The highway is an 8.1-mile-long (13.0 km) freeway through Durham running roughly southeast to northwest; the entire route lies within the city limits.

Prior to June 30, 2022, both the southern half of the Durham Freeway, along with the northernmost segment of the Triangle Expressway, were part of NC 147.

When the East End Connector and related road improvement projects were completed, the former became part of I-885, and the latter became NC 885.

The Durham Freeway portion was originally envisioned as an alignment of I-40, though the interstate was built to the south of the city center instead.

The Buck Dean Expressway is the official name of NC 147 within the city limits of Durham that was approved on December 14, 1984.

The first section in 1982 disrupted the Crest Street neighborhood, but the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) moved 181 houses instead of tearing them down, an action that resulted in a 1987 third-place Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) award for "historic preservation and cultural enhancement".

[3] 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.

Alexander Drive being permanently closed, the pavement was never removed, and the abandoned section still sits just south of NC 147's interchange with I-40.

[11] On August 19, 2014, Interstate 885 first appeared in the October project letting for the East End Connector, which included new sign plans.