North Carolina Highway 147 is a North Carolina state highway. The route connects the Research Triangle Park to both Western Wake County and the city of Durham.

The route's entire length is a limited access freeway; linking NC 540 in Morrisville with the Research Triangle Park (RTP), Downtown Durham and Interstates 40 and 85. It is a fairly urbanized commuter-route and suffers from peak-traffic during conventional rush hours. Speed limits on the freeway range from 55 mph (89 km/h) to 65 mph (105 km/h).

From NC 540 to Interstate 40, the highway is a toll road, part of the Triangle Expressway. Tolling on this stretch of NC 147 began on January 3, 2012.

Its northern terminus with Interstate 85 is a partial interchange, where northbound NC 147 merges onto southbound I-85 and vice-versa. Travelers wanting to go north on I-85 and vice-versa must utilize the nearby U.S. 15-501 freeway.

Though the highway is commonly known as "North Carolina Highway 147" or "Route 147" throughout the state, the highway does have other known names it uses locally in areas.

From NC 540 to Interstate 40, NC 147 is part of the Triangle Expressway, the first toll road in North Carolina. Tolls are collected all-electronically and camera enforced. Tolls are $0.15 per mile with NC Quick Pass or $0.24 per mile for non-NC Quick Pass drivers.

Toll rates as of January 3, 2012:

The Durham Freeway began with a 1962 bond referendum. The first section of the road, completed in 1970 around downtown Durham, was designated Interstate 40.[citation needed] The original section extended from Chapel Hill Street to Alston Avenue and resulted in the destruction of a portion of the Hayti neighborhood as part of urban renewal, though a DOT engineer said the neighborhood likely would have been torn down anyway. The road was later extended west to Erwin Road and southward to where it now meets the current I-40, but the decision was made for I-40 to bypass Durham. The section inside the city was renamed. The road's other names have included East-West Expressway and the I.L. "Buck" Dean Freeway.

In 1979, planners said many of the city's roads needed widening, and the decision was made to extend the freeway to I-85. The first section in 1982 disrupted the Crest Street neighborhood, but the N.C. DOT moved 181 houses instead of tearing them down, an action that resulted in a 1987 third-place Federal Highway Administration award for "historic preservation and cultural enhancement". Eventually, the problems that caused the original I-40 extension to I-85 to be delayed were overcome, and NC 147 was extended through the city.[citation needed] Work began in 1993, and the eastbound lanes opened May 21, 1997. The section connecting the road to I-85 opened July 31, 1998.

On September 6, 2011, the south termini at T.W. Alexander Drive (exit 4) was permanently closed to make way for NC 147's extension to NC 540 in Morrisville; this made I-40 the temporary southern termini for three months. On December 8, 2011, the southern extension was opened. Dubbed the Triangle Parkway, the 3.4-mile (5.5 km) stretch of road is also part of the Triangle Expressway.

There are two future projects involving NC 147. The first is the East End Connector (Currently in planning and environmental study). That project was set to start construction in 2010, but was delayed until after 2012. The second is the NC 147 extension to McCrimmon Parkway, in Morrisville, which is scheduled for Reprioritization.

Northbound Exit 16A.

Southbound from the Lasalle St overpass.

Southbound from the Vickers Ave overpass.

Southbound from the Duke St overpass.

NC 147 winding around downtown Durham.

NC 147 southbound from the Cornwallis Rd overpass.

Northbound Exit 6.