Bannered routes of U.S. Route 17

A total of at least ten bannered routes of U.S. Route 17 exist.

avannah, Georgia

usban
route=17
banner=ALT
location=Savannah, Georgia

U.S. Route 17 Alternate in Savannah, Georgia was a route that existed from the 1950s to the 1990s. The route was constructed to provide motorists with a controlled highway alternative to U.S. Highway 17, which was a more rural route, via the newly constructed Eugene Talmadge Bridge. Originally US 17A was intended to become the new US 17 route, but the state of South Carolina disagreed with the re-routing. US 17A was undersigned with Georgia Route 25 Alternate.

In the late 1980s, the Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge needed to be taken down due to structural damage from ships which had crashed into the pilings. In its place, a much bigger, taller bridge was built. This bridge had sails which could be seen for miles in all directions. In addition, an elevated road was built in back of the Savannah College of Art and Design campus, over Louisville Road, and eventually hooking up with Interstate 16. Now motorists had a direct, non-controlled route to travel to from Georgia to South Carolina without having to travel through urban Savannah. In addition this new bridge was signed as Georgia Route 404 Spur, as Interstate 16 was also signed as Georgia Route 404. The state now wished once again to re-route US 17 over the Eugene Talmadge Bridge. This time, South Carolina complied, and US 17 was re-routed north over the bridge into South Carolina. Other re-routings took place, and they are listed on this page. In addition, a new route was commissioned along part of the old US 17/GA 25 route, which was labeled State Route 25 Connector.

Original Intersections

From South to North.

*US 17A/GA 25A begun at the intersection between US 17/GA 25 and Stiles Road in Savannah, heading up Stiles Road.
*US 17A/GA 25A the continued through the entirety of Stiles Road, past Gwinnett Street.
*Stiles Road ends on Old Louisville Road (now Louisville Road). US 17A/GA 25A then moves eastward on Old Louisville Road.
*Only .4 miles later, Old Louisville Road meets W. Boundary Street. US 17A/GA 25A continued north on W. Boundary Street.
*.3 miles later, W. Boundary Street ends on York Street (now Oglethorpe Avenue). US 17A/GA 25A continues northbound on York St. over the Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge and into South Carolina.
*8 miles later, US 17A reunited with the original US 17.

New US 17 related re-routings

*New US Highway 17: From Coastal Highway/Ogeechee Road's intersection with Interstate 516, the new US 17 runs northbound on I-516, then travels eastward on I-16, only to spur off on the newly erected GA S404/Eugene Talmadge Bridge, across the Savannah River and into South Carolina. Due to neglegence, US 17 highway roadsigns still remain standing on Coastal Highway in Garden City and Port Wentworth, as well as on Ogeechee Road in Savannah.
*Georgia Route 25: Originally, GA 25 undersigned US 17 throughout its run in Georgia. GA 25 was re-routed up I-516 along US 17, but for the first time ever, was split off at the I-16 interchange. As US 17 now heads down I-16, GA 25 continues up I-516 northward until the final exit off Burnsed Blvd./GA C26 in Garden City, to where it travels a mere hundred feet northward hitting Main Street. At this point, GA 25 has reunited with its original route on Main Street/Coastal Highway, which it remains a part of, only now without US 17.
*Georgia Route 25A: While US 17A was completely decommissioned, GA 25A was merely re-routed along the new US 17 beginning at the I-516/I-16 intersection where US 17 and GA 25 split. This specific route is unsigned.
*US Highway 80/Georgia Route 26: Originally cosigned with US 17/GA 25 through Savannah via Montgomery Drive and Bay Street, US 80/GA 26 was halted early on Bay Street at its intersection with E. Lathrop Avenue. The road now continues southward down E. Lathrop to its intersection at Augusta Ave, then slightly eastward towards the Interstate 516 exit. US 80/GA 26 hops on I-516 southbound until it hops off on the Ogeechee Road/Coastal Highway exit along with US 17/GA 25. While US 17/GA 25 continues southwest, US 80/GA 26 continues in the opposite direction until it meets with Victory Drive. The routes then turn on Victory Drive east to Montgomery St., the route's original turning point. The rest of the route to Tybee Island remains unchanged.

External links

* [http://www.georgiascoast.com/ Georgia's Coast in photographs and more]

outh Carolina

usban
route=17
banner=ALT
location=South Carolina

U.S. Route 17 Alternate is an alternate route of U.S. Route 17 in South Carolina that runs between Georgetown to Pocotaligo.

Route description

US Alternate 17 was created in either 1951 or 1952, as a replacement for mainline US 17 from Pocotaligo to Walterboro , and three other state higways between Walterboro and Georgetown. It is convert|123.4|mi|km long and has been four-laned in various segments since 1970.

Major intersections

*US 17-21 concurrency(West End)
*US 21 "Alternate US 17-21 concurrency Ends."
*SC 63
*US 15, SC 64 & 303.
*SC 61
*SC 642
*SC 165
*US 78
*Interstate 26
*SC 6
*US 52 "concurrency across Cooper River."
*SC 45 "concurrency to SC 41."
*SC 41 "concurrency from SC 45."
*US 521 "Alternate US 17-521 concurrency Begins."
*US 17

External links

* [http://www.southeastroads.com/south_carolina001/us-017_nb_app_us-017a_021_02.jpgSouth end of ALT US 17 (AARoads.com)]
* [http://www.angelfire.com/sc3/scroads/us17.html The Highways of South Carolina (US 17-US Alt 17-US Bus 17)]

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

usban
route=17
banner=BUS
location=Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

U.S. Route 17 Business, also known as Kings Highway, is a 27.12 mile (43.65 km) business route of U.S. Route 17. From the parent route, it travles from Briarcliffe Acres south to Murrells Inlet. It connects with the bypass route at the Horry/Georgetown county line but does not end; the business route continues along the waterfront of Murrells Inlet until rejoining the mainline route near Garden City. The road is also a major route during the Bi-Lo Marathon weekend; miles 9-12, and also 20-24 run through this highway during the marathon.

Shallotte, North Carolina

usban
route=17
banner=BUS
location=Shallotte, North CarolinaThe southernmost Business US 17 was the former routing of US 17 through the heart of Shalotte before a bypass was constructed to the west. The loop is convert|3.8|mi|km in length and has the street name Main Street for its entire length. The middle segment is also concurrent with NC 130, which splits from Business US 17 in the north to travel to Oak Island and splits in the south to travel to Whiteville; this concurrency is also a wrong-way concurrency.

Bolivia, North Carolina

usban
route=17
banner=BUS
location=Bolivia, North CarolinaNorth of Shallotte's Business US 17 and just past the community of Supply, another business loop of US 17 forms just west of Bolivia, the small county seat of Brunswick County. This convert|7.5|mi|km|sing=on route is also called the Old Ocean Highway and passes through the center of Bolivia near its northern terminus.

Wilmington, North Carolina

usban
route=17
banner=BUS
location=Wilmington, North CarolinaThe Business US 17 in Wilmington was the old routing of US 17 through the port city before the partial completion of the Wilmington Bypass, which in part is also designated as Interstate 140. Currently, US 17 follows US 421 northbound to its intersection with the Wilmington Bypass, where it joins I-140 eastbound to I-40 and continues to meet its business route's northern termini near Kirkland. The U.S. Highway 17 Truck designation was removed from Military Cutoff Road and Oleander Drive upon the opening of the bypass.

This business route has its southern terminus on Eagle Island (location of the USS North Carolina battleship) in Brunswick County. Crossing the Cape Fear River over the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge along with US 76 and US 421, the business route of US 17 enters the city of Wilmington. In downtown, Business US 17 leaves US 76 and makes a left unto South 3rd Street. Business US 17 follows the road until it reaches Downtown Wilmington, making a right unto Market Street. Traveling in an easterly direction, Business US 17 crosses US 117/NC 132 (which provides access to the eastern terminus of I-40) and US 74 (which provides access to Wrightsville Beach). Business US 17 darts northeast through Ogden and Kirkland before returning to its parent route near the New Hanover/Pender county line.

Jacksonville, North Carolina

usban
route=17
banner=BUS
location=Jacksonville, North CarolinaLike all the other business routes in the state, US 17 Business in Jacksonville was the former alignment of US 17. This business route was commissioned after the completion of the Jacksonville Bypass [http://www.ci.jacksonville.nc.us/opencms/export/download/Planning/BypassMap0904.pdf US 17/NC 24 Bypass Map (PDF)] ] , which fully opened December 13, 2006. US 17, along with NC 24(which piggy-backs US 17 for 3 miles), was signed along this newly built freeway. The loop through the city along Wilmington Highway and Marine Boulevard is about convert|4.5|mi|km in length.

Elizabeth City, North Carolina

usban
route=17
banner=BUS
location=Elizabeth City, North CarolinaThe northernmost US 17 Business route is found in the Elizabeth City area in Pasquotank County. In 2002, an extremely time efficient bypass highway to the west of Elizabeth City opened, bypassing a kink in US 17's routing on its way to George Washington Highway Chesapeake, Virginia and further into the Hampton Roads metropolitan area.

The Elizabeth City bypass was designated as US 17 Bypass, however, the former US 17 Bypass route within Elizabeth City was not given a "Business" designation like other former US 17 bypass routes in North Carolina, instead being retained simply as Mainline US 17. The oldest alignment of US 17 along Ehringhaus and Road Streets through central Elizabeth City holds the US 17 Business title, starting with the southern terminus at the Ehringhaus and mainline 17 junction, traveling east along Ehringhaus and north along Road Street, re-merging with mainline US 17, Truck Business US 17 and US 158.

Truck Business US 17 is a classification that appears to be unique to Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

In 2002 a new US 17 Bypass was completed west of Elizabeth City, offering a shortcut to motorists wishing to avoid the often congested former bypass, being that NCDOT had failed in 1969 to acquire right-of-way giving rise to commercial strips along the route. The old Hughes Boulevard bypass was stripped of its Bypass classification and demoted to simply (Main-line) US 17.

The alignment of US 17 Business along Ehringhaus and Road Streets, in place since at least the late 60s to early 1970s remained in place, as did the alignment of US 158 entering the city from the Camden Causeway to the east, following Elizabeth Street downtown and joining Main-line US 17 north out of the city.

Interestingly, a fourth classification for US 17 emerged within Elizabeth City in the form of Truck Business US 17, which follows the above route of US 158 from the Camden Causeway, having its northern terminus where US 17 Business re-merges with the Main-line US 17.

Williamston, North Carolina

The Southern end of this section of US 17 Business route branches from US 17 at the intersection with US 13. It turns into West Main Street at Williamston and reconnects with US 13/17 at the Northern end.

References