North Carolina’s
bicycle route system was developed in response to the 1974 Bicycle and Bikeway Act.
The system was created on roads across North Carolina that were safer for bicycling, designating a network of "bicycling highways" that provided access to small towns, state parks, historic sites and other points of interest. These routes generally parallel the major highways along which cyclists often wish to travel but offer a more lightly traveled alternative than the busy, major roads that are familiar to most people.
Given the extensive development that has occurred across North Carolina since the 1970’s and associated changes to the roadway network, the N.C. Department of Transportation recognized the need to re-evaluate and update the state bike route system in 2013, as part of the statewide bicycle and pedestrian plan, called
WalkBikeNC.