End of US highway 123

View a map showing this route.

Photo credits: H.B. Elkins; Andy Field; Alex Nitzman; Chris Patriarca

Approx. time period North terminus South terminus
1937-1990s Greenville, SC Cornelia, GA
1990s-present Greenville, SC (near Toccoa, GA)

The first US 123 existed from 1930 to 1934; you can read about its endpoints here.

The current US 123 was commissioned in 1937, and it has served essentially the same corridor ever since. Originally the designation was signed along what is now GA hwy. 13, and my best guess is that the south end was initially on Wyly Street at Main Street (historic US 23) in Cornelia. The photo below is looking south on Wyly:

Google Maps Street View, 2008

Where Wyly ends at Main (just ahead) is where US 123 probably ended at US 23. The shot below was taken from the opposite direction (north on Main):

Google Maps Street View, 2008

That was US 23, which continued to the left. To the right on Wyly was probably the south beginning of US 123. Later on, after today's US 23 had been built, but US 123 still ran along today's GA 13, US 123 may have been extended west a mile or two, so that it would connect to the new US 23. If so, perhaps it began at this exit on modern US 23:

Elkins, Jan. 2008

Level Grove Road leads east into downtown Cornelia, where it merges with Irvin Street. That intersects Main a few blocks north of the original terminus at Wyly.

By the 1990s, the routing of US 123 had been changed as well, so the south end of US 123 is now at a junction between Toccoa and Cornelia:

Field/Nitzman, Oct. 2001

Around the bend ahead is the junction with US 23/US 441:

Patriarca, July 2003

Below we're looking north on US 23/441; the south beginning of US 123 is to the right:

Field/Nitzman, Oct. 2001

If you're looking at a map, you might find it curious that the sign says US 123 goes "northbound" (not "eastbound"). Alex reports that the highway is signed north/south along its entire length. Although US 123 runs essentially east/west, the route basically follows the foot of the Appalachians, and I believe travel along that chain is considered to be north/south, even in isolated places where it's really more east/west. Anyway, that would explain the north/south number for this route. However, there is no good explanation for the mistakes on the signs shown below:

Elkins, Jan. 2008

That's from southbound US 23. The next exit is the south beginning of US 123, so it should say "NORTH 123" (not "SOUTH"). H.B. pointed out another curiosity: how is it possible that you can go two different directions on GA 365, but they're both signed as "SOUTH"?

The north end of US 123 is in Greenville SC. Although there were no signs to that effect, the intersection shown in the photo below is where US 123 ends:

Elkins, January 2007

That's looking south on Academy Street at North Street - the sign at far right indicates that I-385 is to the left. Wait a minute: did I say you're heading south when you reach the north end of US 123? Yeah: when US 123 reaches central Greenville, it loops around the downtown area, and then ends while heading southbound. Below we're looking east on North St:

Nitzman, 2000

The white car coming from the left is southbound on Academy; it has just reached the end of 123. The other white car, at far left, is turning onto Academy - and the north beginning of US 123. 123 follows Academy's loop around the city center: north for a couple blocks to a junction with US 29 (Church Street), then west for a few more, and then back to the south, where it has another intersection with North. After that point it finally begins heading southwesterly out of town, towards Easley and Clemson.

The street going off into the distance is eastbound North St. At this point, it's I-385 Spur (mostly unmarked). In the distance, the road becomes I-385, which forms a bypass around the south and east part of town, down to Mauldin. US 276 traffic is directed onto the old highway, Laurens Road, taking a more direct route south to Mauldin - and to its own terminus at I-385.

The photo below is also looking east on North St; the sign points US 123 traffic north onto Academy:

Nitzman, 2000

I'm guessing North was once US 276 - otherwise I can't understand why US 123 ends where it does. From today's US 276, they do a pretty thorough job of directing drivers to US 123:

Nitzman, Oct. 2001

That's from westbound US 276; the overpass is I-385. The photo below is from the opposite direction (eastbound US 276):

Nitzman, Oct. 2001

If you turn right there, you'll soon come to the intersection pictured below:

Nitzman, July 2004

That's looking west on North; US 123 begins to the right on Academy.