The Seminal 401  At least three different 1930s maps, such as Map #1 at right, show a U.S. 401 originating in Raleigh and running south through Fayetteville and Laurinburg and into South Carolina. This would have given the road the identical route today's 401 follows, going through all the same towns -- Lillington, Raeford, you name it. So what's the problem? It predates today's 401 by more than 20 years, and other maps from the same period denote it as U.S. 15A! (Specifically, '33 maps from two publishers call it 401, a '34 RMcN calls it 15A and a '35 Gousha calls it 15A. But the '35 maps ahown still call it 401.)  Nobody called it 401 after 1935. The guess here is that this road was originally intended to be called 401 and may have been signed as such, but 15A was eventually preferred.  Whatever. Under the state's original numbering system, the first 401 was signed over as N.C. 24 from South Carolina to Fayetteville, and N.C. 21 from Fayetteville to Raleigh. This route had no U.S. designation before 1933, and due to the great renumbering no state designation after 1933. Through Raleigh, 401 was signed over Saunders Street, Lenoir Street and Dawson Street (which presumably was two-way then) before ending at Edenton Street in front of the Capitol.

1a/b. 1935 G. Draft. map

In 1957, today's 401 was formed, replacing U.S. 15A south of Raleigh and N.C. 59 north of Raleigh. Bypasses around Laurinburg, Raeford and Louisburg already existed (as 15A bypasses) when 401 came to be. 

In the mid-1960s, 401 was widened for a few miles west of Fayetteville and south of Raleigh. In 1967 or '68, 401 was re-routed around the west and north of Fayetteville, replacing N.C. 59. (59 still exists south of Fayetteville; also, this is a different 59 from the one 401 replaced north of Raleigh.) In the early 1970s, 401 was widened north of Fayetteville. In the mid- to late-1990s, 401 was widened to four lanes further west of Fayetteville well into Hoke County. 

401's original (late 1950s) routing through Raleigh was: Wilmington Street, South/Lenoir Streets, McDowell/Dawson Streets, Downtown (Capital) Boulevard and Louisburg Road. Northeast of downtown 401 was co-signed with U.S. 1. 

When the bottom half of the Raleigh Beltline was finished in the mid-1980s, all Raleigh's numbered highways were signed along it rather than through the center of town. 401 was no exception -- it was moved over from Wilmington Street to Saunders Street, and ran around the eastern half of the Beltline, before continuing north along Capital (nee Downtown) Boulevard. 

In late 1992(?), 401 was rerouted through downtown Raleigh, and obtained its current alignment. Once again, this procedure was undertaken with all Raleigh's numbered roads, in response to the construction on the Beltline at the time.