South Carolina Highway 61 (SC 61) 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 ...

in 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 is designated on a north–south direction, but physically travels in an east–west direction, from SC 30 in

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

to U.S. Route 78 (US 78) near Branchville. The portion of SC 61 from Church Creek Bridge and north is designated 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 ...

Route description

St. Andrew's Boulevard

The easternmost section of SC 61 is named St. Andrew's Boulevard. This section travels from US 17 to SC 171. It is mostly residential buildings that have been rezoned commercial.

Ashley River Road

Ashley River Road is the portion of SC 61 that travels through

near the

Ashley River The Ashley River is a blackwater and tidal river in South Carolina, rising from the Wassamassaw and Great Cypress Swamps in western Berkeley County. It consolidates its main channel about five miles west of Summerville, widening into a ti ...

from SC 171 to SC 165. It is four lanes near Sam Rittenberg Boulevard, but becomes two lanes through the scenic stretch. Along the two-lane stretch, there are many large oaks and historic

plantations A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

. The SC 61/Ashley River Road exit from

Interstate 526 Interstate 526 (I-526) is a auxiliary route of I-26, providing a partial beltway around Charleston, South Carolina, in the United States. The route serves several purposes, firstly, as a bypass for through traffic on U.S. Route 17 ( ...

(I-526) actually exits onto SC 461 (Paul Cantrell Boulevard). Points of interest along Ashley River Road: *

Drayton Hall Drayton Hall is an 18th-century plantation located on the Ashley River about 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Charleston, South Carolina, and directly across the Ashley River from North Charleston, west of the Ashley in the Lowcountry. An exa ...

* Magnolia Plantation and Gardens and the

Audubon Swamp Garden Audubon Swamp Garden is a cypress and tupelo swamp on the grounds of Magnolia Plantation near Charleston, South Carolina. At one time, the swamp served as a reservoir for the plantation's rice cultivation. The swamp garden includes native flora ...

Middleton Place Middleton Place is a plantation in Dorchester County, along the banks of the Ashley River west of the Ashley and about northwest of downtown Charleston, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Built in several phases during the 18th and 19th centu ...

Plantation * Shadowmoss Plantation - Golf Club & Residential * MacLaura Hall - Private Residential

Beech Hill Road

Beech Hill Road is the section of SC 61 that travels from SC 165 to US 17A. The Legend Oaks Plantation is south of this section of highway.

Augusta Highway

Augusta Highway is the longest section of SC 61 from US 17A to the westernmost end of SC 61 where it merges into US 78.

National Register of Historic Places

Some or all of Ashley River Road was named to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1983. In 1993, it was included in the

Ashley River Historic District Ashley River Historic District is a historic district located west of the Ashley in the South Carolina Lowcountry near Charleston, South Carolina, United States. The Historic District includes land from five municipalities, almost equally split ...

History

South Carolina Highway 65

South Carolina Highway 65 (SC 65) was a

that existed in the southeastern part of

Bamberg County Bamberg County is a county located in the southwestern portion of U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,311, making the rural county the fourth-least populous of any in South Carolina. Its county seat is Bam ...

, the northern part of Colleton County, and the southern part of Dorchester County. It was established in 1929 from U.S. Route 78 (US 78; now Farrells Road) in Farrells Crossroads to SC 64 southeast of Givhans. It was also proposed to continue to the southeast to meet SC 61 (now SC 165 Connector). In 1932, the proposed portion was shifted to the northeast, to follow SC 64 across the

and then southeast to meet SC 61 (now SC 165 south of Summerville. In 1933, the highway was extended northwest and north-northwest, following US 78 until they met the

U.S. Highway The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these h ...

's new routing west-southwest of Branchville. Also, its proposed path near Summerville was completed. In December 1950, it was rerouted onto its 1929 path, replacing SC 650 to end at SC 61 (now SC 165 Conn.) in Cooks Crossroads. The portion of the former path not

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 SC 64 was redesignated as SC 642. In 1952, SC 65 was redesignated as SC 61.

Future

Developers continue to build more homes further and further down Ashley River Road. A great deal of controversy was created about overdevelopment when the City of North Charleston annexed the 6,600-acre tract known as Watson Hill. The tract was sold by MeadWestvaco to private developers who then requested the annexation by North Charleston. The town of Summerville tried to rush an annexation to block North Charleston which ended in a court battle. Summerville later rescinded and backed away from its annexation attempt. The slump in the economy, 2008–2010, forced these developers to sell and the property was repurchased by MeadWestvaco. A recent public meeting suggested that if development is to occur, instead of widening Ashley River Road to alleviate congestion, Glenn McConnell Parkway, also known as SC 461, could be extended beyond its terminus at Bees Ferry Road. This is possible since Glenn McConnell Parkway travels parallel to SC 61.

Major intersections

Special routes

Charleston alternate route

South Carolina Highway 61 Alternate (SC 61 Alt.) was an alternate route that existed west of

, in what is now the

West Ashley West Ashley, or more formally, west of the Ashley, is one of the six distinct areas of the city proper of Charleston, South Carolina. As of July 2022, its estimated population was 83,996. Its name is derived from the fact that the land is west of ...

portion of the city. It was established in 1940 on Wappoo Road between U.S. Route 17 (US 17) and SC 61. In 1947, it was decommissioned.

Charleston connector route

South Carolina Highway 61 Connector (SC 61 Conn.) is a

connector route A connector is a highway or freeway road that connects to another highway or freeway. It can be part of an interchange such as the MacArthur Maze or a longer roadway such as the Interstate 635. A connector route is a type of special route or su ...

in the

portion of

. It is actually the SC 61 mainline. On the South Carolina Department of Transportation's Charleston city map, the portion of SC 61 on either side of the SC 461 (Paul Cantrell Boulevard)

intersection In mathematics, the intersection of two or more objects is another object consisting of everything that is contained in all of the objects simultaneously. For example, in Euclidean geometry, when two lines in a plane are not parallel, their i ...

is signed as a connector route.

Dorchester County connector route

South Carolina Highway 61 Connector (SC 61 Conn.) is a connecting route south-southwest of Summerville and is in the southeastern part of Dorchester County. This highway serves to connect SC 61 and SC 165. It is known as Cook's Cross Road and is an

unsigned highway Road sign along Aurora_to_exit_the_freeway._The_road_at_this_exit_is_officially_designated_Sigurd_and_Aurora,_Utah">Aurora_to_exit_the_freeway._The_road_at_this_exit_is_officially_designated_Utah_State_Route_259">SR 259,_a_short_connector;_h ...

. It begins at an

with the SC 61 mainline (Ashley River Road) just southeast of Cooks Crossroads, which is the intersection of SC 61 and SC 165. It travels to the north and curves to the northwest. After a curve to the north-northwest, it curves back to the northwest and reaches its northern terminus, an intersection with SC 165.

Summerville alternate route

South Carolina Highway 61 Alternate (SC 61 Alt.) was an alternate route that existed south of Summerville. It was established in December 1936 on Stallsville Loop between two intersections with SC 61 (now SC 165). In 1947, it was decommissioned. Its west–east portion in now still Stallsville Loop, but its south–north portion is part of Trolley Road.

References

External links

*
CharlestonWiki Highway 61 article
{{National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina

061 61 may refer to: * 61 (number) * one of the years 61 BC, AD 61, 1961, 2061 * In some countries, a slang name for the Cyrillic letter Ы * '' 61*'', a 2001 American sports drama film * "Sixty One", a song by Karma to Burn from the album ''Mountain ...

National Scenic Byways National Register of Historic Places in Dorchester County, South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Charleston County, South Carolina Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in South Carolina Transportation in Charleston, South Carolina Transportation in Dorchester County, South Carolina Transportation in Colleton County, South Carolina Transportation in Bamberg County, South Carolina