South Carolina Highway 3 (SC 3) is a state highway in the southern part of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 travels in a C-shape from a point approximately southeast of Varnville northwest and north to Barnwell, and then northeast to Swansea.

Route description

SC 3 begins at an intersection with U.S. Route 278 (US 278) in rural Jasper County. The route heads northwest, and crosses into

Hampton County Hampton County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,561. Its county seat is Hampton. It was named for Confederate Civil War general Wade Hampton, who in the late 1870s, with ...

. Continuing northwest, it intersects US 601 before a brief concurrency with US 321 in Estill. The highway continues northwest into Allendale County. After crossing into the county, SC 3 turns north and intersects US 301 approximately southwest of Allendale. The route continues north until it enters Barnwell County. Just after the county line, SC 3 turns northeast and intersects US 278 just before the

Salkehatchie River The Salkehatchie River originates near the City of Barnwell, South Carolina and accepts drainage from Turkey Creek and Whippy Swamp before merging with the Little Salkehatchie River to form the Combahee River Basin, which empties into Saint Helena ...

, approximately south of Barnwell. US 278/SC 3 form a concurrency into Barnwell. In town, SC 3 splits off to the northeast, intersecting SC 64 and SC 70. The highway heads northeast to Blackville, where it crosses US 78. It then heads northward, crossing the South Fork of the

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 ...

, where it enters

Orangeburg County Orangeburg County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 92,501. Its county seat is Orangeburg. The county was created in 1769. Orangeburg County comprises the Orangeburg, SC Microp ...

. Just before the river, the route begins its last northeastern orientation, passing just east of Springfield, intersecting SC 3 Business and SC 4. SC 3 heads northeast, skirting the Aiken County line, before entering

Lexington County Lexington County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 293,991, and the 2021 population estimate was 300,137. Its county seat and largest town is Lexington. The county was chartered ...

. Approximately northeast of the county line, SC 3 meets its northern terminus, at its second intersection with US 321 in the southern part of Swansea.

History

A previous version of SC 3 existed as an original state route, running from Columbia to

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Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

, and Mullins before crossing 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 ...

state line where US 76 does today. In 1927, the route was renumbered as various US highways. The current version of SC 3 was established in 1928 as a renumbering of the closing SC 1. It originally ran from Allendale to Dixiana. In 1938, the northern terminus was extended about 3 miles north to West Columbia. In 1939, however, it was pushed back south to Dixiana. In that same year, the southern terminus was extended southward a short distance to Barton. In 1948, the northern terminus was again pushed back, this time to Swansea. The southern terminus was also pushed north back to Allendale. Five years later, in 1953, the southern terminus was moved up north to Barnwell. In the early 1960s, the northern terminus was extended up to Dixiana once again. In 1962, the highway was extended southward to US 321 in southwest Allendale County. In 1971, the northern terminus was once again moved back south to Swansea. In 1972, the southern terminus was moved southeast to Grays, giving us the current SC 3 routing.

Major intersections

Springfield business route

South Carolina Highway 3 Business (SC 3 Bus.) begins at an intersection with the SC 3 mainline, south-southeast of Springfield. It heads northwest into the city, along Railroad Avenue, to an intersection with SC 4. The two highways share a very brief concurrency to the northeast in town. SC 3 Bus. continues northeast until it meets its northern terminus, another intersection with SC 3, northeast of Springfield.

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline
SC 3 at Virginia Highways' South Carolina Highways Annex

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