Route Description
Starting in Sumter, South Carolina, US 401 goes northeast through mostly swamp and farmland, as it connect the cities of Darlington and Bennettsville before crossing the state line into North Carolina. Traversing the state for 77.2 miles (124.2 km), it is mostly a two-lane rural road, which is likely to only have local traffic along it thanks to nearby Interstate 95.
In North Carolina, the highway becomes more utilized, as it connect to several mid-size and large cities in the state. In the sandhills region, it connects the cities of Laurinburg, Raeford, and Fayetteville. All three of which have business routes connecting the downtown areas. The road is typically two-lane still, but expands to four-lane (or more) in each city. The road takes a pause in the lime-light as it straddles nearby Interstate 95 again; from Fayetteville, through Lillington, to Fuquay-Varina.
In Wake County, US 401 is center-stage again as a major north-south corridor, connecting bedroom communities to downtown Raleigh. Once it leaves the county, it reverts back to a rural road connecting the small cities of Louisburg and Warrenton. US 401 finally ends at Interstate 85, just north from the community of Wise; competing a 174-mile (280 km) thru the state.
Overall, the route goes through endless fields of farmland broken now and then by cities and small towns. With exceptions to both the sandhills region and Wake County, most travelers would be better served using Interstate 95.
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