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Interstate 77

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Template:Infobox Interstate Interstate 77 (abbreviated I-77) is an interstate highway in the eastern United States. It traverses diverse terrain, from the mountainous state of West Virginia to the rolling farmlands of North Carolina and Ohio. It largely supplants the old U.S. Highway 21 between Cleveland, Ohio, and Columbia, South Carolina, as one of the best north-south corridors through the middle Appalachians. The southern terminus of Interstate 77 is in Columbia at the junction with Interstate 26. The northern terminus is in Cleveland at the junction with Interstate 90.

The East River Mountain Tunnel is one of only two instances in the United States where a mountain road tunnel crosses a state line. The other one is the Cumberland Gap Tunnel, connecting Tennessee and Kentucky.

Route description

Lengths
  mi km
SC 90 145
NC 105 169
VA 67 108
WV 187 301
OH 162 261
Total 611 984
Major cities
Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs

South Carolina

Main article: Interstate 77 in South Carolina

I-77 begins as a six-lane highway at I-26 in the far southeastern part of the Columbia metropolitan area. The Columbia skyline is visible from this interchange. In the Columbia area, I-77 offers easy access to Fort Jackson before meeting I-20 in the northeastern part of the city. This segment of I-77, combined with I-20 and I-26, form a beltway around Columbia, though it is not officially designated as such. In the Columbia area, the control city for northbound traffic is Charlotte, North Carolina, while the control city for southbound traffic is Charleston, South Carolina.

After leaving the northern Columbia suburb of Blythewood, I-77 narrows to four lanes until Rock Hill. From Exit 75 near Rock Hill to the North Carolina state line, the highway widens to eight lanes following a recent widening project. The final exit in South Carolina, Exit 90, takes motorists to Carowinds, an amusement park that was built along the North and South Carolina state line.

North Carolina

Main article: Interstate 77 in North Carolina

Interstate 77 through North Carolina begins at the South Carolina state line at Pineville within sight of the Carowinds theme park. It then belies its true scenic nature as it travels through the industrial southern side of Charlotte past the tall banking spires of that city's downtown before breaking through into the scenic rolling foothills of piedmont North Carolina. In Charlotte it intersects Interstate 85 as well as intersecting each of the loops of Interstate 485 (once in the south, as well as a planned intersection with I-485's uncompleted northern section) and Interstate 277 (twice). North of Charlotte, it skirts scenic Lake Norman, while passing through Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson and Mooresville. Forty miles north of Interstate 85, at Statesville it intersects Interstate 40. The final intersection is with a discontinuous section of Interstate 74 near Mount Airy within sight of the looming wall of the Southern Blue Ridge that Interstate 77 will climb shortly after leaving the state of North Carolina.

Interstate 77 in Charlotte, North Carolina is also known as the "Bill Lee Freeway"; this designation stretches from Exit 6 (South Tryon Street/Woodlawn Road) in Charlotte to Exit 33 (US 21 North), near Mooresville. A 6-mile (9.6-km) portion south of the city is called the "General Younts Expressway". The junction between I-77 and I-85 in Charlotte is a rather odd configuration. When I-77 crosses over I-85 (which runs in an east-west fashion through the interchange), the northbound lanes are to the west of the southbound lanes. Likewise, southbound I-77 is to the east of northbound I-77. The lanes return to their proper positions north and south of this interchange.

As Interstate 77 crosses over Lake Norman in northern Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, spectacular views of the largest man-made lake in North Carolina can be seen. In fact, I-77 splits Lake Norman into two noncontiguous sections.

Virginia

I-77 entering North Carolina from Virginia
Pilot Mountain in the distant haze, from I-77 near Fancy Gap, Virginia.
Main article: Interstate 77 in Virginia

Interstate 77 through Virginia passes through two tunnels. The Big Walker Mountain Tunnel and the East River Mountain Tunnel provide quick interstate access with minimal environmental disruption. For eight miles, Interstate 77 overlaps with Interstate 81 near Wytheville.

The highway passes through "Virginia's Technology Corridor" despite its very rural and isolated settings. Outside of Wytheville, there is little in the way of development.

West Virginia

Main article: Interstate 77 in West Virginia
See also: List of roads in Charleston, West Virginia

Interstate 77 enters from Virginia through the East River Mountain Tunnel. At milepost 9, Interstate 77 becomes co-signed with the West Virginia Turnpike for the next 88 miles (142 km), a toll road between Princeton and Charleston. It is concurrent with Interstate 64 to Charleston at Beckley. The speed limit is 70 MPH for most of the length, with a 60 MPH limit for the section between Marmet and the second toll plaza.

It enters Charleston via the Yeager Bridge and passes by the state capitol complex before splitting off at a four-level junction with Interstate 64 in the downtown. Two miles north of the city center, it junctions with Interstate 79 before proceeding northward towards Ripley and Parkersburg. It leaves the state at Williamstown for Ohio.

North of Charleston, Interstate 77 is known as the "Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway". Within the city limits of Charleston, it is labeled as the "Nurse Veterans Memorial Highway" although not signed or mentioned as such. The toll-free section south of Princeton to Virginia is known as the "Hugh Ike Shott Memorial Highway" although no signage exists to identify it as such. In practice, none of these terms are used by the general public.

Ohio

File:Picture 1223.jpg
I-77 approaching downtown Cleveland

Entering from West Virginia at Marietta, Interstate 77 passes through rolling Appalachian terrain.

The interchange with I-70 at Cambridge is (or at least at one time was) thought to be the largest interchange in the world, covering over 300 acres of land.

Other major interstate highways I-77 connects with in Ohio are I-76, I-80 (Ohio Turnpike), and I-90. The interchange with the Ohio Turnpike was completed in the early 2000s, providing direct access-previously traffic had to exit at Ohio State Route 21 to get to the Turnpike.

Interstate 77 is also known as the "Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway" in Ohio.

History

In South Carolina, the southern terminus of Interstate 77 near Columbia, South Carolina was originally the interchange with SC 12 (Percival Road) with mile markers signed accordingly. In 1986, an interstate spur to be named Interstate 326 between SC 760 (Fort Jackson Boulevard) and Interstate 26 was planned. The decision to extend Interstate 77 from SC 12 and SC 760 (five miles between the two roads) was made before I-326 was opened, so the southern portion was never signed as such and the mile markers for Interstate 77 were adjusted accordingly when the extension was opened in 1995. (Prior to this, southbound traffic on I-77 was detoured, by "Temporary I-77" signage, via I-20 and I-26 to bypass Columbia.) Because of this, SC 12 and Interstate 77 run parallel for a stretch of three miles from Exit 15 until Exit 12. This added a northbound exit only at the 13-mile point at Decker Boulevard.

The part of Interstate 94 from Detroit northeast to Port Huron, Michigan was originally planned as I-77 in 1957; the current I-77 was I-79.[1] When the current Interstate 79 was added in Pennsylvania, the I-77 designation was moved to its current route, but the I-77 in Michigan also remained in the 1958 numbering plan.[2] It soon became part of I-94.

Major intersections

The southern terminus of I-77 at I-26

Auxiliary routes

References

  1. ^ Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, August 14, 1957
  2. ^ Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, June 27, 1958
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