westward from the eastern county line (at least, this seems to be the pattern with roads like Durant, Strickland, and Ten Ten). But I have no real idea.

Odds and Ends

Whenever a road has a route number on it, with a few exceptions, the road's name is used. For example, US 70 west of the Beltline is referred to as Glenwood Ave. The exceptions? US 64 on both ends (the Cary side doesn't even have a name, it's just US 64), and NC 50 south of Garner. And, of course, the Interstates (excluding the Beltline).
If you can avoid it, stay away from roads leading into RTP from Raleigh on weekday mornings. The I-40 "parking lot" is well-renowned here, and none of the other roads are any better. After about 9:00 it improves markedly, but if there's an accident, look out. Same goes for US 64 east of Raleigh; depending on the time of day, stay away from inbound 64 in the morning and outbound 64 in the afternoon.
If you see something happen that a traffic reporter needs to know about, call (919) 874-1700. This is the traffic line for Triangle Radio Partners, the biggest radio-station operator around here. Your news will be on 5 or 6 radio stations in a matter of minutes.
And if you want to find out about conditions on I-40 before you leave your humble abode, I suggest a visit to WRAL OnLine's traffic section. NCDOT installed cameras along I-40 for the Special Olympics in the summer of 1999, and WRAL is allowed to use them to broadcast live conditions. A nice help if you're going out towards RTP.

Et Cetera (Or, Info No Traveler Should Do Without)

Area Code: 919
Airport: Off of I-40 exit 284B or I-540 exit 2 (for more info, see the airport web site)
Most Hotels in One Place: Crabtree Valley Mall, at Beltline (I-440) exit 7A
Lotsa Restaurants: Either Glenwood Ave/US 70 west of Crabtree or Wake Forest Rd., Beltline exit 10
RTP: Stands for Research Triangle Park; off I-40 between exits 278 and 282, also off the Durham Freeway (NC 147) between I-40 and Ellis Rd.
Local Networks: CBS channel 5/WRAL, ABC channel 11/WTVD, NBC channel 17/WNCN, Fox channel 50/WRAZ, PBS channel 4/WUNC, UPN channel 28/WRDC, WB channel 22/WLFL
Local Radio Stations: E-mail me for what you want