U.S. Route 521 (US 521) 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 traverses , from Georgetown, South Carolina, to

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. 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, 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 to Greeleyville. From here to the city of

Manning Manning (a.k.a. Mannion, Manning) is a family name. Origin and meaning Manning is from an old Norse word — manningi — meaning a brave or valiant man; and one of the first forms of the name was Mannin; another cartography was Mannyg ...

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 Sumter may refer to: People Given name * Sumter S. Arnim (1904–1990), American dentist * Sumter de Leon Lowry Jr. (1893–1985), United States Army general Surname * Rowendy Sumter (born 1988), Curaçaoan footballer * Shavonda E. Sumter ( ...

. In Sumter, it runs together with US Business 378. Leaving Sumter, US 521 is known as Camden Highway. It passes under I-20 and proceeds to Camden. 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 )'' 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 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 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 ...

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 to run directly from Andrews, through Salters and Greeleyville, to

; 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

- Kershaw county line to Camden; 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 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, ...

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. 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 The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is a standards setting body which publishes specifications, test protocols, and guidelines that are used in highway design and construction throughout the United ...

(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 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from US Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the Canadia ...

, in

. This would improve a route for beach goers traveling toward the Litchfield/Pawleys area.

Junction list

Special routes

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 5