South Carolina Highway 170 (SC 170) is a
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
, connecting northern
Beaufort County with southern portions of Beaufort and
Jasper
Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...
counties. Due to increased population growth in both areas, the majority of the road is four lanes wide, with certain areas retaining the original
two-lane configuration.
Route description
Beginning at a bridge over the Savannah River, the highway travels through a densely wooded area and crosses nearly of marshes within the
Savannah National Wildlife Refuge
The Savannah National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located in Chatham and Effingham counties in Georgia and Jasper County in South Carolina. Of the total area, is in Georgia and is in South Carolina. The refuge was establis ...
. At the site of a former truck
weigh station
A weigh station is a checkpoint along a highway to inspect vehicular weights and safety compliance criteria. Usually, trucks and commercial vehicles are subject to the inspection.
Weigh stations are equipped with truck scales, some of which are ...
, the highway merges with
U.S. Route 17 (US 17); SC 170 is
concurrent
Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to:
Law
* Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea''
* Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...
with US 17 for approximately on a four-lane,
divided highway
A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
configuration. In
Limehouse
Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains throug ...
the highway branches off from US 17 to the east after traveling under an abandoned railroad bridge, and flanks the east side of that highway momentarily until a
fork
In cutlery or kitchenware, a fork (from la, furca 'pitchfork') is a utensil, now usually made of metal, whose long handle terminates in a head that branches into several narrow and often slightly curved tines with which one can spear foods ei ...
on the road with Limehouse Road (which includes Levy Road slicing through both) where it curves onto Freedom Parkway. Freedom Parkway makes a slight curve to the right before terminating at
SC 315 (formerly
SC 170 Alternate), and SC 170 makes a left turn at Okatie Highway. SC 170 rejoins its previous trajectory after the western terminus of the concurrency with
SC 46. SC 170 and SC 46 are concurrent for crossing the Beaufort County line in the process where it becomes May River Road until reaching a
traffic circle
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection (road), intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The N ...
in
Pritchardville. SC 46 continues to the east while SC 170 turns north onto four-lane Okatie Highway.
After the Bluffton Parkway, which provides direct access to
Bluffton, it skirts the eastern edge of the
Sun City Hilton Head
Del Webb's Sun City Hilton Head (often shortened to Sun City Hilton Head or Sun City locally) is an age-restricted planned community located in the Okatie area of Beaufort and Jasper counties in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina. Although ...
development, then travels under a
partial cloverleaf interchange
A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange.
The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also bee ...
with
US 278, which is known locally as McGarvey's Corner. For the next approximately , the highway travels along the Jasper–Beaufort county line. The divided highway briefly ends at the intersection of a private road named "Heffallump Road" but remains four-lanes with a
center turn lane
A reversible lane (British English: tidal flow) is a lane in which traffic may travel in either direction, depending on certain conditions. Typically, it is meant to improve traffic flow during rush hours, by having overhead traffic lights and li ...
provision only to become a divided highway again at the Oldfield Golf Club and Equestrian Center. Curving back to the east as it approaches the intersection with
SC 462, the highway later re-enters Jasper County at the two ends of Old Baileys Road, then travels along the Jasper–Beaufort county line again until it reaches the intersection of Snake Road and
Callawassie Island
Callawassie Island is one of hundreds of barrier and sea islands in the southeast corner in the outer coastal plain, making up a portion of Beaufort County, South Carolina.
Callawassie Island is centrally located southwest of Beaufort, Sout ...
's entrance road.
[
Now in Beaufort County proper once again, the highway becomes more scenic, with panoramas of marshes and surrounding islands extending for miles. The divided highway ends again, as it approaches the Edgar C. Glenn Boat Ramp under the four-lane (with center-painted divider) bridge over the Chechesee River and enters Lemon Island. The highway briefly becomes a four-lane divided highway again as it winds southeast through the island but the divider itself is short-lived. SC 170 leaves the island and enters Burton by crossing the Broad River over the , four-lane Edward Burton Rogers Bridge. The bridge was built in 2004 and replaced a two-lane ]drawbridge
A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...
. Before returning to the mainland, the remains of the former drawbridge can be found on the north side of the existing bridge, and serves as a fishing pier, then a frontage road to the Broad River Boat Launching area. SC 170 is now known as Robert Smalls Parkway for approximately as it travels in a northeasterly direction across Port Royal Island
Port Royal Island (historically Port Royal) is an island located in Beaufort County, South Carolina. It is considered one of the Sea Islands in the Lowcountry region and is the most populous island in northern Beaufort County, containing most of ...
. The frontage road
A frontage road (also known as an access road, outer road, service road, feeder road, or parallel road) is a local road running parallel to a higher-speed, limited-access road. A frontage road is often used to provide access to private drivew ...
ends across from the intersection with SC 128, and later SC 170 intersects with US 21 and briefly becomes a divided highway at the crossing with the Spanish Moss Trail
The Spanish Moss Trail is a partially-completed, ten-mile multi-purpose rail trail in northern Beaufort County, South Carolina.
Using the former Port Royal Railroad right-of-way now owned by Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority, the dedica ...
before turning straight north and finally ending at US 21 Business (US 21 Bus.) in Beaufort Beaufort may refer to:
People and titles
* Beaufort (surname)
* House of Beaufort, English nobility
* Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England
* Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility
Places Polar regions ...
.[
]
History
Established around 1931 as a new primary routing from US 17 (today Levy Road S-27-34) to SC 33 (today SC 46). In 1939, it was extended north to where US 278 exists today. In 1940, it was extended north again to SC 368, near Coosawhatchie; and again by 1942 to US 17 in Coosawhatchie. In 1949, SC 170 was extended west from Coosawhatchie to SC 128, near Gillisonville, a renumbering of SC 366. In 1958, SC 170 was rerouted to US 21 in Beaufort Beaufort may refer to:
People and titles
* Beaufort (surname)
* House of Beaufort, English nobility
* Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England
* Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility
Places Polar regions ...
, via the Broad River Bridge
The Broad River Bridge (also known as the Edward Burton Rogers Bridge) is a 1.7-mile-long (2.7 km) highway bridge that spans the Broad River in Beaufort County, South Carolina. Originally built as a two-lane drawbridge, growth pressures an ...
, replacing part of SC 169; its old alignment north through Coosawhatchie was renumbered to SC 462. Around 1975, SC 170 was extended slightly south over an old alignment of US 17 as mainline US 17 was placed on a new bypass west of Limehouse. In 1995, SC 170 was extended south into Georgia, replacing a section of mainline US 17.
Major intersections
Special routes
Levy alternate route
South Carolina Highway 170 Alternate (SC 170 Alt.) was a alternate route
An official alternate route is a special route in the United States that provides an alternate alignment for a highway. They are loop roads and found in many road systems in the United States including the U.S. Highway system and various state an ...
that was established around 1972 as a new primary routing from U.S. Route 17 Alternate (US 17 Alt.) to SC 170; an upgrade to secondary road S-27-117 (built in the late 1950s) and part of S-27-92 (Belinger Hill Road).[ Its existence created a rare alternate ]spur
A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse or other animal to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids (commands) and to back ...
, but provided a more direct routing between Bluffton and Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
. In 2010, it was renumbered as SC 315.
See also
*
References
External links
* {{commons category-inline, South Carolina Highway 170
Mapmikey's South Carolina Highways Page: SC 170
170
Year 170 ( CLXX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Clarus and Cornelius (or, less frequently, year 923 ''Ab urbe condita ...
Transportation in Jasper County, South Carolina
Transportation in Beaufort County, South Carolina
U.S. Route 17