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100 years of US routes: 1926-2026
Endpoints of
1932-1992
North: Four Oaks, NC
South: Charleston, SC
1992-present
North: Four Oaks, NC
South: Georgetown, SC
Mileage: in 1989 AASHTO listed a figure of 247 miles for US 701... however, that included the mileage of US 701's associated business routes. According to the state subtotals on AASHTO's 1989 spreadsheet, mainline US 701's actual end-to-end total at the time was 231 miles... but at the time the route still ended in Charleston. US 701 has since been truncated to Georgetown, and our own 2020 measurement yielded 172.6 miles. Want historic mileages? Our handy reference book includes the mileages that were published in all 13 of AASHO/AASHTO's historic route logs (spanning the years 1927 to 1989).
Four Oaks
US 701 was commissioned in 1932; its north end has always been at the edge of Four Oaks:
c. 1939, Rand McNally
US 701 has never connected with its implied "parent" route (US 1), but here at Four Oaks it connects with its "sibling", US 301. These photos show the end of US 701; straight ahead becomes northbound US 301, while southbound US 301 is to the left:
The I-95 overpass is just behind the camera, but access to the southbound on-ramp is to the left on US 301. This shot was looking north on US 301; that designation continues along the road in the distance curving to the left, while off to the right is the north beginning of US 701, and access to northbound I-95:
This perspective is from southbound US 301, which continues by curving to the right, while straight ahead becomes the north beginning of US 701 (the red truck at far left is at the north end of that route):
Originally US 701 extended southward into Charleston; it was the first US route to serve the coast between there and Wilmington NC (originally US 17 went through Florence SC to get between those two cities). Although the US 701 designation was not officially truncated to Georgetown until 1992, it was not given much respect during its latter years in the area; here is an eyewitness recollection:
"In the late 1980s, US 701 was only signed as such on the Pearman Bridge over the Cooper River in Charleston. This bridge also carried US 17 across the river. [This gave the impression that] US 701 ended at the North (East) end of the bridge, and never actually entered Charleston proper. In any case, I don't remember any guide signs for US 701 from US 52, US 78, or even I-26. US 701 was poorly-signed between Georgetown and Charleston."
Research and/or image credits: Stuart Davis; Karin and Martin Karner; Jeff Morrison; Dale Sanderson; Morgan Younce
Page originally created 2000;last updated Aug. 15, 2025.
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