U.S. Route 276

U.S. Route 276 marker

U.S. Route 276
Route information
Auxiliary route of US 76
Length: 106.4 mi[1][2] (171.2 km)
Existed: 1932[1] – present
Tourist
routes:		 Forest Heritage Scenic Byway
Major junctions
East end: I-185 / I-385 near Mauldin, SC
 
North end: I‑40 in Cove Creek, NC
Highway system

← SC 274SCSC 277 →
← NC 275NCI‑277 →

U.S. Route 276 (US 276) is a United States highway that runs for 106.4 miles (171.2 km) from Mauldin, South Carolina to Cove Creek, North Carolina. It is known both as a busy urban highway in Greenville, South Carolina and a scenic back-road in Western North Carolina.

Route description

In South Carolina, US 276 only runs in Greenville County, for a total of 43.3 miles (69.7 km); beginning at the I-385/I-185 junction in Mauldin. The US Highway then runs north to the City of Greenville, then to Travelers Rest, and then Slater-Marietta before climbing into North Carolina. A two-mile portion of US 276 between Greenville and Travelers Rest is an expressway complete with shoulders, exits, a grass median, and a speed limit of 55 miles per hour.

In Travelers Rest, a Downtown Revitalization Plan has reduced US 276 from four lanes down to two; added trees, on-street parking, a new park, and other improvements.

After Slater-Marietta, US 276 climbs about 2,000 feet (610 m) to Caesars Head State Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains, 3 miles (4.8 km) from the North Carolina border. At the border, the US Highway crosses the Eastern Continental Divide at 2,910 feet (890 m) above sea level.[3]

In North Carolina, US 276 traverses through Transylvania and Haywood counties, for a total of 63 miles (101 km). Between the towns of Brevard and Waynesville in North Carolina, US 276 travels through the Pisgah National Forest and is a route heavily traveled by recreationalists. The road follows the Davidson River and a tributary upstream before climbing the Pisgah Ridge and crossing the Blue Ridge Parkway at its top, then descending by the Pigeon River and the Shining Rock Wilderness. Many trailheads used for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding lie along US 276 in this area and roads connecting to it. Drivers will also find roadside campgrounds, picnic areas, waterfalls, and two museums — the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education and the Cradle of Forestry in America — along the road or within a short distance of it. North of Waynesville, US 276 continues through Lake Junaluska, where it joins US 19 to Maggie Valley, then runs north to I-40 at Cove Creek.

US 276 is signed east–west in South Carolina and north–south in North Carolina; which is why it is listed as having an eastern and northern terminus.

US 276 overlaps with the Forest Heritage Scenic Byway, which is a North Carolina Scenic Byway, National Forest Scenic Byway and National Scenic Byway, that traverses between Pisgah Forest and Woodrow.[4]

History

Northbound US 276, in Brevard

US 276 was established in 1932, traversing from Laurens, South Carolina to Brevard, North Carolina; it replaced US 76 between Laurens to Greenville, overlapped with US 25 to Travelers Rest, replaced SC 284/NC 284 to Brevard.[5][6]

Around 1939, US 276 was extended north from Brevard, via Pisgah Forest along the old Pisgah Motor Road, to Waynesville, ending at main street. In the 1940s, US 276 was rerouted to its current routing around the downtown area of Greenville, which established US 276 Business by 1948; the business route would be later replaced by I-85 Business by 1968-70.[5][6]

In 1957 or 1958, US 276 was moved onto new freeway south of Mauldin to just south of Fountain Inn; its old route was replaced by SC 417 between Mauldin-Simpsonville and SC 14 to Fountain Inn. Between 1959-61, US 276's realignment onto new freeway was complete with a connection with I-26 in Clinton, the remainder of its former route to Laurens was replaced by SC 14.[6]

Also around 1959, US 276 was extended north again to Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, replacing another section of NC 284. By 1968, a widen 4-lane road was completed between Dellwood and Cove Creek, completing a temporary connection between to completed sections if I-40. This section became the final extension north of US 276, replacing the last remaining section NC 284; temporary I-40 lasted till 1974 (when the section between exits 20-27 was completed).[5]

Around 1985, the Mauldin-Clinton freeway was renumbered to I-385; truncating US 276 to its current eastern terminus in Mauldin.[6]

Junction list

Mileposts reset at state line crossings.
County Location Mile[2] Destinations Notes
Greenville 0 I-185 / I-385 – Simpsonville, Columbia, Atlanta US 276 begins
Mauldin 1.4 SC 417 (Main Street) – Simpsonville
Greenville 5 I-85 – Spartanburg, Atlanta
6.3 SC 146 (Woodruff Road) – Woodruff
7.6 SC 291 (Pleasantburg Drive)
9 I-385 south – Spartanburg, Columbia Northern terminus of I-385
9.5 To US 29 / Wade Hampton Boulevard – Greer
10.5 SC 183 south (Rutherford Road)
12.4 SC 253 / SC 291 south (Blue Ridge Drive/Pleasantburg Drive) Northern terminus of SC 291
14.6 Old Buncombe Road To Timmons Arena
15.3 Furman University
Travelers Rest 17.5 US 25 – Hendersonville, Asheville Brief overlap with US 25
22.2 SC 414 (Bates Crossing Road)
Slater-Marietta 23.4 SC 186 (Dacusville Road) – Dacusville, Pickens
23.7 SC 288 (Pumpkintown Road) – Pumpkintown
Cleveland 27.8 SC 11 east to US 25 (Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway) East end of SC 11 overlap, to Pleasant Ridge County Park
33.3 SC 11 west (Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway) West end of SC 11 overlap, to Table Rock State Park
34.2 SC 8 south (Caesars Head Highway) – Pickens Northern terminus of SC 8, to Table Rock State Park
County Location Mile Destinations Notes
Transylvania Cedar Mountain 1.6 Cascade Lake Road To DuPont State Forest
Brevard 12.5 US 64 west (Broad Street) – Highlands, Franklin West end of US 64 overlap
13.3
US 64 Bus. west (Caldwell Street)		 Brevard College at intersection
Pisgah Forest 15.9 US 64 east / NC 280 east – Asheville, Hendersonville East end of US 64 overlap, east end of NC Bike 8, begin of Forest Heritage Scenic Byway overlap
31 Blue Ridge Parkway West end of NC Bike 8
Haywood Woodrow 45.3 NC 110 north / NC 215 south – Canton, Rosman South end of NC 215 overlap, end of Forest Heritage Scenic Byway overlap
Bethel 46 NC 215 north – Canton North end of NC 215 overlap
Waynesville 52
US 23 Bus. (Main Street)		 Brief .4 miles (0.64 km) concurrency
53.1 US 23 / US 74 (Great Smoky Mtn. Expressway) – Asheville, Sylva
Lake Junaluska 54.5 US 19 north (Dellwood Road) – Asheville North end of US 19 overlap
Dellwood 56.9 US 19 south (Soco Road) – Maggie Valley, Cherokee South end of US 19 overlap
Cove Creek 62.9 I‑40 – Asheville, Knoxville US 276 ends
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Bannered routes

Greenville business loop


U.S. Route 276 Business
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Existed: 1948–1970

Travelers Rest connector


U.S. Route 276 Connector
Location: Travelers Rest, South Carolina
Length: 1.0 mi[7] (1.6 km)

U.S. Route 276 Connector (US 276 Conn) is an unsigned 1.0 mile (1.6 km) connector route, in concurrency with US 25 Conn, along Poinsett Highway. It connects US 276 with US 25, in downtown Travelers Rest.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 US Highways from US 1 to US 830 Robert V. Droz
  2. 1 2 Google (February 20, 2014). "U.S. Route 276" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  3. ↑ "North Carolina Highway Guide". Retrieved 2012-02-12.
  4. ↑ "NCDOT: Scenic Byways". Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 "NCRoads.com: U.S. 276". Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Mapmikey's South Carolina Highways Page - US 276". Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  7. ↑ Google (June 23, 2013). "U.S. Route 25 Connector - Travelers Rest" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 23, 2013.

External links

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