In 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 = ...

, U.S. Route 17 (US 17) is a north–south U.S. Highway located near the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. The highway enters the state from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

at the Savannah River and serves Hardeeville, Charleston, Georgetown, and

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 ...

, before entering

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 ...

near

Calabash Calabash (; ''Lagenaria siceraria''), also known as bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, long melon, birdhouse gourd, New Guinea bean, Tasmania bean, and opo squash, is a vine grown for its fruit. It can be either harvested young to be consumed ...

Route description

US 17 enters into South Carolina in Jasper County as a two-lane road and within enters Hardeeville, where it becomes a major four-lane

freeway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...

configuration. US 17 intersects Interstate 95 at exit 5 in Hardeeville and after the intersection with US 321, runs parallel to Interstate 95 until Ridgeland, where it merges with the interstate at exit 22 until Point South. At Point South, US 17 leaves I-95 at exit 33 and heads eastward into northern Beaufort County, sharing a concurrency with US 21 until Gardens Corner. US 21 splits off to Beaufort while US 17 heads northeast into the

ACE Basin The Ashepoo, Combahee and Edisto Basin (abbreviated as ACE Basin, spoken as ''ace basin'') is one of the largest undeveloped estuaries along the Atlantic Coast of the United States. Located primarily in Colleton, Charleston, and Beaufort count ...

and

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 ...

. The stretch of US 17 between Gardens Corner and Jacksonboro was a scenic yet rural two-lane road configuration that has proven to be a very dangerous and deadly stretch for motorists. SCDOT is working on improving portions of the roadway, including widening some portions and reducing the speed limits. Since, this road has been upgraded to a four-lane divided highway. Once in Jacksonboro, the road enters into Charleston County crossing over 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 ...

and regaining a four-lane configuration for the remainder of the state. The road passes through several rural communities as it approaches Charleston from the west. Just before the interchange with

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) major commercial development starts and continues into the West Ashley neighborhood of Charleston. The section running from Sam Rittenberg Boulevard to SC 171 has been named the "Charleston Nine Memorial Highway", in honor of nine Charleston firefighters killed in the line of duty in the

Charleston Sofa Super Store fire The Charleston Sofa Super Store fire occurred on the evening of June 18, 2007, in Charleston, South Carolina, and killed nine firefighters. This was the deadliest firefighter disaster in the US since the September 11 attacks. The fire was believ ...

on June 18, 2007. The route then approaches the Ashley River. In Charleston, US 17 traverses the Ashley River Drawbridges and comes onto the Charleston Peninsula, being routed north of the historical areas of the city. The first portion is at-grade and has a few traffic-signals for flow purposes. This section of the route is named the " Septima P. Clark Parkway". Upon reaching the eastern terminus of I-26, US 17 becomes

controlled-access A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...

and above grade as it approaches the Cooper River via the

Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge (also known as the Ravenel Bridge and the Cooper River Bridge) is a cable-stayed bridge over the Cooper River in South Carolina, US, connecting downtown Charleston to Mount Pleasant. The bridge has a main span ...

and the stretch of US 17 in Charleston is infamous among locals for its traffic congestion, especially on weekday mornings. Upon crossing the river, the highway enters Mount Pleasant at grade and is signalized for several miles up through the second interchange with I-526 and connecting roads to the

Isle of Palms An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms. Isle may refer to: Geography * I ...

and Sullivan's Island. The road leaves the Charleston metro area by entering the

Francis Marion National Forest The Francis Marion National Forest is located north of Charleston, South Carolina. It is named for revolutionary war hero Francis Marion, who was known to the British as the Swamp Fox. It lies entirely within the Middle Atlantic coastal forests ec ...

and going through the rural communities of Awendaw and McClellanville on its northeastern journey to Georgetown. US 17 crosses the marsh-lined Santee River as it enters Georgetown County. After going around the city of Georgetown, US 17 crosses eastward over the

Waccamaw The Waccamaw people were an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, who lived in villages along the Waccamaw and Pee Dee rivers in North and South Carolina in the 18th century.Lerch 328 Language Very little remains of the Waccam ...

Pee Dee The Pee Dee is a region in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It lies along the lower watershed of the Pee Dee River, which was named after the Pee Dee, a Native American tribe that historically inhabited the region. Hi ...

river system before making a northward turn along the

Grand Strand The Grand Strand is an arc of beach land on the Atlantic Ocean in South Carolina, United States, extending more than from Little River to Winyah Bay. It is located in Horry and Georgetown Counties on the NE South Carolina coast. The term G ...

. The last component of US 17 runs close to the Atlantic, beginning at the Hobcaw Barony and DeBordieu, passing by Pawleys Island and going past the Litchfield beaches and Murrells Inlet. It then enters into Horry County and passing Garden City, Surfside Beach, and arriving in

. US 17 splits here between a business route and the standard route, which remains west of the beach and tourist areas served by Business 17. The roads rejoin north of the city and continue as US 17 through Atlantic Beach,

North Myrtle Beach North Myrtle Beach is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It was created in 1968 from four existing municipalities, and is located about northeast of Myrtle Beach. It serves as one of the primary tourist destinations along ...

, and

Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...

where the South Carolina Welcome Center can be found across from the intersection with SC 179 before crossing into

. The portions from Murrells Inlet to the state line are quite congested at times, though the soon to be constructed

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 ...

should assist in alleviating many traffic issues.

History

The route was part of the 1926 approved plan for a national system of highways, and appears on the approved map. When first signed, US 17 followed a route that went through Florence and Marion.DeLysle, Jack
Map of the Official Atlantic Coastal Highway
1929. University of South Carolina Map Collections. The original route through South Carolina was long. At the time, U.S. routes in South Carolina used a dual-numbering system; US 17 was also signed SC 1 from Georgia to Yemasse, SC 30 from Yemassee to Walterboro, SC 6 from Walterboro to Charleston, SC 2 from Charleston to Goose Creek, SC 41 from Goose Creek to Florence, SC 3 from Florence to North Carolina. Moore 1987, pp. 74–75. By 1928, all of the dual numbers had been removed except for SC 2. The entire route from Georgia to North Carolina was paved by 1930. Moore 1987, p. 139. At one point the route from Green Pond to Jacksonboro was SC 32. The early routing was already identified to be shifted to the ''Kings Highway'' which would pass through Myrtle Beach and Georgetown; re-routing occurred in 1935. The first tourist welcome center in South Carolina opened in February 1968 on US 17 near Little River. Moore 1987, p. 244. A segment of US 17 between Ridgeland and Point South once contained two four-lane divided sections The first is in Coosawhatchie between north of the culvert for Little Bees Creek and north of the bridge over the Coosawhatchie River. The second is in the vicinity of some 1941-built bridges over the Tullifinny River and its tributary the Harbor River. From 1971 to 1975, portions of that segment were relocated onto Interstate 95. The divided section in Coosawhatchie remains intact, while the northbound lane near the Tullifinny wetlands was closed, and today is used for a fishing pier, a parking lot of a church, and a private home.

Major intersections

References

External links

*
US 17 at Virginia Highways' South Carolina Highways Annex

{{DEFAULTSORT:U.S. Route 17 In South Carolina 17 Transportation in Jasper County, South Carolina Transportation in Beaufort County, South Carolina Transportation in Colleton County, South Carolina Transportation in Charleston County, South Carolina Transportation in Georgetown County, South Carolina Transportation in Horry County, South Carolina Transportation in Charleston, South Carolina Mount Pleasant, South Carolina Georgetown, South Carolina 17

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links