U.S. Route 521
US 521 highlighted in red | |||||||||
Route information | |||||||||
Auxiliary route of US 21 | |||||||||
Length | 177.3 mi[1] (285.3 km) | ||||||||
Existed | 1932–present | ||||||||
Major junctions | |||||||||
South end | ![]() | ||||||||
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North end | ![]() | ||||||||
Location | |||||||||
Country | United States | ||||||||
States | South Carolina, North Carolina | ||||||||
Counties | SC: Georgetown, Williamsburg, Clarendon, Sumter, Kershaw, Lancaster NC: Mecklenburg | ||||||||
Highway system | |||||||||
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![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/US_521_in_Indian_Land.jpg/220px-US_521_in_Indian_Land.jpg)
U.S. Route 521 (US 521) is a north–south United States Highway that traverses 177.3 miles (285.3 km), from Georgetown, South Carolina, to Charlotte, North Carolina. 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
[edit]South Carolina
[edit]Starting at the city of Georgetown, US 521 runs through the town Andrews to Greeleyville. From here to the city of Manning 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. 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
[edit]US 521 traverses 3.8 miles (6.1 km) from the South Carolina 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
[edit]Established in 1932, it was overlapped entirely with SC 26, from Georgetown to the North Carolina 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 Manning; 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 Sumter-Kershaw county line to Camden; the old alignment became an extension of SC 261.
In 1969, US 521 was extended 19 miles (31 km) north, via South Boulevard, and Wilkinson Blvd, then in 1981, by way of Woodlawn Road, and Billy Graham Parkway, to I-85 in Charlotte.
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 (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.[2][3][4]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/History_of_U.S._Route_521_in_North_Carolina.png/300px-History_of_U.S._Route_521_in_North_Carolina.png)
Future
[edit]There are plans to make US 521 a four-lane highway from Georgetown to I-95, in Manning. This would improve[according to whom?] a route for beach goers traveling toward the Litchfield/Pawleys area.
Junction list
[edit]State | County | Location | mi[1] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
South Carolina | Georgetown | Georgetown | 0.0 | 0.0 | ![]() | Southern terminus | |
0.1 | 0.16 | ![]() ![]() | Southern end of US 17 Alt. concurrency | ||||
Sampit | 9.5 | 15.3 | ![]() ![]() | Northern end of US 17 Alt. concurrency | |||
| 16.0 | 25.7 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
| 18.5 | 29.8 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||
| 19.5 | 31.4 | ![]() | Southern end of SC 41 concurrency | |||
Williamsburg | Andrews | 21.0 | 33.8 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | Northern end of SC 41 concurrency | ||
| 38.0 | 61.2 | ![]() | ||||
| 45.5 | 73.2 | ![]() | ||||
Greeleyville | 48.5 | 78.1 | ![]() ![]() | Northern terminus of SC 375 | |||
Clarendon | | 60.5 | 97.4 | ![]() ![]() | Southern end of SC 261 concurrency | ||
Manning | 63.5 | 102.2 | ![]() ![]() | Northern end of SC 261 concurrency | |||
64.0 | 103.0 | ![]() ![]() | Southern end of US 301 concurrency | ||||
| 65.5 | 105.4 | ![]() ![]() | Northern end of US 301 concurrency | |||
| 67.0 | 107.8 | ![]() | I-95 exit 122; southern terminus of US 301 Conn. and Main Street | |||
Alcolu | Main Street south (US 301 Conn. south) | Northern terminus of US 301 Conn. and Main Street | |||||
Sumter | Sumter–South Sumter line | 80.5 | 129.6 | ![]() | |||
![]() ![]() ![]() | Northern terminus of US 15 Conn. | ||||||
Sumter | 82.3 | 132.4 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
83.0 | 133.6 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | Southern end of US 76 Bus. concurrency; Bultman Drive continues past intersection | ||||
86.0 | 138.4 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | Northern end of US 76 Bus. concurrency | ||||
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | No access from US 521 to westbound US 76/US 378 or from eastbound US 76/US 378 to US 521 | ||||||
Dalzell | 93.5 | 150.5 | ![]() | ||||
Kershaw | | 107.0 | 172.2 | ![]() | |||
Camden | 110.0 | 177.0 | ![]() | I-20 exit 98 | |||
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Southern end of US 1 Truck concurrency; southern terminus of US 1 Truck and US 521 Truck | ||||||
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Northern end of US 1 Truck concurrency; southern terminus of US 521 Truck and SC 34 Truck | ||||||
111.0 | 178.6 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Southern end of US 601 concurrency | ||||
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Northern terminus of US 521 Truck, US 601 Truck, and Boykin Road; western terminus of Cool Springs Drive | ||||||
113.0 | 181.9 | ![]() ![]() | Southern terminus of SC 97 | ||||
Lancaster | Kershaw | 133.0 | 214.0 | ![]() ![]() | Northern terminus of SC 341 north | ||
133.3 | 214.5 | ![]() ![]() | Northern end of US 601 concurrency | ||||
Heath Springs | 139.0 | 223.7 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
Pleasant Hill | 142.0 | 228.5 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
| 148.0 | 238.2 | ![]() ![]() ![]() | Southern terminus of US 521 Bus. | |||
Lancaster | 149.0 | 239.8 | ![]() | Interchange | |||
| 150.0 | 241.4 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Southern end of SC 9 concurrency; interchange | |||
Lancaster | 152.0 | 244.6 | ![]() | Interchange | |||
152.5 | 245.4 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Northern end of SC 9 concurrency; northern terminus of US 521 Bus.; interchange | ||||
| 159.0 | 255.9 | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | Southern end of SC 75 Truck concurrency; southern terminus of SC 5 | |||
| 161.5 | 259.9 | ![]() ![]() | Northern end of SC 75 Truck concurrency; southern end of SC 75 concurrency | |||
| 165.0 | 265.5 | ![]() ![]() | Northern end of SC 75 concurrency | |||
Indian Land | 172.0 | 276.8 | ![]() ![]() | Southern terminus of SC 160 | |||
173.5 0.0 | 279.2 0.0 | South Carolina–North Carolina state line | |||||
North Carolina | Mecklenburg | Charlotte | 1.0 | 1.6 | Lancaster Highway – Pineville | ||
3.8 | 6.1 | ![]() | Northern terminus | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Special routes
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Google (January 31, 2011). "Overview Map of US 521" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
- ^ "US 521 Route Change (2003-09-15)" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. September 15, 2003. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
- ^ "Mapmikey's South Carolina Highways Page: US 521". Retrieved January 15, 2012.[self-published source]
- ^ "NCRoads.com: U.S. 521". Retrieved January 15, 2012.[self-published source]
External links
[edit]Media related to U.S. Route 521 at Wikimedia Commons
- Endpoints of US 521