Editing Polk County, North Carolina (section)

===Major highways===
* {{Jct|state=NC|I|26}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|US|74}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|US|176}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|NC|9}}
* {{Jct|state=NC|NC|108}}

The interchange for I-26 and the US 74 freeway is located in Columbus. Interstate 26 provides Polk County with access to [[Asheville, North Carolina|Asheville]] and [[Spartanburg, South Carolina]].

Polk County is also served by an additional non-freeway U.S. Highway: US 176. This was the primary highway linking Saluda and Tryon to [[Hendersonville, North Carolina|Hendersonville]] and Spartanburg, SC. prior to the delayed completion of I-26 in 1976. Two North Carolina routes, NC 108 and NC 9, traverse the county as well. NC 108 begins in [[Rutherfordton, North Carolina|Rutherfordton]] and travels west through Columbus and ends at US 176 in Tryon. Oriented north-to-south, NC 9 connects [[Black Mountain, North Carolina|Black Mountain]] and [[Lake Lure, North Carolina|Lake Lure]] to Spartanburg and points southeast via Polk County. NC 108 and NC 9 intersect at the unincorporated town of Mill Spring.

Polk County and Saluda are infamous among railroad enthusiasts for the [[Saluda Grade]], the steepest standard-gauge mainline railway grade in the United States.<ref>[http://www.ncmarkers.com/Results.aspx?k=Search&ct=btn Saluda Grade - North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111123164946/http://www.ncmarkers.com/Results.aspx?k=Search&ct=btn|date=November 23, 2011}}</ref> [[Norfolk Southern]] suspended freight traffic indefinitely along this route in December 2001. The track remains in place, but are cut near [[Flat Rock, Henderson County, North Carolina|Flat Rock, North Carolina]] and [[Landrum, South Carolina]].