U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a north–south

United States 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 hi ...

that travels from the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the norther ...

to Blacksburg, entirely in

Upstate South Carolina The Upstate is the region in the westernmost part of South Carolina, United States, also known as the Upcountry, which is the historical term. Although loosely defined among locals, the general definition includes the 10 counties of the commerc ...

Route description

US 29 enters South Carolina crossing the

, downstream from

Hartwell Dam Hartwell Dam is a concrete and embankment dam located on the Savannah River at the border of South Carolina and Georgia, creating Lake Hartwell. The dam was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1955 and 1962 for the purposes of flood ...

, and proceeds to travel along the forested eastern edge of

Lake Hartwell Lake Hartwell is a man-made reservoir bordering Georgia and South Carolina and encompassing parts of the Savannah, Tugaloo, and Seneca rivers. Lake Hartwell is one of the Southeastern United States' largest recreation lakes. The lake was created ...

for , where it meets up with Old US 29. From there, it goes on a northeasterly direction towards

Anderson Anderson or Andersson may refer to: Companies * Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910 * Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car * Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer * Anderson ...

. outside

, US 29 Business takes a left turn and more direct route into the downtown area; while mainline US 29 continues east, with most signage signed "TRUCK" instead of the more usual "BY-PASS" (state maps confirm it is the mainline route). At SC 81, US 29 takes a left turn and follows briefly before taking a right turn at Shockley Ferry Road. Crossing SC 28 Business, the road widens to an undivided four-lane, continuing until reaching River Street ( US 76/ US 178); where US 29 makes another right turn and then soon left again. US 29 meets back with US 29 Business at Williamston Road. Continuing northeast for another , US 29 makes a junction with US 29/ SC 20 Connector to Williamston; the highway briefly divides at junction. With another , US 29 merges with northbound

Interstate 85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, n ...

(exit 34, northbound exit and southbound entrance only). After traveling in concurrency with

, US 29 switches onto Interstate 185 at exit 42 (exit 14B on Interstate 185). After , Interstate 185 ends at Henrydale Avenue; US 29 continues along Mills Avenue, followed by Church Street (staying straight), through downtown Greenville. At North Street and Academy Street ( US 123), travelers can connect to

Interstate 385 Interstate 385 (I-385) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway located in the Upstate region of South Carolina. I-385 is a spur route of I-85. The highway provides a connection between Greenville and I-26 to the south, connecting Greenville t ...

; between the two streets is the

Bon Secours Wellness Arena Bon Secours Wellness Arena (formerly the BI-LO Center; The Well) is a multi-purpose arena in Greenville, South Carolina. The arena serves as the home of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL. History The Bon Secours Wellness Arena was built ...

. Church street eventually ends onto Wade Hampton Boulevard, which is a divided six-lane highway from Greenville to Greer. Once after passing through Greer, the highway shrinks to a divided four-lane highway, continuing through Lyman and Wellford. After passing

(exit 66) and

Interstate 26 Interstate 26 (I-26) is a main route of the Interstate Highway System in the Southeastern United States. Nominally east–west, as indicated by its even number, I-26 runs from the junction of U.S. Route 11W (US 11W) and US 23 in ...

(exit 21), US 29 enters

Spartanburg Spartanburg is a city in and the seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest city in the state. For a time, the Offi ...

and through one of the busiest commercial areas in the city, centered at Westgate Mall (the highway is widen to six-lanes throughout the commercial area). As US 29 enters the city center area, it takes a left onto Saint John Street, then proceeds to parallel Main Street before rejoining later. At Pine Street ( US 176/ SC 9), travelers can connect to

Interstate 585 Interstate 585 (I-585) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway of I-85 in the US state of South Carolina. It is an orphan auxiliary route to I-85 since 1995 when the Interstate was relocated further north bypassing Spartanburg. In a concurrency ...

. US 29 continues in a northeasterly direction into

Cowpens Cowpens may refer to: * Battle of Cowpens, a battle in the American Revolution * Cowpens National Battlefield, a unit of the National Park Service that protects the battlefield. * Cowpens, South Carolina * USS Cowpens (CG-63), USS ''Cowpens'' (CG-63 ...

, where the highway reduces down to a two-lane through town. After passing through

, the road widens again to an undivided 4-lane for before entering into Gaffney. Continuing as a two-lane road through both Gaffney and Blacksburg, it crosses one last time with

(exit 106), 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 So ...

History

From its inception until 1959, US 29 was the main thoroughfare in

and connecting regionally with

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

and

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

. Though still important in the upstate, it now takes a traveler on a more indirect route compared to

Established in 1927 as an original U.S. Route, it generally traversed the same today as it then when created; 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 ...

, via

, Greenville, Greer,

, Gaffney, and Blacksburg. The entire route was in concurrency with SC 8. In 1928, SC 8 was rerouted completely off US 29. In 1935, US 29 was rerouted onto new alignment between

and Greenville. The old routing using Greenville Road onto Old Anderson Road, then east on Pendleton Road and finally Main Street was renumbered as SC 81. The new routing turns at Williamson Road, to Williamston, Pelzer, and Piedmont, before entering Greenville on Grove Road, Allen Street, Pendleton Street, and finally Main Street. The new alignment replaced SC 248 and part of SC 20. In 1938, US 29 was rerouted from Greenville northward. From using Main Street, to Buncombe Road, to Rutherford Avenue, and to Camp Road into Greer. The new routing follows Main Street to Stone Avenue and finally to Wade Hampton Boulevard. Between 1943-1946, US 29 was moved onto new road bypassing Greer and Duncan. In 1947, US 29 was given a southeastern bypass of

, creating a business loop through downtown. In 1948, US 29 was rerouted onto Grove Road and Augusta Road, leaving Allen Street and Green Street, in Greenville. By 1955, US 29 was rerouted onto a new

Super two A super two, super two-lane highway or wide two-lane is a two-lane surface road built to highway standards with wide lanes and other safety features normally present on a freeway with more lanes, typically including partial control of access, o ...

highway north of

, Gaffney, and Blacksburg; the old route became US 29 Alternate. In 1957 or 1958, US 29 was rerouted onto a new

highway, bypassing Williamston, Pelzer, and

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

; the old alignment later became connector route for US 29/ SC 20. It then went onto new road connecting with US 25 and SC 291. In concurrency with SC 291, it reaches Wade Hampton Boulevard; leaving behind a business loop through downtown Greenville. In 1959,

was assigned from

, in concurrency with US 29, once the highway was expanded into four-lanes. In 1962, US 29 was removed from

from

and was moved back on its original routing, replacing US 29 Alternate. In the Greenville area, US 29 was rerouted back through Greenville along Interstate 185, which connected directly via Church Street, to Wade Hampton Boulevard. US 29 Business in Greenville was decommissioned as a result. The old alignment to SC 291 became part of

. Finally, at the

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 = ...

state line, US 29 was rerouted south from SC 412 to avoid the new

. Most of old US 29 is underwater, with parts of it above surface used for marina purposes. In 1974, US 29 was rerouted onto Saint Johns Avenue from Main Street, in

Major intersections

References

External links

*
US 29 at Virginia Highways' South Carolina Highways Annex
{{state detail page browse, type=US, route=29, state=South Carolina, statebefore=Georgia, stateafter=North Carolina 29 South Carolina Transportation in Anderson County, South Carolina Transportation in Greenville County, South Carolina Transportation in Spartanburg County, South Carolina Transportation in Cherokee County, South Carolina Anderson, South Carolina Easley, South Carolina Transportation in Greenville, South Carolina Greer, South Carolina Spartanburg, South Carolina Gaffney, South Carolina

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links