U.S. Route 1 is a major north-south highway running across Wake County.
Route Description
US 1 enters Wake County in the southwest, following a four-lane freeway through the towns of Apex and Cary. The freeway connects to several major roads, including NC 540, NC 55, Ten Ten Road, and US 64. US 1 and US 64 briefly run concurrently through eastern Cary before splitting apart at I-40 in Southwest Raleigh. US 64 follows I-40 around the south side of Raleigh, while US 1 follows I-440 around the west and north sides of the city's downtown area. At exit 11, US 1 splits from I-440 and follows Capital Boulevard northeast, running concurrent with US 401. 2.25 miles later, US 401 leaves Capital Boulevard to follow Louisburg Road, US 1 continuing north. After an interchange with I-540 near Triangle Town Center, US 1 reduces to four lanes, leaves Raleigh, and bypasses the town of Wake Forest to the west. US 1 continues north across the Franklin County line, ending the Capital Boulevard designation.
Exit List
| Exit Number | Intersecting Street Name | Destination(s) | City | Notes |
| 89 | New Hill Holleman Road | New Hill | ||
| 93 | NC 540 | Durham, Raleigh | ||
| 95 | NC 55 (Williams Street) | Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina | Apex | |
| 96 | Ten Ten Road | |||
| 98A | Tryon Road | Cary | ||
| 98B | US 64 West | Apex, Pittsboro, Asheboro | ||
| 99 | Cary Parkway | |||
| 101 | Walnut Street, Crossroads Boulevard, Buck Jones Road | |||
| 1A | I-40 East/US 64 East | Wilmington, Rocky Mount, Wilson | Raleigh | Begin I-440 |
| 1B | I-40 West | Durham, Greensboro, Winston-Salem | ||
| 1C | Jones Franklin Road | |||
| 1D | Melburne Road | |||
| 2 | Western Boulevard | North Carolina State University | ||
| 3 | NC 54 (Hillsborough Street) | North Carolina State University, North Carolina State Fair, Downtown Raleigh | ||
| 4 | Wade Avenue | PNC Arena, Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh-Durham International Airport | ||
| 5 | Lake Boone Trail | Rex Hospital | ||
| 6 | Ridge Road | |||
| 7 | US 70/NC 50(Glenwood Avenue) | Crabtree Valley Mall, Durham, Downtown Raleigh | ||
| 8 | Six Forks Road | North Hills | ||
| 10 | Wake Forest Road | |||
| 11 | US 1 North/US 401 (Capital Boulevard) | Wake Forest, Louisburg, Downtown Raleigh | ||
| US 1 follows Capital Boulevard from I-440 northward | ||||
| 118 | I-540 | Durham, Knightdale | Raleigh | Proposed exit number |
| 119 | Durant Road/Perry Creek Road | Interchange not yet built | ||
| 121 | Burlington Mills Road | Wake Forest | Interchange not yet built | |
| 123 | Falls of Neuse Road/US 1-A (South Main Street) | Raleigh, Wake Forest | Interchange not yet built | |
| 124 | NC 98 (Dr. Calvin Jones Highway) | Wake Forest, Durham, Bunn | ||
| 125 | Business NC 98 (Durham Road) | Downtown Wake Forest | ||
| 127 | Harris Road/Purnell Road | Interchange not yet built | ||
Projects
As part of a long-term strategic corridor plan, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) have proposed upgrading a section of US 1 to a freeway between I-540 in Raleigh and Purnell/Harris Roads near the Wake/Franklin County line. Originally scheduled to begin construction in 2021, the $465 million project has been pushed back to 2024 due to rising land value costs in northern Wake County; it was later pushed back to 2025 following severe economic hardships NCDOT faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project widens the corridor to six lanes and would construct or modify interchanges at the following locations:
- Durant/Perry Creek Roads
- Burlington Mills Road
- Falls of Neuse Road/South Main Street
- NC 98
- Business NC 98
- Purnell/Harris Roads
Access to business and neighborhoods along the corridor will be restricted to nearby and proposed frontage roads.
