U.S. Highway 17

U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Highway that spans in the southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length, with the exception of the portion between Punta Gorda and Jacksonville, Florida, and the portion from Fredericksburg to Winchester, Virginia, both of which follow a more inland route. Major metropolitan areas served along US 17's route include the Punta Gorda, Greater Orlando, and Jacksonville metropolitan areas in Florida, the Brunswick and Savannah metropolitan areas in Georgia, the Charleston and Myrtle Beach metropolitan areas in South Carolina, the Cape Fear and New Bern metropolitan areas in North Carolina, and the Hampton Roads and Winchester metropolitan areas in Virginia.

The highway's southern terminus is at Punta Gorda, Florida, at an intersection with US 41. Traveling north, US 17 joins up with US 50 in Paris, Virginia, and the northern terminus of US 17 is in downtown Winchester. This is also the point at which the portion of US 50 called the Northwestern Turnpike begins.

Though US 1 is generally considered to be the highway that runs alongside Interstate 95 (I-95), US 17 runs parallel to I-95 for much of its extent, and even shares the same physical road for short spans in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Ridgeland, South Carolina. As such, US 17 is out of sequence in the U.S. Highway numbering plan (US 17 would, under the plan, run parallel to and between US 15 and US 19; the U.S. Highway following that path is instead marked US 219).

Route description

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Florida

US 17 begins in downtown Punta Gorda, Florida, at US 41 (Cross Street), just to the west of Tamiami Trail. After running east, it runs roughly north along the Peace River, through Arcadia, Zolfo Springs (where it crosses the Peace River), and Wauchula. At Fort Meade, it joins with US 98, which follows it northward (westward on US 98) until Bartow. While US 98 goes northwest, US 17 goes northeast.

US 17 begins a long concurrency with US 92 just north of Winter Haven in Lake Alfred (US 92 following eastbound), which takes both highways through Kissimmee, where they join US 192. Like US 92, US 17 roughly parallels Interstate 4 (I-4) along the overlap. When all three meet US 441, US 192 follows US 441 southbound, while US 17/US 92 follows US 441 north into downtown Orlando. US 17/US 92 then splits from US 441 at State Road 50 (SR 50, Colonial Drive) and jogs east, splitting back north from SR 50 when it meets SR 15 (Mills Avenue).

In Sanford, Florida, US 17/US 92 crosses the St. Johns River into Volusia County via the Bill Benedict Bridge.

US 92 then splits away from US 17 north of DeLand, as US 92 continues east to Daytona Beach on International Speedway Boulevard, while US 17 continues north toward Palatka, where it again crosses the St. Johns River.

In Clay County, US 17 runs through suburban Jacksonville. The northern stretch of US 17 in Clay County is known as Park Avenue.

In Jacksonville, the southern portion of US 17 is known as Roosevelt Boulevard. Here, the highway goes past Naval Air Station Jacksonville (NAS Jax). Near downtown Jacksonville, US 17 joins I-10 for approximately one mile, before merging into I-95. US 17 then exits onto Union Street and continues as North Main Street until the Nassau County border. It then continues until it reaches the Georgia state line, crossing over the St. Marys River.

Georgia

In Woodbine, US 17 crosses the Satilla River by way of the J. Edwin Godley Bridge. In Brunswick, the route traverses the South Brunswick River over the Sidney Lanier Bridge, then across the Altamaha River bridge between Glynn County and McIntosh County. At the South Carolina state line, US 17 crosses the Savannah River on the Talmadge Memorial Bridge.

South Carolina

US 17 enters South Carolina in Jasper County as a two-lane road and within enters Hardeeville, where it becomes a four-lane configuration. US 17 intersects I-95 in Hardeeville and runs parallel to I-95 until Ridgeland, where it merges with the Interstate until Point South. At Point South, US 17 leaves I-95 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 and Colleton County. This stretch of road has been upgraded from a two-lane to a four-lane configuration, due to safety concerns.

Once in Jacksonboro, the road enters Charleston County, crossing the Edisto River and maintains a four-lane configuration for the remainder of the state. The road passes through several rural communities as it approaches Charleston from the west. In Charleston, the section running from South Carolina Highway 171 (SC 171) to Sam Rittenberg Boulevard 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 on June 18, 2007. US 17 passes through the West Ashley community before it traverses the Ashley River Drawbridges to the Charleston Peninsula. From the drawbridges, it is known as the Septima Clark Crosstown Connector and is mostly routed north of the affluent historical areas of the city. Upon reaching the I-26 terminus, US 17 becomes limited-access and above grade as it approaches the Cooper River via the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. 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 and Sullivan's Island. The road leaves the Charleston metro area and enters the Francis Marion National Forest and going through the rural communities of Awendaw and McClellanville, where Hurricane Hugo made landfall in September 1989. US 17 continues on its northeastern journey to Georgetown and crosses the marsh-lined Santee River as it enters Georgetown County. US 17's route through Georgetown is a major thoroughfare through the city and skirts the historic district. After going through Georgetown and passing by DeBordieu, Pawleys Island, and Litchfield Beach, Murrells Inlet US 17 enters Horry County, passes Garden City Beach, Surfside Beach, and arrives in Myrtle Beach, where it splits between a business route and the mainline route, which remains west of the beach and tourist areas served by US 17 Business. The roads rejoin north of the city and continue as US 17 through Atlantic Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Little River before crossing into North Carolina.

North Carolina

In Wilmington, North Carolina, US 17 (here concurrent with I-140) crosses the Northeast Cape Fear River between New Hanover County and Brunswick County over the Dan Cameron Bridge. Between New Bern and James City, US 17 (concurrent with US 70 and North Carolina Highway 55 C 55 crosses the Trent River by way of the Freedom Memorial Bridge. Farther east, between James City and Bridgeton, US 17, still concurrent with NC 55, crosses the Neuse River over the Neuse River Bridge.

In Washington, US 17 crosses the Pamlico River