Established in 1938 as the third and current NC 28, it traversed from
Georgia to
Highlands, where it duplexed with
US 64 to
Franklin. Continuing northeast from Franklin, it replaced NC 286 to end at
US 19, in
Lauada. In 1940, NC 28 was extended northeast along US 19 through
Bryson City and
Ela, then replaced part of
NC 107, ending in
Cherokee. In 1947, NC 28 was truncated back to its former northern terminus; its former routing to Cherokee becoming
US 19A. In 1954, NC 28 was extended southwest along US 19 to
Almond and then northwest along new primary routing to
Fontana, then replaced NC 288 to its current northern terminus at
Deals Gap. In 1974, NC 28 was adjusted to one-way streets in downtown
Franklin, in concurrency with
US 441 Bus, via Main Street and Palmer Street. The first NC 28 was an original state highway that traversed from
NC 10, in
Andrews, through Franklin, Highlands,
Rosman,
Brevard and
Hendersonville, to
NC 20, in
Bat Cave. In 1923, NC 28 was rerouted west of Franklin on new primary routing to
Elf and
Hayesville, then replacing
NC 109 from Hayesville to NC 10, in
Murphy. In 1929, NC 28 was extended west from Murphy along new primary routing to the
Tennessee state line. In 1932, NC 28 was extended northeast along new primary routing from Bat Cave to
Old Fort, where it overlapped with
US 70 to
Marion; going north from Marion, in concurrency with
US 221, it traversed through
Linville,
Boone and
Jefferson (replacing
NC 691 in the process) to
US 21/
NC 26, in
Twin Oaks, reaching its high point at long. Also in 1932,
US 64 was assigned along NC 28 from the Tennessee state line to Old Fort. In 1934, all of NC 28 was decommissioned in favor of US 64 and US 221. The second NC 28 existed from 1935-1938, where it had replaced
NC 21 between
Fayetteville and
Delco, through
Elizabethtown. It was renumbered as
NC 87.
North Carolina Highway 282 North Carolina Highway 282 (
NC 282) was established as a new primary routing from the Georgia state line to Highlands. In 1938, NC 282 was renumbered as part of NC 28.
North Carolina Highway 286 North Carolina Highway 286 (
NC 286) was an original state highway that began from the Georgia state line, near
Otto, to
NC 10, along Old Alarka Road. In 1927, NC 286 was renumbered as an extension of
NC 285, from the Georgia state line to
Franklin. Around 1938, NC 286 was replaced by NC 28 and moved to the north terminus to the community of Swain (today known as Lauada).
North Carolina Highway 288 North Carolina Highway 288 (
NC 288) was a primary route that served the Fontana area from 1929-1944 and revived again from 1951-1954. The first NC 288 traversed from
NC 108, in Deals Gap, to
NC 10, in
Bryson City. In 1942, construction began on
Fontana Dam; which by 1944, NC 288 was decommissioned when a majority of the route was submerged. Various sections of the old highway still exist on higher ground and are incorporated in hiking trails that are easily reachable from the Fontana Dam parking area. The second NC 288 was a return along the western part of the highway that wasn't submerged, linking to the relocated Fontana community. In 1954, new construction was completed between Fontana and
Almond, and all of NC 288 was renumbered NC 28. NC 288 was originally to be rebuilt along the north shore of Fontana Lake by the
National Park Service, an agreement that was made between the county, state, and federal government. Construction of New Fontana Road (SR 1364) was completed in 1958, connecting
Bryson City to the border of the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park. From 1960-1970, was built within the park, which was called Lakeview Drive; ending just west of a tunnel, that went through aptly named Tunnel Ridge. Since then, questions about the cost of building the highway and the environmental impact of the road had stopped all further construction. Known unofficially as
"the Road to Nowhere," it provides access to various hiking trails within the National Park. After being in limbo for forty years, it was finally resolved in February 2010 when the U.S. Department of Interior signed a settlement agreement paying Swain County $52 million instead of building the highway. As of September 2017, only $12.8 million of that has been paid. Four million additional dollars were released by
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, and the final installment of $35.2 million was paid on June 29, 2018. However, under a 2010 agreement, the money was deposited with the
state treasurer's office.
Swain County can spend only the
interest the money earns. ==Major intersections==