End of US highway 521

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; Chris Curley; Andy Field; Alex Nitzman Chris Patriarca; Adam Prince

Prince, Oct. 2000

US 521 ends at its junction with US 17, which is the intersection ahead (Fraser Street). About two blocks to the left is the south beginning of US 701. The photo below is from northbound Fraser/US 17:

Cozart/Nitzman, Nov. 2006

That assembly replaced a structurally-identical one that was there at least through 2000. The cross street is High-Market. About two blocks to the left, US 17A joins US 521 via Church Street, and the two routes are co-signed for 10 miles, to Sampit.

In 1933, its first year of commissioning, the north end of US 521 was in Pineville NC (just south of Charlotte). I'm guessing northbound US 21 came in from the west on Main Street, or modern NC hwy. 51, and then went north along Polk Street (which soon becomes South Boulevard). The shot below is looking north on Polk:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

That shows the original north terminus of US 521 - straight ahead was northbound US 21, while southbound was to the left on Main.

(Regarding former endpoints in Charlotte, Richard Cuff wrote with the following):

"Your speculation is correct; when I-77 was first built around Charlotte, it was only signed as US 21, as I believe I-77 was initially to end at I-40 in Statesville, and then later I-85 north of Charlotte. When we first started traveling that route in 1971, I-77 simply died into a two-lane road near Mooresville, just south of Lake Norman. US 21 initially came through Charlotte along Statesville Avenue and exited downtown along South Boulevard to Pineville before turning west and multiplexing with NC-51. As the freeway was built, US 21 was shifted over to it, and that became the beginning of US 521 - for example, the intersection of Woodlawn Rd and South Blvd. The interchange with Woodlawn and I-77 became the north terminus for US 521 for several years until the BG Parkway was built."

(Brian Miller adds the following):

"From the time that I-77 was finished in Charlotte (circa 1975), US 521 was routed north from Pineville via South Boulevard to end at US 74 (Independence Blvd, now the John Belk Freeway). Around 1980, when the Billy Graham Parkway was finished and opened, US 521 was moved onto there. When the I-485 loop was finished through the area and a new four-lane connector road was built, 521 was multiplexed with 485 to the connector road, bypassing Pineville and a large segment of the original road. In 2004, when the west loop of 485 was completed (joining 77 and 85), US 521 was truncated to its interchange with I-485."

The shot below is from I-277/US 74:

Field/Nitzman, Oct. 2001

Exit 1E (to South Blvd) was a former north beginning of US 521. The photos below were taken back when US 521 was routed along Billy Graham Parkway, ending at I-85's interchange 33. This first one was looking north on BGP:

Curley, 2001

There was no "End" sign. Well, at least not for the end of US 521...

Patriarca, summer 2003

The photo below was from northbound I-85...

Patriarca, summer 2003

...and the shot below was from southbound:

Patriarca, summer 2003

If you were to exit there, the first southbound sign looked like this:

Field/Nitzman, Oct. 2001

In 2004, the north end of US 521 was truncated to its interchange with I-485 (exit 61). The photo below shows the spot...

Nitzman, May 2005

...although at that time the sign still reflected US 521's former multiplex with westbound I-485. The photo below shows the beginning of US 521 as seen from eastbound I-485:

Nitzman, May 2005

If you exit there, the first southbound sign looks like this:

Nitzman, May 2005