Interstate 26

Infobox road
type=I
route=26

---

length_mi=349
length_round=2
length_ref=cite web|publisher=Interstate Guide|url=http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-026.html|title=Interstate 26 @ Interstate-Guide.com|accessdate=2008-02-15]
established=
direction_a=West
terminus_a=Jct|state=TN|US|11W|US|23|SR|1|SR|137 in Kingsport, TN
junction=Jct|state=TN|I|81 in Kingsport, TN
Jct|state=NC|I|40 in Asheville, NC
Jct|state=SC|I|85 near Spartanburg, SC
Jct|state=SC|I|20 near Columbia, SC
Jct|state=SC|I|77 in Cayce, SC
Jct|state=SC|I|95 near Rosinville SC
direction_b=East
terminus_b=Jct|state=SC|US|17 in Charleston, SC

Interstate 26 (I-26) is a nominally east-west (but physically more north-south) main route of the Interstate Highway System in the Southeastern United States. I-26 runs from the junction of U.S. Route 11W and U.S. Route 23 in Kingsport, Tennessee, generally south and southeast to U.S. Route 17 in Charleston, South Carolina.cite web|publisher=Google Maps|url=http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=6310337734879748054,36.588650,-82.574130%3B14384335689451893313,32.799754,-79.945133&saddr=Exit+57+%4036.588650,+-82.574130&daddr=32.799721,-79.945064&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=16&sll=32.799703,-79.942682&sspn=0.008153,0.014462&ie=UTF8&ll=34.759666,-80.057373&spn=4.079227,7.382813&z=7|title=Overview Map of I-26|accessdate=2008-02-15] The portion from Mars Hill, North Carolina, east (compass south) to Interstate 240 in Asheville, North Carolina, is signed as FUTURE I-26 because it does not yet meet all Interstate Highway standards. A short realignment as an improvement is also planned in Asheville.

Prior to August 5, 2003, the western terminus was at Interstate 40 on the southwest side of Asheville, where it continued on to make a clockwise loop around downtown as Interstate 240. At that time, it was decided to extend the route northwest of Asheville into Tennessee. Thus the final section of freeway in North Carolina, from Mars Hill north to the Tennessee state line, replaced the old two-lane U.S. Route 23. I-26 was extended into Tennessee on the US 23 freeway, taking over approximately one-half of the former "Interstate-181" from U.S. Route 321 in Johnson City, to the Interstate 81 interchange southeast of Kingsport, Tennessee. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) denied an extension of I-26 (as a number) along the remainder of I-181 to Kingsport, since that would give a main route Interstate Highway (I-26) a stub end, not connecting to any other Interstate, an international border, or a seacoast. The numerical extension was finally achieved by the effect of the , signed into law on August 10, 2005. Thus the I-26 designation now extends to Kingsport, and it ends about two miles (three km) south of the Virginia state line, while the freeway itself continues to the state line as US-23.

Northwards from Kingsport, US-23 continues north to Portsmouth, Ohio, as the Corridor B of the Appalachian Development Highway System, and beyond to Columbus, as the Corridor C. In conjunction with the Columbus-Toledo corridor formed by Interstate 75, U.S. 23, and State Route 15, I-26 forms part of a mostly high-speed four-lane highway from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Coast in Charleston, South Carolina. There are no plans for further I-26 extensions into Virginia, Kentucky, beyond.

Route description

-
TN
55
89
-
NC
71
114
-
SC
220.95
355.58
-
Total
347
558

outh Carolina

Auxiliary routes

*Interstate 126 is a spur into Columbia, South Carolina from the northwest.
*Interstate 326 was a temporary unsigned designation for part of what is now Interstate 77 south of Columbia.
*Interstate 526 is a partial beltway of Charleston, South Carolina, running from U.S. Route 17 west of the city north to I-26 and back east and south to US 17 east of Charleston.

External links

* [http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/routefinder/ FHWA Route Log and Finder List]
* [http://www.mountainx.com/news/2003/0716tennessee.php Political History of I-26]
* [http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/news.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2007-03-02-0001.html News article listing new I-26 exit numbers published March 2, 2007]

References

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