Counter-intuitive shield assembly posted for South Carolina 12 along U.S. 21-176-321 (Huger Street) northbound in Columbia. South Carolina 12 follows a one-way street couplet of Hampton Street (east) and Taylor Street (west) from Jarvis Klapman Boulevard to Park Street in downtown.

U.S. 21-176-321 turn southward onto Huger Street from Elmwood Avenue. While the only Business Spur I-126 sign disappeared a few years ago, the remainder of the junction with Interstate 126 remains virtually unchanged from 2004.

Interstate 126 west defaults onto Interstate 26 west ahead of the junction with Interstate 20 (Exit 107). The freeway mainline merges onto I-26 from the left. Motorists taking the I-20 ramp simply merge onto I-26 from the right ahead of the Exit 107 full-cloverleaf interchange. U.S. 76 is the only US Route in the Columbia area to follow a freeway. It joins Interstate 126 from Elmwood Avenue and continues on I-26 west to Exit 101A.

U.S. 378 follows Travis Avenue into Saluda and turns south on Jennings Street and west on Church Street to this intersection with U.S. 178, South Carolina 39, and South Carolina 121 (Main Street). Saluda is the home town of professional wrestling’s Paul "The Big Show" Wight.

U.S. 221 south joins U.S. 378 west for a brief overlap along East Gold Street in McCormick, South Carolina. Pictured here is the split where U.S. 221 south joins South Carolina 28 on Mine Street.

Crossing the Savannah River along U.S. 378 into Lincoln County, Georgia. A $14.2-million bridge replacement project is underway that will replace the 1938-opened bridge with a new structure to the south. When completed, U.S. 378 will travel a new 1,680 foot bridge with 12′ travel lanes, 10′ shoulders. New approaches are to be constructed as well.

U.S. 378 ends at junction U.S. 78 & Georgia 10-17 outside of Washington in Wilkes County. The end point lies directly across from the U.S. 78 business loop through the county seat. A connector road provides access to U.S. 78 east to Thomson ahead of the actual signalized end. See Dale Sanderson’s End of US Highway 378 page for additional photos of the terminus.

The Washington Bypass continues north with Georgia 17; U.S. 78 & Georgia 10 turn west on a two-lane alignment north of the business loop of Lexington Avenue.

While the Athens Perimeter Highway (Georgia 10 Loop) carries U.S. 29, U.S. 78, U.S. 129, U.S. 441 and a myriad of state route counterparts along its alignment, all multiplexes are ignored on reassurance shields and instead a simple Georgia 10 Loop Inner or Outer shield assembly is posted instead. There are however, small guide signs that follow some of the on-ramps directing motorists to the departure points of the U.S. highways and Georgia 316′s westbound beginning.

Georgia 316 constitutes a 39.08 mile expressway type route between the Athens Perimeter Highway (Georgia 10 Loop) and Interstate 85 in Gwinnett County. The route undulates from signalized intersections through seemingly rural swaths with a 65 mph speed limit. The number of signalized intersections prevents a consistent pace between Athens and metro Atlanta and only the westernmost five miles of the route comprises a freeway. Talks have centered around upgrading Georgia 316 for years and recently those have focused on upgrading the highway to limited access standards by implementing tolls. It was reported in 2004 that tolls on such a route may be a high as $4.17-per trip, and in today’s standards that may even be a low estimate. Tolls remain one of the controversial aspects of the project, and there is even a Facebook page dedicated to the upgrade of Georgia 316 without the use of tolls.

Collins Hill Road intersects Georgia 316 west at the final signalized intersection along University Parkway. From this point westward, Georgia 316 upgrades to nearly freeway standards with the exception of turn-offs for University Center Lane and Walter Boulevard.

What was a simple partial "Y" interchange between Georgia 316 and Interstate 85 at Exit 103 was upgraded as part of a $147-mllion project and completed in October 20, 2007. Added were flyover ramps connecting Georgia 316 west with Interstate 85 south on the right-hand side and adjacent Pleasant Hill Road. The upgrade also provides direct HOV-lane connections between the two freeways.

Approaching former Georgia 280 along Interstate 285 south (inner) at Atlanta. Georgia 260 was truncated from its terminus at U.S. 278 & Georgia 12 (Covington Highway) east of Interstate 285 to Exit 61B of Interstate 20.

Speed limits along Interstate 20 in eastern Alabama were lowered on March 19, 2010 from 70 to 55 mph following the death of woman killed by a stone kicked up from a vehicle traveling over a pothole. The speed restriction is in place through Calhoun and Cleburne Counties between Oxford and the Georgia state line. A widening project between mileposts 182 and 186 is planned and upon completion, speed limits are expected to return to 70 mph.
For what its worth, every vehicle we encountered was traveling between 65-70 mph or greater on the 32-mile stretch.

Golden Springs Road leads north from Exit 188 of Interstate 20 to the Anniston East Bypass. The four to five lane highway first meets U.S. 78 at a one-quarter cloverleaf interchange and then transitions into an arterial without controlled access. This section of roadway opened in October 2004 between I-20 and Choccoiocco Road. Further north, construction of a new 8-mile roadway (Alabama 192) is now underway as a $29.4-million stimulus project started on October 13, 2009. Alabama 192 will link U.S. 431 at Saks to the existing Anniston East Bypass near Coleman Road. Work should be completed in 2012 or 2013.

A major widening project (from four to six lanes) is underway along Interstate 20 between Exits 158 and 147 in St. Clair County, Alabama. Work on this section of roadway is slated for completion by October 1, 2012.

Some original button copy overheads remain in service along Interstates 20 and 459 in east Birmingham and Irondale.

Construction along Interstate 65 in Shelby County extends the six-lane stretch of freeway south from Exit 247 (Shelby County 17) to Shelby County 52 (Exit 242). Future work will extend the six to eight lane freeway southward to the Shelby County Airport interchange (Exit 234).

Last, but not least, construction to modernize and improve Interstate 65 through Montgomery is still underway. The 4.61-mile project rebuilds the freeway between the Alabama River and U.S. 80 expressway leading west toward Montgomery Regional Airport. Original concrete was replaced south of Interstate 65 and is currently being overlaid with asphalt to the north. Guide sign structures are also being replaced, and new assemblies, such as this one for Interstate 85 north (Exit 171) are eliminating all ground level assemblies. Work should be done next month.

Sources:

• "I-85 & Hwy 316 Interchange Opens." 11Alive.com, October 20, 2007.
• “I-20 speed limit between Oxford, Georgia to be lowered following death.” Mobile Press-Register, March 18, 2010.
• “Final Segment of Anniston Eastern Bypass Under Way.” ConstructionEquipmentGuide.com, December 16, 2009.
• “ALDOT announces lane closures associated with I-20 widening.” The Daily Home, October 23, 2009.
• “ALDOT soon to widen I-65 to Promenade exit.” Shelby County Reporter, August 26, 2010.

South Carolina Highway 11

 (Click for a larger image)

We found a few instances of the new highway sign this weekend including a South Carolina 303 shield in Walterboro and several South Carolina 6 shields in Moncks Corner.

It appears that the standard 3di-width shield will be used as the default for all shields, as every shield for South Carolina 6 and South Carolina 6 Truck used the same base. 

The state follows Oklahoma (2006) and Vermont (1995) as states that changed from a drab shield design. A grandfathering process of replacing signs that reach the end of their lifespan is underway. No new highway funds are used for the replacement project either as signs are replaced as needed.

U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound approaching U.S. 76 Business & 521	U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound approaching U.S. 76 Business & 521	U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound approaching U.S. 76 Business & 521
U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound at U.S. 76 Business east & 521	U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound approaching U.S. 15	U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound at U.S. 15
U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound approaching U.S. 401	U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound at U.S. 401	U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound approaching their split
U.S. 76 & 378 eastbound split at the return of U.S. 76 Business	U.S. 378 westbound approaching the merge with U.S. 76	U.S. 378 westbound approaching at the merge with U.S. 76 and beginning of U.S. 76 Business west
U.S. 76 & 378 westbound approaching U.S. 401	U.S. 76 & 378 westbound at U.S. 401	U.S. 76 & 378 westbound approaching U.S. 15
U.S. 76 & 378 westbound at U.S. 15	U.S. 76 & 378 westbound approaching U.S. 521	U.S. 76 & 378 westbound at U.S. 521 and the merge with U.S. 76 Business

All photos taken May 29, 2007.

• South Carolina
• North Carolina
• Connecticut

Coverage to be added later includes portions of the freeway in the Boston area, New Hampshire, and Maine. Gaps to fill include sections in Florida, New Jersey, and updates to the Virginia guides.

Interstate 95 is rather docile in Volusia County south of Interstate 4, but north of it is a different story. The influx of traffic from Orlando and its array of resort areas puts a crush of traffic on the freeway between Daytona Beach and Jacksonville. Surprisingly not all of this corridor is yet to six-lane capacity. St. Johns and Volusia Counties are already six-lanes, but Flagler County is not. Therefore crews are out working on the expansion of Interstate 95 to eliminate the bottleneck between Interstate 4 and Interstate 295. From the FDOT website, expansion of the 18.6-mile stretch in Flagler County began on March 14, 2005. Completion date is unclear.

In a related project pertaining to the Interstate 95 corridor, upgrading of the Florida 9A (Future Interstate 295) diamond interchange with Florida 202 (J. Turner Butler Boulevard – JTB) is also underway. Florida 9A provides an eastern bypass of downtown Jacksonville as well as a commuter route for southeast Jacksonville. The substandard interchange between the two freeways is the only thing preventing the eastern beltway from becoming part of the Interstate 295 corridor. Upon completion of the $80.5-million project, high-speed flyovers will shuttle motorists between Interstate 295 and the JTB. Work began in July 2005 with a 2009 completion date anticipated.

Further northwest near downtown Jacksonville is the project involving redesign of the Interstate 10 and 95 interchange (Exit 351B). At present the junction between the two pivotal Interstate highways is quite substandard with left-hand ramps and tight curves. Replacement of the junction involves creation of high-speed flyovers with the capacity necessary for the downtown area junction. Work commenced on February 15, 2005, with an overall completion of the interchange and associated adjacent projects slated for 2011. See TheBigI.info for project details (note that “Big I” was the same moniker given to the massive overhaul of the Interstate 25 and 40 junction in Albuquerque, New Mexico).

Also of interest to that interchange is the fact that U.S. 17 and Florida 223 now both share alignments with both Interstate 10 east from the Roosevelt Expressway interchange to Interstate 95 and Interstate 95 north to the U.S. 23 (Kings Road/Union Street) interchange to the north. Signs merely mention the overlap in passing, but shields are no longer posted along the U.S. 17 & Florida 223 surface routing as of December 2006.

It is not just the Interstate 95 interchange with Interstate 10 under construction, but essentially the entire corridor of freeway between Interstate 10 and the northern terminus of Interstate 295. That section of roadway includes a narrow four-lane segment of freeway between the Trout River Bridge and Interstate 295/Florida 9A. Widening of that freeway is underway in conjunction with a replacement of the Trout River Bridge. Work on the Trout River Bridge replacement began on March 7, 2005 and very recently resulted in a shift of traffic onto the new future southbound bridge from the original northbound bridge. Completion of the widening and new bridge should be completed by spring 2008. See TroutRiverBridge.com for additional info.

The adjacent project involves expansion of the original four-lane freeway from Zoo Parkway north to Interstate 295/Florida 9A. Work began in October of 2007 and early results see a new concrete roadway partially in place. Completion of that expansion project should occur by summer 2008. NorthFloridaRoads.com has a wide array of information pertaining to this project and many others throughout the Jacksonville metropolitan area.

Perhaps its not really related to Interstate 95 expansion, but one road facet of Interstate 95 is the essentially defunct Business Loop Interstate 95 at Darien. The overall expansion of the Interstate 95 corridor in recent decades sees a wide array of services within easy reach of the entire corridor (except for say between Orono and Houlton, Maine!). The need for Business Loops from the freeway essentially is nonexistent nowadays. Therefore the two remaining loops, one at Fayetteville, North Carolina, and the other at Darien, Georgia, have become less important by definition of Business Loop. The Fayetteville loop remains an important through route into Fayetteville from the north and south. The Georgia loop at Darien is basically unsigned outside of two guide signs per direction. One lone shield still in place however lies at the U.S. 17 intersection with Georgia 99, about a mile east of the south end of the Business Loop.

Georgia began expansion on their section of Interstate 95 in the 1990s and is vastly complete throughout the state. Most recent widening involves McIntosh and Liberty Counties midway between Brunswick and Savannah. In particular, a six laning of Interstate 95 will extend the widened portion of highway south of the U.S. 84 eastern terminus. Pictured here during road work at Exit 67, the project began in April of 2005 and should overall be completed by 2009. Four bridges along the corridor require replacing with wider spans; hence the lengthy construction process. From U.S. 84 northward, Interstate 95 is already six lanes to the South Carolina state line.

Once in South Carolina, Interstate 95 reduces to four lanes for all but a short ten-mile section between Interstate 20 and U.S. 52 at Florence. That six-laning was a recent addition, completed in April 2004, to the overall four-lane roadway. Interstate 95 in South Carolina generally serves through travel interests between Florida and the northeast. Anyone driving along the route, especially south of Interstate 26, will notice that three out of four cars are generally Florida-plated cars or cars emanating from the northeastern states. Because of this, South Carolina wants to institute tolls on its 199-mile section of Interstate 95. Why pay for a road yourselves when it benefits those from another state? At least that is the logic behind the latest push to toll the roadway in order to fund its modernization and expansion. Looking northward here is the Exit 8 off-ramp to U.S. 278 midway between Jasper and Ridgeland. I’ve found the parallel U.S. 17 and further north old-U.S. 17 to be a benefit when it comes to avoiding growing traffic congestion through this stretch.

Much further north, Interstate 95, as mentioned on the Interstate-Guide site, has been under construction for several years now involving the upgrading of the Springfield Interchange with Interstates 395 and 495 and the nearby Woodrow Wilson Bridge replacement project. The Capital Beltway, a commuter and through route of both Interstates 95 and 495 around Washington, D.C., has undergone such development and increases in traffic in recent decades that the road has declined into an utter state of failure on some sections. To augment some of these issues, VDOT began upgrading the rather substandard interchange between Interstate 95, 395 (Shirley Highway), and 495 (Capital Beltway) at Springfield in 2002. Work on that interchange is vastly completed, with high-speed flyovers now facilitating the movements between the north-south and east-west freeways. Overall completion of that project is expected by late-2007. SpringfieldInterchange.com provides more detail on this project.

Further east, road work continues in earnest involving the modernization of Interstates 95 & 495 between the Springfield Interchange and the Potomac River. Two aspects of the project involve the reconstruction and redesign of interchanges with both Telegraph Road (Virginia 241) and U.S. 1. Pictured here is gridlock along Interstate 95 south & 495 west near the Virginia 241 (Exit 168) interchange. Work began on this junction in mid-2004 and should be complete by late 2011. The lengthy time table involves overall road work involving not only the Capital Beltway but also the adjacent Virginia 241. East of there at junction U.S. 1, a similar project is underway with completion expected by mid-2009. Improvements here will aid to the overall expansion and improvement of the Capital Beltway in between. See WilsonBridge.com for more information.

Last but not least on our menu is the Woodrow Wilson Bridge replacement project itself. Begun in mid-2001, work involves the wholesale replacement of the original draw bridges over the Potomac River on which Interstates 95 and 495 travel. As of late 2006, the future eastbound (outer) bridge was open to travel and carries six-overall lanes of Capital Beltway drivers. Work continues on both removal of the original spans and building of the new westbound (inner) bridge. Upon completion, the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge will remain a draw bridge, but with improved capacity to the order of ten lanes with the allocation of two additional HOV or transit lanes for the future.

Adjacent to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, Interstate 95 in Maryland also is undergoing expansion and modernization. The Interstate 295 & Maryland 210 interchanges remains under construction for redesign and should be completed by mid-2008. The new ramp configurations accommodate widening of the Capital Beltway approaches to the Potomac River crossing.

Additional Sources:

Entering Charleston via Interstate 26 eastbound, new signs for the U.S. 17 Arthur Ravenel Bridge adorn sign bridges along the freeway. Compare this image to that from 2004.

South Carolina 700 (Folly Road Boulevard) splits from U.S. 17 just west of the Ashley River. South Carolina 700 spurs southward onto James Island. South Carolina 171 ties into South Carolina 700 via Wesley Drive with the two of them sharing pavement south to Maybank Highway on James Island itself. There South Carolina 700 heads west toward Rockville while South Carolina 171 south heads south to Folly Beach. An interchange joins U.S. 17, South Carolina 61, and South Carolina 700.

New signs were installed at the west end of Interstate 526 at West Charleston. A partially-completed interchange currently handles the movements between U.S. 17 near South Carolina 7 and Interstate 526. Interstate 526, as envisioned, is to continue south and east to James Island and ultimately to downtown Charleston. Part of the planned Interstate 526 exists as South Carolina 30. However it is unclear if the freeway will ever be built between the end here and the premature end of South Carolina 30.

Hanging out the passenger window and looking back at the Interstate 526 Cooper River Bridge. The $20-million span opened in 1992.

Looking east at the rather majestic Arthur Ravenel Bridge from the Wando River bridge of Interstate 526.

The South Carolina 30 freeway travels three miles from downtown Charleston onto James Island. A half-diamond interchange with stubs exist at the west end of the freeway with junction South Carolina 171 (Folly Road). The interchange is signed as Exit 3. East of the beginning, South Carolina 30 travels an elevated causeway from Harbor View Road (Exit 2) to the Exit 1 trumpet interchange a with South Carolina 61. A fixed high-level bridge crosses the Ashley River into downtown. Pictured here is the view of the Charleston skyline and the Ravenel Bridge.

The completion of the Arthur Ravenel Bridge and relocation of U.S. 17 resulted in the demolition of the original Silas Pearman Bridge, the Grace Memorial Bridge, and the approach freeway. What remains is a grassy strip of right-of-way in place of the elevated freeway and two pieces of the original cantilever bridges over the west banks of Town Creek.

Relocation of U.S. 17 makes finding the eastern termini of both U.S. 52 and U.S. 78 that much more difficult. Both federal highways become vastly unsigned as they enter the central Charleston area. U.S. 52 follows Meeting Street while U.S. 78 follows King Street. Neither one are signed well at their ends, and the changes of U.S. 17 resulted in even less mentioning of U.S. 52. Instead signage for both routes is found northward at the King Street and Meeting Street Road respective intersections with Mt. Pleasant Street/Morrison Drive. Incidentally Morrison Drive is supposed to be U.S. 52 Spur, however no such signage exists in the field for the route.

Looking at the intersection of Church and Broad Streets in the Charleston Battery. The Battery is one of the oldest urban areas of any southern city. Building date stamps go as far back as the 1600s, and the dense architecture of the city alludes to European design. Amazingly the historic district fared well during the 1989 landfall of Hurricane Hugo. Narrow streets and alleys criss-cross at the southeastern corner of the Charleston Peninsula, just west of the equally historic Fort Sumter, site of the first action of the Civil War.

In Summerville, the interchange between U.S. 17 Alternate and Interstate 26 exists within a commercial district based upon big box retail. As such, the interchange garners a lot of traffic from the freeway for the services that the nearby businesses provide. Looking at the satellite image of the interchange, it’s quite apparent that the full-cloverleaf interchange was recently altered to that of a six-ramp partial-cloverleaf interchange, ala Interstate 65 at U.S. 90 and U.S. 45 in Mobile, Alabama and Interstate 385 at South Carolina 291 in Greenville, South Carolina. The addition of traffic lights to an already congested stretch of U.S. 17A does not help, but at least there are still two ramps per direction from Interstate 26.

U.S. 17 Alternate joins U.S. 521 on their final approach to Georgetown and junction U.S. 17. Just ahead of their respective ends, U.S. 17 Alternate turns onto Church Street for 1.5 blocks to its junction with U.S. 17 and U.S. 701. U.S. 521 remains straight and ends at U.S. 17 on its own. An end sign is even in place to herald the conclusion of the two-state highway.

U.S. 501 begins in Myrtle Beach from the intersection with U.S. 17 Business just off the Atlantic Ocean. From there, U.S. 501 heads north along a multilane arterial to a full-cloverleaf interchange with U.S. 17. U.S. 17 bypasses the coastal areas along the more conventional commercial strip, like U.S. 17 Alternate in Summerville, lined with shopping centers and big box retail. The interchange between the two was originally a partial-cloverleaf interchange but recently was expanded into a full cloverleaf.

The interchange between U.S. 501 and South Carolina 31 (Carolina Bay Parkways) is unusual in that half of the ramps occur between the Carolina Bay Parkway carriageways. Movements to South Carolina 31 are segregated from U.S. 501 via long collector/distributor roadways. The view here looks north from the ramp onto South Carolina 31 westbound, which actually shares the bridge over U.S. 501 that South Carolina 31 eastbound travels over. South Carolina 31, originally the number for the Mark Clark Expressway/Interstate 526, was resurrected for the Carolina Bays Parkway, which is a future Interstate. The future designation of South Carolina 31 has yet to be determined, it may be parts of Interstate 73, 74, or 174 at some point.

Approaching the current south end of the Carolina Bays Parkway, junction South Carolina 544. The interchange includes provisions for a southward extension, perhaps tying into U.S. 17 southwest of Myrtle Beach, or further south to Georgetown. Originally future Interstate 73 was planned to continue all the way to Charleston, but those plans appear to be uncertain. Either way the partially completed ramps await the uncertain fate of the Parkway extension.

South Carolina 22 (Veterans Highway) meets South Carolina 31 (Carolina Bays Parkway) at a high-speed directional-cloverleaf interchange. Two large flyovers carry movements from east to north and west to south. The interchange otherwise is not stacked. South Carolina 22, like South Carolina 31, is a future Interstate (73 or 74 or parts of both). Named the Veterans Highway, South Carolina 22 also acts as the Conway bypass, carrying beach-bound motorists to U.S. 17 near North Myrtle Beach to U.S. 501 outside of Conway. Provisions exist at the west end for an eventual extension as well. South Carolina 22 travels 30 miles overall otherwise.

A recent change to the Wilmington highway network involves the relocation of U.S. 17 from downtown Wilmington onto U.S. 421 north and the new Interstate 140 east. Additionally U.S. 74 also bypasses downtown via U.S. 421 north, the Parsley Street Bridge over the Cape Fear River, and the new Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway east back to Eastwood Road (original U.S. 74 east of original U.S. 17 (now U.S. 17 Business)). Old U.S. 17 is now U.S. 17 Business with the original U.S. 74 overlap no longer acknowledged. Pictured here is the approach to the U.S. 421 interchange on the U.S. 17-74-76 freeway west of the Cape Fear River and Wilmington. Guide signs were not updated for U.S. 421 to reflect U.S. 17 or 74, because U.S. 17 and 74 will see another relocation with the completion of the Wilmington bypass west of Leland.

U.S. 17 Business, 76, and 421 combine to cross the Cape Fear River Bridge into the city of Wilmington. U.S. 421 splits at 3rd Street south to Carolina Beach. A short distance east of there is the split of U.S. 76 east onto Oleander Drive for Wrightsville Beach. U.S. 17 Business meanwhile follows the one-way street couplet of 16th and 17th Streets northward toward downtown. Pictured here is the U.S. 17 Business junction with U.S. 76 west (Wooster Street). U.S. 17 Business & 76 follow the one-way street couplet of Dawson and Wooster Streets between U.S. 421 and 17th Street. Notice the adjustment made to the left-hand panel with the addition of “TO” banners above U.S. 17 and 74.

Further north, U.S. 117 saw relocation from its alignment with North Carolina 133 onto College Road, tying it into the eastern terminus of Interstate 40. North Carolina 133 now travels solo southwest to the Parsley Street Bridge and the relocated U.S. 74. U.S. 74 & North Carolina 133 travel across the Cape Fear River to junction U.S. 117.

Interstate 40 splits from U.S. 117 on its westward journey to Barstow, California. A mileage sign posted near the beginning actually highlights the distance to the California desert city. Beyond the Gordon Road off-ramps, Interstate 40 heads to meet its newest child, that of Interstate 140. Interstate 140 constitutes a seven-mile long freeway from U.S. 421 east to Interstate 40, spanning the Cape Fear River over a fixed high-level bridge in the process. Relocated U.S. 17 shares pavement with the fledgling Interstate from U.S. 421 east to Interstate 40, and then on a new facility east from there to original U.S. 17 (now U.S. 17 Business) by the Pender County line. Interstate 140 does not continue east of Interstate 40, even though the Interstate-standard freeway does. For coverage on both the east end of Interstate 40 and the new Interstate 140, see their respective Interstate-Guides.

A new interchange complex was built at the east end of the Parsley Street Bridge, joining new U.S. 74 & North Carolina 133 with the bridge and 3rd Street north of downtown. Here is the scene on U.S. 74 west & North Carolina 133 south at the 3rd Street off-ramp into Wilmington. The two highways otherwise turn west to cross the Cape Fear draw bridge.

West of Wilmington, U.S. 74 & 76 travel together to the town of Whiteville. The corridor is dubbed part of Future Interstate 74, complete with one corridor sign in place on the drive. For the most part the four lane divided highway exists to expressway standards, though Whiteville itself sees a freeway bypass. It would not take much to upgrade this drive into Interstate 74, 20, or 174.

I won’t bore you with the detailed routing and rather will focus on some of the roadworthy highlights along the drive.

Lake City lies near the cross roads of Interstate 10 and 75 in north Florida. The town is the control point of Interstate 10 west from Jacksonville and east from Tallahassee. You may not think much of it by its presence on the map, but its surprisingly sprawly, especially along U.S. 90 east of Interstate 75 and U.S. 41/441 heading south of town. Downtown meanwhile retains some charm, echoing Lake City’s history as a smaller town no doubt. Pictured here is U.S. 441 (Marion Street) north at U.S. 90 (Duval Street).

I’ve always been intrigued by long state roads in hard to reach areas (North Carolina 12 to Corolla comes to mind), and one such that fits the build is Georgia 177 in south Georgia. Georgia 177 constitutes a fairly long spur from U.S. 84 near Fargo to Stephen C. Foster State Park within Okefenokee Swamp. While we did not have the chance to drive all the way up it, we did check out the beginning.

A convoluted drive along counties lines later, we arrive at the town of Alma, the seat of Bacon County. When I used to watch The Weather Channel in the 1980s from Savannah, Alma was one of the regional observation points on the Local Forecast. I only mention this because Alma almost always had “NO REPORT”. Not that that has anything to do with roads, but it’s just an observation I remember from childhood. Anyway, here we look at downtown and a set of old 30″ Eagle signals at 12th Street at Georgia 4 Alternate (Dixon Street). Georgia 32, the main east-west drag through town, veers two blocks south from 12th Street on a bypass alignment of the central business district.

Georgia 32 carried us east from Alma to Georgia 15 & 121 at Bristol.What is displayed above is Georgia 15 & 121 northbound at the Big Saltilla Creek Overflow channel (Appling/Pierce County line) during a relocation project to build a new roadway and a new series of bridges. Georgia 121 is part of a multi-state-route (MSR) traveling between U.S. 19 & 98 near Inglis, Florida and U.S. 21 Business at Rock Hill, South Carolina. Additionally in Georgia, Georgia 121 obtains the designation of the Woodpecker Trail, complete with graphical trailblazers along the road.

A pit stop in central Jessup during what otherwise is peak hours at the junction of U.S. 341 and U.S. 84. U.S. 84 and 341 cross paths in the heart of town while U.S. 25 & 301 follow a bypass routing to the east. U.S. 25 & 341 join forces on their southward drive to their respective ends in Brunswick, while U.S. 301 continues south to the Brantley County seat of Nahunta (junction U.S. 82)…

Heading out of Jessup, U.S. 84 combines with U.S. 25 & 301 for the northeastern journey to Ludowici and Long County. Ludowici, a historical speed trap, represents the split of U.S. 84 east from U.S. 25 & 301 north. U.S. 25 and 301 remain paired all the way to Statesboro while U.S. 84 continues east to Hinesville, Fort Stewart, and its Liberty County end at Interstate 95. Georgia 57 meanwhile enters the scene from Townsend to the southeast

Somewhat later in the day, we opted to loop into Savannah via Georgia 204, Veterans Parkway, Interstate 516, Interstate 16, and U.S. 17 across the Talmadge Bridge. Traffic woes virtually paralyzed Georgia 204 westbound at both Interstate 95 and the King George Boulevard intersection west of Veterans Parkway. Growth of the Bryan County town of Richmond Hill as a bedroom community undoubtedly is putting pressure on Abercorn Street Extension (Georgia 204) as a commuter route. To augment some of these woes, GADOT is considering an interchange at King George Boulevard and widening to eight overall lanes of Georgia 204 through South Side Savannah!

Meanwhile north in Savannah itself, here’s the view of downtown and the famous Savannah River from the Talmadge Bridge to the west.

The Talmadge Bridge lowers onto Hutchinson Island midway between the Savannah Front and Back Rivers. The Back River overall represents the state boundary between Georgia and South Carolina. North of the majestic cable-stayed bridge over the Front River is a substandard two-lane concrete viaduct carrying U.S. 17 into swampy Jasper County, S.C. There is virtually nothing along the drive from the Peach State north to Hardeeville, except for a few nude bars and such. Intertwining between the pron and interchange with Interstate 95 is South Carolina 170 Alternate and South Carolina 170 south and north. The Alternate route loops east to Levy from U.S. 17 to South Carolina 170 southeast of Hardeeville. It was originally South Carolina 170 itself. When U.S. 17 Alternate became the U.S. 17 mainline, old U.S. 17 became the new South Carolina 170. New South Carolina 170 follows the Houlihan Bridge north from Port Wentworth, Georgia to a partial “Y” interchange with U.S. 17 near Limehouse.

A short access road provides access onto South Carolina 170 south from U.S. 17 north here. Further north, South Carolina 170 splits from U.S. 17 en route to U.S. 278 west of Hilton Head Island and U.S. 21 at Burton.

Once in Hardeeville, we remained on U.S. 17 on its parallel alignment to Interstate 95 northward to Ridgeland. At Ridgeland, U.S. 17 merges onto Interstate 95, leading one to think that old U.S. 17 was perhaps build over or was discontinuous. However after looking at aerial images, the old alignment is fully in tact, even with four-lane sections, on its parallel alignment northward to the U.S. 17 split with Interstate 95 near Yemassee.