| State: | NC |
| Type: | NC |
| Route: | 136 |
| Length Mi: | 2.22 |
| Length Ref: | [1] |
| Map: | NC 136 map.svg |
| Direction A: | West |
| Direction B: | East |
| Terminus A: | near Grandy |
| Counties: | Currituck |
| Established: | 2004 |
| Previous Type: | NC |
| Previous Route: | 135 |
| Next Type: | NC |
| Next Route: | 137 |
North Carolina Highway 136 (NC 136) is a 2.22miles North Carolina state highway that runs entirely within Currituck County. It is a short spur of U.S. Route 158 (US 158), connecting the U.S. Highway to the small unincorporated community of Poplar Branch. The route's eastern terminus is at a boat launch on the Currituck Sound. Prior to 2002, NC 136's current alignment was known as NC 3. In 2002, the numbering of this road and of what was then NC 136 which was located in Iredell and Cabarrus counties swapped to place NC 3 near the home of Dale Earnhardt, a deceased NASCAR driver from Kannapolis who drove the #3 car.
NC 136 begins at an intersection with US 158, heading east on two-lane undivided Macedonia Church Road. The road heads through wooded areas with some farm fields and homes. The highway turns north onto Poplar Branch Road and heads through the residential community of Poplar Branch, curving to the northeast. NC 136 runs through more woodland with some homes before coming to a dead end at a boat launch on the Currituck Sound.
In 1934, NC 3 was signed as a short 1.5miles route on Buck Island traveling from U.S. Highway 158 to the Currituck Sound in Currituck County.
In 2002, state legislation was passed to swap NC 3 and NC 136. The process started in December of that year with the designation change in Iredell County, followed by Cabarrus County in February 2003.[2] [3] In February, 2004, the swap was completed with the establishment of NC 136 in Currituck County.[4] This was done in order for the other road to honor Dale Earnhardt, a NASCAR driver from Kannapolis that drove the #3 car who was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500.[5]