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100 years of US routes: 1926-2026
Endpoints of
c. 1934, Gallup
There was a different US 401 that was commissioned in 1927; that designation was decommissioned in 1931.
This page is about the second US 401, which was a precursor to the southern segment of US 15.
US 401[ii] lasted for two years -- it shows up on maps only from 1933 and 1934 -- so one would hardly expect to be able to find a historic photo showing a US 401 shield posted in the field. Yet here we are:
c. 1936, in Santee SC, attribution unknown
Apparently that photo was taken in 1936. So why was US 401 still posted? Notice the tabs mounted above each of the route shields. They are difficult to read, but the assembly says "Old Route: US 401 - New Route: US 15".
Raleigh
The north end of US 401[ii] was in Raleigh; this photo was looking south on Dawson Street. The traffic signal is at Edenton Street (which carried US 1 at the time). Straight ahead on Dawson was the north beginning of US 401:
Karners, Apr. 2014
The south terminus of US 401[ii] was in Walterboro. In 1956, the US 401 designation was used for the third time, and that highway still exists today, with much of it running along the former US 401[ii].
Research and/or image credits: Karin and Martin Karner; Mike Roberson; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa
Page originally created 2002;last updated May 18, 2025.
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