U.S. Route 76 in South Carolina
Route of US 76 in South Carolina highlighted in red | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by SCDOT | ||||
Length | 297.9 mi[1] (479.4 km) | |||
Existed | 1926–present | |||
Major junctions | ||||
West end | ||||
East end | ||||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | South Carolina | |||
Counties | Oconee, Pickens, Anderson, Greenville, Laurens, Newberry, Richland, Lexington, Sumter, Lee, Florence, Marion, Horry | |||
Highway system | ||||
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U.S. Route 76 (US 76) is an east–west U.S. highway in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Being one of the longest and most important highways in the state, it connects the cities of Anderson, Columbia, Sumter and Florence.
Route description
US 76 enters South Carolina across the Chattooga River, then continues southeast toward Westminster. This segment is a moderately windy two-lane road. In Westminster, it heads east toward Seneca and Clemson. From Clemson, the road heads southeast toward Anderson, intersecting Interstate 85 (I-85), then east toward the small towns of Belton and Honea Path. US 76 is a four-lane highway from Westminster to Anderson. In Anderson, the road widens to six lanes with a reversible turn lane. After a concurrency with US 178, the road narrows to five lanes, and, as it goes south towards downtown Anderson, it narrows againk to four. However, the sections around Seneca, Clemson, and Anderson are well developed with many traffic lights. It travels concurrent with US 123 from Westminster to Clemson, SC 28 from Seneca to Anderson, and US 178 from Anderson to Honea Path.
From Honea Path, the highway heads east to Laurens. This section is a rural two-lane road that is not frequently traveled. From Laurens, US 76 roughly parallels I-385 and I-26 as it heads to Columbia. US 76 provides local access to the communities of Laurens, Clinton, Newberry, Prosperity, Chapin, and the other smaller towns in the area. In Irmo, US 76 travels concurrent with US 176, then continues on to I-26, with which it travels concurrent. After the interchange with I-20, US 76 splits off from I-26 and continues into downtown Columbia concurrent with I-126.
In Columbia, US 76 follows Elmwood Avenue, Bull Street, Gervais Street, Millwood Avenue, and Devine Street, before heading east toward Sumter. The segment from Columbia to Sumter is a four-lane highway and US 76 is concurrent with US 378 from the intersection of Bull and Gervais near the University of South Carolina in Columbia all the way to Sumter. From Sumter, US 76 heads northeast to Florence. US 76 is the major road through Florence. It then continues east out of Florence to the small towns of Marion and Mullins, then into North Carolina. The highway is concurrent with US 301 from Florence to across the Pee Dee River.
History
Formerly, US 76 followed a longer route from Westminster to Pendleton. From Westminster, the old route followed S-37-13 through the Richland community, then its current alignment to SC 59 into downtown Seneca, then SC 130 out of Seneca to S-37-1, then its current alignment to SC 93 toward Clemson University, then SC 28 Business through Pendleton.
Since the 1990s, there have been several attempts to convert at least portions of US 76 to an Interstate Highway. In 2003, North Carolina began exploring the possibility of extending Interstate 20 (I-20) from Florence, South Carolina to Wilmington using the US 76 corridor.[2] The extension was proposed to run along a new route between the South Carolina state line and Chadbourn. In Chadbourn, it would have used US 74 and US 76 to Wilmington.[3] The plan has largely been abandoned by the state, and does not appear on the 2015 Strategic Transportation Corridors of North Carolina.[4] A current proposal is to extend I-74 from Lumberton to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I-74 is slated to continue along US 74 and US 76 between Chadbourn and Bolton. Consistent with this plan, several upgrades have taken place along this section of highway. While this project has support in North Carolina, South Carolina has no interest about the project and instead has plans to build I-73 that will terminate near Myrtle Beach.
Major intersections
This section contains a table that is missing mileposts for one or more junctions. |
County | Location | mi[1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oconee | | 0.0 | 0.0 | Continuation from Georgia over the Chattooga River | ||
Westminster | 17.5 | 28.2 | South end of US 123 overlap | |||
17.7 | 28.5 | |||||
18.8 | 30.3 | |||||
| 21.7 | 34.9 | ||||
Seneca | 25.8 | 41.5 | West end of SC 28 overlap | |||
28.3 | 45.5 | |||||
| 32.7 | 52.6 | To Clemson University | |||
Pickens | Clemson | 34.5 | 55.5 | To Clemson University and John C. Calhoun Home | ||
34.9 | 56.2 | North end of US 123 overlap | ||||
35.6 | 57.3 | To Clemson University | ||||
36.1 | 58.1 | |||||
Anderson | Pendleton | 36.1 | 58.1 | |||
| 40.1 | 64.5 | ||||
| 46.0 | 74.0 | ||||
| 47.7 | 76.8 | East end of SC 28 and west end of SC 28 Business overlap | |||
| 47.7 | 76.8 | East end of SC 28 and west end of SC 28 Business overlap | |||
Anderson | 48.5 | 78.1 | West end of US 178 overlap | |||
49.8 | 80.1 | East end of SC 28 Business overlap | ||||
52.1 | 83.8 | North end of US 29 Business and SC 81 overlap | ||||
52.4 | 84.3 | |||||
52.7 | 84.8 | South end of US 29 Business and SC 81 overlap | ||||
52.7 | 84.8 | |||||
54.0 | 86.9 | South end of US 29 overlap | ||||
54.6 | 87.9 | North end of US 29 overlap | ||||
| 58.2 | 93.7 | ||||
| 61.1 | 98.3 | ||||
Belton | 63.6 | 102.4 | East end of SC 20 overlap | |||
63.7 | 102.5 | West end of SC 20 overlap | ||||
Honea Path | 71.7 | 115.4 | West end of SC 252 overlap | |||
71.8 | 115.6 | East end of US 178 overlap | ||||
72.3 | 116.4 | East end of SC 252 overlap | ||||
Greenville | | 78.9 | 127.0 | North end of US 25 overlap | ||
Princeton | 80.1 | 128.9 | South end of US 25 overlap | |||
Laurens | Hickory Tavern | 86.2 | 138.7 | |||
Laurens | 94.0 | 151.3 | ||||
95.4 | 153.5 | |||||
96.7 | 155.6 | North end of SC 14 overlap | ||||
96.9 | 155.9 | South end of SC 14 overlap | ||||
97.7 | 157.2 | |||||
99.5 | 160.1 | |||||
Clinton | 105.9 | 170.4 | ||||
107.7 | 173.3 | |||||
Joanna | 111.8 | 179.9 | ||||
Newberry | Kinards | 114.9 | 184.9 | |||
Newberry | 125.7 | 202.3 | ||||
127.7 | 205.5 | East end of SC 34 overlap | ||||
127.9 | 205.8 | |||||
128.6 | 207.0 | West end of SC 34 overlap | ||||
Prosperity | 133.5 | 214.8 | ||||
| 137.2 | 220.8 | ||||
Little Mountain | 141.6 | 227.9 | ||||
Richland | Ballentine | 154.3 | 248.3 | |||
Irmo | 155.5 | 250.3 | West end of US 176 overlap | |||
158.3 | 254.8 | 101 | West end of I-26 and east end of US 176 overlap Signed as exits 101A (west) and 101B (east) | |||
159.1 | 256.0 | 102 | Signed as exits 102A (west) and 102B (east) | |||
160.3 | 258.0 | 103 | Harbison Boulevard | |||
Lexington | | 161.2 | 259.4 | 104 | Piney Grove Road | |
| 163.3 | 262.8 | 106 | St. Andrews Road | ||
Richland | Columbia | 164.0 | 263.9 | 107 | Signed as exits 107A (west) and 107B (east) | |
164.5 | 264.7 | 108A | Bush River Road | |||
164.8 | 265.2 | 108B | East end of I-26 and west end of I-126 overlap | |||
165.6 | 266.5 | Colonial Life Boulevard to Bush River Road | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
166.7 | 268.3 | Greystone Boulevard – Riverbanks Zoo | ||||
168.2 | 270.7 | East end of I-126/US 176 and south end of US 21/US 321 overlap | ||||
168.8 | 271.7 | |||||
168.9 | 271.8 | US 176 and North end of US 21/US 321 and west end of US 176 overlap | ||||
169.2 | 272.3 | |||||
169.7 | 273.1 | To Fort Jackson | ||||
170.1 | 273.7 | South end of US 1 and west end of US 378 overlap | ||||
171.0 | 275.2 | North end of US 1 overlap | ||||
172.4 | 277.5 | Eastern terminus of US 21 Conn. and western segment of US 76 Conn., which use Devine Street | ||||
173.3 | 278.9 | |||||
173.5 | 279.2 | Eastern terminus of central segment of US 76 Conn.; western terminus of SC 760 | ||||
Eastern segment of US 76 Conn. | ||||||
175.1 | 281.8 | |||||
175.3 | 282.1 | |||||
177.5 | 285.7 | |||||
Horrell Hill | 182.6 | 293.9 | ||||
| 187.0 | 300.9 | ||||
| 191.9 | 308.8 | ||||
| 194.2 | 312.5 | ||||
Sumter | Stateburg | 201.4 | 324.1 | |||
Sumter | 203.0 | 326.7 | ||||
203.4 | 327.3 | Shaw Drive | To Shaw Air Force Base | |||
209.7 | 337.5 | |||||
210.2 | 338.3 | |||||
212.4 | 341.8 | Exit ramps connect via frontage roads | ||||
214.0 | 344.4 | Exit ramps connect via frontage roads | ||||
215.0 | 346.0 | East end of US 378 overlap | ||||
Mayesville | 222.3 | 357.8 | ||||
Lee | | 225.0 | 362.1 | |||
Lynchburg | 231.9 | 373.2 | ||||
Florence | | 239.6 | 385.6 | South end of SC 403 overlap | ||
Timmonsville | 241.1 | 388.0 | North end of SC 403 overlap | |||
Florence | 245.2 | 394.6 | ||||
249.2 | 401.0 | |||||
249.5 | 401.5 | Eastern terminus of I-20 Bus.; SCDOT marks the eastern terminus of I-20 Bus. at West Evans Street which is 0.134 miles away from this intersection; SCDOT signs the eastern extension of I-20 Bus. from West Evans Street to US 76 as an unsigned US 76 Conn. | ||||
South Coit Street (US 52 Conn. north) | Western end of US 52 Conn. concurrency | |||||
251.9 | 405.4 | Eastern end of US 52 Conn. concurrency; southern terminus of US 52 Conn. | ||||
| 256.7 | 413.1 | South end of US 301 and north end of SC 327 overlap | |||
Mars Bluff | 258.4 | 415.9 | South end of SC 327 overlap | |||
Marion | Pee Dee | 265.6 | 427.4 | North end of US 301 overlap; eastbound left exit and westbound entrance | ||
West Marion | 272.1 | 437.9 | ||||
Marion | 273.6 | 440.3 | ||||
277.0 | 445.8 | Interchange | ||||
| Proposed interchange[5][6] | |||||
Mullins | 282.5 | 454.6 | ||||
Nichols | 289.7 | 466.2 | North end of SC 9 overlap | |||
Horry | | 291.4 | 469.0 | South end of SC 9 overlap | ||
| 297.9 | 479.4 | Continuation into North Carolina | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
See also
References
- ^ Jump up to: a b Google (February 15, 2014). "Overview Map of US 76 in South Carolina" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
- ^ Cantwell, Si (May 20, 2003). "S.C. looking at I-20 plan bringing road to Leland". Star News Online. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
- ^ "Easley Announces Strategic Transportation Plan". Raleigh: WRAL-TV. May 5, 2003. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
- ^ North Carolina Department of Transportation. "Strategic Transportation Corridors". North Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
- ^ South Carolina Department of Transportation. "Project Status: Southern Project". I-73 Environmental Impact Study. South Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
- ^ South Carolina Department of Transportation. I-73 Southern Map (PDF) (Map). South Carolina Department of Transportation. Marion inset. Retrieved February 14, 2013.[full citation needed]
External links
Media related to U.S. Route 76 in South Carolina at Wikimedia Commons
- Articles with incomplete citations
- U.S. Route 76
- U.S. Highways in South Carolina
- Oconee County, South Carolina
- Pickens County, South Carolina
- Anderson County, South Carolina
- Greenville County, South Carolina
- Laurens County, South Carolina
- Newberry County, South Carolina
- Lexington County, South Carolina
- Richland County, South Carolina
- Sumter County, South Carolina
- Florence County, South Carolina
- Marion County, South Carolina
- Horry County, South Carolina
- Columbia, South Carolina