U.S. Route 21

U.S. Route 21
Route information
Length	394 mi[citation needed] (634 km)
Existed	1926[citation needed]–present
Tourist routes	McTeer Bridge Scenic Byway US 21 Scenic Byway
Major junctions
South end	Hunting Island State Park, SC
	I-95 near Yemassee, SC I-26 (three times in SC) I-20 in Columbia, SC I‑77 (numerous times in SC/NC) I-85 in Charlotte, NC I-40 in Statesville, NC
North end	I-81 / US 52 in Wytheville, VA
Location
States	South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia
Counties	SC: Beaufort, Hampton, Colleton, Bamberg, Orangeburg, Calhoun, Lexington, Richland, Fairfield, Chester, York NC: Mecklenburg, Iredell, Yadkin, Surry, Wilkes, Alleghany VA: Grayson, Wythe
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided Replaced South Carolina State Highway System Interstate U.S. State Scenic North Carolina Highway System Interstate U.S. State Scenic Virginia Routes Interstate U.S. Primary Secondary Byways History ← SC 20 SC SC 22 → ← NC 20 NC NC 22 → ← SR 20 VA SR 22 →

U.S. Route 21 (US 21) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs 394 miles (634 km) from Hunting Island State Park, South Carolina to Wytheville, Virginia.

Contents

• 
  1 Route description
  
  
  
  • 
    1.1 South Carolina
    
  
  
  • 
    1.2 North Carolina
    
  
  
  • 
    1.3 Virginia
    
  
  
  
  


• 
  2 History
  


• 
  3 Major intersections
  


• 
  4 Special routes
  


• 
  5 See also
  


• 
  6 References
  


• 
  7 External links
  

Route description

South Carolina

US 21 travels 233.2 miles (375.3 km) through the state. Beginning at Hunting Island State Park, US 21 travels west toward Beaufort, where it widens to four lanes. The route bypasses Beaufort to the south, going through Port Royal, Shell Point, and Burton. In the Beaufort area, US 21 passes by the entrances to Parris Island and MCAS Beaufort, the major Marine Corps installations in the area. North of Beaufort, US 21 continues as a four-lane divided highway and intersects with US 17. The route travels in a wrong-way concurrency with US 17 south for seven miles (11 km) before turning north towards Yemassee, South Carolina, where it becomes a rural two-lane road and intersects with US 17 Alternate. North of Yemassee, US 21 splits off and crosses Interstate 95 (I-95) at exit 42.

The two-lane route continues through rural portions of the state. US 21 goes through Smoaks and Branchville, South Carolina and bypasses Orangeburg. North of Orangeburg, US 21 runs roughly parallel to I-26 until Gaston where it conjoins US 321 and becomes an urban highway. US 21 passes through Cayce, West Columbia, and Columbia (passing by the State House).

North of Columbia, US 21 splits from US 321, reverting to a rural two-lane road parallel to I-77. In York County, US 21 enters urban areas again, connecting Rock Hill and Fort Mill. Near the North Carolina state line, US 21 merges with I-77 near Carowinds, then enters North Carolina.

North Carolina

US 21 begins as a concurrency with I-77 in Charlotte, which it repeats three times within the state. Its first break with I-77 is along Statesville Avenue, then proceeding through Huntersville and Cornelius, however, because of its close proximity to I-77 and North Carolina Highway 115 (NC 115), it has no interchange with I-485. The second break with I-77 occurs at Mooresville, where US 21 travels through the city and then northwest into Statesville. After Statesville, US 21 travels northeast to Harmony and Brooks Crossroads, before merging back with I-77 near Jonesville. North of Elkin, US 21 splits with I-77 for the last time and goes north to Sparta, passing the Blue Ridge Parkway after a major, curvy section. North of Sparta, at Twin Oaks, US 221 overlaps with US 21 before entering Virginia. US 21 travels 124.5 miles (200.4 km) through the western Piedmont of North Carolina, either combined with I-77 or as a two-lane rural road; from the South Carolina state line to Elkin, travelers can easily skip a majority of US 21 via I-77.

Virginia

View south along US 21 at SR 805 in Grayson County, Virginia

After a few miles crossing the state line, US 21 reaches the town of Independence, where it splits with US 221 and continues north. The route goes through the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area before entering the city of Wytheville. After a short concurrency with US 11 in downtown Wytheville, it goes north and ends at the intersection of I-81/US 52. US 21 travels 35 miles (56 km) through western Virginia, mostly as a two-lane rural mountain road.

History

Southern terminus of US 21 at Hunting Island, South Carolina

US 21 in the pre-Interstate era was a north–south highway connecting the area around Lake Erie and the coastal South. One of the few true north–south routes to cross the middle Appalachian Mountains, it became an important corridor for motor traffic between northeastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, (with US 19) and western New York state with central North Carolina, central and southeastern South Carolina, and (by connecting with other highways) coastal Georgia and most of Florida.

US 21 originally (in 1926) connected Cleveland, Ohio, and Yemassee, South Carolina. In 1935 it was extended to Beaufort, South Carolina, and again in 1953 to its current southern terminus at the Atlantic Coast at Hunting Island State Park, between the city of Beaufort and Fripp Island.^[1]

In the Interstate Highway era much of US 21 became an obvious corridor for a long-distance expressway. The West Virginia Turnpike between Charleston, West Virginia, and Princeton, West Virginia, was the first segment of a planned series of toll highways along or near US 21 from Cleveland to Charlotte, North Carolina. All of the other toll highways were shelved in favor of freeways built with Interstate funding; these freeways and the West Virginia Turnpike became I-77, which completely supplanted old US 21 as a long-distance through route. I-77 was later extended to Columbia, South Carolina, also within a few miles of US 21.

Between Cleveland and Charleston, all but a relatively short segment of US 21 was completely deleted in favor of I-77, the relics being State Route 21 (SR 21), SR 821 between Byesville and Marietta, Ohio, and Guernsey County Road 35, named Old Twenty-One Road and closely follows the route of US 21 from Byesville, Ohio to the Tuscarawas County line north of North Salem, Ohio. County Road 35 briefly becomes a variety of street names as it passes through Cambridge, before reverting back to Old Twenty-One Road on the north side of Cambridge. The section of US 21 between Mineral Wells and Charleston is now signed as County Route 21 in all four counties along the route (Wood, Wirt, Jackson, and Kanawha).

Between Charleston and its current northern terminus at Wytheville, Virginia, almost all of US 21 coincided with either US 60, US 19, or US 52, which remained as US 21 was deleted. The short segment of US 21 in southern West Virginia not coinciding with another U.S. Highway became an extension of West Virginia Route 16.

In North Carolina, US 21 originally entered the state along today's NC 51 into Pineville, then followed Old Pineville Road into Charlotte. In the mid-1930s, US 21 moved over to South Boulevard from Old Pineville Road. In 1969, US 21 was rerouted following today's I-77 alignment, the old route was replaced by an extension of US 521. From 1975–87, US 21 moved north in segments onto I-77 to its current alignment ending at exit 16A (Sunset Road). Further north, US 21 originally followed Old Statesville Road, replaced in 1956 by NC 115. In 1966, US 21 was bypassed around Jonesville and Elkin, replaced with US 21 Business.^[2]

Browse numbered routes
← US 20A	OH	SR 21 →

Major intersections

State	County	Location	mi[3][4][5]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
South Carolina	Beaufort	​	0.0	0.0		Hunting Island State Park	US 21 begins at intersection of walking trail, road continues south to Fripp Island
		Beaufort	14.4	23.2		US 21 Bus. north / SC 802 east
			17.3	27.8		SC 281 north (Ribaut Road)
			19.8	31.9		Malecon Drive – Parris Island
			21.0	33.8		SC 128 west (Savannah Highway) – Bluffton, Hardeeville, Hilton Head Island
			24.1	38.8		SC 170 west – Beaufort
			25.3	40.7		US 21 Bus. south – Beaufort
			26.7	43.0		SC 116 west – Laurel Bay
		Gardens Corner	37.3	60.0		US 17 north (Charleston Highway) – Charleston	North end of US 17 overlap
		Pocotaligo	43.9	70.7		US 17 south / US 17 Alt. north – Ridgeland, Yemassee	South end of US 17 and US 17 Alt. overlap
	Hampton	Yemassee	47.7	76.8		SC 68 west (Yemassee Highway) – Varnville, Hampton
	Colleton	​	51.3	82.6		US 17 Alt. north (Hendersonville Highway) – Walterboro	North end of US 17 Alt. overlap
		​	54.0	86.9		I-95 – Florence, Savannah
		​	63.9	102.8		SC 63 (Sniders Highway) – Varnville, Walterboro
		​	70.3	113.1		SC 64 (Bells Highway) – Ehrhardt, Walterboro
		Smoaks	79.0	127.1		SC 217 (Lodge Highway) – Lodge
	Bamberg	​	85.0	136.8		SC 61 (Edisto River Road) – Bamberg
	Orangeburg	Branchville	90.7	146.0		US 78 west (Edward Street) – Bamberg	West end of US 78 overlap
			90.9	146.3		US 78 east (Dorange Road) – Charleston	East end of US 78 overlap
			91.3	146.9		SC 210 north – Bowman
		Orangeburg	106.3	171.1		US 21 Bus. north (Rowesville Road)
			106.4	171.2		US 178 east (Charleston Highway) / US 178 Bus. – Summerville, Charleston	East end of US 178 overlap
			107.7	173.3		US 301 (Five Chop Road) – Santee
			108.8	175.1		SC 33 (Russel Street) – Cameron
			109.6	176.4		US 601 (Magnolia Street) – St. Matthews
			110.8	178.3		US 178 (Chestnut Street) / US 21 Bus. (Columbia Road) – North	West end of US 178 overlap
	Calhoun	​	122.5	197.1		SC 6 south (Cawcaw Road) / SC 172 west (Bull Swamp Road) – St. Matthews, North	South end of SC 6 overlap
		​	124.4	200.2		SC 6 north (Center Hill Road) – Swansea	North end of SC 6 overlap
	Lexington	​	129.5	208.4		I-26 – Columbia, Charleston
	Calhoun	​	132.2	212.8		US 176 east (Old State Road) – St. Matthews	East end of US 176 overlap
	Lexington	​	139.3	224.2		I-26 – Columbia, Charleston
		​	141.0	226.9		US 321 south – Gaston, Swansea	South end of US 321 overlap
		Cayce	143.5	230.9		To I-77 (Fish Hatchery Road) – Charlotte	I-77 exit 1.
			143.9	231.6		I-26 – Charleston, Spartanburg
			145.1	233.5		SC 2 north (Frink Road)
		West Columbia	146.6	235.9		SC 302 south (Airport Boulevard) – Aiken, Columbia Airport
			148.3	238.7		SC 2 (State Street)
	Richland	Columbia	149.8	241.1		US 1 / US 378 (Gervais Street)	To South Carolina State House
			150.2	241.7		SC 12 (Hampton/Taylor Streets)	To Finlay Park and Columbia Museum of Art
			150.7	242.5		I-126 west / US 76 west – Greenville, Spartanburg	West end of US 76 overlap
			151.7	244.1		US 76 east (Elmwood Avenue)	East end of US 76 overlap
			151.9	244.5		US 176 west (River Drive)	West end of US 176 overlap
			152.6	245.6		SC 16 (Sunset Drive)
			153.1	246.4		SC 215 north (Monticello Road)	To Columbia International University
			154.1	248.0		US 321 north (Fairfield Street)	North end of US 321 overlap; Columbia College at intersection
			156.6	252.0		I-20 – Florence, Augusta
		Blythewood	164.1	264.1		I-77 – Columbia, Charlotte
		Blythewood	165.3	266.0		SC 555 (Farrow Road) – Columbia
	Fairfield	Ridgeway	173.8	279.7		SC 34 east (Palmer Street) – Lugoff, Camden	East end of SC 34 overlap
			174.1	280.2		SC 34 west (Church Street) – Winnsboro Mills	West end of SC 34 overlap
		​	190.7	306.9		SC 200 – Winnsboro	South end of SC 200 overlap
	Chester	Great Falls	193.7	311.7		SC 99 north (Chester Avenue) – Richburg
			194.8	313.5		SC 97 north – Chester	North end of SC 97 overlap
			195.0	313.8		SC 97 south / SC 200 north – Lancaster	South end of SC 97 and north end of SC 200 overlap
		Fort Lawn	202.6	326.1		SC 9 (Chester Avenue) – Richburg, Lancaster
		​	207.9	334.6		SC 223 (Wylies Mill Road) – Richburg
	York	Lesslie	215.2	346.3		SC 5 south – Lexington	South end of SC 5 overlap; to Andrew Jackson State Park
		Rock Hill	218.9	352.3		Springfield Road – Lesslie	Exit ramps not clearly marked
			219.7	353.6		I-77 – Columbia, Charlotte
			220.2	354.4		SC 5 north (Main Street)	North end of SC 5 overlap
			220.5	354.9		SC 121 south (Cowan Road)	South end of SC 121 overlap
			221.7	356.8		SC 122 (Dave Lyle Boulevard)
			224.0	360.5		SC 322 west (Cherry Road)	North end of SC 121 overlap
			224.5	361.3		I-77 / SC 161 west (Celanese Road) – Columbia, Charlotte
Fort Mill		226.0	363.7		US 21 Bus. north (Spratt Street) / Sutton Road
		228.0	366.9		SC 160 – Tega Cay
		230.8	371.4		SC 460 (Springfield Parkway) – Tega Cay, Fort Mill
		232.0	373.4		US 21 Bus. south (Old Nation Road)
		232.7	374.5		SC 51 north (Pineville-Rock Hill Road) – Pineville
		233.3	375.5		I-77 south / Carowinds Boulevard – Columbia	South end of I-77 overlap; to Carowinds
			234.1 0.0	376.7 0.0	South Carolina–North Carolina state line
North Carolina	Mecklenburg	Charlotte	0.9	1.4	1A	Westinghouse Boulevard	Formerly exit 1 before August 2010
			1.8	2.9	1B	I-485 – Huntersville, Pineville	Formerly exit 2 (southbound) before August 2010
			2.8	4.5	3	Arrowood Road	Formerly exit 2 (northbound) before August 2010
			3.7	6.0	4	Nations Ford Road
			4.8	7.7	5	Tyvola Road
			6.0	9.7	6A	Woodlawn Road south – Queens University	To Pfeiffer University
			6.2	10.0	6B	NC 49 (South Tryon Street) / Billy Graham Parkway	To Billy Graham Library
			7.3	11.7	7	To NC 49 / Clanton Road
			8.3	13.4	8	To NC 160 / Remount Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			9.0	14.5	9A	NC 160 (West Boulevard)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
			9.4	15.1	9B	I-277 north (John Belk Freeway) / US 74 east
			9.5	15.3	9C	US 74 west (Wilkinson Boulevard)
			9.9	15.9	10A	US 29 / NC 27 (Morehead Street)	Northbound exit is via exit 9C
			10.4	16.7	10	Trade Street / Fifth Street	Signed as exits 10B (Trade Street east) and 10C (Trade Street west, Fifth Street) southbound
			11.0	17.7	11A	I-277 south / NC 16 south (Brookshire Freeway east) – Downtown Charlotte
			11.2	18.0	11B	NC 16 north (Brookshire Freeway west)	Northbound left exit
			12.4	20.0	12	Lasalle Street / Atando Avenue
			13.3	21.4	13	I-85 – Greensboro, Spartanburg	Signed as exits 13A (north) and 13B (south)
			15.8	25.4	16	I-77 north – Statesville	North end of I-77 overlap
			16.3	26.2		NC 115 north (Old Statesville Road)
			18.9	30.4		NC 24 (W.T. Harris Boulevard)	To Northlake Mall
		Huntersville	25.7	41.4		NC 73 (Sam Fur Road) – Concord
		Cornelius	28.8	46.3	28	I-77 south – Charlotte	South end of I-77 overlap
		Davidson	30.2	48.6	30	Davidson, Davidson College
	Iredell	Mooresville	32.1	51.7	31	Langtree Road
			33.7	54.2	33	I-77 north – Statesville	North end of I-77 overlap
			36.4	58.6		NC 150 (Plaza Drive)
			39.1	62.9		NC 115 south (Statesville Highway)	South end of NC 115 overlap
		​	43.3	69.7		I-77 – Charlotte, Statesville
		Statesville	51.2	82.4		US 70 (Garner Bagnal Boulevard) – Conover, Salisbury
			51.9	83.5		US 64 west (Front Street) / NC 115 north (Center Street)	West end of US 64 and north end of NC 115 overlap
			52.3	84.2		NC 90 west (Water Street)
			53.2	85.6		US 64 east (Davie Avenue) – Mocksville	East end of US 64 overlap
			54.1	87.1		I-40 – Hickory, Winston-Salem
		​	57.2	92.1		I-77 – Statesville, Elkin
		Harmony	66.9	107.7		NC 901 (Memorial Highway) – Union Grove
	Yadkin	Brooks Crossroads	79.2	127.5		US 421 – Wilkesboro, Yadkinville, Winston-Salem
		​	85.4	137.4	79	I-77 south / US 21 Bus. north – Statesville, Jonesville	South end of I-77 overlap
		Jonesville	88.5	142.4	82	NC 67 – Jonesville, Boonville, Elkin
	Surry	Elkin	90.3	145.3	83	I-77 north – Wytheville	North end of I-77 overlap; southbound exit and northbound entrance
			91.3	146.9		NC 268 – Elkin	To Elkin Municipal Airport
			92.8	149.3		US 21 Bus. south / Popular Springs Road – Elkin	Northbound turn left on Popular Springs Road to US 21 Business
	Alleghany	​	111.2	179.0		Blue Ridge Parkway
		Sparta	118.2	190.2		NC 18 (Whitehead Street) – Laurel Springs
		Twin Oaks	121.1	194.9		US 221 south – Jefferson	South end of US 221 overlap
			124.3 0.0	200.0 0.0	North Carolina–Virginia state line
Virginia	Grayson	Independence	3.9	6.3		US 58 / US 221 north (Main Street) – Mouth of Wilson, Galax	North end of US 221 overlap
		Elk Creek	13.2	21.2		SR 658 (Comers Rock Road) – Comers Rock
		​				SR 805 (Spring Valley Road) to SR 94 – Fries
	Wythe	Speedwell	21.2	34.1		SR 619 (Saint Peters Road) / SR 749 (Cedar Springs Road) – Cedar Springs, Rural Retreat
		​				SR 690 (Crockett Road) – Crockett, Cripple Creek
		​				SR 696 (Barrett Mill Road) – Big Survey Wildlife Management Area
		Wytheville				Old Stage Road
			33.5	53.9		US 11 south (West Lee Highway)	South end of US 11 overlap
			33.8	54.4		US 11 north (Main Street) to I-77 / I-81 / US 52	North end of US 11 overlap
			35.0	56.3		I-81 / US 52 to I-77 – Bristol, Roanoke	I-81 exit 70
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

Special routes

Main article: Special routes of U.S. Route 21

There is currently four active business loops and two known connectors along its route.

• U.S. Route 21 Business (Beaufort, South Carolina)


• U.S. Route 21 Business (Orangeburg, South Carolina)


• U.S. Route 21 Connector (Orangeburg, South Carolina)


• U.S. Route 21 Connector (Columbia, South Carolina)


• U.S. Route 21 Business (Fort Mill, South Carolina)


• U.S. Route 21 Business (Elkin, North Carolina)

See also

• 
  U.S. Roads portal
  


• 
  South Carolina portal
  


• 
  North Carolina portal
  


• 
  Virginia portal
  

Blue Ridge Parkway Catawba River Carowinds Congaree River Hunting Island State Park Lake Norman Lake Norman State Park Lake Wateree

Lake Wateree State Recreation Area Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort Mount Rogers National Recreation Area New River North Carolina Bicycle Route 4 Stone Mountain State Park Uptown Charlotte Yadkin River

References

1. 
   ^ Sanderson, Dale (July 4, 2009). "End of US Highway 21". US Ends. Self-published. Retrieved February 2, 2011..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
   ^{[unreliable source]}
   


2. 
   ^ Mapmikey; Prince, Adam (August 28, 2009). "US 21". NCRoads.com Annex: More Highways of North Carolina. Self-published. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
   ^{[unreliable source]}
   


3. 
   ^ Google (February 1, 2011). "Overview Map of US 21 in SC" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
   
   


4. 
   ^ Google (February 1, 2011). "Overview Map of US 21 in NC" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
   
   


5. 
   ^ Google (February 1, 2011). "Overview Maps of US 21 in VA" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
   
   

External links

Route map:

KML file (edit • help)

Template:Attached KML/U.S. Route 21

KML is from Wikidata

• 
  Media related to U.S. Route 21 at Wikimedia Commons


• Endpoints of U.S. Highway 21

v t e United States Numbered Highway System
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 87 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 101 163 400 412 425
Mainline highways Divided routes Special routes
Routes in italics are no longer a part of the system. Highlighted routes are considered main routes of the system.

v t e U.S. Routes related to US 21
	US 121 former US 121 future US 221 US 321 US 421 US 521 Special 221 421 521

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