End of US highway 701

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; Jeff Morrison; Alex Nitzman; Adam Prince

US 701 was commissioned in 1932; its north end has always been at the edge of Four Oaks NC. US 701 has never connected with its implied "parent" route (US 1), but here at Four Oaks it connects with its "sibling", US 301. Although there was no "End" sign, the photo below shows the spot - it's at the intersection where the white van is:

Prince, 2000

Straight ahead is northbound US 301, while left is southbound US 301. The interchange with I-95 is just behind the camera. The shot below is looking north on US 301:

Prince, 2000

That designation continues along the road in the distance curving back to the left, while off to the right is the north beginning of US 701 and the I-95 interchange. One more perspective below - this is on southbound US 301:

Nitzman, 2001

The signage indicates how the mainline becomes the north beginning of US 701, and that you have to make a right turn to continue on US 301.

Today the south end of US 701 is in Georgetown SC. The photo below was taken heading north on Fraser Street, or northbound US 17:

Cozart/Nitzman, Nov. 2006

Signage in the distance is shown close-up below:

Cozart/Nitzman, Nov. 2006

US 17 traffic turns right on Church Street, while US 701 begins straight ahead. This next photo is from southbound US 17, which at this point is actually heading northwest on Church:

Cozart/Nitzman, Nov. 2006

That overhead signage is interesting on several levels. For one thing, the "Alt US 17" sign was replaced in recent years - compare the one shown below, photographed in 2000:

Prince, 2000

Curiously, they didn't replace its neighbor at the same time... and that one actually should be replaced: while it's true that US 701 used to turn left here and extend southwest out of Georgetown (co-signed with US 17 into Charleston), that hasn't been the case since about 1992. Today the south beginning of US 701 is to the right... and that's not even mentioned at all! Strange... but they did a better job on signage at the actual intersection:

Cozart/Nitzman, Nov. 2006

US 17 continues left on Fraser, while US 701 begins right on Fraser. Straight ahead on Church is the north beginning of US 17A. In about a block, Church meets High-Market Street and US 521 - which also ends in Georgetown, just two blocks to the left. The photo below shows signage for traffic heading the opposite direction (east on Church):

Cozart/Nitzman, Nov. 2006

That's the north end of US 17A, and the south beginning of US 701 is to the left on Fraser. For about 60 years, US 701 also went to the right on Fraser. Back when that was still the case, exactly where in Charleston did US 701 end? Stuart Davis wrote with some thoughts on that:

"In the late 1980's US 701 was only signed as such on the Pearman Bridge over the Cooper River in Charleston. This bridge also carries US 17 across the river. I believe US 701 actually ended at the North (East) end of the bridge so it never actually entered Charleston proper. In any case, I never remember there being any guide signs for US 701 from US 52, US 78 or even I-26. US 701 was always poorly signed between Georgetown and Charleston."

In my opinion, it was a pretty useless multiplex anyway (but to be fair, I should point out that US 701 was the first highway to serve the coast between Charleston and Wilmington NC. Originally US 17 went through Florence SC to get between those two cities). Below is a photo of approximately where (according to the paragraph above) US 701 began...

Morrison, Aug. 2005

...although this bridge and these ramps were new in 2005. This is heading north on US 17 after crossing the Cooper, and I'm told this is about where the first northbound US 701 sign would've been seen. However, the historic Charleston map on this page makes a fairly strong case for US 701 continuing into the city on Lee Street, and ending at its junction with US 52 at Meeting Street. Below is a photo from there:

Nitzman, Nov. 2006

That's looking north on Meeting - the beginning of US 52 is just a couple blocks behind the camera. The flyover in the distance is modern US 17, but historically northbound US 17 turned right here on Lee, and US 701 may have begun to the right. And before that endpoint, I'm told US 701 ended closer to downtown:

Nitzman, May 2007

That's looking south on King Street. Apparently US 701's original beginning was to the left on Columbus Street.