South Carolina Highway 174 (SC 174) 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
Edisto Beach
Edisto Beach is a town in Colleton County, South Carolina, United States. Edisto Beach's population was 414 as of the 2010 census, down from 641 in 2000. The town limits include only the developed coastal area of Edisto Island within Colleton Coun ...
with the western part of the
Charleston area, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
. The highway was designated a South Carolina scenic byway in 1988. In 2009, the
U.S. Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...
declared that a stretch of SC 174 on Edisto Island would be designated as a
National Scenic Byway
A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Co ...
.
According to the
South Carolina Department of Transportation
The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is a government agency in the US state of South Carolina. Its mission is to build and maintain roads and bridges and administer mass transit services.
By state law, the SCDOT's function and ...
(SCDOT), the southern terminus is at the southern terminus of Yacht Club Road, where Palmetto Boulevard changes name to Dock Site Road. However, the ''signed'' southern terminus is at an intersection with Dock Site Road and the western terminus of Buoy Road, approximately to the northeast.
Route description
SC 174 travels generally in a south-to-north direction. Its official southern terminus is located in
Edisto Beach
Edisto Beach is a town in Colleton County, South Carolina, United States. Edisto Beach's population was 414 as of the 2010 census, down from 641 in 2000. The town limits include only the developed coastal area of Edisto Island within Colleton Coun ...
in
Colleton County
Colleton County is in the Lowcountry region of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,604. Its county seat is Walterboro. The county is named after Sir John Colleton, 1st Baronet, one of the eight Lords ...
at the intersection of Dock Site Road, Palmetto Boulevard, and Yacht Club Road, although its signed southern terminus is located about a quarter-mile east at the intersection of Buoy Road and Dock Site Road. From its southern terminus, SC 174 travels south before curving east along the beach and traveling through the length of Edisto Beach. This is the only section of SC 174 that has four lanes. As SC 174 leaves Edisto Beach, it also enters
Charleston County and curves north, beginning its designation as the Edisto Island National Scenic Byway.
As the highway runs across
Edisto Island
Edisto Island is one of South Carolina's Sea Islands, the larger part of which lies in Charleston County, with its southern tip in Colleton County. The town of Edisto Beach is in Colleton County, while the Charleston County part of the island is ...
, it travels under an ancient
live oak
Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. These oaks are not more closely related to each other than they are to other oaks.
...
canopy and past small homes, prayer chapels, churches, and country stores and serves as the primary spine road for the island, with smaller country roads and lanes intersecting it and leading to more distant areas of the island. SC 174's National Scenic Byway designation ends when it crosses the North
Edisto River
The Edisto River is one of the longest free-flowing blackwater rivers in North America, flowing over 250 meandering miles from its sources in Saluda and Edgefield counties, to its Atlantic Ocean mouth at Edisto Beach, South Carolina. It rises i ...
and leaves Edisto Island. Further north, the highway intersects with the western terminus of
SC 164 and then running through the
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
of
Adams Run, where it intersects with the western terminus of
SC 162. Continuing north, SC 174 crosses the
CSX
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
Railway just before its northern terminus, an intersection with
US 17 in the
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
of
Osborn.
Major intersections
See also
*
References
External links
*{{commonscat-inline
SC 174 at Virginia Highways' South Carolina Highways Annex
174
Year 174 ( CLXXIV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gallus and Flaccus (or, less frequently, year 927 '' Ab urbe condi ...
Transportation in Charleston County, South Carolina
Transportation in Colleton County, South Carolina