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U.S. Route 17

(Redirected fromUS 17)

U.S. Route 17orU.S. Highway 17(US 17), also known as theCoastal Highway,is a north–southUnited States Numbered Highwaythat spans in theSoutheastern United States.It runs close to theAtlantic Coastfor much of its length, with the exception of the portion betweenPunta GordaandJacksonville,Florida, and the portion fromFredericksburgtoWinchester,Virginia, both of which follow a more inland route. Major metropolitan areas served along US 17's route include thePunta Gorda,Greater Orlando,andJacksonvillemetropolitan areas in Florida, theBrunswickandSavannahmetropolitan areas in Georgia, theCharlestonandMyrtle Beachmetropolitan areas in South Carolina, theCape FearandNew Bernmetropolitan areas in North Carolina, and theHampton RoadsandWinchestermetropolitan areas in Virginia.

U.S. Route 17 marker
U.S. Route 17
Coastal Highway
Map
US 17 highlighted in red
Route information
Length1,206.47 mi[citation needed](1,941.63 km)
Existed1926[citation needed]–present
Major junctions
South endUS 41inPunta Gorda, FL
Major intersections
North endUS 11/US 50/US 522in Winchester, VA
Location
CountryUnited States
StatesFlorida,Georgia,South Carolina,North Carolina,Virginia
Highway system
←US 16→US 18

The highway's southern terminus is at Punta Gorda, Florida, at an intersection withUS 41.Traveling north, US 17 joins up withUS 50inParis, Virginia,and the northern terminus of US 17 is in downtown Winchester. This is also the point at which the portion of US 50 called theNorthwestern Turnpikebegins.

ThoughUS 1is generally considered to be the highway that runs alongsideInterstate 95(I-95), US 17 runs parallel to I-95 for much of its extent and even shares the same physical road for short spans inFredericksburg, Virginia,andRidgeland, South Carolina.As such, US 17 is out of sequence in the U.S. Highway numbering plan (US 17 would, under the plan, run parallel to and betweenUS 15andUS 19;the U.S. Highway following that path is instead markedUS 219).

Route description

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Lengths
mi km
FL 317 510
GA 124 200
SC 221 356
NC 286 460
VA 256 412
Total 1,204 1,938

Florida

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Main articles:U.S. Route 17 in Florida,U.S. Route 92,andRoosevelt Boulevard (Jacksonville)

US 17 begins in downtownPunta GordaatUS 41(Cross Street), just to the west of theTamiami Trail.After running east, it runs roughly north along thePeace River,throughArcadia,Zolfo Springs(where it crosses the Peace River), andWauchula.AtFort Meade,it joins withUS 98,which follows it northward (westward on US 98) untilBartow.While US 98 goes northwest, US 17 goes northeast.

US 17 begins a longconcurrencywith US 92 just north ofWinter HaveninLake Alfred(US 92 following eastbound), which takes both highways throughKissimmee,where they joinUS 192.Like US 92, US 17 roughly parallelsI-4along the overlap. When all three meetUS 441,US 192 follows US 441 southbound, while US 17/US 92 follows US 441 north into downtownOrlando.US 17/US 92 then splits from US 441 atState Road 50(SR 50, Colonial Drive) and jogs east, splitting back north from SR 50 when it meetsSR 15(Mills Avenue).

InSanford,US 17/US 92 crosses theSt. Johns RiverintoVolusia Countyvia the Bill Benedict Bridge.

US 92 then splits away from US 17 north ofDeLand,as US 92 continues east toDaytona Beachon International Speedway Boulevard, while US 17 continues north towardPalatka,where it again crosses the St. Johns River.

InClay County,US 17 runs through suburbanJacksonville.The northern stretch of US 17 in Clay County is known as Park Avenue.

In Jacksonville, the southern portion of US 17 is known as Roosevelt Boulevard. Here, the highway goes pastNaval Air Station Jacksonville(NAS Jax). Near downtown Jacksonville, US 17 joinsI-10for approximately one mile (1.6 km), before merging intoI-95.US 17 then exits onto Union Street and continues as North Main Street until theNassau Countyborder. It then continues until it reaches theGeorgiastate line, crossing over theSt. Marys River.

Georgia

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Main article:U.S. Route 17 in Georgia
A canopy of oak trees over a section of US 17 in McIntosh County, Georgia

InWoodbine,US 17 crosses theSatilla Riverby way of theJ. Edwin Godley Bridge.InBrunswick,the route traverses the SouthBrunswick Riverover theSidney Lanier Bridge,then across theAltamaha Riverbridge betweenGlynnandMcIntoshcounties. At theSouth Carolinastate line, US 17 crosses theSavannah Riveron theTalmadge Memorial Bridge.

South Carolina

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Main article:U.S. Route 17 in South Carolina

US 17 enters South Carolina inJasper Countyas a two-lane road and within eight miles (13 km) entersHardeeville,where it becomes a four-lane configuration. US 17 intersectsI-95in Hardeeville and runs parallel to I-95 untilRidgeland,where it merges with the Interstate untilPoint South.At Point South, US 17 leaves I-95 and heads eastward into northernBeaufort County,sharing a concurrency withUS 21until Gardens Corner. US 21 splits off toBeaufortwhile US 17 heads northeast into theACE BasinandColleton County.This stretch of road has been upgraded from a two-lane to a four-lane configuration, due to safety concerns.

Once inJacksonboro,the road entersCharleston County,crossing theEdisto Riverand maintains a four-lane configuration for the remainder of the state. The road passes through several rural communities as it approaches Charleston from the west. InCharleston,the 3.6-mile (5.8 km) section running fromSouth Carolina Highway 171(SC 171) to Sam Rittenberg Boulevard has been named the "Charleston Nine Memorial Highway", in honor of nine Charleston firefighters killed in the line of duty in theCharleston Sofa Super Store fireon June 18, 2007.[1]US 17 passes through the West Ashley community before it traverses theAshley RiverDrawbridges to the Charleston Peninsula. From the drawbridges, it is known as the Septima Clark Crosstown Connector and is mostly routed north of the affluent historical areas of the city. Upon reaching theI-26terminus, US 17 becomes limited-access and above grade as it approaches theCooper Rivervia theArthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge.The stretch of US 17 in Charleston is infamous among locals for its traffic congestion, especially on weekday mornings.[citation needed]

Upon crossing the river, the highway entersMount Pleasantat grade and is signalized for several miles up through the second interchange withI-526and connecting roads to theIsle of PalmsandSullivan's Island.The road leaves the Charleston metro area and enters theFrancis Marion National Forest[2]and going through the rural communities ofAwendawandMcClellanville,whereHurricane Hugomade landfall in September 1989.[3]US 17 continues on its northeastern journey toGeorgetownand crosses the marsh-linedSantee Riveras it entersGeorgetown County.US 17's route through Georgetown is a major thoroughfare through the city and skirts the historic district. After going through Georgetown and passing byDeBordieu Colony,Pawleys Island,Litchfield Beach,andMurrells Inlet,US 17 entersHorry County,passesGarden City Beach,andSurfside Beach,and arrives inMyrtle Beach,where it splits between a business route and the mainline route, which remains west of the beach and tourist areas served byUS 17 Business.The roads rejoin north of the city and continue as US 17 throughAtlantic Beach,North Myrtle Beach,andLittle Riverbefore crossing into North Carolina.

North Carolina

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Main article:U.S. Route 17 in North Carolina
Historical marker on US 17

InWilmington,US 17 (here concurrent withI-140) crosses theNortheast Cape Fear RiverbetweenNew HanoverandBrunswickcounties over theDan Cameron Bridge.BetweenNew BernandJames City,US 17 (concurrent withUS 70andNorth Carolina Highway 55,or NC 55) crosses theTrent Riverby way of theFreedom Memorial Bridge.Farther east, between James City andBridgeton,US 17, still concurrent with NC 55, crosses theNeuse Riverover theNeuse River Bridge.

InWashington,US 17 crosses thePamlico Riverover thePamlico-Tar River Bridge.Farther along, inWilliamston,US 17 (concurrent withUS 13) crosses theRoanoke River,then theCashie RiveratWindsor.At theBertie County–Chowancounty line, US 17 traverses theChowan Riveron theChowan River Bridge,one of the longest bridges along US 17's route. InPerquimans County,US 17 (here concurrent withNC 37) crosses theYeopim Riverand thePerquimans RiveratHertford.Crossing intoPasquotank Countyover theLittle River,US 17 entersElizabeth Cityand begins a short concurrency withUS 158.AtMorgan's Corner,the US 158 concurrency ends, and US 17 crosses thePasquotank RiverintoCamden Countybefore heading north intoVirginia.

Virginia

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Main article:U.S. Route 17 in Virginia
View north along US 11, US 522, and west along US 50 (Cameron Street) at the northern terminus of US 17 in Winchester, Virginia

US 17 enters Virginia into the city ofChesapeake,running along the border of the Great Dismal Swamp. It runs through more of the city of Chesapeake and around the cities ofPortsmouthandNorfolkbefore it crosses theJames RiverbetweenNewport NewsandIsle of Wight Countyon theJames River Bridgeconcurrent withUS 258.The route also crosses theYork RiverbetweenGloucesterandYorkcounties atYorktownon theGeorge P. Coleman Memorial Bridge.Finally, US 17 traverses theRappahannock RiverbetweenStaffordandSpotsylvaniacounties atFredericksburgas it overlapsI-95.Then it traverses theBlue Ridge MountainsthroughFauquier Countyand crosses the town ofWarrenton.It then merges withI-66inMarshalland runs concurrently untilDelaplane.The highway terminates at a junction withUS 11andUS 522inWinchester.

History

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Florida

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A US 17 shield used in Florida prior to 1993

From 1956 until 1993, US 17 signs in Florida featured black numbering on a yellow shield. The color coding of U.S. Highways by theFlorida Department of Transportationwas stopped when the state could only use federal funding for stock black-and-white; a few yellow US 17 signs remain.[citation needed]

South Carolina

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US 17 has had slight variations over its history in South Carolina. US 17 once traversed the Cooper River on theJohn P. GraceandSilas N. Pearmanmemorial bridges before theArthur Ravenel Jr. Bridgereplaced both in 2005.[4]US 17 also ran through downtown Myrtle Beach before the new bypass route was finished in order to alleviate heavy traffic.US 17 Alternatewas commissioned as a route between Point South and Georgetown, mostly for trucks who wished to bypass Charleston and the weight restrictions of the former bridges.

Hurricane Charley Highway

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On August 13, 2004,Hurricane Charleymade landfall near the southern terminus of US 17 at Punta Gorda.[5]The hurricane threatened to hit much of the highway,[6]affecting the route in Florida from Punta Gorda to north of Orlando (when Charley followed the route ofI-4out to sea). The Georgia stretch of US 17 was not hit but was under ahurricane warning.When Charley made landfall again in South Carolina, its trail through Virginia was close to US 17.[citation needed]

Major intersections

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Florida
US 41inPunta Gorda.
I-75on theSolana–Clevelandcity line
US 98inFort Meade.The highways travel concurrently toBartow.
US 92inLake Alfred.The highways travel concurrently toDeLand.
US 27inHaines City
US 192inKissimmee.The highways travel concurrently through the city.
US 192/US 441in Kissimmee. US 17/US 441 travel concurrently toOrlando.
I-4inOrlando
I-4in Orlando
I-4northwest ofSanford
I-295inJacksonville
I-10in Jacksonville. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I-95in Jacksonville. The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I-95/US 23in Jacksonville. US 17/US 23 travel concurrently through the city.
US 1/US 23in Jacksonville. US 1/US 17 travel concurrently through the city.
I-295in Jacksonville
I-95inYulee
Georgia
US 82west ofBrunswick.The highways travel concurrently for approximately 0.72 miles (1.16 km).
I-95/US 82west of Brunswick
US 341in Brunswick
US 25in Brunswick
I-95south-southeast ofRiceboro
US 84inMidway
I-95inRichmond Hill
I-516/US 80inSavannah.The highways travel concurrently through the city.
I-16/I-516/US 80in Savannah. I-16/US 17 travel concurrently through the city.
South Carolina
I-95inHardeeville
US 321in Hardeeville
US 278in Hardeeville. The highways travel concurrently toRidgeland.
I-95in Ridgeland. The highways travel concurrently toPoint South.
US 21northeast ofPocotaligo.The highways travel concurrently toGardens Corner.
I-526inCharleston
I-26in Charleston. The highways travel concurrently, on separate lanes, through the city.
US 78in Charleston
US 52in Charleston
I-526inMount Pleasant
US 521inGeorgetown
US 701in Georgetown
US 501inMyrtle Beach
North Carolina
I-140southwest ofLeland
US 74/US 76in Leland. US 17/US 74 travel concurrently to west ofWilmington.US 17/US 76 travel concurrently to west ofWrightsville Beach.
US 74/US 421west ofWilmington.US 17/US 421 travel concurrently to downtown Wilmington.
US 421inWilmington
US 117inWilmington
US 74/US 76inWilmingtonwest ofWrightsville Beach
NC 140inKirkland
US 70west ofNew Bern.The highways travel concurrently to the New Bern–James Citycity line.
US 264inWashington
US 13/US 64south-southwest ofWilliamston.US 13/US 17 travel concurrently toWindsor.US 17/US 64 travel concurrently to south of Williamston.
US 158inElizabeth City.The highways travel concurrently to southeast ofMorgans Corner.
Virginia
I-64/I-464inChesapeake.I-64/US 17 travel concurrently through the city.
US 13/US 460in Chesapeake
I-264inPortsmouth
US 58in Portsmouth
I-664inSuffolk
US 258inBartlett.The highways travel concurrently toNewport News.
US 60inNewport News
I-64in Newport News
US 360inBrays Fork.The highways travel concurrently toTappahannock.
US 301inPort Royal Cross Roads
US 1south ofFredericksburg.The highways travel concurrently for approximately 1.18 miles (1.90 km).
I-95south of Fredericksburg. I-95/US 17 travel concurrently to northwest ofFalmouth.
US 15/US 29inOpal.The highways travel concurrently toWarrenton.
I-66southeast ofMarshall.The highways travel concurrently for approximately 4.69 miles (7.55 km).
US 50southeast ofParis.The highways travel concurrently toWinchester.
US 340inWaterloo
I-81/US 522southeast ofWinchester.US 17/US 522 travel concurrently to Winchester.
US 11in Winchester. The highways travel concurrently through the city.

[7]

See also

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Special routes

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Main article:Special routes of U.S. Route 17

References

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  1. ^Smith, Glenn (March 25, 2008)."U.S. 17 stretch to honor firefighters who died in sofa store blaze".The Post and Courier.Archived fromthe originalon October 17, 2008.
  2. ^"Swamp Fox Passage/Palmetto Trail".US Department of Agriculture – Forest Service.RetrievedMay 21,2019.
  3. ^Glover, Kerri (September 20, 2009)."'Ground Zero'".The Post and Courier.RetrievedMay 21,2019.
  4. ^Campos, Erik."The Ravenel Bridge: An architectural marvel".thestate.
  5. ^"Hurricane Charley destroyed Punta Gorda and kept Tampa Bay on edge".Tampa Bay Times.August 11, 2007.RetrievedMay 20,2019.
  6. ^"Gunter: That time we fled Hurricane Charley".Toronto Sun.September 15, 2018.
  7. ^Rand McNally (2014).The Road Atlas(Walmart ed.). Chicago: Rand McNally. pp. 26–27, 29, 75, 92, 107.ISBN978-0-528-00771-2.
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