U.S. Route 17 in South Carolina

U.S. Highway 17
Coastal Highway
US 17 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by SCDOT
Length	221.454 mi[1][2][3][4][5][6] (356.396 km)
Existed	November 11, 1926 (1926-11-11)[7]–present
Major junctions
South end	US 17 / SR 404 Spur at Georgia line near Savannah, GA
Major intersections	I-95 in Hardeeville US 321 in Hardeeville US 278 from Hardeeville to Ridgeland I-95 from Ridgeland to Point South US 17 Alt. / US 21 near Poctaligo I-526 in Charleston I-26 in Charleston I-526 / I-526 BS in Mount Pleasant US 17 Alt. / US 521 / US 701 in Georgetown US 501 in Myrtle Beach
North end	US 17 at North Carolina line near Calabash, NC
Location
Country	United States
State	South Carolina
Counties	Jasper, Beaufort, Colleton, Charleston, Georgetown, Horry
Highway system
United States Numbered Highway System List Special Divided South Carolina State Highway System Interstate US State Scenic
← SC 16 → SC 18

U.S. Highway 17 (US 17) is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs north–south from Punta Gorda, Florida to Winchester, Virginia. In South Carolina, it is a 221.454-mile (356.396 km) major highway that travels near the Atlantic Ocean. Beginning from the Georgia state line at the Savannah River, US 17 enters South Carolina in Jasper County, where it intersects with Interstate 95 (I-95). The route goes through Hardeeville. It merges with I-95 until Point South, then heads east into Beaufort County, through the ACE Basin, and eventually reaches Charleston. There, US 17 crosses the Ashley and Cooper rivers, crossing the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge and becoming a major route through Mount Pleasant. Continuing through the Francis Marion National Forest, it reaches Georgetown. Then it follows the Grand Strand, bypassing Myrtle Beach before entering North Carolina near Calabash.

US 17 predates the Interstate Highway System and remains an alternative to I-95 for local and long-distance travel. The highway offers a more scenic coastal route compared to I-95's inland path, passing through historic towns and natural areas. During hurricane seasons, US 17 serves as an evacuation route for coastal communities, particularly in the Grand Strand regions. The highway's proximity to popular tourist destinations along the coast has made it an essential highway for the state's tourism industry, connecting visitors to beaches, historic sites, and coastal attractions.

Throughout its route in South Carolina, the highway is commonly called the Coastal Highway. Historically, a portion of US 17 was part of a much longer colonial-era route known as the King's Highway. This historic road stretched from Charleston to Boston, Massachusetts, serving the major colonial cities along the Eastern Seaboard. Additionally, the entire portion in South Carolina was called the Ocean Highway, due to the highway being close to the Atlantic Ocean. Several sections of the highway have specific designations. For instance, a section in the Crosstown is named the Septima P. Clark Parkway, after a U.S. civil rights activist.^[8][9] Furthermore, a 3.6-mile (5.8 km) section in West Ashley running from South Carolina Highway 7 (SC 7) to South Carolina Highway 171 (SC 171) is named the Charleston Nine Memorial Highway, in honor of nine Charleston firefighters killed in the line of duty in the Charleston Sofa Super Store fire on June 18, 2007.^[10]