U.S. Route 78 in South Carolina

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 78 in South Carolina. For the entire route, see U.S. Route 78.

U.S. Route 78
Route information
Maintained by SCDOT
Length:	141.0 mi (226.9 km)
Existed:	1927 – present
Major junctions
West end:	US 1 / US 25 / US 78 / US 278 / SR 10 / SR 121 at the GA line near North Augusta
	I-520 / US 25 in North Augusta US 278 in Clearwater US 1 in Aiken US 321 in Denmark US 301 / US 601 in Bamberg US 21 in Branchville I-95 / US 15 in St. George I-26 near Ladson I-26 / I-526 / US 52 in North Charleston
East end:	Line Street in Charleston
Location
Counties:	Aiken, Barnwell, Bamberg, Orangeburg, Dorchester, Charleston
Highway system
United States Numbered Highways List Bannered Divided Replaced South Carolina Highways Interstate U.S. State Scenic ← SC 77 SC 79 →

U.S. Route 78 (US 78) is a U.S. highway that travels from Memphis, Tennessee to Charleston, South Carolina. In the U.S. state of South Carolina, it runs from the Savannah River at North Augusta to its eastern terminus in Charleston; connecting the cities of Aiken, Summerville, and North Charleston.

Route description

US 78 enters South Carolina by crossing the Savannah River in North Augusta; sharing concurrences with US 1, US 25, US 278 and SC 121. In the immediate 2-mile (3.2 km) area, it sheds most concurrences, sharing only with US 1 towards Aiken; it also connects with I-520, which is a partial beltway around the Augusta metropolitan area. In Aiken, it travels through the downtown area, where US 1 splits north towards Columbia. West of Williston is SC 781, which connects back with US 278; the routing allows travelers to bypass Aiken all together between Williston and Augusta.

Traveling in a southeasterly direction, it goes through the cities and towns of Williston, Blackville, Denmark, Bamberg, Branchville and St. George, where connects with I-95. Continuing east, it passes through Dorchester and begins to parallel with I-26 in a southeasterly direction through Summerville. It crosses into Charleston County at Lincolnville, where the highway skirts just inches south of the Berkeley County line. In North Charleston, US 78 shares a concurrency with US 52, as it connects with I-526. Entering Charleston, it splits with US 52 and goes south along King Street; its eastern terminus at Line Street, a block away from US 52's eastern/southern terminus and nearby to I-26/US 17 interchange.

US 78 is a predominantly two-lane rural highway connecting much of the Lowcountry. Widen sections (four-lanes or more) are found between North Augusta-Aiken, St. George and North Charleston. Though it provides the most direct route between Augusta and Charleston (using US 278/SC 781 to bypass Aiken), it is not a busy route because of the many cities and towns it goes through.

History

Established in 1927 as an original US highway, it traveled closely as it does today; from North Augusta to Charleston, connecting the cities and towns of Aiken, Bamberg, St. George, and North Charleston.

By 1931, US 78 was rerouted north of Summerville and Lincolnville, leaving Richardson Avenue/Lincoln Avenue. Around 1939, US 78 was realigned from Meeting Street to Rivers Street, south of Durant Avenue in the Charleston area. Also in 1939, US 78 was fully paved in the state, its last unpaved section was between St. George and US 178. By 1952, US 78 was placed on new four-lane highway bypassing Clearwater, Burnettown, and Gloverville; also by same year a new bridge was constructed over the Savannah River, leaving Fifth Street Bridge. By 1967, US 78 was adjusted to bypass south of mainstreet Blackville, leaving a secondary road, but was later upgraded as a connector (bannered as a business loop).

Major intersections

County	Location	mi	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	0.32	5th Street Bridge / River North Drive
		0.7	1.13	US 25 north / SC 121 north – North Augusta, Edgefield	North end of US 25/SC 121 overlap
		1.4	2.3	I-520 (Palmetto Parkway) – Augusta, Columbia, Atlanta	I-520, exit 17
	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; southern terminus of SC 421
	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)	Northern terminus of SC 421
		15.5	24.9	SC 19 (Laurens Street) – Eureka, Edgefield
		15.7	25.3	20px SC 19 Conn. (Chesterfield Street) – Savannah River Site	Signed also as SC 19
		15.8	25.4	US 1 north (York Street NE)	North end of US 1 overlap
	​	18.1	29.1	SC 4 east (Wagener Road) to SC 302	Western terminus of SC 4
	​	18.4	29.6	SC 302 (Pine Log Road/Rudy Mason Parkway)
	​	34.2	55.0	SC 781 west (Tinker Creek Road)	Eastern terminus of SC 781
Barnwell	Williston	37.2	59.9	SC 39 south (Rosemary Street/Dunbarton Road)	South end of SC 39 overlap
		37.5	60.4	SC 39 north (Elko Street/Springfield Road) – Springfield	North end of SC 39 overlap
	Elko	40.3	64.9	SC 37 (Bay Street) – Barnwell, Springfield
	Blackville	46.7	75.2	US 78 Bus. east (Walker Street)	Western terminus of US 78 Business
		46.8	75.3	SC 3 (Solomon Blatt Avenue) – Barnwell
		46.9	75.5	SC 304 south (Lartigue Street) – Hilda
		47.3	76.1	US 78 Bus. west (Main Street)	Eastern terminus of US 78 Business
Bamberg	Denmark	54.9	88.4	US 321 / SC 70 (Palmetto Avenue) – Orangeburg, Barnwell
	Bamberg	61.5	99.0	US 301 / US 601 – Orangeburg, Allendale, Ehrhardt
	​	71.3	114.7	SC 61 south (Edisto River Road)	Northern terminus of SC 61
Orangeburg	Branchville	75.8	122.0	US 21 south (Freedom Road) – Smoaks, Walterboro, Savannah	South end of US 21 overlap
		76.0	122.3	US 21 north (Freedom Road) – Orangeburg, Columbia	North end of US 21 overlap
Dorchester	St. George	88.8	142.9	I-95 – Savannah, Florence	I-95, exit 77
		90.9	146.3	US 15 (Parler Avenue) – Walterboro, Santee
	​	104.7	168.5	US 178 west (East Main Street) – Harleyville	Eastern terminus of US 178
	​	107.5	173.0	SC 27 north (Ridgeville Road) – Holly Hill	North end of SC 27 overlap
	​	107.9	173.6	SC 27 south (Ridgeville Road) – Ridgeville	South end of SC 27 overlap
	Summerville	118.3	190.4	US 17 Alt. (North Main Street) – Walterboro, Moncks Corner
		118.7	191.0	SC 165 (Berlin G. Myers Parkway) – Ravenel
Charleston	North Charleston	124.7	200.7	I-26 – Columbia, Charleston	I-26, exit 205
		126.8	204.1	US 52 west / N.A.D. Road – Goose Creek, Moncks Corner	West end of US 52 overlap
		128.2	206.3	I-26 east – Charleston	I-26, exit 209A; no access to I-26 west
		132.7	213.6	I-526 (Mark Clark Expressway) – Savannah, Mount Pleasant	I-526, exit 18
		135.7	218.4	SC 642 west (Dorchester Road)	Eastern terminus of SC 642
		135.9	218.7	SC 7 south (Cosgrove Avenue)	Northern terminus of SC 7
		136.4	219.5	US 52 east (Carner Avenue)	East end of US 52 overlap
	Charleston	141.0	226.9	Line Street	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

Bannered routes

Aiken truck route

U.S. Route 78 Truck
Location:	Aiken, South Carolina
Length:	8.4 mi (13.5 km)

U.S. Route 78 Truck (US 78 Truck) is a Truck route of the US 78 that bypasses north of downtown Aiken, via University Parkway and Rudy Mason Parkway. It's routing is in complete concurrency of SC 118, and it also shares with other truck routes from U.S. and State routes. The road is two-lane on both ends, with a four-lane stretches between Laurens Street-Willow Run Road and Old Wagener Road-Charleston Highway. Though the routing is longer than going through the downtown area, it does provide a faster connection with US 1.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Aiken County.

Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Aiken	0.0	0.0	US 1 / US 78 / SC 118 / US 1 Truck	Western terminus; South end of US 1 Truck/SC 19 Truck and west end of SC 118 overlap
	4.6	7.4	SC 19 (Laurens Street NW) – Trenton	North end of SC 19 Truck overlap
	5.6	9.0	US 1 (York Street NE) / US 1 Truck – Batesburg-Leesville	North end of US 1 Truck overlap
​	8.3	13.4	SC 4 / SC 302 east (Wagener Road)	East end of SC 302 overlap
​	8.4	13.5	US 78 / SC 118 / SC 302 west	Eastern terminus; East end of SC 118 and west end SC 302 overlap
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

Blackville business loop

U.S. Route 78 Business
Location:	Blackville, South Carolina
Length:	0.7 mi (1.1 km)
Existed:	1981–present

U.S. Route 78 Business (US 78 Business) is a short business loop in the central part of the town of Blackville, via Walker and Main Streets. Originally, US 78 traversed along the route until by 1967, when new road south was created, allowing it to bypass Main Street. The old alignment was not made into a business route till at least 1981; however, though it is signed as a business loop, on state and county maps it is officially a connector route in disguise.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Blackville, Barnwell County.

mi	km	Destinations	Notes
0.0	0.0	US 78 (Dexter Street) – Williston, Denmark	Western terminus
0.2	0.32	SC 3 (Solomon Blatt Avenue) – Barnwell, Columbia
0.7	1.13	US 78 (Dexter Street) – Denmark, Williston	Eastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

• South Carolina portal
• U.S. Roads portal
• Central Savannah River Area

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• End of US highway 78 on USends.com
• Mapmikey's South Carolina Highways Page: US 78

U.S. Route 78
Previous state: Georgia	South Carolina	Next state: Terminus