Beginning in the south at Business I-85/US 29/US 70, the route travels north out of Thomasville in Davidson County as National Highway, a name which referred to the former routing of US 29/70 along this segment. Crossing from Davidson County into neighboring Guilford County and the city ofHigh Point, NC 68 is cosigned with English Road. Approximately within the city limits, NC 68 turns left onto Westchester Drive, a boulevard that bypasses High Point's downtown area. Arriving at the Main Street interchange, NC 68 continues onto Eastchester Drive, another boulevard. After passing Oak Hollow Mall, I-74, and the Wendover Avenue interchange, NC 68 and Eastchester Drive continue north into neighboring Greensboro. Shortly after entering Greensboro, NC 68 meets Interstate 40/US 421, and becomes a limited access freeway after a traffic signal at Triad Center Drive. Continuing north as a divided four-lane highway, NC 68 has junctions with W. Market Street and I-73, the exit for Piedmont Triad International Airport. The road downgrades to an undivided primary road at the Pleasant Ridge Road junction. From there, the route heads north through the heart of Oak Ridge, North Carolina, passing the Oak Ridge Military Academy at the route's intersection with NC 150. After crossing the Haw River into Stokesdale, NC 68 crosses US 158 and joins NC 65 for a short concurrency, before splitting to the northeast en route to its northern terminus at US 220 in Rockingham County. This interchange doubles as the current northern terminus of I-73 though no direct access is provided between I-73 and NC 68.
History
The first NC 68 was an original state highway that traversed from NC 60, in Millers Creek, northwest through Glendale Springs, Jefferson and Crumpler, before crossing into Virginia. By 1928, NC 68 was rerouted west of Jefferson onto new primary routing west to the Tennesseestate line; the old alignment becoming NC 681. In 1929, all of NC 68 was replaced by an extension of NC 16. The second and current NC 68 was established in 1930 as a new primary routing from US 70/US 170/NC 10, northeast of High Point, to NC 65, in Stokesdale. In 1936, NC 68 was rerouted south through High Point to US 29A/US 70A ; its old alignment, along Penny Road, became a secondary road. In 1941, NC 68 was extended north on new primary routing to US 220. In 1952, NC 68 was extended north to its current terminus with the then new US 220 bypass, replacing part of old US 220. Between 1950-1953, NC 68 was extended south to English Street. In 1956 or 1957, NC 68 was extended to its current southern terminus, sharing a concurrency with US 29A/US 70A, until 1991. In 1982, NC 68 was placed on new freeway connecting I-40 and the Piedmont Triad International Airport, its old alignment along Bull Road a secondary road.
Future
Future NCDOT plans call for the construction of a new four-lane highway connecting NC 68 and US 220. Starting with a new interchange with I-73, improvements will be made along a short section of existing NC 68 before going northwest onto new construction that will bypass east of Oak Ridge and connect with US 220 in Summerfield. This section will become part of I-73. North of Oak Ridge, safety improvements are to be done between East Harrell Road and Bartonshire Drive. The estimated cost is $1.96 million. Property acquisition is expected to start in December 2014.
