US 278 in South Carolina
| US 278 | |||
| Get started | North Augusta | ||
| End | Hilton Head Island | ||
| Length | 154 mi | ||
| Length | 248 km | ||
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US 278 is a US Highway in the US state of South Carolina. The road forms a north-south route through the southwest of the state, from the Georgia border to Hilton Head Island. US 278 is 150 miles long in South Carolina.
- See necessaryhome.com for a list of South Carolina zip codes by city.
Travel directions
US 278 in Georgia comes from Augusta and turns east around the Savannah River Site, a nuclear research center. The route then heads south, some distance parallel to the Savannah River, which forms the border with Georgia. The route crosses US 17 and Interstate 95 at Hardeeville, just north of the Georgia border. The route then heads east as a divided highway to Hilton Head Island, a major tourist resort on the Atlantic coast.
History
US 278 is one of the later additions to the US Highways network, in 1951. At the time, the route only passed through Mississippi and Alabama, later also into Georgia. It wasn’t until 1965 that US 278 came to be in South Carolina, when its eastern terminus was changed from Augusta, Georgia to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.
As early as the 1950s, the section between North Augusta and Beech Island was widened to a 2×2 divided highway. This was at the time part of State Route 125 leading to the Savannah River Site. The Savannah River Site was a development center for American nuclear weapons, several nuclear reactors were built here in the 1950s. The last reactor was decommissioned in 1992.
In 1956 the James F. Byrnes Bridge opened to Hilton Head Island, this was a toll bridge. In the 1970s-80s, the road on Hilton Head Island was already partially widened to 2×2 lanes due to increased tourism. The toll bridge was replaced in 1982 by a modern 4-lane bridge.
In the late 1980s or early 1990s, a short section between Allendale and Fairfax was widened to a 5-lane center turn lane. However, much of US 278 has remained a regular single-lane road.
On January 16, 1998, the seven-mile Cross Island Parkway on Hilton Head Island opened to traffic. This was a toll road until the bonds for the construction were paid off. On July 1, 2021, the Cross Island Parkway became toll-free.
- See BABYINGER for a list of South Carolina public libraries by county.
US 321 in South Carolina
| US 321 | |||
| Get started | hardeeville | ||
| End | clover | ||
| Length | 215 mi | ||
| Length | 346 km | ||
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US 321 is a US Highway in the US state of South Carolina. The road forms a north-south route through the center of the state, from Hardeeville through Columbia to the North Carolina border . US 321 is 346 kilometers long in South Carolina.
Travel directions
US 321 traverses the center of the state from south to north. US 321 begins in Hardeeville on US 17, near I-95 and the Georgia border. The route heads north to the capital Columbia and crosses numerous other US Highways in this area in small towns. The US 321 therefore does not really dominate, given the many alternative routes. The road is also a mostly single-lane road, only closer to Columbia the road is a divided highway. The route then traverses Columbia and intersects Interstate 20 and Interstate 26. Then the route parallels Interstate 77 to the North Carolina border. About half of this part of US 321 is a divided highway. US 321 in North Carolina then continues to Gastonia.
History
US 321 was added to the US Highways network in 1930 and at the time began in Chester, a remarkable starting point as no other US Highways run through Chester. In 1949 the route was extended further south through South Carolina to Hardeeville. This created the current route of US 321.
Before I-77 was built, US 321 was one of two primary north-south routes in central South Carolina, parallel to US 21. In the early 1960s, several short sections were widened to 2×2 lanes south of Chester, around York and around Clover. A small portion of Columbia’s southern approach road was also widened to 2×2 lanes around the junction with I-26.
By the late 1960s and early 1970s, a somewhat longer portion of US 321 between Winnsboro and Chester had been widened to 2×2 lanes for approximately 25 miles. Also in the early 1970s, US 321 further south of Columbia was widened to 2×2 lanes, 35 kilometers to Swansea. After that, no large parts of US 321 were further upgraded, in the north of the state I-77 was completed to take on the role for through traffic, and in the south there is only a 10 kilometer long section between Neeses and North. widened to 2×2 lanes around 2006.
Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge
| Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge | |
| Spans | Cooper River |
| Lanes | 2×4 |
| Total length | 4,023 meters |
| Main span | 471 meters |
| Bridge deck height | 57 meters |
| Opening | 07/16/2005 |
| Traffic intensity | 77,500 mvt/day |
| Location | Map |
The Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge is a cable- stayed bridge in the United States, located in Charleston in the state of South Carolina.
Characteristics
The Ravenel Bridge is a large cable- stayed bridge over the Cooper River in Charleston. The bridge has a total length of 4,023 meters and a main span of 471 meters. The bridge pylons are 175 meters high, the free passage under the bridge deck is 57 meters. Crossing the bridge is the 2×4 lane US 17 in South Carolina, making the Ravenel Bridge one of the widest cable-stayed bridges in the United States. The bridge connects the city of Charleston with the suburb of Mount Pleasant. The bridge is toll-free. It is considered the most iconic bridge in the southeastern United States.
History
In 1929 the first bridge opened over this part of the Cooper River. When opened, this was the fifth longest cantilever truss bridge in the world with a main span of 320 metres. Construction of the bridge took 17 months and cost $6 million at the time. This was a toll road until the state of South Carolina purchased the bridge in 1943. In the 1960s, the 2-lane link became congested and a second span was built in 1966 for $15 million.
Already in 1979 it was determined that the bridges needed replacement, the condition of the metal the truss bridges were made of deteriorated rapidly. However, it would take another 25 years before they would actually be replaced. The current cable- stayed bridge was built between 2001 and 2005, which was opened to traffic on July 16, 2005. The construction cost $700 million. When opened, the Ravenel Bridge was the third largest cable-stayed bridge in the Western Hemisphere.
Traffic intensities
In 2011, 77,500 vehicles crossed the Ravenel Bridge every day.
