By the end of the 19th century, the automobile began to replace horse drawn wagons as the primary means of transportation in the mountains. Earlier muddy and rutted roads began to be replaced with paved highways.

In 1911, the North Carolina legislature authorized the construction of NC 10, the "Central Highway" that would connect Beaufort to Murphy.

In 1934 the designation of the road was changed to US 70 to represent its growing importance as a major highway crossing the United States. Also referred to as the “Broadway of America,” US 70 connected Beaufort, North Carolina, to Los Angeles, California.

After World War II and the creation of the interstate highway system, the section of US 70 between Old Fort and Black Mountain was relocated and upgraded to where Interstate 40 runs today. Construction of the section of I-40 that eventually replaced US70 as the main thoroughfare through the Swannanoa Valley was started in 1952 and completed in the early 60s.