U.S. Route 17
U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Highway that spans in the southeastern United States. It runs close to the Atlantic Coast for much of its length. The highway's southern terminus is at Punta Gorda, Florida, at an intersection with US 41. Traveling north, US 17 joins up with US 50 in Paris, Virginia, and the northern terminus of US 17 is in downtown Winchester, Virginia. This is also the point at which the portion of US 50 called the Northwestern Turnpike  begins. Though US 1 is generally considered to be the highway that runs alongside Interstate 95 (I-95), US 17 runs parallel to I-95 for much of its extent, and even shares the same physical road for short spans in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Ridgeland, South Carolina. As such, US 17 is out of sequence in the U.S. Highway numbering plan (US 17 would, under the plan, run parallel to and between US 15 and US 19; the U.S. Highway following that path is instead marked US 219). Route description. Florida. US 17 begins in downtown Punta Gorda, Florida, at US 41  (Cross Street), just to the west of Tamiami Trail. After running east, it runs roughly north along the Peace River, through Arcadia, Zolfo Springs (where it crosses the Peace River), and Wauchula. At Fort Meade, it joins with US 98, which follows it northward (westward on US 98) until Bartow. While US 98 goes northwest, US 17 goes northeast. US 17 begins a long concurrency with US 92 just north of Winter Haven in Lake Alfred (US 92 following eastbound), which takes both highways through Kissimmee, where they join US 192. Like US 92, US 17 roughly parallels Interstate 4  along the overlap. When all three meet US 441, US 192 follows US 441 southbound, while US 17/92 follows US 441 north into downtown Orlando. US 17/92 then splits from US 441 at SR 50 (Colonial Drive) and jogs east, splitting back north from SR 50 when it meets SR 15 (Mills Avenue). In Seminole County, the redevelopment of the 17–92 Community Redevelopment Area is handled by the US 17–92 Community Redevelopment Agency, a component unit of the County government. In Sanford, Florida, US 17/92 crosses the St. Johns River into Volusia County via the Bill Benedict Bridge. US 92  then splits away from US 17 north of DeLand, with US 92 continuing east to Daytona Beach as International Speedway Boulevard, while US 17 continues north toward Palatka, where it again crosses the St. Johns River. In Clay County, US 17 runs through suburban Jacksonville. The northern stretch of US 17 in Clay County is known as Park Avenue. In Jacksonville, the southern portion of US 17 is known as Roosevelt Boulevard. Here, the highway goes past Naval Air Station Jacksonville (NAS Jax). Near downtown Jacksonville, US 17 joins Interstate 10 for approximately one mile, before merging into Interstate 95 . US 17 then exits onto Union Street and continues as North Main Street until the Nassau County border. It then continues until it reaches the Georgia border, crossing over the St. Marys River. Georgia. In Woodbine, US 17 crosses the Satilla River by way of the J. Edwin Godley Bridge. In Brunswick, the route traverses the South Brunswick River over the Sidney Lanier Bridge, then across the Altamaha River bridge between Glynn County and McIntosh County. At the South Carolina state line, US 17 crosses the Savannah River on the Talmadge Memorial Bridge. The section of US 17 known as  the "Gateway to Historic Brunswick and The Golden Isles" was included in The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation's 2006 list of "Places in Peril". South Carolina. US 17 enters South Carolina in Jasper County as a two-lane road and within enters Hardeeville, where it becomes a four-lane configuration. US 17 intersects Interstate 95 in Hardeeville and runs parallel to Interstate 95 until Ridgeland, where it merges with the interstate until Point South. At Point South, US 17 leaves Interstate 95 and heads eastward into northern Beaufort County, sharing a concurrency with U.S. 21 until Gardens Corner. US  21 splits off to Beaufort while US 17 heads northeast into the ACE Basin and Colleton County. This stretch of road has been upgraded from a two-lane to a four-lane configuration, due to safety concerns. Once in Jacksonboro, the road enters Charleston County, crossing the Edisto River and maintains a four-lane configuration for the remainder of the state. The road passes through several rural communities as it approaches Charleston from the west. In Charleston, the section running from S.C. Highway 171 to Sam Rittenberg Boulevard has been 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. US 17 passes through the West Ashley community before it traverses the Ashley River Drawbridges to the Charleston Peninsula. From the drawbridges, it is known as the Septima Clark Crosstown Connector and is mostly routed north of the affluent historical areas of the city. Upon reaching the Interstate 26 terminus, US 17 becomes limited-access and above grade as it approaches the Cooper River via the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. The stretch of US 17 in Charleston is infamous among locals  for its traffic congestion, especially on weekday mornings. Upon crossing the river, the highway enters Mount Pleasant at grade and is signalized for several miles up through the second interchange with Interstate 526 and connecting roads to the Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island. The road leaves the Charleston metro area by entering the Francis Marion National Forest and going through the rural communities of Awendaw and McClellanville, where Hurricane Hugo made landfall in September 1989. US 17 continues on its northeastern journey to Georgetown and crosses the marsh-lined Santee River as it enters Georgetown County. US 17 's route through Georgetown is a major thoroughfare through the city and skirts the historic district. the City of Georgetown has made several upgrades since 2005 to address growing drainage concerns. After going through Georgetown and passing by DeBordieu, Pawleys Island, and Litchfield Beach, Murrells Inlet US 17 enters Horry County, passes Garden City Beach, Surfside Beach, and arrives in Myrtle Beach, where it splits between a business route and the standard route, which remains west of the beach and tourist areas served by Business 17. The roads rejoin north of the city and continue as US 17 through Atlantic  Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Little River before crossing into North Carolina. North Carolina. In Wilmington, North Carolina, US 17 (here concurrent with Interstate 140) crosses the Northeast Cape Fear River between New Hanover County and Brunswick County over the Dan Cameron Bridge. Between New Bern and James City, US 17 (concurrent with US 70 and NC 55) crosses the Trent River by way of the Freedom Memorial Bridge. Farther east, between James City and Bridgeton, US 17, still concurrent with NC 55, crosses the Neuse River over the Neuse River Bridge. In Washington, US 17 crosses the Pamlico River  over the Pamlico-Tar River Bridge. Farther along, in Williamston, US 17 (concurrent with US 13) crosses the Roanoke River, then the Cashie River at Windsor. At the Bertie County-Chowan County line, US 17 traverses the Chowan River on the Chowan River Bridge, one of the longest bridges along US 17's route. In Perquimans County, US 17 (here concurrent with NC 37) crosses the Yeopim River and the Perquimans River at Hertford. Crossing into Pasquotank County over the Little River, US 17 enters Elizabeth City and begins a short concurrency with US 158. At Morgan's Corner, the  US 158 concurrency ends, and US 17 crosses the Pasquotank River into Camden County before heading north into Virginia. Virginia. US 17 enters Virginia into the city of Chesapeake, Virginia, running along the border of the Great Dismal Swamp. It runs through more of the city of Chesapeake and around the cities of Portsmouth and Norfolk before it crosses the James River between Newport News and Isle of Wight County on the James River Bridge, a drawbridge which was formerly a toll bridge but is now toll-free, concurrent with U.S. Route 258. The route also crosses the York River  between Gloucester County and York County at Yorktown on the George P. Coleman Bridge, a swing bridge which is also a (north-bound only) toll bridge. Finally, US 17 traverses the Rappahannock River between Stafford County and Spotsylvania County at Fredericksburg as it overlaps Interstate 95. Then it traverses the Blue Ridge Mountains through Fauquier County and crosses the town of Warrenton. It then merges with Interstate 66 in Marshall and runs concurrently until Delaplane. The highway terminates at a junction with US Route 11 (see US Route 11 in Virginia) and US Route 522 in Winchester History. Florida. From  1956 until 1993, US 17 signs in Florida featured black numbering on a yellow shield. The "color-coding" of U.S. Routes by the Florida Department of Transportation was stopped when the state could only use federal funding for stock black-and-white; a few yellow US 17 signs remain. South Carolina. US 17 has had slight variations over its history in South Carolina. US 17 once traversed the Cooper River on the Grace & Pearman Memorial Bridges before the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge replaced both in 2005. US 17 also ran through downtown Myrtle Beach before the new bypass route was  finished in order to alleviate heavy traffic. US 17 Alternate was commissioned as a route between Point South and Georgetown, mostly for trucks who wished to bypass Charleston and the weight restrictions of the former bridges. Hurricane Charley Highway. On August 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley made landfall near the southern terminus of US 17 at Punta Gorda. The hurricane threatened to hit much of the highway, affecting the route in Florida from Punta Gorda to north of Orlando (when Charley followed the route of Interstate 4 out to sea). The Georgia stretch of US 17 was not hit, but was  under a hurricane warning. When Charley made landfall again in South Carolina, its trail through Virginia was close to US 17.