U.S. Route 521 (US 521) is a north–south
United States Highway that traverses , from
Georgetown, South Carolina
Georgetown is the third oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County, South Carolina, Georgetown County, in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Lowcountry. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census ...
, to
Charlotte, North Carolina. Though numbered as an auxiliary route of
US 21, it does not actually intersect its parent ''or'' any of its sibling routes, though it is in the same general part of the country as other routes from its family. Historically, it once connected to US 21 in
Pineville, North Carolina
Pineville (; locally ) is a suburban town in the southernmost portion of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States, situated in the Waxhaws district between Charlotte and Fort Mill.
History
Pineville became known as a mule trading cen ...
, but various changes have left it terminating a few miles short of the current US 21.
Route description
South Carolina
Starting at the city of
Georgetown, US 521 runs through the town
Andrews Andrews may refer to:
Places Australia
*Andrews, Queensland
*Andrews, South Australia
United States
*Andrews, Florida (disambiguation), various places
*Andrews, Indiana
* Andrews, Nebraska
*Andrews, North Carolina
* Andrews, Oregon
* Andrews, Sou ...
to
Greeleyville. From here to the city of
Manning it is known as the Greeleyville Highway. There is a brief section right before Manning where it runs concurrent with
SC 261. In Manning SC 261 branches off and US 521 merges with
US 301 for a short distance. It crosses over
Interstate 95 (I-95) and heads to the city of
Sumter. In Sumter, it runs together with
US Business 378. Leaving Sumter, US 521 is known as Camden Highway. It passes under
I-20
Interstate 20 (I‑20) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the Southern United States. I-20 runs beginning at an interchange with I-10 in Scroggins Draw, Texas, and ending at an interchange with I-95 in Florence, South Carolina. Between ...
and proceeds to
Camden
Camden may refer to:
People
* Camden (surname), a surname of English origin
* Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer
* Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor
Places Australia
* Camden, New South Wales
* Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...
. It then goes on to the town of
Kershaw, running concurrent with
US 601. The final city it goes through before going into North Carolina is
Lancaster.
North Carolina
US 521 traverses from the
South Carolina state line to
I-485. The entire route is a four- to six-lane divided highway, split in naming between Lancaster Highway and Johnston Road.
History
Established in 1932, it was overlapped entirely with SC 26, from
Georgetown to the
North Carolina state line, where it continued with
NC 26 into
Pineville, where it ended at
U.S. Route 21/
NC 261 (now
NC 51). In 1933, SC 26 was decommissioned; followed in 1934 with the decommissioning of
NC 26.
In 1949, US 521 was rerouted in
Williamsburg County
Williamsburg County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census its population was 31,026. The county seat and largest city is Kingstree. After a previous incarnation of Williamsburg County, the current county ...
to run directly from
Andrews Andrews may refer to:
Places Australia
*Andrews, Queensland
*Andrews, South Australia
United States
*Andrews, Florida (disambiguation), various places
*Andrews, Indiana
* Andrews, Nebraska
*Andrews, North Carolina
* Andrews, Oregon
* Andrews, Sou ...
, through
Salters and
Greeleyville, to
Manning; which replaced
SC 171 and part of
SC 261, the old alignment became part of
SC 377 and
SC 261. Between 1962 and 1964, US 521 was rerouted at the
Sumter-
Kershaw county line to
Camden
Camden may refer to:
People
* Camden (surname), a surname of English origin
* Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer
* Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor
Places Australia
* Camden, New South Wales
* Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...
; the old alignment became an extension of
SC 261.
In 1969, US 521 was extended north, via South Boulevard, and Wilkinson Blvd, then in 1981, by way of Woodlawn Road, and Billy Graham Parkway, to
I-85 in
Charlotte.
Between 1986 and 1988, US 521 was moved west onto new highway west of
Dalzell, bypassing the town; the old alignment was downgraded to secondary roads.
In 1996, US 521 was rerouted onto
I-485, between exits 61 and 65; the old alignment was downgraded to secondary roads. In 2003, the
American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) approved US 521 to be truncated at its current northern terminus at the Johnston Road/I-485 interchange; its old alignment north to I-85 was downgraded to secondary roads.
Future
There are plans to make US 521 a four-lane highway from
Georgetown to
I-95, in
Manning. This would improve a route for beach goers traveling toward the Litchfield/Pawleys area.
Junction list
Special routes
See also
*
References
External links
*
Endpoints of US 521
{{US 21
21-5
21-5
21-5
Transportation in Georgetown County, South Carolina
Transportation in Williamsburg County, South Carolina
Transportation in Clarendon County, South Carolina
Transportation in Sumter County, South Carolina
Transportation in Kershaw County, South Carolina
Transportation in Lancaster County, South Carolina
Transportation in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
Transportation in Charlotte, North Carolina
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