The Highways of South Carolina US 601 
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US 601
From: US 321 near Pineland (Jasper County)
To: North Carolina State Line above Pageland (Chesterfield County)
Total Length: 181.4 miles  
Nationally, US 601 runs from Pineland to US 52 Mt. Airy, NC.
ROUTE LOG
US 321: 0 - 0
SC 462: 3.7 - 3.7
Hampton-Jasper Line: 2.2 - 5.9
SC 333: 3.2 - 9.1
SC 3: 4.8 - 13.9
US 278 EB, SC 363 EB: 9.2 - 23.1
US 278 WB, SC 363 WB: 0.5 - 23.6
Colleton-Jasper Line: 9.8 - 33.4
SC 641: 2.9 - 36.3
Bamberg-Colleton Line: 1.8 - 38.1
SC 64: 3.3 - 41.4
US 301 SB: 13.4 - 54.8
US 78: 0.9 - 55.7
Orangeburg-Bamberg Line: 3.1 - 58.8
SC 332: 2.6 - 61.4
SC 70: 6.4 - 67.8
SC 4: 3.3 - 71.1
SC 33: 1.8 - 72.9
US 178 Bus: 0.6 - 73.5
US 21 Bus SB, US 301 NB: 0.6 - 74.1
SC 33: 0.1 - 74.2
US 21, US 21 Bus END, US 178: 1 - 75.2
I-26 (exit 145): 4.1 - 79.3
Calhoun-Orangeburg Line: 3.1 - 82.4
US 176: 3.2 - 85.6
SC 6: 1.8 - 87.4
SC 419: 7.6 - 95
SC 267: 1.4 - 96.4
Richland-Calhoun Line: 2 - 98.4
SC 48: 4.1 - 102.5
SC 764: 4.3 - 106.8
SC 263: 2.9 - 109.7
US 76, US 378: 2.7 - 112.4
SC 262: 4.9 - 117.3
Kershaw-Richland Line: 5 - 122.3
I-20 (exit 92), SC 12: 7.8 - 130.1
US 1 SB: 2.1 - 132.2
SC 34 WB: 0.3 - 132.5
US 1 NB, US 521 SB, SC 34 EB: 4 - 136.5
SC 97: 2 - 138.5
Lancaster-Kershaw Line: 15.3 - 153.8
US 521 NB, US 521 Bus BEGIN: 3.1 - 156.9
SC 157: 0.3 - 157.2
US 521 Bus NB: 0.2 - 157.4
SC 265: 5.6 - 163
SC 903 WB: 1.7 - 164.7
SC 903 EB: 0.1 - 164.8
Chesterfield-Lancaster Line: 5.3 - 170.1
SC 9 WB: 4.6 - 174.7
SC 207: 2.8 - 177.5
SC 9 EB, SC 151 Bus: 0.5 - 178
SC 151: 1.1 - 179.1
NC STATE LINE: 2.3 - 181.4
Creation: Appeared in 1927 as an original U.S. Highway. It was attached to a piece of SC 41, running from US 1 Cheraw south through Society Hill and Darlington, before ending at US 17-76 (current US 52-76-301) in Florence.
Adjustments: In 1932, US 601 was extended north over what had been SC 96 to North Carolina heading for Wadesboro.
In 1935, US 601 was eliminated in South Carolina when US 52 was routed over it. Today, the original US 601 would be Coit St in Florence, then US 52 and 52 Business through Darlington, and US 52 north out of South Carolina.
In 1951 or 1952, US 601 returned to South Carolina. It ran like it does today, except it also extended south with US 321 to end at US 17 in Hardeeville. US 601 replaced SC 151 from the NC Border to Pageland, SC 902 from Pageland to SC 265, SC 265 down to Kershaw, multiplexed with US 521 from Kershaw to Camden, replaced SC 26 from Lugoff to Orangeburg, multiplexed with US 301 from Orangeburg to Bamberg, replaced SC 36 from Bamberg to US 321, and multiplexed with US 321 to Hardeeville.
Between 1955-58, US 601 was rerouted slightly in Orangeburg to its current routing. Before, US 601 turned from Magnolia onto Russell St before heading south out of Orangeburg. Russell St below Magnolia became an extended SC 33.
About 1974, US 601 was extended south another short piece with US 17-321 to newly completed I-95. This gave US 601 its maximum length at 205 miles.
By 1977, US 601 south was truncated to its current end at US 321 near Tarboro.
Improvements: Paved only from Florence to Darlington in 1928, then to Society Hill in 1932; fully paved to Cheraw in 1934. When US 601 returned to S.C. it was fully paved everywhere.
The first multilane section of US 701 appeared between 1962-64, from SC 4 to SC 33.
The next sections to be upgraded between 1968-70 were from Camden to I-20 and from SC 4 to SC 70.
In 1973, US 601 was 4-laned from Orangeburg to I-26 and from SC 70 to the US 301 SB split.
Between 1974-77, US 601 was 4-laned from Camden to SC 97.
Comment: US 601 is little changed from its reintroduction to the Palmetto State. It is one of the few SC US routes I have little experience with as it really isn't the primary route to get that many places.
I believe US 601 is the longest US Route in South Carolina to not have a business designation anywhere.
US 601 (1932)

Last Update: 22 November 2004

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