Old NC10

Filpus Roadgeek - West Ten Road

West Ten Road - Orange/Alamance County

From downtown Hillsborough, NC-10 went west out West King Street. After crossing the railroad tracks, it turned onto current Ben Johnson Road at a crossroads just west of current Dimmock Mill road. This was part of the old Trading Path. From Ben Johnson it connected to current Dewey Road, which becomes West Ten, which carried NC-10 west to Mebane. After NC-10 was replaced with US-70, this section was the main route US-70. The current US-70 was Alt US-70 from Hillsborough to Haw River. Later, other changes eliminated the crossing of the railroad in the west side of Hillsborough and the widening of I-85/I-40 severed Dewey and West Ten from Ben Johnson Road.

West Ten MapHigh-Res Topo
Old NC10
Old NC10
Old NC10

East End

West Ten Road starts with a name change at the end of a connector road from US-70 to I-85/I-40, which goes under I-85/I-40 and ends at West Ten/Dewey. The old NC-10 route was on Dewey and West Ten. A half a mile east on Dewey, the road used to go under I-85/I-40, but the bridge was removed by the widening of I-85/I-40 during the 1990's.
Old NC 10
Old NC 10

Rural Road

West Ten is very rural. There is little there but farms. Perhaps the only building surviving from the highway days is this tobacco barn. On period maps, Cheeks Crossroads, due south of Efland, was shown as a major town. Now, there is little there. Orange County has built a middle school on West Ten, which has brought some traffic to this old road.
Old NC-10 Bowman/Old Hillsborough Road

At this point, Bowman road veers left. At the Alamance County Line, the road changes name to Old Hillsborough Road, which goes into the small historic community of Hawfields. This road appears to be an old through road, whether it was ever part of the old Central Highway is debatable. By the 1920's, NC 10 did follow West Ten Road, which continues right and curves north.
Old NC 10
Old NC 10

West End

The road crosses I-85/I-40 into an industrial park. At the Mebane city limits, it changes names. The old routing went into Mebane and joined the route of current US 70.