Transportation
I-40 Bisects Burke County
Interstate 40 crosses Burke County for more than 30 miles, east to west, and includes 14 interchanges. US Hwy 64 and 70 and NC Hwy 18 and 126 intersect the county and NC 181 provides access to the Blue Ridge Parkway north of Morganton. Other major interstates including I-77, I-26 and I-85 are less than an hour away.
Trucking
Numerous trucking companies serve Burke County. The county’s central location allows overnight shipment to New York and Florida as well as numerous other major cities to the west.
Rail
Rail service extends through the central portion of Burke County. The Norfolk-Southern Railway services the county. The Morganton yard has a capacity of 75 cars.
Air
The Charlotte Douglas International Airport is accessible from Burke County within one hour via 4-lane divided highways which connect to I-85. The airport is the eastern hub for US Airways and supplies numerous transcontinental and international flights daily.
The Morganton-Lenoir Airport is a general aviation airport located along the Burke-Caldwell County line east of US 64. The airport has a 5,500 foot runway, a localizer approach system, a fixed base operator, engine maintenance services, flight lessons, aircraft rentals, charter service and hangers on site.
The Hickory Regional Airport is located in eastern Burke County and the Asheville Regional Airport is approximately 1 hour 15 minutes away via I-40 to I-26.
Ports and Intermodal Network
The State of North Carolina operates two deep water ports, the State Port of Wilmington and the State Port of Morehead City, and two Intermodal Terminals, the Charlotte Intermodal Terminal and the Triad Terminal. The Charlotte Intermodal Terminal is within two hours of Burke County