U.S. Route 1 in South Carolina

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 1 in South Carolina. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 1.

U.S. Route 1 marker

U.S. Route 1

Route information

Maintained by SCDOT

Length:

170.1 mi^[1] (273.7 km)

Existed:

1927 – present

Major junctions

South end:

US 1 / US 25 / US 78 / US 278 / SR 10 / SR 121 in North Augusta

I‑520 in North Augusta

I‑20 near Aiken

US 178 / SC 391 in Batesburg-Leesville

I‑20 in Lexington

I‑26 in West Columbia

US 21 / US 176 / US 321 in Columbia

I‑20 / I‑77 near Columbia

US 601 in Lugoff

US 521 in Camden

US 52 near Cheraw

North end:

US 1 near Wallace

Location

Counties:

Marlboro, Chesterfield, Kershaw, Richland, Lexington, Saluda, Aiken

Highway system

United States Numbered Highways

South Carolina Highways

←

SC 917

SC 2

→

U.S. Route 1 (US 1) is a north–south United States highway that traverses along through the South Carolina sandhills region; it connects the cities of North Augusta, Aiken, Lexington, Columbia, Camden, and Cheraw.

Route description

Gervais Street Bridge over the Congaree River

US 1 enters South Carolina in North Augusta. From North Augusta to Aiken, US 1 is a divided four-lane highway. It goes through the historic district of Aiken, heading north through Batesburg-Leesville, Lexington, into Columbia up to Camden. US 1 parallels I-20, crossing it three times until it branches northeast at Camden. It also has junctions with I-26 and I-77 in Columbia. In Richland County, it goes through downtown Columbia along Gervais Street, passing directly in front of the State Capitol building; connecting via Millwood Avenue, it continues northeast along Two Notch Road, named for when the road was marked by posts with two notches carved. From Camden, it continues northeast as a two-lane road to the town of Cheraw and Cheraw State Park before entering the state of North Carolina.

The entire route is part of the Jefferson Davis Highway, named after Civil War Confederate leader Jefferson Davis; with exception between North Augusta and Aiken, where US 1 was realigned, leaving SC 421 its section of the highway name. Markers of the highway dot all along the route, though most sections do have other road names too.

Though US 1 connects to several urban areas in the state, it has fallen out of favor with most travelers, replaced by I-20 and I-95. Most urban areas are multi-lane with some sections divided, while the rural areas continue to be two-lane.

History

US 1 was established in 1927 as an original US route. It traveled generally as it does now, overlapping with SC 12, from North Augusta to West Columbia, SC 2, from West Columbia to Columbia, and SC 50, from Columbia to the North Carolina border. The following year, both SC 12 and SC 50 were dropped along the route. The entire route was paved by 1932.

Around 1938, US 1 was rerouted between Cheraw and Wallace, going further north along its now current alignment, leaving behind Hickson Road (S-35-52) and Brickyard Road (S-35-36). The first section widen to four-lane was a 2-mile (3.2 km) section north of Columbia, in 1940. Between 1940-1946, US 1 was rerouted in Columbia; originally using Gervais Street, Assembly Street, Taylor Street, and Two Notch Road, switching to Gervais Street, Harden Street, Taylor Street, and Two Notch Road. By 1952, US 1 was rerouted again in Columbia, switching to Gervais Street, Millwood Avenue, and Two Notch. Also by 1952, US 1/US 78 were given new alignment bypassing Clearwater, Bath, Langley, and Gloverville; the old alignment became SC 421. By 1957, US 1/US 78 was rerouted from Fifth Street Bridge to its current alignment over the Savannah River.

Junction list

County	Location	mi^[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Aiken	State line	0.0	0.0	US 1 south / US 25 south / US 78 west / US 278 west / SR 10 west / SR 121 south – Augusta	Crosses the Savannah River; continuation into Georgia
	North Augusta	0.2	0.3	5th Street Bridge / River North Drive
		0.7	1.1	US 25 north / SC 121 north – North Augusta, Edgefield	North end of US 25 and SC 121 overlap
		1.5	2.4	I‑520 (Palmetto Parkway) – Augusta, Columbia, Atlanta
	Clearwater	2.3	3.7	US 278 east / SC 125 (Atomic Road) – Beech Island, Savannah River Site SC 421 north (Augusta Road) – Clearwater	East end of US 278 overlap
	Burnettown	4.0	6.4	SC 126 (Belvedere-Clearwater Road) – Belvedere
	Graniteville	10.2	16.4	SC 191 (Main Street) – Graniteville, Vaucluse, Warrenville
	Aiken	12.2	19.6	SC 118 (Robert M Bell Parkway / Hitchcock Parkway)	To USC Aiken
		12.4	20.0	SC 421 south (Augusta Road)
		15.5	24.9	SC 19 (Laurens Street) – Eureka, Edgefield
		15.7	25.3	SC 19 Conn. (Chesterfield Street) – Savannah River Site	Signed also as SC 19
		15.8	25.4	US 78 south (Richland Avenue) – Montmorenci, Wagener	East end of US 78 overlap
		17.3	27.8	SC 118 (Rudy Mason Parkway)
		23.9	38.5	I‑20 – Columbia, Augusta
		33.6	54.1	SC 392 (Engineer Road) – Ridge Spring
	Monetta	37.3	60.0	SC 39 (Main Street / Old Ninety-Six Indian Trail) – Wagener, Orangeburg, Ridge Spring
Saluda	No major junctions
Lexington	Batesburg-Leesville	43.1	69.4	US 178 / SC 391 (Pine Street) – Orangeburg, Saluda
		45.2	72.7	SC 245 (Lee Street) – Orangeburg, Newberry
		46.5	74.8	SC 23 west (Leesville Avenue) – Ridge Spring
	Lexington	61.1	98.3	US 378 west – Saluda	West end of US 378 overlap
		61.7	99.3	US 378 east (Columbia Avenue) – Columbia	East end of US 378 overlap
		62.4	100.4	SC 6 (Lake Drive) – Irmo, Red Bank
		64.9	104.4	I‑20 – Augusta, Florence
	West Columbia	70.1	112.8	I‑26 – Charleston, Spartanburg
		70.8	113.9	SC 12 east (Jarvis Klapman Boulevard) – Columbia
		72.2	116.2	SC 35 (12th Street)
		73.3	118.0	SC 2 (State Street)
		73.4	118.1	US 378 west (Sunset Boulevard) – Lexington	West end of US 378 overlap
Richland	Columbia	73.9	118.9	US 21 / US 176 / US 321 (Huger Street)
		74.5	119.9	SC 48 (Assembly Street)
		74.9	120.5	US 76 west (Bull Street)	West end of US 76 overlap
		75.9	122.1	US 76 east / US 378 east (Millwood Avenue)	East end of US 76/US 378 overlap
		76.3	122.8	SC 12 (Taylor Street / Forest Drive)
		78.0	125.5	SC 16 (Beltline Boulevard)
	Dentsville	82.3	132.4	I‑20 – Florence, Augusta
	Dentsville	83.0	133.6	I‑77 – Charleston, Charlotte
	Pontiac	88.4	142.3	Clemson Road
Kershaw	Lugoff	101.2	162.9	US 601 south – St. Matthews	South end of US 601 overlap
	Lugoff	101.7	163.7	SC 34 west (Ridgeway Road) – Ridgeway	West end of SC 34 overlap
	Camden	104.2	167.7	Springdale Drive
		106.5	171.4	US 521 / US 601 north (Broad Street) – Sumter, Kershaw	North end of US 601 overlap
		107.9	173.6	SC 34 east (Bishopville Highway) – Bishopville	East end of SC 34 overlap
	Bethune	126.7	203.9	SC 341 (Main Street) – Bishopville, Kershaw
Chesterfield	McBee	133.5	214.8	SC 151 (Pine Avenue) – Hartsville, Jefferson
		135.4	217.9	SC 145 north – Chesterfield	To Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
	Patrick	148.3	238.7	SC 102 (Poison Street / Turnage Street) – Hartsville, Chesterfield
		158.1	254.4	US 52 south – Society Hill, Darlington	South end of US 52 overlap; to Cheraw State Park
	Cheraw	160.5	258.3	SC 9 north (Market Street) – Chesterfield	North end of SC 9 overlap
	Cheraw	161.8	260.4	US 52 north (2nd Street) – Morven, Wadesboro	North end of US 52 overlap
Marlboro	Wallace	163.6	263.3	SC 9 south to SC 177 – Bennettsville, Hamlet	South end of SC 9 overlap
Marlboro	State line	170.1	273.7	US 1 north – Rockingham	Continuation into North Carolina
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus