NC 98 begins at US 15 Business/US 501 Business in downtown Durham. The eastbound lanes of the road begin at Roxboro Street, however the westbound lanes continue to Magnum Street along a one-way road. From its terminus, the road heads east along Holloway Street, following a concurrency with US 70 Business Holloway Street continues to the US 70 interchange, where the US 70 Business concurrency ends. NC 98 continues running along Holloway Street, until intersecting Clayton Road, where it then become Wake Forest Highway. Wake Forest Highway continues to be the name for NC 98 throughout Durham County. The highway passes by Oak Grove Elementary School and Neal Middle School on the outskirts of Durham. Before leaving Durham County, the road passes over an extension of Falls Lake.