End of US highway 501

Note: since I don't have access to a comprehensive collection of historical road atlases, much of the info on this page is based on the research of Robert Droz; click here to view his site. Photo credits: Justin Cozart; Steven Nelson; Alex Nitzman; Adam Prince; Mike Roberson

US 501 was an original 1926 route; at the time its south end was in Durham NC. There, old US 501 is now designated Business 15/501:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

That's looking west on Holloway Street, which was originally US 70 (now designated Business 70). To the right at the junction ahead (Roxboro Street) was the south beginning of US 501.

Heading north from there, at Halifax VA, US 501 used to follow what is now VA hwy. 360 and US 360 to its north end in Burkeville:

Roberson, Feb. 2008

US 501 ended at its junction with US 60 (which was later replaced by US 460). In the photo above, we're looking north on VA hwy. 621, which used to be US 501. After crossing under the railroad, it junctions VA 716, or Namozine Street, which originally carried US 60 (and later US 460, before the current US 360/460 interchange was built). The perspective below is looking west on Namozine, or historic westbound US 60:

Roberson, Feb. 2008

US 501 began by turning left, under the railroad, onto Burkes Tavern Road. (Mike notes that RR bridge is dated 1932, so US 501 traffic went underneath it for a couple years.)

In 1933, the US 501 designation was extended south to Conway SC. The photo below was taken from southbound US 701:

Nelson, Aug. 2005

The south beginning of US 501 was to the right... but it was only a couple years before it was extended left, to its present terminus in Myrtle Beach SC. The photo below shows the intersection:

Prince, 2000

The red car is heading east on Main Street, and is at the south end of US 501. The cross street is historic US 17 (now Business US 17), or Kings Highway. The photos below show the signage as you approach US 501 from the north on Kings Hwy:

Prince, 2000

Heading the opposite direction (north on Bus. 17), US 501 traffic isn't directed all the way to Main (which meets Kings Hwy at a fairly sharp angle, and left turns are not permitted at that intersection). Instead drivers are directed to turn left at 8th Avenue North...

Cozart/Nitzman, Nov. 2006

...and then left again at Main after about a half-block. In the photo above, the light in the distance is Main, or mainline 501. Once you're on that, the first northbound US 501 sign looks like this:

Prince, 2000

In 1934 the north end of US 501 was rerouted to go north from Halifax, through Lynchburg, to its current terminus at its junction with US 60 in Buena Vista VA (by the way, locals pronounce this "Byoo-nuh VIS-tuh", just like the Buena Vista in Colorado). The photo below is looking north on 501 where it ends:

Nitzman, June 2005

No "End" sign - just your options at US 60, and a notice that the I-81 interchange is to the left. The shot below shows the north beginning of US 501 as seen from westbound US 60...

Nitzman, June 2005

...and this next one was taken from the opposite direction:

Nitzman, June 2005

If you take that right turn, you'll soon see the first southbound confirming marker:

Nitzman, June 2005