A new highway makes it easier to get to and from the North Carolina Zoo
Triangle residents can now avoid driving into Asheboro to get to and from the North Carolina Zoo, with the opening of the U.S. 64 bypass.
The new Asheboro Bypass is a 14.4-mile, four-lane divided highway that passes south of the city, skirting the commercial strip around the Randolph Mall and other retail areas.
Zoo visitors can take the bypass to a new, 1.7-mile road called the Zoo Connector that leads directly to and from the park. Many of the bridges along the bypass have animal and other zoo-themed motifs cast into the concrete.
Both roads opened Friday afternoon following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2 p.m.
In addition to the Zoo Connector, there are interchanges with N.C. 49, N.C. 42 and Interstate 73/74, which is also the north-south U.S. 220 Bypass.
The U.S. 64 bypass has been in the works for more than a decade. What were then considered the final designs were presented at a public hearing in May 2008. The project was then shelved for lack of money.
It was revived again in 2011, followed by more public meetings and changes to the design, particularly for the Zoo Connector. Construction of the $355.6 million highway project began in the summer of 2016.
This story was originally published December 18, 2020 at 3:07 PM.
