U.S. Route 501 in South Carolina

U.S. Route 501
Route information
Maintained by SCDOT
Length:	73.8 mi[1] (118.8 km)
Existed:	1935 – present
Major junctions
South end:	US 17 Bus. in Myrtle Beach
	US 17 in Myrtle Beach SC 31 near Carolina Forest US 378 / US 701 in Conway SC 22 near Aynor US 76 in Marion US 301 in Latta
North end:	I‑95 / US 301 / US 501 at the NC line near Dillon
Location
Counties:	Horry, Marion, Dillon
Highway system
United States Numbered Highways List Bannered Divided Replaced South Carolina Highways Interstate U.S. State Scenic ← SC 496 SC 512 →

U.S. Route 501 (US 501) is a north–south United States highway that traverses 73.8 miles (118.8 km) from Myrtle Beach, to North Carolina, near Dillon. It is one of main routes to the Grand Strand.

Route description

US 501 begins at US 17 Bus. in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. From Myrtle Beach to Marion, US 501 is a multilane highway, some sections divided, some undivided, mostly with at-grade intersections but having a number of interchanges along the length. It passes through the city of Conway before reaching Marion, where US 501 bypasses the town to the east. North of Marion, US 501 meets SC 38, a connector to Interstate 95. From SC 38, US 501 heads to the northeast, meeting US 301 in Latta. US 301 merges with US 501, forming a concurrency through Dillon to the North Carolina border, where it passes South of the Border prior to simultaneously exiting South Carolina and interchanging with Interstate 95 near Hamer in Dillon County.

History

Established in 1935 as in extension from North Carolina. US 501 replaced part of US 117 between Myrtle Beach to Socastee, then from there through Conway, Marion, and Latta on what was SC 38. North of Latta, it overlapped with US 301, through Dillon, and into North Carolina.

During the 1940s, because of the need for a more direct route to Myrtle Beach Air Force Base from Conway, 2-lane US 501 was built through the Buist Tract owned by Southern Kraft Company (later part of International Paper),^[2] replacing SC 503, its old alignment was renumbered to SC 544. In 1950, US 501 was moved onto new construction between Conway and Aynor, its old alignment renumbered to SC 319. By 1964, US 501 was moved to its current southern bypass from downtown Conway, creating US 501 Bus. By 1990, US 501 was moved to its current eastern bypass from downtown Marion, creating another US 501 Bus.

Junction list

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Horry	Myrtle Beach	0.0	0.0	US 17 Bus. – North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach	Southern terminus of US 501
		1.3	2.1	Robert M. Grissom Parkway	To Myrtle Beach International Airport
		2.1	3.4	US 17 – North Myrtle Beach, Georgetown	Cloverleaf interchange
				Bridge over Intracoastal Waterway
		5.1	8.2	SC 31 (Carolina Bays Parkway) to SC 9 – North Myrtle Beach, Georgetown	Hybrid interchange similar to a cloverstack, except that two flyover ramps from SC 31 to US 501 exit left from SC 31 and wrap around the interchange's loop ramps.
	Conway	10.9	17.5	US 501 Bus. – Conway
		11.3	18.2	SC 544 – Socastee, Surfside Beach, Garden City, Murrells Inlet
		14.3	23.0	US 378 (Wright Boulevard) / US 701 south (Church Street) to SC 905 – Lake City, Georgetown	South end of US 701 overlap
		15.3	24.6	US 701 north / US 501 Bus. south (16th Avenue) – Loris	North end of US 701 overlap
		22.6	36.4	SC 22 east (Veterans Highway) – Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach	Western terminus of SC 22
	Aynor	29.2	47.0	SC 319 south (Elm Street)	Northern terminus of SC 319
Marion	Ariel Crossroad	37.2	59.9	SC 41 – Mullins, Johnsonville
		43.7	70.3	US 501 Bus. north to US 76 west – Marion, Florence
	Marion	47.7	76.8	US 76 – Marion, Mullins
		49.6	79.8	SC 41 Alt. – Marion, Lake View
	Spring Branch	52.0	83.7	US 501 Bus. south – Marion
		56.6	91.1	SC 38 west to I-95 – Bennettsville	Southern terminus of SC 38
Dillon				I-73	Proposed interchange[3][4]
	Latta	59.8	96.2	US 301 south – Florence	South end of US 301 overlap
		60.3	97.0	SC 917 south (Main Street) – Mullins, Bennettsville
	Dillon	66.8	107.5	SC 9 south / SC 34 west / SC 57 south (Main Street) – Lake View, North Myrtle Beach	South end of SC 9/SC 57 overlap; Eastern terminus of SC 34
		67.8	109.1	SC 9 north / SC 57 north (Radford Boulevard) – Bennettsville, Charlotte	North end of SC 9/SC 57 overlap
	State line	73.8	118.8	I‑95 / US 301 north / US 501 north – Fayetteville, Rowland, Florence	Continuation into North Carolina
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Unopened

See also

• Bannered routes of U.S. Route 501
• Intracoastal Waterway
• Myrtle Beach Pavilion
• Pee Dee River
• South of the Border

References

1. Google (June 30, 2013). "U.S. Route 501 in South Carolina" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
2. Straka, Thomas J.; Dantzler, David W.; Yarrow, Greg K.; Burroughs, J. Benjamin (2006). "History of the 'Infamous Buist Tract' and Its Wildfires" (PDF). The Independent Republic Quarterly. Horry County Historical Society. pp. 7–8. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
3. Staff. "Project Status: Southern Project". I-73 Environmental Impact Study. South Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 30, 2013.
4. I-73 Southern Map (PDF) (Map). South Carolina Department of Transportation. Marion inset. Retrieved June 30, 2013.

External links

• Media related to U.S. Route 501 in South Carolina at Wikimedia Commons
• Mapmikey's South Carolina Highways Page: US 501