US 17 (SC)
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U.S. Highway 17 (US 17) is a part of the
United States Numbered Highway System 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 ...
that runs north–south from
Punta Gorda, Florida Punta Gorda (; ), a city located in Southwest Florida, is the county seat of Charlotte County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 19,471, up from 16,641 at the 2010 census ...
to
Winchester, Virginia Winchester is the northwesternmost Administrative divisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It is the county seat of Frederick County, Virginia, Frederi ...
. In South Carolina, it is a major highway that travels near the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
. Beginning from the
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
state line at the
Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the Southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and South Carolina. The river flows from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, ...
, US 17 enters South Carolina in Jasper County, where it intersects with
Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...
(I-95). The route goes through Hardeeville. It merges with I-95 until Point South, then heads east into Beaufort County, through the ACE Basin, and eventually reaches Charleston. There, US 17 crosses the Ashley and Cooper rivers, crossing the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge and becoming a major route through Mount Pleasant. Continuing through the
Francis Marion National Forest The Francis Marion National Forest is located north of Charleston, South Carolina. It is named for revolutionary war hero Francis Marion, who was known to the British as the Swamp Fox. It lies entirely within the Middle Atlantic coastal forests ...
, it reaches Georgetown. Then it follows the
Grand Strand The Grand Strand is an arc of beach land on the Atlantic Ocean in South Carolina, United States, extending more than from Little River to Winyah Bay. It is located in Horry and Georgetown Counties on the northeastern South Carolina coast. Th ...
, bypassing
Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the " Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. It ...
before entering
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
near
Calabash Calabash (; ''Lagenaria siceraria''), also known as bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, long melon, birdhouse gourd, New Guinea bean, New Guinea butter bean, Tasmania bean, and opo squash, is a vine grown for its fruit. It can be either harvest ...
. US 17 existed before the
Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...
and remains an alternative to I-95 for local and long-distance travel. The highway offers a more scenic coastal route than I-95's inland path. During
hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...
seasons, US 17 serves as an evacuation route for coastal communities, particularly in the Grand Strand regions. Throughout its route in South Carolina, the highway is commonly called the Coastal Highway. Historically, a portion of US 17 was part of a much longer colonial-era route known as the King's Highway. This historic road stretched from Charleston to
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, serving the major colonial cities along the Eastern Seaboard. Additionally, multiple portions of US 17 were part of the
Ocean Highway Ocean Highway was a designation established early in the 20th century for a combination of roadways and water-crossings for motor vehicles which would generally traverse as close as possible to the Atlantic Ocean along the East Coast of the Unit ...
, due to the highway being near the Atlantic Ocean.


Route description

US 17 runs for from the
South Carolina Lowcountry The Lowcountry (sometimes Low Country or just low country) is a geographic and cultural region along South Carolina's coast, including the Sea Islands. The region includes significant salt marshes and other coastal waterways, making it an impor ...
to the
Pee Dee The Pee Dee is a region in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It lies along the lower watershed of the Pee Dee River, which was named after the Pee Dee, an Indigenous tribe historically inhabiting the region. History The ...
region. The route primarily follows a more northeast–southwest direction. Most of the corridor runs through coastal areas, marshes and wetlands, urban areas, and rural farmland. US 17 is mostly four lanes except from the Georgia state line to the US 17 / SC 170 interchange near
Limehouse Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains throu ...
and from Garr Lane in Hardeeville to State Road S-27-13 near Ridgeland. Between Ridgeland and Point South, US 17 runs concurrently with I-95. The highway is maintained by the
South Carolina Department of Transportation The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is a government agency in the US state of South Carolina. Its mission is to build and maintain roads and bridges and administer mass transit services. By state law, the SCDOT's function an ...
(SCDOT).


Georgia state line to Charleston

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 at exit 5 in Hardeeville and after the intersection with US 321, runs parallel to I-95 until Ridgeland, where it merges with the Interstate at exit 22 until Point South. At Point South, US 17 leaves I-95 at exit 33 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. Once in Jacksonboro, the road enters into
Charleston County Charleston County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina along the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 408,235, making it the List of counties in South Carolina, third-mos ...
crossing over the
Edisto River The Edisto River is one of the longest free-flowing blackwater rivers in North America, flowing over 250 meandering miles from its sources in Saluda and Edgefield counties, to its Atlantic Ocean mouth at Edisto Beach, South Carolina. It rises ...
and regaining a four-lane configuration for the remainder of the state. The road passes through several rural communities as it approaches Charleston from the west. Just before the interchange with I-526, major commercial development starts and continues into the West Ashley neighborhood of Charleston. The route then approaches the Ashley River.


Charleston to Georgetown

In Charleston, US 17 traverses the Ashley River Drawbridges and comes onto the Charleston Peninsula, being routed north of the city's historical areas. The first portion is at-grade and has a few traffic signals for flow purposes. Upon reaching the eastern terminus of I-26, US 17 becomes
controlled-access A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...
and above grade as it approaches the Cooper River via the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge and 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 metropolitan area by entering the
Francis Marion National Forest The Francis Marion National Forest is located north of Charleston, South Carolina. It is named for revolutionary war hero Francis Marion, who was known to the British as the Swamp Fox. It lies entirely within the Middle Atlantic coastal forests ...
and going through the rural communities of Awendaw and McClellanville on its northeastern journey to Georgetown. US 17 crosses the marsh-lined Santee River as it enters Georgetown County. After going through Georgetown, US 17 crosses eastward over the
Waccamaw The Waccamaw people were an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, who lived in villages along the Waccamaw and Pee Dee rivers in North and South Carolina in the 18th century.Lerch 328 Name The meaning of the name ''Waccamaw'' is ...
Pee Dee The Pee Dee is a region in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It lies along the lower watershed of the Pee Dee River, which was named after the Pee Dee, an Indigenous tribe historically inhabiting the region. History The ...
river system before making a northward turn along the
Grand Strand The Grand Strand is an arc of beach land on the Atlantic Ocean in South Carolina, United States, extending more than from Little River to Winyah Bay. It is located in Horry and Georgetown Counties on the northeastern South Carolina coast. Th ...
.


Georgetown to the North Carolina state line

The last component of US 17 runs close to the Atlantic Ocean, beginning at Hobcaw Barony and DeBordieu Colony, passing by Pawleys Island, and going past the Litchfield beaches and Murrells Inlet. It enters Horry County. It passes Garden City, Surfside Beach, and arrives in
Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the " Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. It ...
. US 17 splits here between a business route and the standard 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 North Myrtle Beach is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It was created in 1968 from four existing municipalities, and is located about northeast of Myrtle Beach. It serves as one of the primary tourist destinations along t ...
, and
Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...
where the South Carolina Welcome Center can be found across from the intersection with SC 179 before crossing into
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
. The portions from Murrells Inlet to the state line are quite congested at times, though the soon to be constructed
I-73 Interstate 73 (I-73) is a north–south Interstate Highway, currently located entirely within the US state of North Carolina. It travels , from northwest of Rockingham, North Carolina to northeast of Stokesdale, providing a freeway connec ...
should assist in alleviating many traffic issues.


History

The route was part of the 1926 approved plan for a national system of highways and appears on the approved map. When first signed, US 17 followed a route that went through Florence and Marion. The original route through South Carolina was long. At the time, U.S. Highways in South Carolina used a dual-numbering system; US 17 was also signed SC 1 from Georgia to Yemassee, SC 30 from Yemassee to Walterboro, SC 6 from Walterboro to Charleston, SC 2 from Charleston to Goose Creek, SC 41 from Goose Creek to
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
, SC 3 from Florence to North Carolina. By 1928, all the dual numbers had been removed except for SC 2. The entire route from Georgia to North Carolina was paved by 1930. At one point, the route from Green Pond to Jacksonboro was SC 32. In 1931, the route was extended to Punta Gorda. The early routing was already identified to be shifted to the King's Highway which would pass through Myrtle Beach and Georgetown; rerouting occurred in 1935. In 1941, the segment of roadway between the Tullifinny River and Harbor River was widened to four lanes. In 1947, US 17 was relocated to stay onto King Street and Columbus Street in Charleston. In 1952, a one-way pair was created in Charleston near the Ashley River Bridge. By 1959, this had been modified again to use Spring Street. In 1956, US 17 was widened to four lanes between Ridgeland and Pocotaligo. That same year, it was widened to four lanes between what is now SC 171 and Downtown Charleston. In 1961, a second draw span over the Ashley River was opened to traffic, this was done to reduce congestion. This one was officially named the T. Allen Legare Bridge. In 1963, the segment of roadway between Myrtle Beach and Atlantic Beach was widened to four lanes. The first tourist welcome center in South Carolina opened in February 1968 on US 17 near Little River. In December 1968, the segment of roadway in Downtown Charleston was moved off of local streets and onto the Crosstown Expressway. A segment of US 17 between Ridgeland and Point South once contained two four-lane divided sections. The first is in Coosawhatchie between north of the culvert for Little Bees Creek and north of the bridge over the Coosawhatchie River. From 1971 to 1975, portions of the segment were relocated onto
I-95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...
. The divided section in Coosawhatchie remains intact, while the northbound lane near the Tullifinny wetlands was closed, and today is used for a fishing pier, a parking lot of a church, and a private home. In 1980, the road was widened to four lanes between Awendaw and McLellanville. In 1981, a bypass of Myrtle Beach was opened, US 17 Business was designated in its former place. it involved constructing new roadways, as well as utilizing existing roadways. In 1997, US 17 was rerouted to cross the Georgia state line through Savannah, this new segment replaced US 17 Alt. The old route into Georgia became part of an extended SC 170. In 2005, the Crosstown Expressway segment concurrent with Lee Street was permanently closed. In its place, a new concurrency with I-26 was created, and a new Meeting Street interchange was also constructed. This was done as part of a project to replace the obsolete Cooper River bridges. On April 21, 2010, the Crosstown Expressway was renamed the Septa Clark Expressway.


ACE Basin widening project

The widening project addressed a 22-mile segment of the highway stretching from Gardens Corner in Beaufort County to Jacksonboro in Colleton County. This segment of the road, notorious for its high accident rate, was featured on an
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
Dateline special titled ''America's Most Dangerous Roads.'' In 1985, the
South Carolina Department of Transportation The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is a government agency in the US state of South Carolina. Its mission is to build and maintain roads and bridges and administer mass transit services. By state law, the SCDOT's function an ...
(SCDOT) recognized the need to improve the segment of US 17 due to substantial capacity and safety concerns. The project faced delays due to environmental challenges. Between 1997 and 2005, the segment experienced nearly 1,000 crashes, including 33 fatalities. The project widened the two-lane roadway to a four-lane highway, incorporating a grass median. Improvements included enhanced roadway alignments, bridge replacements, and upgraded intersections. Notably, the US 17 / US 21 intersection was converted into a
diamond interchange A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road. Design The freeway itself is grade separation, grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. ...
featuring a
roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...
. The total estimated cost for the project was $173.4 million.


Name designations

Several sections of the highway have name designations. A section in the Crosstown from Cannon Street and Spring Street to the eastern terminus of I-26 is named the Septima P. Clark Parkway, after a U.S. civil rights activist. A section in West Ashley running from South Carolina Highway 7 (SC 7) to
South Carolina Highway 171 South Carolina Highway 171 (SC 171) is a State highway (US), state highway located entirely within Charleston County, South Carolina, Charleston County in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The highway travels from Folly Beach, South C ...
(SC 171) is 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 The Charleston Sofa Super Store fire was a firefighting accident that occurred on the evening of June 18, 2007, in Charleston, South Carolina, resulting in the deaths of nine firefighters. It was the List of the deadliest firefighter disasters ...
on June 18, 2007. A section in Beaufort and Colleton counties is named the W. Brantley Harvey Highway. A section from 8th Avenue North to Starwatch Drive in Horry County is named the George Rayford Vereen Highway. A section from Old Jacksonboro Road to South Carolina Highway 7 (SC 7) is named the Curtis B. Inabinett, Sr. Highway.


Major intersections


See also

* Special routes of U.S. Route 17


References


External links

*
US 17 at Virginia Highways' South Carolina Highways Annex

US 17
at AARoads {{DEFAULTSORT:U.S. Route 17 In South Carolina 17 Transportation in Jasper County, South Carolina Transportation in Beaufort County, South Carolina Transportation in Colleton County, South Carolina Transportation in Charleston County, South Carolina Transportation in Georgetown County, South Carolina Transportation in Horry County, South Carolina Transportation in Charleston, South Carolina Mount Pleasant, South Carolina Georgetown, South Carolina 17