South Carolina Highway 38 (SC 38) 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 ...
that extends from
Marlboro County
Marlboro County is a county located in the Pee Dee region on the northern border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 26,667. Its county seat is Bennettsville. The Great Pee Dee River runs through it. M ...
near
Hamlet, North Carolina
Hamlet is a city in Richmond County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 6,042 at the 2020 census.
History
The area in Richmond County which presently includes Hamlet was originally known as Sandhills. The Wilmington, Charlotte & ...
to
U.S. Route 501 (US 501) in
Marion County. The highway travels generally north-to-south (but is signed as west–east) across the eastern portion of the state, and is one of the most popular routes to
Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as "The Grand Strand" in the northeastern part of the state. Its y ...
.
Route description
SC 38 begins at the
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
state line where the highway continues north towards Hamlet on
North Carolina Highway 38
North Carolina Highway 38 (NC 38) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It runs from South Carolina state line to the town of Hamlet, North Carolina, Hamlet.
Route description
A two-lane rural highway, it traverses ...
. The road, signed westbound, heads south through rural unincorporated areas of Marlboro County. After entering the city of
Bennettsville
Bennettsville is a city located in the U.S. state of South Carolina on the Great Pee Dee River. As the county seat of Marlboro County, Bennettsville is noted for its historic homes and buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries—including ...
, it reaches a
roundabout
A roundabout is a type of circular 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 New Shorter Oxford En ...
where
SC 38 Business (SC 38 Bus.) heads directly through the downtown area of the city, SC 38 continues southwest on Oakwood Street. At Cheraw Highway,
SC 9 joins SC 38 on a
concurrency
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 ...
and
SC 9 Bus. heads south. After traveling so far as a two-lane highway, the road expands to four lanes. Shortly after an intersection with
SC 385, the road reaches
US 15
U.S. Route 15 (US 15) is a -long United States highway, designated along South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New York. The route is signed north–south, from U.S. Route 17 Alternate in Walterboro, South Car ...
/
US 401 and the two state highways form another concurrency with the U.S. routes through a commercial district. At Broad Street, SC 9 Bus. and SC 38 Bus. end and SC 38 turns to the south (SC 9 continues along US 15/US 401).
Th highway again travels south through wooded area and farmlands but as a five-lane road (two travel lanes in each direction and 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 ...
). In the town of
Blenheim, the highway intersects
SC 381 at its southern terminus. South of the town, SC 38 becomes a
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 ...
. In the unincorporated community of
Brownsville, SC 38 intersects
SC 34. After crossing into
Dillon County
Dillon County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 28,292, down from 32,062 in 2010. The county seat is Dillon.
Founded in 1910 from a portion of Marion County, both Dillo ...
, the highway heads along the side of a residential neighborhood in the unincorporated community of
Oak Grove and reaches
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1, US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between M ...
(I-95) at its exit 181. Shortly afterwards, SC 38 reaches
SC 917. Between the towns of
Latta and
Sellers, SC 38 passes over a railroad and has an interchange with
US 301. Continuing southeast, SC 38 crosses into Marion County and ends at a
trumpet interchange
In the field of road transport, an interchange (American English) or a grade-separated junction (British English) is a road junction that uses grade separations to allow for the movement of traffic between two or more roadways or highways, using ...
with US 501.
[
]
History
SC 38 was one of the first highways in the South Carolina state system, originally running from Myrtle Beach through Socastee and Conway to Marion Marion may refer to:
People
*Marion (given name)
*Marion (surname)
*Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion"
*Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992)
Places Antarctica
* Mario ...
and Latta. The section east of Conway became US 117 in 1932 and later SC 544, SC 707, and S-28-15. The section north of Conway became US 501 and SC 319 in 1935.
East of Bennettsville, SC 38 originally went through McColl, South Carolina
McColl is a town in Marlboro County, South Carolina, United States. It lies in the state's Pee Dee region, from the North Carolina border. The population was 2,174 at the 2010 census.
McColl is the home of the Pee Dee Indian Tribe. They are a ...
and entered North Carolina near Laurinburg
Laurinburg is a city in and the county seat of Scotland County, North Carolina, United States. Located in southern North Carolina near the South Carolina border, Laurinburg is southwest of Fayetteville and is home to St. Andrews University. ...
. In the mid-1920s SC 30 (now US 401
U.S. Route 401 (US 401) is a north–south United States highway, a spur of U.S. Route 1, that travels along the Fall Line from Sumter, South Carolina to Interstate 85 near Wise, North Carolina.
Route description
Starting in Sumt ...
) replaced the section east of Bennettsville. Then SC 38 was extended to Gibson, North Carolina
Gibson is a town in Scotland County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 540 at the 2010 census.
History
Gibson was originally located in Richmond County, North Carolina. A post office was built in the area in 1846, and the town w ...
around 1930. In 1938, SC 96 became SC 38 north of Bennettsville, and the road followed its current route for the first time in that area. The former SC 38 became SC 79 and later SC 385.
In September 1951, the section of SC 38 east of the current I-95 became SC 917, and the former SC 380 became SC 38, giving the road its approximate current route on the south end.[ ]
A dangerous intersection at US 301 and 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. ...
railroad was replaced with an interchange.
In 1983, a bypass was built around Bennettsville, with the previous SC 38 designated as SC 38 Business.
During a 15-year period starting in the early 1990s, SC 38 was widened to four lanes, with medians
The Medes ( Old Persian: ; Akkadian: , ; Ancient Greek: ; Latin: ) were an ancient Iranian people who spoke the Median language and who inhabited an area known as Media between western and northern Iran. Around the 11th century BC, th ...
in some areas and a center turn lane in others, in stages from Bennettsville to US 501.
In 2005, highway officials from North and South Carolina met and passed a resolution designating that Interstate 73
Interstate 73 (I-73) is a north–south Interstate Highway, located within the US state of North Carolina. Currently, there is one continuous section of I-73, totaling , first traversing the U.S. Route 220 (US 220) freeway from ...
would be built along the route of SC 38. However, a 2008 project map shows the likely I-73 route running east of 38. In June 2012, though, Miley and Associates of Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...
recommended improvements to SC 38 and US 501 to create the Grand Strand Expressway (GSX), a position long held by the Coastal Conservation League, which asked for the study. SC Representative Alan Clemmons, head of the National I-73 Corridor Association, said such a plan had been considered but was not likely.
Major intersections
Business loop
South Carolina Highway 38 Business (SC 38 Bus.) is a business route
A business route (or business loop, business spur, or city route) in the United States is a short special route connected to a ''parent'' numbered highway at its beginning, then routed through the central business district of a nearby city or ...
of SC 38 in Bennettsville
Bennettsville is a city located in the U.S. state of South Carolina on the Great Pee Dee River. As the county seat of Marlboro County, Bennettsville is noted for its historic homes and buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries—including ...
. It begins at the intersection with U.S. Route 15 (US 15), US 401, SC 9, and SC 38 south of town. The route begins running concurrent with SC 9 heading north along Broad Street. In front of the Marlboro County Courthouse, both SC 9 and SC 38 Bus. make a left along Main Street until reaching the southern terminus of Cheraw Street. Where Cheraw Street and Hamlet Highway merge, both SC 9 and SC 38 Bus. separate. SC 38 Bus. continues on Hamlet Highway heading north. The business route then reaches its northern terminus at a roundabout with its parent route SC 38.
See also
*
References
External links
{{Commons category
SC 38 at Virginia Highways' South Carolina Highway Annex
* South Carolina Department of Transportation county road maps fo
MarlboroDillon
Marion
038
Transportation in Marion County, South Carolina
Transportation in Dillon County, South Carolina
Transportation in Marlboro County, South Carolina